Moon Knight

[The NZA]

For me, Moon Knight falls into this bracket of characters, like Ghost Rider, who look cool as shit, but i really dont know anything about them, and doubt ive read even an entire issue involving them not crossing over with Wolverine.

 

Still, im interested, and im gonna bold the first few paragraphs that really made the character sound intriguing to me:

 

HUSTON TALKS MOON KNIGHT

 

 

For a character who first appeared as a B-lister in Werewolf by Night in 1975, Moon Knight is doing pretty good for himself.

 

Sure, he hasn’t had a regular series since 1994 (though there were two miniseries, two specials, and a host of appearances in West Coast Avengers and most recently, Marvel Knights), but the character still can boast undeniable popularity, if unceasing questions about Marvel’s plans for Moon Knight to Joe Quesada at every convention appearance are any indication.

 

As a touch of a basic primer, Moon Knight is Marc Spector, a former mercenary who, after an attack of conscience, and refusal to kill innocents, was beaten and left for dead in the desert. More dead than alive, Spector found an ancient temple of the moon god, Konshu. In it, he was healed, and returned to the world as a fighter for justice.

 

From there, things got interesting, as he created two new identities for himself, Wall-street wiz Steven Grant, and Jake Lockley, a cabbie with connections on the street.

 

Over the years, Moon Knight has flirted with the more mainstream “super hero” identity, but, more often than not, has run afoul of other heroes who don’t approve of his methods (think Batman on a really bad day). Likewise, writers have flirted with his connections to the Egyptian deities as well, at times playing up his role of an instrument of “divine justice.”

 

Of course, there have also been hints that “Konshu” was merely Spector’s personal near-death experience, and any voices he hears coming from the deity are in fact, coming from his own head.

 

It’s a real piece of work novelist Charlie (Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things) Huston and artist David Finch have been handed to work on in Moon Knight: The Bottom, a six-issue miniseries debuting in February of 2006.

 

We caught up with Huston to talk about the character, the story, and the mess that can exist inside Moon Knight’s head.

 

Newsarama: First off, how familiar were you with the character prior to landing the gig? When did you first encounter him?

 

Charlie Huston: I’d been a Moon Knight reader from back in the eighties with Doug Moench’s original run. My first taste of super hero comics came when I was in junior high and a buddy turned me onto Daredevil and X-Men. I came back for more and he hit me with Moon Knight. I read all his back issues and started buying with issue #22. I’d say that short of a true fanboy, I was about as well versed in Moon Knight lore as you can get.

 

NRAMA: Backing up a little then, – how did you get connected with Marvel anyway? Did you come knocking, or did they come to you?

 

CH: Ruwan Jayatilleke, Marvel’s Director of Development, Publishing, was looking for writers outside the comic book world and stumbled across me. I’d just started reading comics again in the past year so the timing was dead on. I had a touch of the fever. Ruwan read a couple of my books and pushed me to Marvel’s editorial staff.

 

NRAMA: Was Moon Knight something you suggested, or was it tossed to you by Marvel?

 

CH: They came back with a couple characters they thought might be a good fit, but really, once Moon Knight came up, it was all over. I made a point of being unenthusiastic about the other characters Ruwan mentioned. I knew Moon Knight would be a good fit with the noir style I’ve been working in. I also knew that there was limited continuity to catch up on between the stuff I had read as kid and where the character is today. Frankly, that was a big deal for me. Trying to digest twenty years of story lines on one of the major titles or spin-offs would have killed me. With Moon Knight, I was able to hit eBay and go after the Marc Spector Moon Knight and West Coast Avengers stuff and have a pretty good handle on where the guy was in the Marvel Universe.

 

NRAMA: Let’s hit the character side of things, then - throughout his years, Moon Knight has had some pretty interesting interpretations…how do you see him in regards to his motivations? Why does Marc do what he does? Take us inside his head a little…

 

CH: I’m going to be purposely vague on some of this stuff as it tends to go very much to the heart of the story we’re telling. But, Moench painted a very clear picture of a man who was trying to redeem himself. The irony being that he was trying to redeem a violent past through acts of violence. I think you’d have to be a very bad writer not to see the drama inherent in that conflict, and I’m not one to look a gift horse like that in the mouth.

 

NRAMA: That said, the mystical side of Moon Knight was played up very heavily in Moench’s run – will those be a part of your interpretation? And along those lines – is Konshu, in fact, real, or is he a piece of Marc’s imagination that motivates and justifies his actions?

 

CH: Once again, I’m gonna dodge the specifics of this bullet. Also once again, gonna reference Moon Knight’s creator. Moench was very consistent in keeping Spector’s relationship to Khonshu ambiguous. There was a constant tug-o-war within Spector regarding his belief in Khonshu. I think a writer could choose to stay that course or take either one of the turns off the road and have a great story to tell. As long as the belief, lack of belief or ambiguity remains key to the character. Faith is just too strong of a storytelling card to be ignored. And I’m not ignoring it. Khonshu will be a factor. Real or not.

 

NRAMA: At his Cup ‘o Joe panel in San Diego, Joe Quesada said that you’d read all the previous issues, and that your version won’t be contradicting any of what’s come before, but will be building and moving forward. Can you elaborate on that a little?

 

CH: The continuity for this story is coming most strongly out of Moench’s run. I’ve tried to touch on bits and pieces of lore from Marc Spector Moon Knight, WCA, and the minis that Moench did just a couple years ago. There’s tons of stuff I’d like to bring in, but there’s only so much room. I do think all the major pieces of the cannon are addressed. As for moving forward, the mandate was to end the series with a Moon Knight who is ready to be a player in the Marvel Universe, and he will be. But he’s got his own way of doing things and it still doesn’t match up too well with most of the tights crowd. Don’t expect him to be hanging with the FF anytime soon.

 

NRAMA: Obviously, from your comments so far, you’ve been heavily influenced on the character by Doug Moench. What was it about his interpretation that hooked you?

 

CH: No one else came close to nailing Moon Knight. So many other writers tried to twist him out of his original shape, and it never played. It was like they didn’t know what to do with this gloriously strange back-story, so they tried to pretend it wasn’t there. Part of what made the character pop in Moench’s hands was that he took him so seriously. The Egyptian thing wasn’t just random weirdness; it tied directly to Spector’s past as a mercenary. There was a great deal of mercenary activity in the Sudan at that time. Why wouldn’t Spector be there? Moench was always doing that, working current event and social concerns into his stories. His books were always about something more than BIFF and POW. He was, taking on drugs, child abuse, political corruption, Vietnam, and the abuse of power on all social levels. And none of this was done in a cheap or preachy fashion. These weren’t axes he was grinding, they were aspects of stories he was telling. And there was Moon Knight in the middle, trying to figure out what he stood for and what side he should be fighting on. No one, no one ever came close to handling Moon Knight like Moench. Period.

 

NRAMA: So – getting up to speed here, where is Marc as things begin in The Bottom? Where’s Marc in his life and what’s going on with his career as a hero?

 

CH: More vagueness on the way here. The title of the mini is The Bottom. That should give you a pretty clear picture of where Moon Knight is. To be just a little more specific, I wanted to work with a Moon Knight who is getting on a bit. I liked the idea of a guy who’s in the superhero racket, but is leaving his prime years behind. I felt Spector had been in the Marvel Universe long enough that we could deal with him as a man in his late thirties without it abusing the continuity. Part of the pitch was to think of him physically as an aging pro athlete who’s lost his career and wants to get it back. As of issue one, you’ll see a guy who’s dumped himself down a hole and alienated anyone who would have ever wanted to help him out. But he wants out of that hole. Badly. Safe bet that he’s gonna have to fight his way out.

 

NRAMA: So the title is foreshadowing…or his current address?

 

CH: First, this is not an “The End” story. As I said before, this is a Moon Knight tale meant to bring Spector back into the MU. Second, you bet your ass it’s foreshadowing. This is a dark character with a dark past and I just want to paint it black. Remember, this is a dude who burned his Avengers membership card largely because they were questioning his use of extreme violence.

 

NRAMA: And you’ll be addressing the fact that he has been out fo the game for a while, rather than active but unseen for the past few years?

 

CH: I’m absolutely addressing the fact that he’s been out of the game. The continuity won’t match up perfectly with his last appearance in Marvel Knights where he got beat all to hell and Spector Corp was blown up, but the effect will be the same.

 

NRAMA: What about his identities? Are we going to see the multiple names/lives Marc created for himself?

 

CH: The identities will be addressed. That’s as specific as I want to get right now. As to why Spector has so many identities? The guy is crazy as a ^&%*house rat! He’s so guilt ridden over his past, one identity isn’t enough to help him cope. He needs the guilt spread out over Steve Grant, Jake Lockley and Moon Knight. Hell, in the original run, he didn’t even acknowledge Mark Spector. He considered him dead, and his darkest moments were when someone rose up and made him face that part of his past. Nutso. Pure nutso. That’s why he needs three fake identities.

 

NRAMA: Back to the storyline, where do things pick up in this miniseries? Is he fighting against any particular enemy, or is his largest enemy himself?

 

CH: There will be a few villains to choose from here. There’re some folks from very far back in his past. There’s a Marvel Universe classic who he’s never faced before to my knowledge. And there’s one brand new villain. But, yeah, the main reason a guy like this needs enemies is so he has someone to fight other than himself.

 

NRAMA: After coming from the novel world, how are you taking to the different style of writing and pacing?

 

CH: Well, it ain’t easy. I like to plot on the fly with my novels, let the characters lead the way as much as possible. That’s a much tougher nut when you’re locked into six twenty-two page issues. Each issue is harder than the one before. On page one, issue one you have nothing but possibilities, but each panel you describe paints you further and further into a corner. I’d say my first drafts have averaged about twenty-five pages each. Cutting those down to twenty-two without starting to crowd the panels is tricky. The hardest part is learning when to lean on the pictures. One panel can contain a ton of story, and I’m starting to trust that fact. Of course, it helps knowing that David Finch has my back. If I drop the ball at any point and let the story sag, Finch is going to be giving the readers something badass to look at. That’s a pretty cool insurance policy.

 

NRAMA: Finally, you’ve got six issues of Moon Knight, and…what’s next? Are you and Marvel talking yet?

 

CH: Right now, I’m carrying a pretty heavy load. I’ve been writing two novels a year and that schedule doesn’t look to be letting up. That said, this has been a pretty cool experience so far, and I’ve started building some good relationships with Ruwan, Axel, Joe, and Dave. I’d like to see those relationships go somewhere, and if we can work together some more, that would be a great way to start.

 

 

For more on Huston and his work, visit: www.pulpnoir.com

 

I just learned in this month's Ultimate Spidey that he apparently drives a moon-chopper or something...not sure about that, but anyway, his costume's cool, and he's got moonorangs!

[Newtype]

About damn time they bring him back, and art by David Finch. Can't wait for the book to come out.

[dante]

funny, Moon Knight and Ghost Rider were two of my favorites. I usually go for the underestimated superheroes. When everyone was all Superman, Batman, Spiderman...I was like Moon Knight, Ghost Rider...and well, ok Spiderman too...

 

This looks promising though. I'd like to see what kind of costume their gonna slap on him.

[Da Cap'n]

One more title to go on my subscription list... *sigh*! Food outta Solara's mouth, food outta Solara's mouth...

[Newtype]

Best Moon Knight artist ever! Bill Sienkiewicz.

[The NZA]

That is an awesome piece.

I couldnt appreciate Sienkiewicz when i was younger, thought he was just making ugly art cool....nowadays, i see that, some of his DD work, and im damn impressed.

[Newtype]

You mean this.

or

[The NZA]

 

Well, it finally showed up, and i thought it was pretty cool.

 

First, the art: Finch is cool. Sure, he draws all of 3 or 4 faces, but so does Steve Dillon. And i like those faces. The action's great in this book, and Bill aside, i dont think Moon Knight's ever looked meaner, more badassed. His style just fit here.

 

Now, the writing - Huston, i beleive, was a novelist before this. On odd typo about "vestments" aside, he's good here too, but he has to spend the first half of the issue or so seperating MK from the rest of the marvel U, or, say, Batman, which he's accused of simply being a reversal of, even though batman's hardcore, and MK seems to be enjoying his task of cleanin the streets.

 

The twist the book takes at around the halfway point was what got my attention, because all the vigliante fun and rich man's gadgets before were cool, but old chliches. The entire issue's a monologe that left me eager to see what's happend to bring things down this road, and see where it goes from here. Spector was an unstable charcter before all this, im interested in seeing if he can climb back. Again, good book.

[The NZA]

 

"The Bottom" is nearing its finale, pitting a crippled Moon Knight against the Taskmaster, and revelaing all manner of conspiracies...I'm sold on this trade, and getting it autographed by Finch himself at Megacon only doubles that.

 

Is anyone else reading this awesome book? If so, you might also enjoy this wallpaper. Anyway, Finch is the best.

[Iambaytor]

Okay I promised to do this ages ago if for no reason other than so Custer will put down this faggy Dark Reign bullshit and read a comic that's not dreamed up by retarded chimpanzees.

 

 

Okay so lets clear something up first of all. Moon Knight is not Marvels Batman and fuck you raw and bleeding for saying so. Batman is a millionaire whose parents were killed and he had the shit scared out of him by a bat which inspired him to become a vigilante/superhero/detective/ninja and kept a small boy in a cave.

 

Inversely, Moon Knight was a mercenary who was killed on a mission in Egypt by one of his allies and found by a roving band of people that worship the god Khonshu. Khonshu brought Marc Spector back as his avatar, his job essentially was to wreck shit up and kill as many criminals as possible all the while leaving crescent moons everywhere so he could spread the gospel of Khonshu across the world. He's also batshit fucking insane with no less than 2 other personalities and tends to defy Khonshu's taste for blood and kind of piss him off. Gee this doesn't sound so much like Batman, but gee it does sound like another DC superhero... gee I wonder who that could be... oh yeah

 

AZRAEL!

 

Yeah, so DC ripped off Marvel, not the other way around.

 

So anyway as I can't attest to the older series (other than Werewolf By Night where I remember him being kick-ass.) the 2006 ongoing has been nothing but great all the way through. Moon Knight has finally gotten a chance to be as fucking nuts as he possibly could. He's so crazy that he's friends with the Punisher. The series starts with him fighting Bushman (the man who killed him) and carving off his fucking face with a moon dart.

 

He's robbed of all his powers by Khonshu for disobeyning, goes around carving crescent moons into criminals' foreheads with moon darts. The highlights so far have included him being denied invites to either side of Civil War (Cap and Iron-Man both tell him to fuck off), being denied superhero registration,

throwing his arch-villain Black Spectre off a skyscraper to his death in front of like the entire fucking city of New york during a celebration of how the superhero registration act has cleaned up all the violent vigilantism in New york

, a rematch with a supercharged version of his old nemesis the Werewolf by Night, and single-handedly taking out The Thunderbolts with no powers or help from Khonshu.

 

Currently the Mark Spector persona is "dead" and his much crazier/homicidal persona Jake Lockley has taken over but given his appearance in the recent Hulk series as Spector I'm not sure where we stand on that. All I know is that the Punisher is on his tail for some reason and whatever. The point is, Moon Knight has been one of the big surprises for me of Marvel as of late and I highly recommend this for everyone.

[The NZA]

damn, when did your spoilere'd event happen? i gotta see that.

 

i dropped this book after Hudlin & Finch left, was curious if it got better though - what # are they up to now? are there any arcs in particular you recommend, or any that should be skipped?

[Iambaytor]

The Death of Marc Spector arc was particularly good, the spoilered event happened before that and it truly was the pinnacle so far. I'm not sure what number we're up to but honestly everything thus far has actually only improved since The Bottom.

[The NZA]

ok, so i basically picked this one back up right around where

Mark throws the dude right into Tony's parade

and damn, ryan's right, i regret dropping this title. that arc, right up through The Death of Mark Spector were golden; i stopped there and am hoping to catch up to the current issue tonight.

 

by the way, before Oink closed, i downloaded the entire previous volumes of this character, but i dont know how much they have in common with the current, really interesting take on him. Anyone familiar with/have any favorites of his holder shit? The only fan i know of old-school Moon Knight is the RZA.

 

ps ok, caught up - the current "Down South" storyline is fun so far, but not great. i hope we get back to the goods soon.

[Iambaytor]

I was a big fan of his Werewolf by Night Days but that may have had to do with the fact that I was ten at the time and he looked like Darth Vader dressed in white.

[alive she cried]

I must look into this (among, realistically hundreds of other titles)

[Jables]

Seems like a good sell. My mate here who I sling stuff to from time to time(future Hondonian, wait & see) pimped it to me as something I might dig. Anyone know if there's a HC collection around?

[Iambaytor]

Not at the moment, I'm not even sure if anything post "The Bottom" has been collected in trades yet. But it validates the existence of Marvel as a maker of great stories, not just half baked crossover events that only serve to lead to the next half baked crossover event.

[Jables]

I dread to imagine what follows Dark Reign

[Iambaytor]

I dread to imagine what follows Dark Reign

 

Apes vs. Zombies and The Midnight Sons (Minus all the Ghost Rider/Blade crew and with Man-Thing as the coolest member) are the only hope of stopping all that bullshit and at the last minute 3-D Man, Wundarr the Aquarian, and Howard the Duck to stop the chicanery until the aftermath where Spider-Man clones flood the Earth and Spider-Man has to defeat each one until he is returned to his normal self but the catch is that with each death the clones grow stronger and it ends with Spidey vs. a symbiote infested Ben Reilly on the roof of the fantastic 4 building in the rain and Spidey screams "But you were the chosen one!" before Reilly pulls off his face and reveals himself to be The Spot who opens the door to the Amalgam universe. Also Access shows up again.

 

Seriously I could sit here and crank out Marvel crossover events all day.

[Jables]

A guy who kills hobos who infact turn out to be future bersions of himself? Access is a fucking rockstar, yo.

[Thelogan]

Wundarr the Aquarian, LOL!

I liked him when he was a ridiculous Superman parody. DC actually threatened to SUE over that, claiming his origin was plagiarism. Silly bastards.

Steve Gerber's run on Man-Thing is some of the best shit Marvel did in the '70's. Took me forever to get that run.

Now I need to get them in TPB...

[Iambaytor]

Oh don't get me wrong, I fucking love the character Man-Thing, it's just when he's the coolest damn thing about the team then we have problems.

[The NZA]

 

so, "Vengeance of Moon Knight" has started up....new creative team (again), looks like the Lockley persona is calling the shots, but going for a non-lethal superhero re-entrace at the moment...its fun so far, but ive really gotta see more to know where its headed. Marc (?) left mexico to take Norman down, and they're playing with that a bit even though its obvious he'd have to take a number & wait in line to do so. anyway, Opena & Hurwitz are apparently a well-received team, so im hopeful.

 

So yeah, too early to call, i wish i knew what direction this team had lined up.

last panel sentry thing is fun, but i saw that in punisher, we know what's gonna happen.

 

 

sneak peak at issue # 2

[The NZA]

It was announced at the New York Comic Con that 2011 will see the launch of a new Moon Knight series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, which Bendis has described as a "complete reinvention of the character on every conceivable level"

 

 

fuck. yes.

[Iambaytor]

Uh... I'll read it first. Bendis will either crank out the best or worst Moon Knight series ever.