Moon Knight [2021] #23 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 23, July 2023

Brazenly declaring that this twenty-page periodical depicts “Moon Knight and Venom fighting side by side”, Jed MacKay’s script for “Panic Room” certainly seems to live up to the comic’s pre-publication promise. Indeed, the story’s opening, featuring the unlikely duo battling together against the likes of Tangle, Eel, Blitz, and Thermite within the mind-bending Midnight Mansion is arguably as good a methodical lesson in collaborative crime-fighting tactics as any perusing bibliophile could want.

Disappointingly though, what then follows the defeat of the Enforcers isn’t debatably anywhere near as good, with Dylan Brock’s alter-ego seemingly all-too easily directing Marc Spector straight to the secret headquarters of Sidney Sarnak. Admittedly, the Fist of Khonshu was going to need to locate the super-villain’s hideout at some point. But the sheer serendipity involved in the alien symbiote innocuously complaining about not being up to full-strength on account of the city being plagued with a series of weird sonic frequencies, at the same time as Doug Moench’s co-creation is looking for just such a noise-based source, sadly smacks a bit too much of lethargic longhand.

Ultimately however, the greatest displeasure must surely come with this book’s conclusion, where the Canadian author distressingly decides to have “The Ghost In The Telephone” simply surrender himself to the authorities rather than provide any sort of defence against the titular character whatsoever. This infuriating finale is anti-climactic at best, especially when many a reader will doubtless have been anticipating a colossal punch-up involving Moon Knight and (an adolescent) Venom as they fight ‘tooth and claw’ throughout the mysterious criminal’s heavily-fortified centre of operations; “The Police were called as soon as you crossed the perimeter. I’m going to turn myself in. For all my crimes.”

Quite possibly also underwhelmed by MacKay’s sudden ending is Alessandro Cappuccio, whose layouts debatably becomes less measured as the action decreases, and the protagonists flee the imminent arrival of the authorities back onto the night time streets. This situation is particularly irritating as the Italian illustrator’s handling of the aforementioned fight with the Enforcers is first-rate and packed full of pulse-pounding pugilism. Yet, by the time Khonshu’s avatar has reached his final destination, the reader’s viewpoint is reduced to repeatedly looking through the darkness at a porthole into Sarnak’s safe room.

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