Vengeance of the Moon Knight #10 - Marvel

This was an interesting issue. I always enjoy a good Moon Knight story, but . . this one seemed more like an issue of the Secret Avengers than necessarily a solo book. I guess the purpose of this one was to show Jake's feelings towards joining, and participating with this group. Apparently thier first mission is to stop this pirate who's been absconding with oil-tankers over the last several months. However, I think there's more to it than just that. Plus, for a pirate, this guy seems pretty heavily armed. The first thing they have to worry about is that he's got the Glove of Asteria. It kind of looks like the Infinity Gauntlet. It attacks it's enemy with a column of air moving at nearly the speed of light. So once he points it at you, there's not much you can do to get out of it's way. Anyways, these Secret Avengers come in fighting and they very creatively end up taking down the pirate, and his glove. But then we find out that he's also got the Horn of Proteus. And it apparently summons sea-monsters from the bottom of the ocean. So, long story short, Jake finds out through this experience that these are going to be fights that he can't win alone. He needs the back-up of the rest of his team . . as they need his. And, he's going to have to temper the way he usually bullies his way through these situations and adjust his reaction level to the situation at hand. Not to mention, with Steve leading this group, he has to follow orders and react accordingly. This should be a good lesson in temperament for him. I liked the issue, but . . personally I would've liked to have seen a solo story. But . . Gregg Hurwitz, I thought, did a good job with what he had. Juan Jose Ryp did the art, and . . it looked fantastic. This guys got a great style, and he really fills the pages with a lot of action and characters. He's got a good flow and doesn't take it easy on the backgrounds. The art really had a good feel to it. By the way, the beautiful cover is by Francesco Mattina. I'm not sure what the future holds for this character, or this book, but . . next month it becomes a part of Shadowland. That should be interesting.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #9 - Marvel

This was an interesting issue. It was actually less about the Moon Knight, Jake, and more about his team-up with Spider-man. There's a disturbance in mid-town, and Moon Knight comes flying in to help. He finds that Spider-man is tussling with the Sand-man. Of course the Sand-man is misunderstood. He's just trying to get a diamond for his daughter's tiara. But that's not really the point. And to be honest . . I doesn't really feel like there is a point. At least not to this part of the story. I guess it's just showing Moon Knight in action. And we see that his team is behind him. Once again. For now, at least. And that's basically all the first 34 pages of the story are about. Leaving 4 pages in the back, where we see that Moon Knight is spending his time going after, and cleaning up, some street crime. And he's showing some incredible restraint. But that just means that . . he's bored and listless. While he sees the reward and result of his actions, it's nothing compared to the drama that used to go on in his life. He almost seems like an alcoholic that's gone straight. He knows it's the right thing to do, the necessary thing, but . . at the same time he finds it boring, and menial. But he's going through the motions because he doesn't know what else to do. That is until the final page when Steve Rogers shows up, leading into his induction into Steve's covert team . . the Secret Avengers. Things are about to get a lot more interesting, real fast. 'Hey, I hear you might be looking for a mission, soldier . . I've got just the thing.' I thought it was a decent story by Gregg Hurwitz. Although the only part that really progress the character . . Jake's story, was the final 4 pages. The rest of it was fun . . for what it was . . a team-up. But . . it didn't really move the Moon Knight's, or Jake's story along. It just kind of was what it was. Anyways, Juan Jose Ryp is the artist of this book now. And this guy has a whole lot of potential. I really like his style. I think he's definitely going to be a good addition to this book. Also, that great cover is by J Scott Campbell. Hopefully next issue we'll get back to a real Moon Knight story. But . . I think with this Secret Avengers business, things aren't going to be normal for Jake for quite a while. That is . . assuming that they ever were. Anyways, I thought the book was ok. I'm a big Moon Knight fan, so that's why I keep coming back for more. But I was disappointed in the story. They can't all be gems though. Right?

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #8 - Marvel

Last issue we saw that Moon Knight had accidentally saved the life of Herman Goncharenko. Accidentally because . . well, he didn't know who he really was. Apparently he's some Russian mob boss. Anyways, afterwards, he finds out that Goncharenko's men have a young boy that they took hostage. Without being able to contact their boss, they aren't going to know what to do. This issue Moon Knight makes it there and saves him. However, Deadpool still has a job to finish. He was hired by a woman who's family Goncharenko assassinated, to kill him. Which puts him at odds with Moon Knight. As usual, Deadpool's characterization and dialogue is hilarious. But the funniest part of this issue, to me, is when Moon Knight realizes that Deadpool can't be killed. 'Hel-lo! Healing factor! If you'd taken your time to Wikipedia me, you'd already know . . GLP!' That was all Moon Knight needed to hear. He goes after Deadpool with all the frustration that's been building up in him over the months . . and gets it all out. 'Man . . I needed that.' However, at the end of the story, it seems that Jake is being controlled by Khonshu. He gets out of bed and goes to the hospital where Goncharenko is being kept. It looks like he's going to kill him. But the woman who hired Deadpool got there first. Instead of doing the deed himself, he just watches from outside the window as she does it . . not interfering. So even though he didn't actually kill him himself, you'd think that this would still weigh on his conscious . . if he was truly reformed. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what kind of affect this has on him. I thought the story by Gregg Hurwitz was . . ok. It was fantastic. And it wasn't overly complicated. But it did give us a little more insight into Jake's character. Tan Eng Haut does the art. Again . . I just thought it was ok. Some panels were inked way to heavy. And some were a little hard to follow the flow, with the way that they were set up. Although there were some panels that looked fantastic. It just wasn't consistent. Overall I enjoyed the book. But I've seen better issues.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7 - Marvel

While this is obviously a Moon Knight book . . this issue's focus is mostly about the confrontation, and obvious misunderstanding between Moonie and Deadpool. I've always enjoyed Deadpool's character. I think he's funny, and interesting . . in small doses. But I have a feeling that they're going to overload everybody with him this month in the Marvel Universe. He's got a couple of different books coming out, a few 'team-ups', and he's popping up on the variant covers of almost every single book. Yeah . . I'm afraid it might be a little bit to much. Anyways, in this title Deadpool is after this old man who's got stage-4 cancer in a hospital. A little bit of a waste of his talents, I'd think, but . . we gotta go with what we get. But, to Deadpool's credit, this is a really nasty guy. And he is holding the child of the woman who hired him. The guy is a criminal, and he extorts people out of their homes for his developments. After the initial misunderstanding, Jake goes home and does some digging. When he finds out what this guy is really all about, he feels the same way as Deadpool. But, with his new 'morality', he wants to go about things in a different way . . rather than simply just killing him. The issue ends with Moon Knight confronting the goons that are holding the child. It was an ok book. I think Gregg Hurwitz did what he could with the story. To me it doesn't really seem all that complicated. But it has to be done in a way that involves Deadpool . . obviously. And it's been stretched into a 2-parter . . for some reason. More exposure for Deadpool. I guess. Anyways, Tan Eng Haut does the art, and . . I'm really impressed. This guy has come a long way since Doom Patrol. This was easily his best stuff to date. Although, not everyone will like it. He's definitely got his own unique style. The book was entertaining. Although not overly involved. But if you're in to Deadpool, you'll probably have to pick it up.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #6 - Marvel

I have to admit, I'm liking this title more and more with every issue. I was a little skeptical at first. They seemed to be forcing Marc . . er, I mean Jake, into a direction that he probably wouldn't go normally. It didn't' seem like the natural chain of events. But . . he seems to be adjusting to his new role, and he even holds himself back from actually killing Bushman this issue. I really didn't see that one coming. Jake leaves him to be arrested by the authorities, and put in what I assume is an insane asylum. Even though Khonshu's presence seems to be harder and harder for him to ignore. He's basically ordering Jake to become the killer that he once was. However, by the end of the issue is seems as though Khonshu may have a new servant. I'm sure we'll get more on that in the next storyline. So far I'm impressed by Gregg Hurwitz' story here. Jake seemed to be a new man, but . . you could still see glimpses of his old self. I really expected him to fall back into his old form. It would've been so much easier for him. But . . he prevailed. And with his supporting cast back around him . . encouraging him . . for the first time in quite a while . . it seems as if Jake may have the strength of character to remain on this new path. But . . I'm sure he'll be tested. That seems to be one of the constants of this character. However, with Bushman now back alive and in jail . . and, since Jake had a chance to kill him but didn't . . hopefully he'll be able to put a lot of his regret and self-doubt behind him. Which, to me, seems to be where Khonshu found the strength to control him. Overall, I thought it was a great issue. And . . Jerome Opena's art get better and better with every issue. I thought there were some fantastic panels throughout this issue. It looks like we'll be starting a new storyline next issue, so . . now's the time to get on board. If you're thinking about it.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5 - Marvel

I liked this issue. But . . it also wasn't as dark as some of the previous ones. I know that the 'darkness' is the nature of this character, but . . it seems like with everything that Marc/Jake has been through in the last few years . . the guy has got to get a break somewhere. Right? But now . . now he finds out that it wasn't bad enough that he was hallucinating about Bushman all of the time. Now he finds out that Bushman is alive. He doesn't know what's going on yet, but we saw that the Hood had used his new powers through the Asgardian stones to bring Raoul Bushman back to life. With the sole purpose of making Moon Knight's life hell. And that begins this issue. It was nice to see Frenchie and Crawley back helping Jake out. But of course, through their involvement, he puts both their lives in danger. But by now you'd think that they'd pretty much accept that as part of the job. Anyways, Jake pulls of a neat trick this issue when Bushman fires a rocket at him. It hits the building behind him instead. In order to stop it from collapsing he gets under the one side to hold it up. Obviously the guy doesn't have super-strength, but . . he does have a mechanical suit. So he locks up the joints in it, rather than try to hold up the building through his own strength. Obviously even this isn't going to hold it forever, but he's trying to buy enough time for the people inside to get out. But it also leaves him open for attack by Bushman and his undead army . . I assume. Anyways, while they're distracted, Jake slips out of the costume, leaving it in place holding up the building, and begins fighting the bad guys in his boxers, socks and hood. I think it's the first time I've actually laughed in this book in quite a while. Spider-man shows up at the end of the fight, but he doesn't actually do anything to help him out. Luckily, for Jake, I don't think that Bushman actually wanted to kill him this time. This time I think he just wanted Jake to know that he was around and that he was going to start making his life hell. But Jake's been there . . done that. And right now he really seems to have his act a lot more together than he has recently. Which I'm glad to see. I think it makes for a much more interesting character. I mean what's more creepy? Showing a guy who's losing his mind, having delusions and his life is falling apart? Or, showing a guy who's losing his mind, having delusions, his life is falling apart, but . . he refuses to acknowledge the delusions, and he's acting like everything is normal? In fact . . he's acting as if this is the best things have been in quite a while. Which is true. But still . . he's going through some serious denial. I enjoyed the last run on this book, but . . I really like the story that Gregg Hurwitz is spinning here. I like what he's done with Jake's character so far, but . . I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg. And Jerome Opena's pencils get better and better with every issue. We're only on issue #5, but this issue . . the guy looks like a pro. I thought it was a great book and a definite step in the right direction.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #3 - Marvel

Marc Spector is back, and he appears to be sane. Or, I guess I should say . . saner than he used to be. But so far the only thing he's accomplished is pissing off Norman Osborn. In fact he's so mad about the Moon Knight's return that he's got the Hood and the Profile helping him to bring Moon Knight down. So far they've resurrected Raoul Bushman. You know . . that guy that Marc ripped his face off, and then killed him. Oh yeah, and he's been haunting him ever since. Also the Scarecrow. And just to make sure they cover all the bases, they've gone to Ravencroft and released all the inmates in an attempt to draw the Moon Knight out. Personally, I don't think that drawing him out is the problem. What they're going to do with him after he comes out . . that could be a problem. It's also helping Marc that a lot of the old gang is coming back together. This issue, after seeing the problems at Ravencroft, Marc is ready to go do what he can to round up all the lunatics, but . . he doesn't have a pilot available. 'I can't do everything myself.' But, just as he's about to try . . Frenchie shows up. Maybe these guys will finally be able to bury the hatchet. Anyways, he makes a good effort at Ravencroft, but . . he see's the Bushman in the shadows. I'm sure he doesn't even suspect that the guy might be alive again. All the inmates are starting to gather around him. And the Scarecrow hasn't even got involved yet. To go solo on a mission like this . . I think he might've bit off a little more than he can chew. Now we'll see how many friends he really has. I'm enjoying this new direction . . so far. I think Greff Hurwitz is doing a pretty decent job with the story. It'll be nice for Marc to have a supporting cast again. I know the Moon Knight is pretty much a solo character, but . . it's the people around him that make him interesting. Other than that . . he's just some guy who goes around beating up bad guys. I'm also enjoying Jerome Opena's art. This guy really does get better and better with every issue. He draws some great fight scenes. But to me the best was the scene where Marc and Frenchie see each other for the first time. Well . . first time in a long time. This book stands a good chance of lasting. As long as they don't fall into old patterns. It's ok to go there every once in a while. Hopefully just to reminisce, or try not to repeat previous mistakes. I just don't want to see Marc get stuck there . . again. I'll stay with this one as long as it holds my interest.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #3 - Marvel

We're only on issue #3 0f this series and already they've brought Bushman back. Well . . Norman does. He has the Hood, who now possess' Dormammu, bring him back from the dead. Great! That's all Marc . . er, Jake needs. He's just starting to get his head back on straight, and he even keeps it level headed enough to have a romantic encounter with Marlene this issue. But Norman has gotten it into his head that he wants to take down Moon Knight. And he's willing to do anything required to do that. He even gives Bushman the army that he asks for. After a trip to Ravencroft, Scarecrow lobotomizes most of the inmates so now he has all the fodder that he'll ever need to throw at Jake. He's even got a couple of heavy hitters called Herman the German and the Great Wall. They look both mean and deranged. Moon Knight is definitely going to have his hands full with this bunch of crazies running the streets. So far I like the story that Gregg Hurwitz is writing here. Although, now with the inclusion of Bushman, it really doesn't seem all that much different from the previous series. Between the editors and the writers they always try to tweak this character a bit. Making him 'new & improved', but . . he always seems to end up back to the way he was. It's almost like he refuses to be cast from the mold to which he was created. Anyways, Jerome Opena has been the new artist for this series, and I think he's doing a great job. He really has gotten better with every issue. I really do like the book. It just doesn't seem like it's changed that much. Maybe I was expecting more than I should have.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 - Marvel

At the end of the last issue . . the Sentry showed up. He said he wanted to talk. The problem is . . the Sentry is constantly being fed updates on the most dire emergencies on how he'll be able to help. So he doesn't really have time to slow down to talk to Marc . . er, I mean Jake. Anyways, the Sentry doesn't slow down . . he takes Jake with him . . on the next 5 or 6 'saves'. It's a good thing that Jake isn't prone to motion sickness because the Sentry is really whipping him about. But when it comes down to it, all he really wants to say to him is . . 'You will be tested . . and you will fall'. That was different. So the rest of the issue Jake is out trying to recruit all his old cronies. He's trying to put the team back together. But Norman isn't going to just let Moon Knight show up in his city and do whatever the hell he wants. He's hired the Profile to trail the Moon Knight and tell him everything he can on him. However . . he can't read him. He doesn't know what he's doing or why. But . . he does know how to hurt him. The issue ends with him and the Hood at the Bushman's grave. He knows that this is the one guy that can hurt Jake. So far . . I like the book. I liked the last one also, but . . it was pretty dark. I know that Moon Knight is that type of character, but . . it was dark even for him. I like that he's back trying to be a 'hero' again. Gregg Hurwitz seems to have a pretty good grasp of this character. I'm glad he's putting the supporting cast back in place. I like solo books, but you still have to have some kind of dialogue and interaction. I'm still of the belief that the supporting cast makes the character. I'm also impressed, so far, with Jerome Opena's pencils. Overall I like the feel that the book has right now. Hopefully it'll continue to grow on me.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1 - Marvel

Yes I ended up picking it up. I don't know . . when I was in the shop I looked through the art. I thought it looked good enough that I didn't want to pass it up. But I'm still on the fence whether I'll be sticking with it or not. We'll see. Anyways, it appears that Moon Knight is now existing in the form of Jake Lockley, and . . he's trying to change. No more alcohol, no more pills. Also he's tired of hiding on the West Coast or south of the border. He's decided that he wants to be back in New York City, the heart of it all, and . . he wants to go a-list all the way. Big image, big toys and no more killing or maiming. From now on he's just going turn in the bad guys like the rest of the 'big-guns'. He's starts out this issue by stopping a bank robbery, and apprehending all the culprits . . no killing, mutilation or maiming. 'They're just disgruntled, Captain.' He's also trying to put back his circle of friends. Marlene sees that he's back in town, and he's already got Ray and Samuels working for him. And he appears to be doing a pretty good job of ignoring the Bushman. You know, how he's always like his bad conscience. Then, at the end of this issue, as he's standing on a rooftop overlooking the city, he's confronted by . . the Sentry. 'Who do you think you are . . a super-hero?' A little bit of over-kill on Norman's part, I would think. Anyways, this issue is brought to us by Gregg Hurwitz and Jerome Opena. I enjoyed Gregg's story. I liked the last series, but . . it was a little dark. Which is fine for an arc or 2, but not for the whole series. And, as I said earlier, I loved Jerome's art. I thought he did a fantastic job. Now, that being said, there was something about this issue that pissed me off. I don't mind paying $3.99 for an issue, if they give us something special. But this issue? In the back they reprint Moon Knight #1 from 1980. Now despite the fact that I already have this issue, this story has been reprinted at least a half-dozen times. If somebody really wants it, I'm sure there's more than one TPB that contains it. But no . . we're forced to get it so they can jack the price up to $3.99, instead of $2.99. Because of that, I refuse to buy any of the alternate covers. As much as I enjoyed the book . . I felt like I was ripped-off. This also may affect my decision on picking up issue #2 . . or not. If there's another reprint, and another jacked-up price . . I may just have to skip it. Which is a shame because it looks like this title has some potential. But I can't afford to keep adding titles to my list every month. Especially when I feel cheated.

Moon Knight Saga - Free Preview - Marvel

To be perfectly honest with you . . I only picked up this book because it was free. I'm on the fence as to whether I'm going to pick up the new series when it comes out. I haven't really decided. However . . this book gives us a detailed account of the entire Moon Knight history. Not the individual issues, and various titles that have come out from Marvel . . but rather a detailed account of what Marc Spector has been through and why. As told by Marc himself. Even if you know nothing about Moon Knight, Marc or his history . . this book will fill you in right from the very beginning. It covers everything. And like I said, you're not getting it in story form, but rather a first person narration by Marc himself. An autobiography of sorts . . if you will. Either that or a confession. It could go either way. Anyways, it's written by John Rhett Thomas, Dugan Trodglen and Jess Harrold. All of which I've never heard of. But, they do a good job tying together all the various parts of Marc's life. It really does seem like a seamless string of events, from beginning to end. And it features art by all the various artists that have contributed to this character over the years. We see panels by Laurence Campbell, Tom Coker, Tommy Lee Edwards, David Finch, Klaus Janson, Frank Miller, Kevin Nowlan, Jefte Palo, Esad Ribic, Alex Ross, Javier Saltares, Bill Sienkeiwicz, Mico Suayan and Mark Texiera. That's quite a list of talent there. If you're even in the least bit curious about this character . . where he's been, what he's done, where he's going . . this issue will fill you in on everything. It's very comprehensive. And like I said . . it's free. Well . . 25 cents if you buy it from Mile High Comics. Why not slip it into your next order? Oh yeah, and the new series Vengeance of Moon Knight is coming out next week . . 9/16. It's by Gregg Hurwitz and Jerome Opena. Look at that fantastic cover by Leinul Francis Yu. Maybe I'm not on the fence as much as I thought I was.

Moon Knight #30 - Marvel

Well, this issue wraps up the Down South story-line, but . . I gotta say, I thought the whole thing was a bit . . anti-climatic. Moon Knight has switched from his Marc Spector identity to that of Jake Lockely. He's been hanging out down Mexico way trying to stay out of trouble. The problem is . . I don't care if it Mooney, or Marc, or Jake . . trouble always comes looking for him. He took what he thought was a simple job, retrieve a man's daughter who was illegally incarcerated in a Mexican jail. But of course nothing is ever that simple. It turns out this Alcantara guy is actually a drug lord. He's looking to get into bed with the Russian mob. So he plans on killing his daughter for them to show them his strength. Kind of twisted. Huh? Anyways, Moonie gets her out, but before he delivers her he finds out this information. But, Alcantara thinks that something might go wrong so he hires this hit-team, whom think of themselves as professional wrestlers, and call themselves the Zapata brothers. Alcantara wants the boys to retrieve his daughter from Jake, and then kill him. They also find out the true story and decide to team-up with Jake instead. That's where we ended last issue. So the 3 of them make it to Alcantara's compound. The problem is, somebody got there before them. Everybody is slaughtered ripped apart . . basically just torn to shreds. As Moonie surveys the compound he comes upon the Punisher. He's drinking Alcantara's liquor. The problem is . . the Punisher didn't do this either. The Punisher leaves, and Moonie continues looking for Alcantara. He finally finds him and he's scared to death . . but not of him. He scared of the other guy . . the Aztec kind of looking guy wearing the mask and carrying the big ax on his back, Toltec. That's the guy who chopped up all of these people. Moonie and the guy stare each other down for a second, and then . . Moonie leaves. He knows that Toltec will take care of Alcantara, so . . why should he get involved. When he goes outside he finds that the Zapata's, working off of information from the daughter, are raiding Alcantara's cash reserves in his basement. They're pulling out duffel-bags full of money . . filling their whole pick-up truck. Later they, and the daughter, say their goodbyes to Jake and give him a couple of duffel-bags as a parting gift. And that was it. The most action Mooney had was when he was threatening Alcantara . . before he realized that Toltec was hanging overhead waiting his turn. Even the epilogue was boring. Jake is sitting in his hotel room, drinking tequila and sitting next to his pile of money when a news story comes across the TV about Norman Osborn. He's watching the news intently and is coming to a decision. He pours the tequila down the toilet and says, "I'm going home. Only this time . . alone." Ummm . . . ok . . . thanks. Really . . I don't understand why this story couldn't have wrapped up last issue. This one was a real let down. Mike Benson is still writing it, so I don't really understand why this issue was so different from all of the rest. This was basically the wrap-up issue for this story-line, but . . like I said, nothing really happened. I'm also not thrilled with Jefte Palo's art. It's . . ok. It just doesn't really do anything for me. I don't know . . I just hope the next issue is better. If there is a next issue. Nothing's listed.

Moon Knight #29 - Marvel

I'm not really diggin' this whole new direction with Jake Lockley and all. Maybe I just need to give it some more time, but . . right now, for me . . I don't know, it's just not as interesting as the previous story-line. Plus, now that 'Jake' is in Mexico, he's got a partner in crime down there with the Punisher. However, Jake isn't aware yet that he's even there. And really his involvement in this whole story-line has been rather minuscule. I mean, he does take out some Russian crime-members this issue, but . . that's about the most he's done in the last 3 issues. Jake is involved with a Mexican crime-lord who lied to him to get him to return his daughter. Jake thought he was doing it out of a father's concern, but he's found out that what he really wanted was to offer her up as a sacrifice to the Russian crime-boss he was trying to get in bed with. Which is where the Punisher's connection comes in to all of this because he's after the Russian mob. Then we throw in a couple of Mexican mercenaries who want to be tag-team wrestlers . . and dress the part . . and we've got an odd type of story-line going here. Also, don't forget it's Mexico, so . . everybody is double crossing everybody. Like I said, I've seen better story-lines from Mike Benson in this book, so . . I'm a little disappointed. Jefte Palo's pencils are ok, but . . they're nothing fantastic. But, the cover by Gabriele Dell'otto is pretty sweet. That's the best part about the whole book. They even do the Moon Knight logo in the colors of the Mexican flag. Hopefully this story-line will wrap up soon and we'll move on to something better.

Moon Knight #27 & #28 - Marvel

I went ahead and put #28 in here also. It's another one I just picked up this week. I like this story the Mike Benson has put together here. I wasn't sure about Jefte Palo's art last issue, but after reading these 2 I really think he has just the right feel for this story. Marc Spector is dead. Or, at least, that's what the rest of the world thinks. However, we know that he's actually gone down to Mexico and resumed his Jake Lockley identity. He's been doing some cage fighting and he's come to the attention of a Mr Alcantara. He says his daughter has been illegally incarcerated and he want to pay Jake to get her out. Which he does, but in doing so . . he finds out that the daughter, Carmen, was actually turning state's evidence on her father's illegal dealings. So she disappeared about a month ago. Her father is getting ready to broker a deal with the Russians, so he wants her back to tie up the loose end. Also, he wants to shoot her in front of them to show them what kind of man he is. So, once Jake kills Alcantara's men that were helping him . . but then wanted to shoot him in the head . . Alcantara hires the Zapato brothers to bring Carmen and Jake both in. By the way the Punisher is also in town and he's seen Jake's/Marc's face. "Guess who isn't dead." Anyways, in issue #28 Jake goes back and forth with the Zapato's a couple of time. There's also someone out there with an Aztec theme that's taking down the 'family' members also, Toltec. But he's doing it by butchering them with huge knives. Jake's managed to stay out of his way, but Toltec takes out a couple more members when they see Jake and try to give chase. Anyways, the issue ends with the Zapato's striking a deal with Alcantara. They're going to take care of all of his problems, for a price of course. But they really just plan on killing him when they're all done. But as they go out on the streets to start searching for their prey, unsuspectingly they are also being followed. If they saw their followers they might not be so openly gallivanting around town. We see the Punisher, Moon Knight and Toltec all hiding in the shadows following their only leads to Alcantara. All in all I thought it was a pretty decent story-line. It's nice to see Jake back in the mix of things again.

Moon Knight #26 - Marvel

I didn't particularly like the art this issue. It's . . ok. It's just not my style. Mike Benson writes the story and Jefte Palo does the pencils. This issue picks up after Marc Spector has staged his 'death'. After the explosion last issue, I think Marc is hoping that everyone will assume he's dead. He's out of their picture and that's all they really care about. So, he's moved on to Mexico and his other identity of Jake Lockley. He does what he has to for survival . . bare-fist fighting . . whatever. He's trying to stay low-key and under everybody's radar. But, to be a gringo in Mexico . . well there's only one reason a white man spends that much time there . . to hide from something. I don't really think he's fooling anybody right now. And it's not long before he gathers the attention of a rich land baron. His daughter has been abducted lately, by the Federales and he needs someone with Jake's skill-set to get her back. He's hasn't been there but a few weeks, and already he's gotten a mercenary job. Live by the sword, Die by the sword . . I guess. Anyways, they're setting up the specifics for the job . . scoping out the prison and all . . when Jake feels that someone is watching him. He's correct, but I don't think he's expecting whom it is . . . the Punisher. This should set us up for an interesting story next issue. I wasn't thrilled about the art, but I thought the story was ok. We're only into the first chapter of this story-arc, so there's not a lot of action and excitement yet. However, with the Punisher involved . . I don't think it'll stay quiet long. By the way, Gabriele Dell'Otto does that fantastic cover.

Moon Knight #25 - Marvel

This appears to be the final chapter in the Death of Marc Spector. And I'll tell ya', by the end of the book . . . Marc Spector is definitely dead. But . . that's not to say the Moon Knight is. After all the embarrassment Moon Knight has brought to . . . well, anybody that's come after him, the government decides to send Norman Osborne's little group, the Thunderbolts, after him. But they don't fare much better. So now Norman's down to his secret weapon . . Bullseye. The fight between Bullseye and Moon Knight is fantastic. Both of them have some great lines. But in the end, Moon Knight plays Bullseye like a fiddle and pulls him into one of his hideouts just like he wants. It's under the river and the finale of the fight is when Bullseye thinks he's got the drop on Moon Knight, but actually is a 'scarecrow' type thing that Marc has rigged up and is wrapped in a bomb. "You're right, I can't beat you . . but, I can take you out with me". And with that he blows up his whole complex. There's a big explosion on the river, and Bullseye seems to make it out by the skin of his teeth. Of course in all the rubble they can't find Marc. Frenchie and Marlene are talking, at the end of the story, and Frenchie tells her . . . "You know they'd never stop looking for him. In order for him to live, Marc Spector had to die. Maybe he was right . . maybe it was the only way. Once he mad the choice, he'd have to embrace it completely. Marc Spector is dead. But remember . . . Jake Lockley's not." I thought Mike Benson did a great job with this story. I'm really interested to see what he's going to do with the character now. Also Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares have once again turned in a terrific artistic job. I really like this issue a lot, and I'm looking forward to finding out what the future has in store for our lead character.

Moon Knight #24 - Marvel

It appears that all of these attacks on Marc and his friends . . ex-friends, ex-teammates, whatever . . have done nothing more than push this little group back together again. I'm sorry. Saying they didn't do anything wouldn't exactly be correct . . the Whyos did put a few people in the hospital . . along with a few of their own members. But, the tactic that Norman Osborn was trying to use . . threaten the weaker supporting cast forcing the main target to reveal himself . . I think kind of back-fired on him. The problem I think is that Norman, and probably Stark too, assumed that Marc was just a mindless brute. They knew that he was a solo act now, but I don't think they understood why. Yes, he'd want to protect his old comrades, given the chance, but . . most of them wouldn't just automatically call him until they were in complete desperation. Which is what happened to Frenchie. Frenchie didn't get Marc involved until his partner was put in the hospital. So the problem is, by the time Marc got involved, it was no longer about anger and annoyance . . . by the time Marc got involved it was all about vengeance and payback. I also think that the excessive force that the Whyos used only contributed in escalating the situation. Anyways, at the end of last issue it looked like Marc was in a 'no-win' situation with Venom. Maybe it was the tight quarters of the alley . . I don't know . . but Moon Knight pretty much makes Venom look like a buffoon. However, after eluding him, he finds the rest of the Thunderbolts waiting for him out in the street. But SHIELD overplays their hand and tries to get involved to soon. During the interagency ruckus . . in all of the confusion . . Moon Knight slips away through the alleys. Bye-bye knuckleheads. So, all in all, Norman's actions and leadership have solidified Marc's group . . he's got more help now than he's had in quite a while . . and caused resentment and confusion in his own. So now he's desperate. He won't admit it, but . . . he is. At the end of this issue, he's goes down into the deep dark hole that he's got Bullseye locked up in, and sanctions him. "Yes, Osborn . . I've had plenty of time to think. To reflect. And I think I'd really enjoy killing Moon Knight." I'm glad that Mike Benson has given Marc his group back. He seemed more stable in this issue than he has in many. Marc that is, not Mike. I liked the way that this story progressed through this issue. It seemed natural . . not forced. Kudos, Mike. I also, as usual, enjoyed the fantastic artwork of Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares. This book has a fantastic look and feel to it. I'm not sure what the future plans are for this book . . after this story-arc, but . . I feel like everything is finally getting on track here. I hope it has a long future in front of it.

Moon Knight #23 - Marvel

After reading this issue . . and the recent story-arc in Amazing Spider-man, all I can say it . . . Norman Osborn is a real dick! I mean, we all know that he's a bit unhinged, but . . he's also an ass. Norman, with his very own band of super-powered . . . I'm not sure what to call them, heroes?, villains?, it's a bit ambiguous right now . . . anyways the Thunderbolts are like his own multi-barreled gun that he can point at whatever he wants. He's sanctioned by the government after all. And right now the Commission on Superhuman Activities is embarrassed by Tony's inability to resolve the situation with Moon Knight, so they've asked Norman to finish it . . by whatever means possible. I think Norman likes to hear those words. Anyways, since Spectre's gone into hiding . . at this point they haven't seen any activity out of him for about 2 weeks . . . Norman decides to use Finn . . you know, from the Whyos . . . to go after Spector's friends. He starts with Frenchie. They go and make a public scene at his restaurant and end up beating up his partner, Rob. Frenchie is so distraught that he goes to Crawley to ask for his help in getting some revenge. And unbeknownst to him, when they go calling on the Whyos, Moon Knight isn't far behind. This was all part of Norman's plan though, because when Moon Knight chases Finn down an alley, it's a trap . . . Venom's waiting for him in the shadows. I think they got their covers mixed up though. Venom's been on the last 2 . . but nowhere to be seen in the issue. This issue had Bullseye on the cover . . . but Venom shows up at the end? I think there's a faux pas going on here. But they're still some fantastic Arthur Suydam covers. I also love this artwork duo of Mark Texiera and Javier Saltares. They've done some incredible work together, and I love the feel they bring to this book. Mike Benson has been doing a great job with these stories. You can just feel Marc's frustration and confusion flowing off the pages. The current story-arc is titled the Death of Marc Spector, and from what we've seen so far, it's an apt title. I feel like I've been getting into this book more and more. And that's what it's all about. Right?

Moon Knight #22 - Marvel

This is another guy who's got it coming at him from all sides. But, really . . it's his own fault. Well, maybe not entirely . . but it's not like he doesn't deserve it. After the debacle with the Black Spectre Marc didn't have much choice but to take him out. However, the problem is, he didn't get to clear up his name first. SHIELD, and the public, still blame him for all 47 of the murders. What's he gonna' do? It's his word against a dead man's now. However, the government isn't happy with the way SHIELD, or more specifically Tony Stark, has handled things so far. So . . they've tasked the Thunderbolts with apprehending the vigilante. Normie seems just a little to enthusiastic about going after Marc. You can almost see him drooling while he's explaining the ops. Meanwhile, Crawley is out there trying to round up all of Marc's old associates, but . . he's burned a lot of bridges behind him. None of them want anything to do with helping Marc. Bet even with all of this going on, Marc's still out there 'kicking ass and taking names'. He kind of looks like the Black Panther in his new costume. I think Mike Benson is doing a great job with this story. However, it's starting to look like he's got Marc painted into a corner and I don't quite know how he's going to get him out of this mess. This story-arc is called 'the Death of Marc Spector', but . . I don't think they mean that literally. Do they? After looking at the last page . . he just may be. Anyways, Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares handle the art and it looks fantastic. I really like it when these 2 work together. I'm sad that they aren't on the Ghost Rider anymore, but . . if they gotta' move somewhere else, I'm glad it's here. Their style fit's perfectly with this book.

Moon Knight #21 - Marvel

As I'm writing this . . I'm kicking myself. Sometimes I leave books lying around . . . who am I kidding, they're all over the house . . anyways one of my cats have a penchant for chewing on paper. Plus they like sharp corners. You know, to rub their heads on and stuff. Anyways, as I'm looking at this issue, I just realized that my cat has chewed away at the top corner of this book. It doesn't happen much, but it has happened before. You'd think I'd learn from my past mistakes. It looks like that's $3 that's been wasted. But I love my cats, so . . what am I gonna' do? Anyways, Marc's really dug a hole for himself this time. It's funny though . . with all this heat coming down on him, from all these different angles, he still can't stop doing what he always does . . beating up bad guys. "In some ways it's liberating. Before the padded gloves, the cowl, the mask, that cloak . . the voices in my head . . all gone. Back to the basics. Before the spectacle of it all. When it was a job. Not a religion. When all I knew was what I knew." Tony has made it his, and SHIELD's, number 1 priority to bring Marc in. But now, for some reason, the CSA has decided that they want that responsibility. They're claiming, according to the Super-human Registration Act, that an act of terrorism on domestic soil, by a card carrying registered 'super', falls under their jurisdiction. They don't seem to happy about it, but they do seem determined. And then, at the end of this issue, we find out that, for some reason, Norman Osborne has also made it his personal mission to take down the Moon Knight. I guess he doesn't like the competition . . you know, bad-ass psychos and all. Anyways, I think this will be an interesting direction, brought to us by Mike Benson and Mark Texeira. With Javier Saltares of course. I really like this book, and the direction that it's going. However, I'm not sure what Venom on the cover has to do with anything!