After months of a desolate, freezing winter, the slushy snow has finally melted away into pools seemingly made for insect baths, yet I still find myself seeing white. Perhaps this blinding misfortune also falls upon the shoulders of one Marc Spector, who returned this week in the latest installment of his series, Moon Knight #2. Again, he found himself trapped in a prison of the mind, or reality, or maybe somewhere in-between. Hell, he could be in the Twilight Zone for all I know. But all you want to know is whether or not the comic is worth reading, so here it is, Marvel Comics’ Moon Knight #2 reviewed!
Our story begins with Marc – or as he calls himself, Moon Knight – in the office of his therapist in the asylum or…what at least appears to be an asylum. Feeling cocky, Marc appears defiant in the face of his doctor, who sends him off to receive even more inhumane shock therapy. With a flash and a turn of the page, the reader finds him or herself with Marc and Khonshu, eagerly awaiting the god of the moon to put the uncertainty of Marc’s situation to rest. There, in the darkness, Khonshu convinces Marc that he is beyond all space and time. Together, they are transcendent, yet Marc’s body is still back in the asylum, bound and shocked. As their conversation concludes, Marc’s consciousness is sent back to his physical form where he becomes determined to break out with the other patients he has recognized earlier.
All in all, the reader is left without any solid answer as to Marc’s current situation, but it’s not important. Sure, we should ask whether or not we believe Khonshu. We want to believe him, and for some, his testimony may be good enough. Personally, I feel as though there will be much more to the story. If not, why would author Jeff Lemire play upon his sanity so much in the first issue? He would never just clear it all up in issue two, right? Right???
Either way, Moon Knight #2 is nothing short of a successful addition to the story, even without offering any definitive answers. The reader sees Marc’s story and situation furthered in a pleasing way. Artist Greg Smallwood guides the reader’s eyes and takes enough care to vary his style for different situations. Best of all, Marc appears to be on the rise, ready to suit up as the protector of nighttime travelers, the one and only Moon Knight.
