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General InformationTitle: Moon Knight (Vol. 4) #7-9Author: Charlie Huston Illustrator(s): Issues 7 and 8 were pencilled by David Finch and inked by Danny Miki with Crimelab Studios. Issue 9 was pencilled and inked by Mico Suayan. All issues inked by Frank D'Armata. Original Publication Date: These issues cover dated January, April and May 2007. Cover Price: Each issue priced $2.99 US or $3.75 Canadian. Past comic reviews can be found here. PremiseThe series so far: in issues 1-6, we find out Marc Spector has been sidelined with debilitating knee injuries. He's also either being visited regularly by Konshu, the Egyptian Vengeance God who resurrected and inspired him originally, or he's gone completely insane. In these issues, he's avoiding the Civil War to keep the streets safe, while building toward a faceoff with his former sidekick. Spider-Man shows up to pitch in with some of this action, and restrains Moon Knight from beating perpetrators considerably more than was necessary. Later, Captain America shows up in his apartment to specifically tell him to stay on the sidelines during the Civil War. High PointI don't care if Konshu is the God or Marc's imagination, since his twisted humour brings appropriately inappropriate levity to what could be the darkest title Marvel's publishing right now. Low PointThis crosses over with the Civil War for the sole purpose of keeping the character out of the Civil War, when the character already has no interest in getting involved? What kind of crossover is that? The ScoresI recently read Essential Moon Knight Vol. 1, and was impressed by the originality of the hero. Early on, Moon Knight was unique among heroes in that he actually had three civilian identities. He was born Marc Spector, the mercenary. He used that money to take on the identity of Stephen Grant, millionaire. He also became Jake Lockley, street wise cab driver, and brought on a large supporting cast of characters. This new series takes that originality and expands on it, showing where his supporting cast has heading in the interim, and driving Marc deeper into insanity. Frank Miller's work on Dark Knight Returns and Daredevil was dark, but compared to this title, it's an Archie comic. Marc's getting too old for this, but unlike Bruce, it shows. Sadly, that's all from the first six issues of the title. These three issues feature a "former sidekick gone bad" story (which seem popular of late; see Batman's Hood and Captain America's Winter Soldier) shoehorned into a major crossover event in a manner that would indicate the sole point of the crossover is to sell more Moon Knight, and not to tell a story that is really a part of the Civil War. I give this batch a mere 3 out of 6. The artwork from both teams is wonderful. Finch always does great work, and Suayan's style is not dramatically dissimilar, so the mid-story team switch is not a major problem. I give it 5 out of 6. The story is good. The Civil War elements don't actually need to be here, but it's still interesting enough to have convinced me to go back and pick up the first six highly recommended issues. (I didn't own or read them until after I'd read these ones.) It's not even close to finished, though, which is my other complaint about the "Casualties of War" banner on these issues. The crossover did nothing to move this story forward, and those that just bought the crossover wouldn't get a complete, finished story. If you're just collecting the "Casualties of War" and other Civil War crossovers, you'll already have these three issues. If you're collecting for the contents, you'll want 7-12 (I think; only #10 is out). I give it 4 out of 6, hampered by the lack of an ending. The characterization of Marc Spector is what makes this story so interesting. He's seriously messed up, possibly more so than even his Ultimate counterpart. As good as these comics are, it took me a while to review them, because you need to be in a certain mindset to choose to delve into a world like this. I give it 6 out of 6. The emotional response loses something due to the dissatisfaction with the nature of the Civil War crossover. However, when the emotional manipulation this title causes on my psyche forces me to carefully choose the times to read it, I simply can't give it a low score. I give it 5 out of 6. The flow is great. The absolutely brutal combat that takes place in the workout room in issue nine is a prime example of kinetic combat, as well as the dark nature of the title. I give it 6 out of 6. Overall, this is not a great set of issues. This is the continuation of a great set of issues; I recommend picking up the entire series to date, as just reading these three for the Civil War would do a disservice to both the reader and the story. I give this collection of three 4 out of 6. In total, Moon Knight #7-9 receives 33 out of 42. Civil War Review Checklist
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