The Official Moon Knight Thread

[Dread]

I'm cynical and a bit jaded, at best, about Bendis. Someone has to be an optimist.

You're right, logically speaking. MOON KNIGHT is a character that Marvel have kept in print a while, and to be fair, about 15k-19k seem to stick around every time he is relaunched these days. That's hardly a high number, but they'll need all of them IN ADDITION to newer fans if this launch will be as successful as possible. Therefore, it would be wise to not too anything too extreme, at least in the start.

On the other hand, Marvel have given several other writers a shot and they "played things safe", especially Hurwitz to a degree, and it didn't help. Bendis is their #1 writer. There isn't much they don't let him do. Moon Knight is still a C-List franchise and I get a sense so long as the costume and name remains, Bendis can do whatever he wants. And lately, that hasn't been his best. I do get a sense that Marvel is somewhat aware that Bendis has hit a rut with some of his work, which is why he is getting a hand at this, and his "kiddie" comic. In theory MOON KNIGHT plays to his strengths. My issue is that I haven't seen his strengths in a very long time, and I've been burned by Bendis before.

[Matt Mortem]

Any idea how much re-invention Moon Knight is gonna face? I love Moon Knight and I'd hate to see his character get screwed up

[Drz]

Warren Ellis' commented on Brian's MK this way: http://twitter.com/warrenellis/status/27957059242

Damn. I'm gonna have to write another comic for Marvel now, just to try and out-crazy @BRIANMBENDIS 's MOON KNIGHT.

Then i heard (keyword: heard) that back when Finch and Huston's Moon Knight launchy started, alot of Marvel writers we're interviewed how "they would handle" the character. Bendis talked about how the sole 13 first issues would be simply about all the crazy split personalities and THEN about Moon Knight itself.

[Dread]

Interesting. And a little disturbing, since Ellis can often go a bit mad himself.

To be fair, Finch and Huston's Moon Knight was back in 2006. That was back when CIVIL WAR was just being started and plans for SECRET INVASION were in the cradle. Had Bendis done MOON KNIGHT then, it simply would have tied into his Skrull crap. It is possible whatever "draft" he had for the franchise has been edited since.

That said, I do see that is where the character is going. Most writers focus not on his supernatural pulp roots but on his crazy he is. Gregg Hurwitz's run focused on Moon Knight trying to get past that and be a better hero, albeit by having his cabbie personality of Jake Lockley in control, not Marc Specter. But after 13 issues of material, it ends with Marc back in control, which I saw as a deck clearing exercise to make way for whatever Bendis is doing. Have to make sure the toys are exactly as they were when the big kid comes over. Can't expect him to adapt to anything he doesn't want to.

Mental instability has always been part of the Moon Knight character. Some would argue that without it, he can become very mundane. I simply feel that some writers can take that to too far a degree and make him seem not far removed from Cletus Kassidy. Just as a "stable" Moon Knight may appear mundane, so can a perpetually dark, crazy, brooding Moon Knight can also become predictable - the difference is that often comes off as more pretentious ("it's dark so it HAS to be good"). Many writers, Bendis at times included, assume misery is the same as character development.

The two elements to me don't have to be mutually exclusive. The idea that an Egyptian god really exists, really has resurrected someone more than once, and constantly "speaks" to him, even outright possesses his body at times, is MORE than enough to drive someone mad. There's that old saying that goes something like, "If you talk to god, you're a preacher; if god talks back, you're insane." Unfortunately, many writers sometimes envision Marc as "the Son Of Sam" in a cloak rather than someone driven to mental trauma from the pressure of having a god (and not even the god he was raised to believe in as a Jew, but the god from a pantheon that actually enslaved the Jews, technically) talk to, influence, and occasionally possess him.

To be fair to Bendis, he has attempted to get into more magical stuff in his NEW AVENGERS stories since DISASSEMBLED, when he claimed Chaos Magic didn't exist. In his debit, they've usually proven to show that Bendis simply does not understand how magic and the supernatural work in Marvel, and if he does, he doesn't care. In NEW AVENGERS, he has had Aggomotto seek the Eye Of Aggomotto for power, which is ludicrous because in every prior story, the Eye is simply one of several artifacts that Aggomotto empowers, not that he needs himself. It is akin to Jesus Christ seeking a cross to use against vampires. It's an obvious, blatant mistake. Will anyone treat it as such? No. Bendis is The Numbah One Guy. OTHER writers will have to work around it, fix it, whatever. Bendis is like that star football player on a high school or college team. It doesn't matter what he messes up in class, or even if he does bad things off the field. He's the one who wins those games, so the rest of the school establishment do whatever they can to mop up after. Never is the player confronted, and nothing changes. But in the end, even the player is not aided, because he is trapped in a false bubble of security.

And that is where Bendis is as a writer. Because an editor, since about 2005-2006, has never told him "NO", has never read a draft and went, "Y'know, you made an error here, and there's a bit of a plot hole there, and you have two characters who do nothing but grunt, I think you should rewrite this because I know you can do better, and our fans and universe deserve your best, not your copy & paste dialogue that you clearly wrote while watching 'GLEE' in your boxers" in years. He gets, "this is brilliant, Mr. Bendis sir" before he even loads up Microsoft Word. He thus believes he doesn't need to evolve anymore, and he really, honestly, needed to do so as a writer about six years ago. He hasn't had to, and he probably never will. No one, especially an adult, changes or improves unless they HAVE to. It's just human nature.

One day when Bendis is much older, he may write something and someone who doesn't work for Marvel or still remembers those far gone days of goodness will look at his draft and go, "What you've just written is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this shop is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." And Bendis won't even know how he got to that point. He'll have become John Bryne or Chris Claremont, someone who was coddled and yes-man'd so much that they're in retirement age and still stuck in spin cycle, repeating themselves and their most predictable cliches. And yes, that is totally a "BILLY MADISON" reference.

Now, it is very possible that Bendis could get it all right for MOON KNIGHT. That he wants to work with the Khonshu stuff while taking the multiple personality angle to a new, interesting level. It will sell well and actually deserve to do so for quality. It's all possible. If anything, it's more possible than his Avengers work suddenly improving. But I have a hard time telling myself it is likely. Corporately, though, Bendis/Maleev on MOON KNIGHT is a good move. It WILL get attention and if THEY can't make it sell, whether it's good, bad, or average, NO ONE at Marvel may be able to.

[Matt Mortem]

I agree with everything you said about Moon Knight. Bendis needs to continue with or acknowledge and work with the Khonshu stuff too. Moon Knight is a split personality, but I always felt like he was actually conversing with the god Khonshu. I didn't like that he was just bonkers and talking to himself. Without Khonshu, Moon Knight is just another caped vigilante with a few problems. Khonshu and the Egyptian stuff made him stand out and I liked that. As long as he's got his different persona and has Khonshu, I'll be happy.

[Hound55]

All that hunting for the crescent macguffin for nothing...

Ah well, I still have H4H and Secret Avengers to tide me over until Bendis' run starts next year...

[Nightwing]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=29833

This is in response to someone asking if we'd ever see a Wolverine/MK team-up:

Brevoort: I can guarantee you that you’ll see a Moon Knight/Wolverine team-up in an early issue of Moon Knight’s new series, pharaoh – but in a very unique, very different way.

[Matt Mortem]

Wovlie and Moon Knight? Interesting.....

[Drz]

Anyone got any clue why Bendis would write Moon Knight meeting up with Wolverine? Do they have any past history together?

[Matt Mortem]

There's no past history so far as I know, but it's still an interesting meet regardless

[kguillou]

It'll prolly be something like this:

Wolverine: Sorry bub, *snikt* but i'm gona havta bring you in.
MK: Oh? And why's that?
Wolverine: Cuz your a psychopathic, murdering vigilante.
MK: Uh...aren't you a murderer too?
Wolverine: Yeah....but i'm an avenger.
MK: Wait what? Thats not fai...
Wolverine: DIE BUB!

[Matt Mortem]

MK was an Avenger too.

[Nightwing]

Finally a little something...

http://sketchcardsaloon.wordpress.co...y-alex-maleev/

That is a drawing that was just released by Alex Maleev. It seems to show some sort of morphing Moon Knight. Wolverine’s claws, Spider-Man’s web shooters, Captain America’s shield, and a disappearing leg.

Could it be a secret spoiler for things to come? Only time will tell.

[Drz]

Moon Knight: Identity Crisis.

[Nightwing]

[Drz]

No really, jokes aside we know Moon Mnight and Wolverine are conforting in a very unique way. Captain America's shield and Spider-Man's arm are there too, now we know Moon Knight has talked with them before, so what we might see is Moon Knight creating fictional conversations between other heroes and whatnot.

[venom892]

I really hope Bendis doesn't revamp Moon Knight's powers.

[Matt Mortem]

Not sure what to think

[Dread]

The sketch could be for a cover, and lord knows most of them have little to do with the content within. Most of the time they're stock pin-up poses intended for posters, which haven't been used for posters in a mere 7 years. The length of time editors consider "recent".

It could also be for some trippy dream sequence or so on.

The biggest thing I am worried about is that Bendis retcons that Specter is really crazy and Khonshu never, ever, EVER existed. It would be a cluster**** to no end of prior stories, but that's how Bendis rolls. He tried to make Beyonder a mutant Inhuman, after all. That's a bad angle to me. I say play more with the supernatural pulp elements to the "fist of Khonshu" angle - maybe play with the idea of other Egyptian gods having mortal servants. The very idea that one is working for an ancient god is more than enough to keep Marc emotionally unstable, especially as Khonshu has sought to bring out the worst in him lately.

[CaptainCraig]

Isn't the Bendis book going to be overdue? The original press release said his new Moon Knight book would be out the first part of 2011. The April solicits don't have a MK book. My definition of "first part of 2011" would be any of the three months making up the first quarter of the year(Jan,Feb,March).

[kguillou]

It sounds like maleev hasn't even started yet...

[Matt Mortem]

I hope Bendis doesn't retcon and do-away with Khonshu by making him a figment of Spectors mind. I like that MK has the supernatural element to him. I like that Egyptian God bit. Having him just be a crazed vigilante would turn him into a Punisher/Batman hybrid. IMO, the Khonshu stuff is what sets him apart.

[Dread]

Originally Posted by Matt Mortem

I hope Bendis doesn't retcon and do-away with Khonshu by making him a figment of Spectors mind. I like that MK has the supernatural element to him. I like that Egyptian God bit. Having him just be a crazed vigilante would turn him into a Punisher/Batman hybrid. IMO, the Khonshu stuff is what sets him apart.

Agreed. Yet many writers seem to disagree and prefer the Punisher/Batman/Daredevil hybrid stuff that I don't think properly sets him apart as being a pulp hero.

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