Moon Knight [2021] #28 - Marvel Comics

MOON KNIGHT No. 28, December 2023

It’s hard to imagine many “Moonies” being disappointed with Jed MacKay’s meticulous dismantling of Marc Spector’s super-powered ‘family’ in Issue Twenty Eight of “Moon Knight”, considering just how well he whittles them down one by one. Indeed, in many ways this nineteen-page plot is perfectly penned as the Canadian author launches the likes of Hunter’s Moon, Eight-Ball and Tigra head-first against a formidable array of Black Spectre’s minions, and then starts methodically isolating them with all manner of mayhem and mishaps; “You got us where we needed to be -- Your job’s done. Lie low until it’s safe.”

Foremost of these sensational subplots is debatably that surrounding Greer Nelson, who may strike the odd bibliophile as being a surprising choice for a strike force against a well-defended multi-storey building when the clock is literally ticking. Admittedly, the were-creature has been “a prominent member of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” in the past, and undoubtedly has significant fighting experience. But ultimately the highly acrobatic meta-human is only effective in close combat, whereas the abandoned vampire Reese “can [at least] turn to smoke”, and this weakness is soon highlighted when the ex-Avenger unwittingly steps onto a floor bomb.

Delightfully however, “The Last Days Of Moon Knight” isn’t just about Spector’s full-on assault of the Mount either, courtesy of MacKay squeezing in some ‘screen time’ for Zodiac nonchalantly wandering up to the Midnight Mission armed with a serious-looking crossbow. This momentary diversion, coupled with a few complimentary flashback sequences, help to break up what would otherwise be a ferocious, full-on assault upon the reader’s senses, without either slowing the action down too much, or completely throwing the audience out of the moment.

Lastly, artist Federico Sabbatini and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg definitely deserve a round of applause for adding an extra element or two to this comic’s storytelling. The sheer savagery of the tale’s claustrophobic confrontations are visualised with tremendous gusto, causing any onlookers to doubtless either wince when the titular character shocking takes a long blade in his back, or give a soft sigh as Tigra looks longingly after her boyfriend as he hares off to face the Black Spectre before the mysterious maniac’s “apocalyptic schemes bear fruit.”

Writer: Jed MacKay, and Artists: Federico Sabbatini & Rachelle Rosenberg