• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crushing Krisis

The Newest Oldest Blog In New Zealand

  • DC Guides
    • DC Events
    • DC New 52
    • DC Rebirth
    • Batman Guide
    • The Sandman Universe
  • Marvel Guides
    • Marvel Events
    • Spider-Man Guide (1963-2018)
    • X-Men Reading Order
  • Indie & Licensed Comics
    • Spawn
    • Star Wars Guide
      • Expanded Universe Comics (2015 – present)
      • Legends Comics (1977 – 2014)
    • Valiant Guides
  • Drag
    • Canada’s Drag Race
    • Drag Race Down Under
    • Drag Race France
    • Drag Race Philippines
    • Dragula
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
  • Archive
  • Contact!
You are here: Home / consume / comic books / Updated: The Definitive Guide to Moon Knight Comic Books

Updated: The Definitive Guide to Moon Knight Comic Books

November 28, 2017 by krisis

Today I updated the guide of one of my favorite Marvel characters, as evidenced by my wardrobe on recent episodes of Crushing Comics – The Definitive Guide to Moon Knight!

This update was extra-fun because I love Moon Knight and any excuse to read his issues, but also because I got to correct some continuity confusion to better explain his chronology.

Is this the first time you’ve ever heard of Moon Knight? Or, do you just need a recap before diving in to collecting his comics? Keep reading for an introduction, where the character has been in 2017, and one of my trusty recaps of just how much material you can actually buy in a physical collected edition.

Who is Moon Knight?

Moon Knight is an unusual Marvel hero who feels a lot more like a DC character in more ways than one.

When Moon Knight was first introduced in 1975 by writer Doug Moench, it was as a lunar-powered (or, at least, lunar-inspired) supernatural mercenary on the hunt for Werewolf by Night (who had his own series back in Marvel’s supernatural heyday of the mid-70s). Despite his all-white costume, there were many clear parallels to Batman – from his cape and cowl to his tiny crescent-shaped boomerangs.Moon Knight (1980) #1

Moon Knight’s debut was just a two-issue throwaway appearance, but it merited several return engagements in guest starring spots and anthology titles for the next five years. We gradually learn that former mercenary Marc Spector had become a literal avenger after the Egyptian lunar god Khonshu grants him a second chance at life. (The actual version is spelled Khonsu – no “h”.)

Part of the character’s ongoing schtick is that out of his costume he lives a fractured life – posing as millionaire Steven Grant and cab driver Jake Lockley. He still retains his chauffeur from his soldier of fortune days (his version of Alfred), blurring the lines between man-about-town Grant and his own identity. Further blurring the lines, he dates his sometime-sidekick Marlene, the woman who allowed Khonshu to revive him, but she frequently appears at society events with Grant as part of his complex cover story.

Despite the inspired origin story and multiple personalities, Moon Knight just kept on cleaning up the streets – an odd mismatch of origin and action that feels a lot more like DC’s iconic heroes than Marvel’s. Yet, Moench and his artist collaborator Bill Sienkiewicz were creating something darker, bloodier, and more grounded than most pre-Crisis and pre-Miller Batman. (Their popularity leads the title to briefly become available only in comic shops – an unusual move at the time.)

Things get a little more weird after Moench relinquishes the reigns. Moon Knight goes crazy trying to keep his multiple personalities straight. Then, Khonshu somehow steers him to join the West Coast Avengers before being exorcised by an unrelated seance. That leaves Moon Knight back on the streets of New York, where he eventually dies in 1994.

There have been many Moon Knight reboots since then, but they all contain the DNA that was set in the character’s first decade. They all star Marc Specter and all tend to hit the same few themes – his mercenary past, his multiple personalities, and his struggle against the influence of Khonshu. A

long the way, both Spector the character and we as readers have lost touch with who he really is, even as Moon Knight has been distilled into an even more iconic characrer.

Where to Start Reading Moon Knight

There are three spots where you can jump into Moon Knight.Moon Knight (2006) #3

First, you could pick up his first Epic Collection and read him from the beginning. I’m not always in favor of starting with 70s-era comics, but Doug Moench’s writing absolutely holds up today and these are a real joy to read. The downside is that after the second Epic Collection you’ll be left stranded – we’re still waiting for a third, and there’s a gap of over 70 issue before you’ll hit any more collections.

Second, you could begin with the 2006 series by Charles Huston. This is where I began, and I loved it. In retrospect, it’s pretty reverent of the early Moench material without getting too bogged down by it. However, this is getting a little hard to find – it might be best if you plan to read digitally.

Third, you can start in 2014 with Warren Ellis’s much-lauded run on the character, followed by runs by Brian Wood and Cullen Bunn. While these comics occasionally reference Moon Knight’s history, they’re very stand-alone stories written very much in Moench’s original supernatural mold.

(Some folks might direct you to Jeff Lemire’s 2016 run, but I feel that it hammers Moon Knight’s potential insanity a bit hard for it to be your first read. You should simply continue to it from the Ellis/Wood/Bunn run.)

Moon Knight in 2017

Moon Knight is back in Marvel Legacy as penned by Say Anything frontman (and accomplished comics author) Max Bemis. The relaunched, renumbered run restarted with Moon Knight #188 just three weeks ago, and will run at least through #193.

Prior to Legacy, Jeff Lemire’s run on Moon Knight wrapped up earlier this year, with his final collection out in September. Moon Knight didn’t make a single outside appearance during All-New All-Different Marvel, so there’s nowhere else to find him! However, after the end of the Lemire run, he pops up briefly in the dubiously canonical Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again (2017).

Maybe You Missed…

Why is there such a fierce drumbeat for Moon Knight to appear in Marvel’s Netflix Universe? It’s not just because he’s a street level hero. He was a major player in 2010’s Daredevil “Shadowland” story, which would stars the entirety of Marvel’s Netflix cast and could easily snap into the next season of Daredevil or a subsequent season of Defenders.

Adding fuel to the speculative fire, we’re getting a single omnibus edition of the storyline (which is much better than most folks give it credit for) in February. Can’t wait that long? I cover Shadowland in my Guide to Marvel Events.

Current Collection Status

Moon Knight was suffering from some major color gaps as of just a few years ago. Of his pre-2006 material, only his run in Hulk magazine had ever been collected comprehensively. His debut hadn’t even been reprinted!

Marvel has remedied a big chunk of that with a pair of Epic Volumes, which put a 20% dent in the “In Color” column of this collected status chart. However, we still have no reprints of 1989’s Marc Spector: Moon Knight aside from a handful of tie-ins to line-wide events.

Year Series Total
Collected
In Color
  231
issues
166
(71.86%)
141
(61.04%)
Early Moon Knight 14 14 14
1980 Moon Knight, Vol. 1 38 38 23
1985 Vol. 2 6 6 0
Marvel Fanfare #30 & 38-39 +
Marvel Super Heroes #1
4 4 0
1992 Divided We Fall OGN 1 0 0
1989 Marc Spector: Moon Knight 61 8 8
Marvel Comics Presents #152-154 3 0 0
1998 Vol. 3 4 0 0
1999 Vol. 4 4 0 0
2006 Vol. 5 32 32 32
2009 Vengeance of 12 12 12
2010 Shadowland 3 3 3
2011 Vol. 6 (Bendis) 12 12 12
2014 Vol. 7 (Ellis / Wood / Bunn) 17 17 17
2016 Vol. 8 (Lemire) 14 14 14
2017 Marvel Legacy (Bemis) 6 6 6

That puts Moon Knight a little bit behind some of Marvel’s other marquee heroes, who tend to hover in the 70-80% range for their color collections.

The gap is not all down to Moon Knight being a lesser-known character. His lack of a Silver Age run that could hit Marvel Masterworks robs him of a few-dozen issue boost in the standings from which most other long-running Marvel characters benefit. Plus, his longest-running series and two mini-series are from the period of 1989-2000, which Marvel has been slow to fill in with reprints save for its most-popular heroes.

Still, 61% collected-in-color status is not terrible – especially considering it was more like 40% before we got a pair of Epic Collections! We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed for a third Epic Collection in the latter half of 2018 to continue to fill the gap.

Want to own all of the 61%? Head to the Guide to Moon Knight to learn how it’s all been collected and snag it for yourself, just like I did – along with all of his single issues along the way!

Related posts:

  1. Crushing Comics S01E13 – X-Men/Steve Rogers, Spider-Man/Human Torch, Astonishing X-Men, & Storm in World’s Apart (plus, Moon Knight!)
  2. X-Men Reading Order Guide – Era #5: X-Tinction
  3. The Definitive Guide to Collecting Moon Knight Comic Books as Graphic Novels
  4. Updated: The Definitive Guide to Hawkeye Comic Books
  5. Updated: The Definitive Guide to The Defenders Comic Books
  6. Updated: The Definitive Guide to Namor, The Sub-Mariner Comic Books
  7. Updated: The Definitive Guide to Marvel’s Runaways Comic Books

Filed Under: comic books Tagged With: Bill Sienkiewicz, Doug Moench, Marvel Comics, Moon Knight, Updated Comic Guide

Previous Post: « Crushing Comics S01E28 – “Why I love X-Men,” X-Men Origins, Asgardian Wars, & Mutant Massacre
Next Post: Crushing Comics S01E29 – A deep dive into the Giant-Size X-Men 40th Anniversary Hardcover »

Primary Sidebar


Support Crushing Krisis on Patreon
Support CK
on Patreon


Follow me on Twitter Contact me Watch me on Youtube Subscribe to the CK RSS Feed

About CK

About Crushing Krisis
About My Music
About Your Author
Blog Archive
Comics Blogs Only
Contact Krisis
Terms & Conditions

Crushing Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Events Guide

Spider-Man Guide

DC Comics

  • X-Men Vote 2023 - Polls Are Open NowElect your favorite mutant with Marvel’s annual X-Men Vote! #xmenvote
    It's time for the third annual X-Men Vote to determine one new permanent member of the flagship X-Men team. Let's meet the six candidates and discuss the pros and cons of each one. […]
  • Marvel United Multiverse Secret Invasion Box KickstarterMarvel United: Multiverse adds a Secret Invasion expansion (plus, 20 events that could be expansion boxes!)
    CMON announced a surprising Marvel United Multiverse Secret Invasion expansion, which raises a question: What other events are still to come? I've got 20 suggestions for them. […]
  • New for Patrons: Guide to Wasp, Janet van Dyne
    This Guide to Wasp follows Janet van Dyne through her 60-year Marvel Comics history, from founding Avenger to finally getting own own series! […]
  • my weighted blanket is hungry
    Me getting 8hrs of fitful sleep doesn't seem to be enough to satiate the hunger of my new 10kg beast of a weighted blanket. […]
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 5 – House of Fashion, Review & Power Ranking
    It's Drag Race Fashion Week in this unconventional materials design challenge with a twist: the queens are split into three groups and have to present cohesive runway collections. […]
  • Breaking News: D&D continues support of Open Gaming License (OGL 1.0), releases their core rules SRD under Creative Commons
    Breaking news! Dungeons & Dragons made the shocking announcement that they're keeping OGL v1.0 and releasing SRD 5.1 under Creative Commons! […]
  • Marvel United Multiverse Civil War Box KickstarterMarvel United: Multiverse has a Civil War in their new expansion box (and uses it to solve their Young Avengers problem)
    All out war breaks loose in CMON's Marvel United Multiverse Civil War expansion set, adding several classic Avengers and a new PVP play mode. […]
  • The Reading Order Guide to Excalibur - image from Excalibur (1988) #1Updated: Guide to Excalibur
    My updated Reading Order Guide to Excalibur adds several new collections, including big Epic Collection news! […]
  • X-Factor Math & Maps: Collected Issue Counting and Future Omnibus Mapping
    it's time for mathing and mapping X-Factor! How much of X-Factor been collected from its start in February 1986 to the team's most-recent appearance Dec 2021? And, how could it all fit into Omnibus? […]
  • Marvel United Multiverse Age of Apocalypse - Kickstarter Exclusive BoxMarvel United: Multiverse enters the Age of Apocalypse! (plus, predicting the 10 most-likely expansion boxes)
    CMON's Marvel United: Multiverse - Age of Apocalypse brings more mutants to the game! What are the 10 next expansions we might see soon? […]
  • The Guide to Unstoppable WaspNew for Patrons: Guide to Unstoppable Wasp, Nadia van Dyne
    Who is The Unstoppable Wasp, and how did an elegant retcon from writer Mark Waid make her a different character than the MCU's Hope van Dyne? […]
  • Champions (2016) #1 variantGuide to The Champions – now available to the public!
    My Guide to The Champions is now available to everyone! Learn why Marvel abandoned this team concept after its 1977 cancellation until 2016. […]
  • Dolly told me I’m doing okay
    Do you know what happens when you run a lot, even when you hate every single second of doing it? Eventually, it gets easier. But, Dolly Parton doesn't always offer you encouragement when you shatter your personal record. […]
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15, Episode 4 – Snatch Game, Review & Power Ranking
    The double-size Season 15 Snatch Game gave us 14 celebrity impressions and a surprising amount of successes, though queens struggled with their "Beautiful Nightmare" runway prompt. […]

Layout copyright © 2017 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

Links from Crushing Krisis to retailer websites may be in the form of affiliate links. If you purchase through an affiliate link I will receive a minor credit as your referrer. My credit does not affect your purchase price. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program (in the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), eBay Partner Network, and iTunes Affiliate Program.