Moon Knight [2021] #15 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 15, November 2022

Neglecting any semblance of action, apart from Marc Spector getting a fleeting fat lip from Doctor Badr’s always angry alter-ego, Issue Fifteen of “Moon Knight” may well have struck many of its readers as a disappointing two to three page plot padded out to populate an entire publication. Indeed, by the time Jed MacKay starts depicting the titular character individually visiting every one of this comic’s secondary cast to inform them of his dissociative identity disorder, it’s arguably become pretty clear that this particular periodical isn’t going to shine much more light on the cowled crime-fighter’s ongoing war against the nefarious vampire organisation known as the Structure.

True, some of the Canadian writer’s insights into just how markedly different the former-Avenger's three main personas are from one another provide a modicum of interest from time to time, such as Jake Lockley’s relationship with Naomi, the one-eyed “bartender of a New York slum pub”, and the fake moustache-wearing rogue’s evident beef against Big Claude Peeters. But it’s debatably difficult to get too excited when all these spotlights just feature the lead protagonist having another in a long line of dialogue-heavy conversations, especially when the likes of Steven Grant are just talking about hair conditioning and sixteen-year-old scotches.

Sadly to make matters worse, once the opportunity for a bit of fisticuffs does arise MacKay quickly moves the ‘camera’ away to show Spector discussing his mental illness with someone else. This frustrating technique is particularly prominent after Peeters successfully tracks Lockley down an alleyway in Chinatown, and threatens to beat the bogus Taxi Driver to death with his bare fists. Promising some panels of pulse-pounding pugilism, this scene is suddenly cut shockingly short just as the incognito vigilante regains his footing and ominously peels off his fake facial growth; “Hi. I’m Marc.”

Desperately trying to inject this comic with some semblance of dynamism is Alessandro Cappuccio, who at least pencils a semi-spectacular flashback sequence concerning the Nemean and Grand Mal during Grant’s briefing about Tutor’s two top assassins. Disappointingly though, there isn’t much the Italian illustrator can do with many of the other dialogue-driven set-pieces, apart from try to mix them up a little by sketching Spector wearing a variety of his Moon Knight costumes.

Writer: Jed MacKay, Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio, and Color Artist: Rachelle Rosenberg