Moon Knight #14
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Penciller: Greg Smallwood
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Rating: T+
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 05/31/17
Plot: This is it. With his alternate identities gone for good, Marc is truly on his own against the Moon God, Khonshu. Will Marc survive this confrontation with the being that made him Moon Knight in the first place?
Story: The highlight of this issue is Marc’s final confrontation with Khonshu. Marc accepts his other identities but knows they are not controlled by Khonshu. This allows Marc to finally shed the Moon God’s influence over him. I found this interesting because at the beginning of this arc, the reader is left to believe that Khonshu is responsible for Marc’s multiple personalities. However this scene confirms that Khonshu was not responsible and Marc’s psychological problem was just a way of Khonshu to sway Marc into becoming his avatar, Moon Knight.
Another element that sells this scene is Jeff Lemire’s dialogue. Lemire has a way of choosing the right words to match his character’s emotions. When reading Marc’s words to Khonshu, the reader can feel Marc’s anger and conviction that he’s through with the deity. Also Lemire’s storytelling choice of this being a vocal conversation instead of a drawn out physical one is a nice change of pace from most Moon Knight stories.
While this current arc showed readers a more detailed look at Marc Spector’s origin, the flashbacks for this issue were pretty light. This makes sense since we are at the conclusion of our story and Lemire would want focus to be on Marc in the present rather than his past. However we do get a cool scene where Marc’s past and present are running parallel to each other. There’s also some great lines from Khonshu in this scene.
Art: Greg Smallwood’s artwork is awesome. This issue has several fantastic splash pages that give the story a nice pause to enjoy the artwork. Plus Jordie Bellaire makes some great color choices that help Marc and Khonshu, two characters primarily dressed in white, stand out in scenes. Also having some flashbacks run parallel to the events in the present are a great layout choice. This helps since the flashbacks for this issue are not as long as the previous issues.
Verdict: Moon Knight #14 is not just a great conclusion to the current arc but to this title as well. Jeff Lemire provides on point dialogue that helps the reader know Marc is finished with Khonshu. Greg Smallwood’s artwork brings the story to life with stunning visuals and fantastic color choices from Jordie Bellaire. I’m sad to see this title end but I’m glad the creative team got to end it the way they saw fit. Since this issue is a conclusion it’s really not best for new readers. However, if you’ve never read a previous Moon Knight title but you’re a fan of any of these creators then this is a series you should read.
Rating: 4 out of 5