Moon Knight #188

Moon Knight is relaunched for Marvel Legacy with a brand new creative team! I am not envious of this group having to follow the Lemire and Smallwood run. That run did some pretty unique things in the comics medium and I highly recommend checking it out! It is only 14 issues and to be honest I was not sure how this new team would follow after that story came to an end. It is easily one of my favorite story lines in the last 5 years or so.

Before/During Reading: 

The story begins in Ravencroft Asylum where Dr. Emmet (who treated Marc Spectorfrom the previous run mentioned above) is interviewing a new patient. They dive pretty heavily into the psyche of the patient and the book instantly hooks you by being mysterious yet giving you the feeling that it will soon show its hand. Marc Spector (Moon Knight) is hardly in the book, but this particular part of the story being told works best without him.  As things escalate during the interview and thereafter, the book does show its hand and we are left begging for the next issue.

Also, there is a short story (3 pages) by Robbie Thompson as the backup. It is a simple origin of Moon Knight which was smart for marvel to add in with the intention of introducing the character to new readers. 

After/Evaluation: 

New writer Max Bemis already has a really strong grasp on who this new characteris going to be. Moon Knight #188 does an excellent job giving us the birth of something new and exciting, yet altogether terrifying. It is somewhat rare to have a comic book work this well when the main character is pretty much absent. The art in this book is quiet, and yet extremely bold. The artist, Jacen Burrows, has a simple style with his characters and backgrounds but there is enough detail there to really tell the story.We are teased in the middle of the issue with how great his darker stuff can be and by the end we really see him cut loose with it. The book is structured like a short horror film. It builds slowly, with little reveals as times goes on, however by the time you reach the end, all hell has broken loose. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers or flat out horror you won't want to miss this one.

9/10

A preview of things to come!