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| MOON KNIGHT No. 15, July 2015 |
For those comic collectors who enjoy seeing their
superheroes pushed to the very brink of defeat, only to then somehow ‘cheat the
odds’ and make a miraculously triumphant return, Issue Fifteen of “Moon Knight”
is undoubtedly going to be a tense enjoyable read. For having been beaten and even
savagely bitten within an inch of his life at the beginning of this book, a heavily bandaged Marc Spector
battles Cullen Bunn’s hideously malformed take on ‘the monster under the bed’
and despite a multitude of gory vein opening injuries, finally manages to
defeat his truly formidable foe with the aid of two assault rifles…
Indeed as far as sheer brute strength is concerned, the
Ghastly Award-nominee’s “Bogeyman” appears as indestructibly arduous an
opponent as any unnatural creature the costumed crimefighter has ever fought,
including the former mercenary’s classic confrontation with lycanthrope Jacob
“Jack” Russell in the early Seventies title “Werewolf By Night”. Certainly the
North Carolina-raised writer makes is emphatically clear within the narrative’s
opening few pages that the gigantic misshapen horror cannot be overcome by the superhero’s
usual methodology of delivering brutal baton strikes and hurling a fistful of
shuriken.
Bunn also uses this twenty-page periodical to further
explore the somewhat strained relationship between the schizophrenic Spector
and his Moon God. In fact the pair’s heated, even angry exchange whilst a
battered vigilante momentarily finds the time to recover from his wounds, is
wonderfully written and despite being somewhat sedentary in pace makes for
enthralling entertainment. Especially as this argument results in Moon Knight
impetuously turning his back upon the traditional weapons of the Egyptian
deity, and instead equips himself with an impressive selection of automatic
firearms.
Just as gratifying has to be the incredibly dynamic
artwork of German Peralta, who presumably replaced previous penciller Ron
Ackins after the Philadelphian failed to finish his last assignment on time. Delightfully
detailed, dramatically-charged and undoubtedly captivating, the Argentina-born
illustrator’s portrayal of Doug Moench’s co-creation battling the heavily-muscled,
puss-infested behemoth is tremendously well-drawn and whilst rather gory, with
plenty of blood pooling within the panels, is well worth revisiting two or
three times in order to spot some truly delicate touches, such as the bogeyman’s
hideous reflection being caught upon the West Coast Avenger’s throwing stars.
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| Writer: Cullen Bunn, Art: German Peralta, and Color Art: Dan Brown |
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