We’re about 5 days out from Moon Knight’s premiere on Disney+, which means we’ll probably see an uptick in requests for the comics, either because the show is great and people want more, or because it’s a nightmare and people want to see what happened.
Moon Knight is a little bit of an oddball as comics go.
Moon Knight first showed up in the book Werewolf By Night (a book that came about thanks to the revision of the Comics Code that allowed werewolves to appear in comics, which, yes, was forbidden at one time because the Comics Code was oddly specific).
It might sound strange that Moon Knight showed up in a book that wasn’t called “Moon Knight,” but it’s pretty common for characters to pop up for the first time in a comic that wasn’t their own. Our favorite web-slinger first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15. Superman showed up for the first time in Action Comics #1. Blade (first appearing in Tomb of Dracula #10), The Punisher (first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #129) and Howard the Duck (first appearance: Adventure into Fear #19) all popped up as side characters in other books before going onto their own (more or less) successful titles.
Moon Knight, same deal.
The Moon Knight origin has gone through some changes, but the basic deal is that Marc Spector (who we should’ve known would be a superhero. Whenever someone has a cool name like Marc Spector they seem to end up with powers) was a Marine, sometimes a mercenary, stuff happened, he was mortally wounded, crawled into a pyramid, had a chat with the Egyptian god Khonshu, and became “The Moon’s Knight” or “The Moon’s Fist,” aka a guy who is really good at beating up bad guys.
When you read Moon Knight comics, you have to sort of accept that each version is a little different. Sometimes things are exactly as they appear, Marc Spector is Khonshu’s muscle. Sometimes Marc Spector is suffering from a mental/emotional break, and maybe Khonshu is real, maybe not. Sometimes Moon Knight is a legit, straight up hero, and sometimes he’s more like a mystical-type anti-hero.
You also should know that the character has appeared on and off since 1975, which means that some of Marc Spector’s struggles with mental illness are handled with a 1975 (then 1985, then 1995…) sensibility and language.
It’s my opinion that this was never meant to mock people with mental illness, and as the larger understanding of mental illness developed, so did the way various writers handled the issue.
However, just as a heads-up, if you dive back into the archives, you may come across some content that wouldn’t make print today. Sometimes it’s a little jarring, especially with digital comics, which often have enhanced colors and artwork, so when you view them on a screen or a tablet, they appear contemporary.
So just a heads-up, if that is an issue for you, I’d steer clear of anything published before 2010, and even then I’d go in with eyes wide open, and just be prepared to put down a book if it’s not working for you.
All that said, the comics are a great read, AND by checking them out on Hoopla, you can guarantee that you’ll get your hands on them. Hoopla will let an unlimited number of patrons borrow the same thing at the same time, so it makes things pretty easy when there’s a huge surge in interest, like we’re about to see with Moon Knight.
Here are some recommendations:
This is a great, quick read, it skims the surface of Moon Knight’s origin and tells a few different stories that are fast-paced, gritty, and move between highly realistic and magical weirdness. This version of MK is almost like a supernatural James Bond. It’s a personal favorite comic, TBH, so it has to be on the top of a Moon-Knight list.
This is where things start to get confusing because a bunch of these books are just called “Moon Knight.”
This is a book where Marc Spector is in an asylum, which is maybe real and maybe not, and maybe he’s Moon Knight, but maybe that’s all in his head. It’s easily the best exploration of the idea of Spector not being totally sure of who he is (and my money is on this being the basis for the new show).
If you like comics with less punching, more thoughtful moments, this is your ticket.
Make sure to check out this particular version from Hoopla because it gives you all 12 issues in one checkout. You can check out a couple different books that contain only portions of the story, but, like, why?
See, toldja they were all called “Moon Knight!”
In this version, Marc Spector has not only Moon Knight, but also Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Captain America living in his head. Which is…a lot.
This one is the closest to a traditional, “Let’s beat up some bad guys” sort of book out of everything listed here. And there’s not shame in liking that stuff? I love me some thoughtful, ponderous comics, but every so often I just want a straightforward book where Moon Knight punches Ultron in his smug robo-face.
