Moon Knight [2021] #25 - Marvel Comics [Part One]

MOON KNIGHT No. 25, September 2023

Cramming an incredible amount of dialogue-driven intrigue, nerve-wracking tension, and a genuinely enthralling flashback to a time when Marc Spector lead a mercenary crew known as the Karnak Cowboys, Jed MacKay’s script for this oversized epic’s opening half must surely have had most within the comic’s audience on the edge of their seats within the space of a few pages. Indeed, despite most of the action at this stage being largely reliant upon the titular character’s “last ride” in the Arab Republic of Egypt some twelve years past, the numerous twists and turns also depicted inside the Myrmidon Prison and on Hart Island should certainly have entirely ensnared all except the most causal of browsing bibliophiles. 

Perhaps for obvious reasons, the greatest pull is probably the aforementioned assault in Alexandria, which heralds a welcome historic look back at the days when the future Fist of Khonshu was working shoulder-to-shoulder with Jean-Paul Duchamp. Admittedly, prodigious penciller Alessandro Vitti is not asked to pair the duo up all that much during their mission to kidnap Doctor Christopher Bousquet. But the professionally precise nature of the team’s gun-play is arguably an example of the medium’s adrenalin-fuelled entertainment at its best; “The bathroom fan is on, you absolute amateurs.”

For those readers requiring more of a build-up then Moon Knight’s surprising partnership with Eight-Ball should almost certainly have them covered, as the duo covertly infiltrate Black Spectre’s night-time hideaway. Of particular note is Alessandro Cappuccio’s ability to imbue the bank robber with a cue ball on his head with an impressive amount of both personality and humour; especially once the anxious Jeff Hagees’ nervousness gets the better of him and he is revealed to be a traitor, unwillingly on the payroll of Spector’s latest nemesis.

Finally, MacKay proficiently pens several scenes set within the penitentiary “revamped by Mayor Wilson Fisk” and featuring the enigmatic Zodiac. Determined to remain Marc’s arch-enemy, the American Anarchist provides a slightly slapstick, erratic foil to the silky-smooth suaveness of Steven Grant’s persona, which leaves the audience in absolutely no doubt that the unhinged maniac is perfectly likely to kill his mysterious rival for the lunar legionnaire’s attention if given even a fleeting chance.

Writer: Jed MacKay, and Artists: Partha Pratim, Alessandro Cappuccio & Alessandro Vitti