{"id":33288,"date":"2025-07-10T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T08:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33288"},"modified":"2025-07-09T17:08:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T17:08:03","slug":"moon-knight-epic-collection-volume-2-shadows-of-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/07\/10\/moon-knight-epic-collection-volume-2-shadows-of-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Moon Knight Epic Collection volume 2: Shadows of the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Doug Moench<\/strong> & Bill Sienkiewicz<\/strong>, with Jack C. Harris<\/strong>, Alan Zelenetz<\/strong>, Denys Cowan<\/strong>, Vicente Alcazar<\/strong>, Jimmy Janes<\/strong>, Greg LaRoque<\/strong>, Klaus Janson<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, Steve Mitchell<\/strong>, Josef Rubinstein<\/strong>, Armando Gil<\/strong>, John Tartaglione<\/strong>, Bob Camp<\/strong>, Dave Simons<\/strong>, Joe Albelo<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-3368-5 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Moon Knight<\/strong> is probably the most complex and convoluted hero(es) in comics. There\u2019s also a lot of eminently readable strip evidence to support the contention that he\u2019s a certifiable loon. The mercurial champion first appeared during the mid-1970s horror boom: a mercenary Batman<\/strong> knockoff hired by corporate villains to capture a monster. Sparking reader attention, the mercenary spun off into a brace of solo trial issues in Marvel Spotlight<\/strong> and welter of guest shots before securing an exceedingly sophisticated back-up slot in the TV-show-inspired Hulk Magazine<\/strong> and inevitably graduating to the first of many solo series. His origin eventually revealed how multiple-personality-suffering CIA spook-turned-mercenary Marc Spector<\/em> was murdered by his employer and apparently resurrected by an entombed Egyptian god\u2026<\/p>\n

This second colossal compilation re-presents Moon Knight<\/strong> #5-23, transecting March 1981 through September 1982: a period of vast change and experimentation in comics that saw the Lunar Avenger notionally hived off from the greater Marvel Universe to experience far more mature storytelling, via the suddenly blooming Direct Sales comics marketplace\u2026<\/p>\n

The saga had begun in Werewolf by Night<\/strong> #32 (August 1975): a fresh strand in an extended plot thread wherein lycanthrope Jack Russell<\/em> and his sister Lyssa<\/em> were targets of criminal capitalists the Corporation<\/em>. The plutocratic cabal believed that by terrorising the public, they could induce them to spend more and sought for months to add werewolves to their army of monsters. Thus Doug Moench & Don Perlin (with assistance from little Howie Perlin) introduced Spector<\/em>: a rough-&-ready modern warrior hired by plutocratic plunderers and equipped with a silver-armoured costume and weapons to capture Russell or his animal other as \u2018\u2026The Stalker Called Moon Knight\u2019<\/em>. The bombastic battle and its ferocious sequel received an unprecedented response, rapidly rocketing the lunar avenger to prominence as Marvel\u2019s edgy answer to Batman<\/strong>. Within a year the spectral sentinel had returned for a two-part solo mission that fleshed out his characters (yes, plural!) and hinted at a hidden history behind the simple hireling fa\u00e7ade (Marvel Spotlight<\/strong> #28-29.<\/p>\n

The back-written yarn proved the mercenary to be a well-established clandestine crimebuster with vast financial resources, a dedicated team of assistants including old comrade\/pilot \u201cFrenchie<\/em>\u201d and liaison\/lover Marlene<\/em> Alraune<\/em>, in-the-know Grant Mansion domestics Nedda <\/em>& Samuels<\/em>, plus a wide-ranging network of street informants, a mansion\/secret HQ, a ton of cool gadgets… and at least four separate identities. This latter aspect would inform Moon Knight\u2019s entire career as various creators explored where playacting ended and Multiple Personality Disorder – if not outright supernatural possession – began. Thanks to his brush with the werewolf, the vigilante had also gained a partial superpower. As the moon waxed and waned, his physical strength, speed, stamina and resilience also doubled and diminished.<\/p>\n

Firstly, however, billionaire Steven Grant<\/em>, New York cabbie\/information gatherer Jake Lockley<\/em>, repentant gun-for-hire Marc Spector<\/em> and the mysterious Moon Knight adapted to the lives of an urban vigilante even if occasionally his pasts – especially Spector\u2019s former CIA career and exploits in espionage and terrorism-for-hire – often encroached on his chosen path of redemption. Groundswell took hold and the Moon Knight guested in Defenders<\/strong> #47-#51, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man<\/strong> #22-23 & Marvel Two-In-One <\/strong>#52 before landing a back-up slot in adult-adjacent Hulk Magazine<\/strong> #11 (October 1978). The residency and more mature tales led to the advent of artistic debutante Bill Sienkiewicz from #13 (February 1979) and a certain syzygy gelled. The run ended in Hulk Magazine<\/strong> #20 (April 1980) and was followed by monochrome magazine Marvel Preview<\/strong> (#21, Spring 1980), before that chapter in the character\u2019s life apparently closed, leading to the far more complex and conflicted career of a man seeking atonement as the November cover-dated premier solo title exposed the secrets of The Macabre Moon Knight<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

Moench & Sienkiewicz were allowed leeway to experiment with the format of lone avengers and revealed how world-weary, burned-out mercenary Spector was working for murderous marauder Raul Bushman<\/em> but reclaimed his moral compass after his ruthless boss murdered archaeologist Peter Alraune<\/em> for the contents of a recently excavated Sudanese tomb. His daughter Marlene escaped, as did equally disgusted comrade Frenchie, but when Spector attempted to stop Bushman executing witnesses he was beaten and left to die in the desert.<\/p>\n

Dying by degrees, Spector crawled for miles and died just as he entered the tomb of Pharoah Seti<\/em>, where Marlene and her workers were hiding. Dumped at the feet of a statue of Khonshu<\/em> – ancient god of the Moon, Guardian of Night\u2019s Travellers and Taker of Vengeance – he inexplicably revived. Clearly deranged, he draped the statue\u2019s white mantle around himself, before going out into the night. By dawn, Bushman\u2019s band are dead and the monster fled\u2026<\/p>\n

Skipping forward and hinting at an eventful road to his life as a multi-identity superhero, the origin ended with a fateful showdown with the returned Bushman in his New York lair\u2026<\/p>\n

In short order, gritty, edgy but (barely) mainstream stories focused on MK\u2019s pitiful homeless informant Crawley<\/em> targeted by a bloody butcher hunting bums and indigents, introduced first returning villain\/nemesis Anton Mogart\/The Midnight Man<\/em>, and saw the Lunar Avenger stalked by a quintet of specialist assassins.
\n\"\"
\nWithout pausing for breath Moench, Sienkiewicz & Klaus Janson open proceedings in this second collection by exploring and spoofing teen horror movies, adopting changing cultural cues of the new era. Here the team barely survive a \u2018Ghost Story\u2019<\/em> (MK <\/strong>#5 March 1981) after tracking trigger-happy bandits to a notorious murder house in upstate New York. The Reddich<\/em> place boasts horrific historical murders and attracts attention from bravado-drenched kids and ghost chasers but also masks a hidden history of family madness and ongoing mayhem. Add a hunt for long-lost buried loot and a determined guy draped in a white sheet and terrifying revelations – and an increased body count – are the end result…<\/p>\n

One month later, Steven Grant gifts Moon Knight\u2019s intelligence gathering unit – Crawley, diner owner Gena Landers<\/em>, her teen sons Ricky & Ray<\/em> and cabbie Jake Lockley – with a Caribbean vacation just in case Marc Spector needs help investigating a voodoo-themed crime wave on the isle of St. Lucien. Spector had been requested to crush the Zuvembie \u2018White Angels\u2019<\/em> by an old war buddy, but soon exposes a drugs and human trafficking scheme by a local plantation owner…<\/p>\n

America\u2019s \u201cWar on Drugs\u201d also informed MK<\/strong> #7, as Moench, Sienkiewicz & Janson detail how ruthless miscreants poison Chicago\u2019s water supply with hallucinogens and turn the conurbation into a howling homicidal madhouse. Moon Knight & Co are in town and are just as drenched and deranged by the time \u2018The Moon Kings\u2019<\/em> ends on a cliffhanger, and following a brief gallery of original art from the preceding stories, spectacularly concludes with Frank Giacoia inking \u2018Night of the Wolves\u2019<\/em> with the still impaired heroes foiling a cruel blackmail plot and last-ditch chemical revenge strike<\/p>\n

Moon Knight #<\/strong>9 sees Sienkiewicz inking himself for \u2018Vengeance in Reprise\u2019<\/em> as Bushman breaks out of jail just as Anton Mogart steals the statue of Khonshu from Steven Grant\u2019s mansion. Sadly, the artefact is all that stabilises Moon Knight\u2019s splintered personalities and as he tracks down and defeats both his despised foes, \u2018Too Many Midnights\u2019<\/em> (#10) sees the statue lost and the hero fractured. Happily, Marlene has a solution and the lunar guardian is back in #11 \u2018To Catch a Killer\u2019<\/em> rampaging through the New Orleans Mardi Gras. The team are there in pursuit of coke dealer Cajun Creed<\/em>, but Frenchie is dangerously distracted by the unexpected return and sudden murder of his old flame Isabelle Kristel<\/em>…<\/p>\n

A ghastly new foe debuts in #12 as Marlene\u2019s brother Dr.<\/em> Peter Alraune Jr.<\/em> endures \u2018The Nightmare of Morpheus\u2019<\/em>. Administered experimental drugs that hideously mutated him and gave him energy-warping powers by the sleep disorder specialist, patient Robert Markam<\/em> tirelessly tracks Alraune seeking revenge but thankfully Moon Knight is able to put him out, after which a notionally similar ally appeared…<\/p>\n

Despite his early career being packed with guest shots, the solo spooky star Moon Knight was a difficult fixture for many Marvel heroes but a somewhat sympatico headset could be seen in Frank Miller\u2019s Daredevil<\/strong>. Thus MK<\/strong> #13 offered \u2018The Cream of the Jest\u2019<\/em> as the fresh out on parole master of media manipulation unites with former Moon Knight foe Ace Taggert<\/em> to achieve mutual revenge on their most hated enemies. Sadly, as both heroes monitor the malefactors, differences in style and approach lead to a clash of policy and methods… and then just a clash…
\n\"\"
\nMoench & Sienkiewicz were continually experimenting and reaching a creative peak, and #14\u2019s \u2018Stained Glass Scarlet\u2019<\/em> (cover-dated December 1981) was a milestone that polarised fans. A classic tragedy, delving deep into dysfunctional families, it saw a mysterious woman in red occupying an abandoned church until her solitude is shattered by Moon Knight\u2019s pursuit of psychotic prison fugitive Joe \u201cMad Dog\u201d Fasinera<\/em>. The killer was looking for loot hidden by his equally murderous father, but found his cloaked foe, his mother Scarlett and his just deserts…<\/p>\n

Released on October 6th<\/sup> 1981 but cover-dated January 1982, Moon Knight #<\/strong>15 heralded longer even more mature stories as Marvel dropped the ad content and hived off the title from standard newsstand distribution, making it available only through subscription or specialist comic book stores. To prove this was a far harder hero now Moench & Sienkiewicz\u2019s \u2018Ruling the World from His Basement\u2019<\/em> featured an assassination campaign against foreign dignitaries perpetrated by a crazed white supremacist spouting Nazi ideology. He was also a trusted member of the community and associate of Moon Knight.<\/p>\n

And Rats.<\/p>\n

Racist killer Xenos<\/em> employed rodents in a most disquieting manner, so be warned…<\/p>\n

The big evolution was marked and celebrated in an illustrated essay by Moench with \u2018Shades of Moon Knight\u2019<\/em> precising the character(s) of the lone hero and recapitulating on his techniques, methodology and associates.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shadows of the Moon\u2019<\/em> by Jack C. Harris & Denys Cowan, inked by Steve Mitchell, Josef Rubinstein & Janson led in MK<\/strong> #16 as a cop who despises vigilantes like Moon Knight is murdered, and his son begs the masked hero to help. with a guest cameo by Ben <\/em>The Thing<\/strong> Grimm<\/em>, Spector\u2019s efforts to expose corrupt industrialist Alexander Latimer<\/em>, lead to brutal battle with philosopher\/assassin Blacksmith<\/em> and barely thwarted nuclear annihilation before justice is served.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The main event was supplemented by \u2018Seekers of Stone\u2019<\/em>, first tale of new feature Spector: Mercenary – The Man Who Will Be Moon Knight<\/strong> with Harris, Jimmy Janes & Armando Gil revealing how the mercenary dealt with a double-crossing Nazi war criminal who hired him to \u201crecover\u201d a mystic trinket…<\/p>\n

With Steve Mitchell inking, Moench & Sienkiewicz return with \u2018Master Sniper\u2019s Legacy!\u2019<\/em> as an extended epic opened to find Spector contacted by old friend Benjamin Abramov<\/em>. The Israeli agent needs his help to destroy terrorist Nimrod Strange<\/em> and his fanatical Third World Slayers<\/em> cult but is gunned down by Strange\u2019s emissary the Master Sniper<\/em> whilst talking to Spector and Marlene. Once the killer has been dealt with, Spector vows to destroy the Third World Army at any cost…<\/p>\n

Moench, Cowan & Rubinstein\u2019s far lighter ancillary tale sees the young(er) Spector south of the border, raiding tombs and learning the folly of indulging in \u2018The Worship of False Idols\u2019<\/em> before MK<\/strong> #18 resumes the war as Spector deals with \u2018The Slayers Elite\u2019<\/em> (Moench, Sienkiewicz & Mitchell) sent to make an example of Abramov\u2019s widow, before \u201cAllen\u201d Zelenetz reminds us of earlier team-ups in \u2018The Many Phases of Moon Knight\u2019<\/em> text feature which neatly segues into #19\u2019s \u2018Assault on Island Strange\u2019<\/em> by Moench, Sienkiewicz & Mitchell. As Moon Knight punishes operations by the Third World Slayers, Marlene goes undercover as the top terrorist\u2019s bodyguard. Much too close to Nimrod Strange for comfort, her compromises to survive outrage Moon Knight who takes out his aggression on the maniac\u2019s home base. However, his righteous fury is not enough to stop Strange giving himself a lethal munitions upgrade, renaming himself Arsenal<\/em> and setting off to attack New York with Marlene still beside him…
\n\"\"
\nThe saga explosively concludes in #20\u2019s \u2018Cut Adrift off the Coast of America\u2019<\/em> (Moench, Sienkiewicz & Mitchell) as Arsenal discovers the viper in his deranged bosom and attempts to turn Manhattan Island into a super-colossal bonfire with stolen oil tankers only to finally fail thanks to Moon Knight and a really, really angry Marlene…<\/p>\n

Sudden change of pace \u2018The Master of Night Earth!\u2019<\/em> (Moench, Vicente Alcazar, John Tartaglione & Bob Camp in MK<\/strong> #21 sees the world-weary warrior of shadow encounter genuine supernatural forces after joining Jericho Drumm<\/em>\/Brother Voodoo<\/strong> to foil insurrection and revolution in Haiti, backed up by new bonus feature Tales of Khonshu, wherein Zelenetz, Greg LaRoque & Dave Simons expose \u2018Murder by Moonlight\u2019<\/em> as a fleeing murderer encounters a museum statue of the lunar god of vengeance and experiences something… uncanny…<\/p>\n

Now possessing mind control and illusion-casting powers, maddened angry sleep-deprived Morpheus returns to wreak final vengeance on his tormentor in Moench & Sienkiewicz\u2019s \u2018The Dream Demon\u2019<\/em> – and so very nearly succeeds before concluding episode \u2018Perchance to Scream\u2019<\/em> sees further escalating carnage lead to an ultimate sacrifice that seemingly ends Morpheus\u2019 depredations forever…
\n\"\"
\nDividing those momentous events, Zelenetz, LaRoque & Joe Albelo lighten the mood with WWII titbit \u2018Moon Over Alamein\u2019<\/em> as British Eighth Army troops take shelter in a certain tomb, and resist every temptation to rob or defile it. Is that perhaps why a spectral apparition later escorts them safely through deadly mine fields? Only Khonshu knows for sure…<\/p>\n

With covers by Sienkiewicz, Earl Norem, Frank Miller, Al Milgrom, Ron Wilson & Dave Simons, Steve Mitchell and Joe Jusko, this collection of groundbreaking and innovative tales and on-fire creators finding new envelopes to push wraps up with a House ad for Scarlet in Moonlight<\/em>, 1981\u2019s Moon Knight portfolio<\/strong> by Sienkiewicz, offering 4 pencil plates and letter page art from #6, 9, 21, 23. There are also\u00a0 unused covers for #9, 12 &13 and 11 pages of original art\/covers (including a painting) all by LaRoque, Sienkiewicz, Cowan & Rubinstein.<\/p>\n

Moody, dark, thematically off-kilter and savagely entertaining this second volume sees the \u201cBatman knock-off\u201d fully evolve into a unique example of the line between hero and villain and sinner and saint, all wrapped up in pure electric entertainment for testosterone junkies and suspense lovers.
\n\u00a9 2019 MARVEL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Doug Moench & Bill Sienkiewicz, with Jack C. Harris, Alan Zelenetz, Denys Cowan, Vicente Alcazar, Jimmy Janes, Greg LaRoque, Klaus Janson, Frank Giacoia, Steve Mitchell, Josef Rubinstein, Armando Gil, John Tartaglione, Bob Camp, Dave Simons, Joe Albelo & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-3368-5 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Moon Knight Epic Collection volume 2: Shadows of the Moon”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[75,85,393,66,146,269,169,231],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime-comics","category-daredevil","category-doctor-voodoo","category-horror-stories","category-marvel-horror","category-moon-knight","category-spy-stories","category-the-thing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8EU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33288"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33300,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33288\/revisions\/33300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}