Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #4: Moonfall

Warning: Minor Spoilers for Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #3

In much of modern storytelling, the emphasis is on the ways that work is innovating or upending. Possibly a result of a post-post-modern sense of rebuilt systems and conventions breaking down again or the brain worm of the tech sector’s disruption model seeping into every aspect of life. While art that innovates is exciting, innovating without purpose can leave a project feeling more like a tech demo or craft showcase. A strong balance in an art diet results from works that innovate and that offer a technical refinement for best telling a story or expressing an idea. 

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #4 – written by Jed MacKay with art by Devmalya Pramanik, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettering by VC’s Cory Petit – continues the fight between the Midnight Mission and new drug dealer/budding crime lord Achilles Fairchild. Fairchild gained the upper hand in the war thanks to having Detective Frazier on his side, using her drug addiction to Glitter as a method of blackmail. The previous issue saw Frazier leading an NYPD raid on the Midnight Mission after framing the group as a criminal element with connections to the magical drug. A brutal fight led Fairchild’s right hand, Carver, to kill the essence of the Mission building, sending Moon Knight and his allies underground. 

Moon Knight proceeds to spend the issue regrouping in the sewers’ occupied by a horde of Vermins. Marc moves in and out of his mind, clashing with his two other personalities while battling the monstrous figures. Meanwhile, Frazier continues her smear campaign against Moon Knight and his mission. She starts with an attempt to recruit Dr. Sterman as an expert to testify on Moon Knight’s fractured mental state. It’s a short rebuttal from Sterman, who flashes her credentials and connections to sweep Frazier away. Frazier appears again at the end of the issue, revealing a bit more about the properties of glitter and making arrangements to connect Fairchild with a new sparring match. 

MacKay’s scripting does an excellent job of redirecting the frantic momentum from the last issue into a more introspective character study. A rich foreground for the Moon Knight/Marc Spector character is the reconciliation of personalities, creating an inherent soundboard to a violent, stoic character. MacKay dedicates the majority of the page real estate to Marc’s rage-filled crisis of faith in a better life, cementing the fallout of both this series and the two that came before. That narrative choice makes for enthralling yet frustrating decisions from Marc on a character level, as the regression comes out in full swing. 

That’s the inherent push/pull force of a vigilante story, and MacKay demonstrates a rich understanding of the underlying power the force holds. Instantly, the stakes are set for the next run of issues while invoking tension in the reader, as they know and can see the suicidal path Marc is going down. It’s not a revolutionary idea, but like the best parts of this series as a whole, is executed on such a proficient level that it captivates just the same. Moon Knight doesn’t have to constantly break the formulas or reinvent the genre, it just continues to tell a compelling story with familiar beats pitched to a technical level of 10. 

Striking that sense of expectation with a sprinkling of flourish is Pramanik’s linework. Operating in a style that feels like a piece with previous series artist Alessandro Cappuccio, Pramanik brings a bit of a harsher aesthetic to the book. Faces and body language outside of costumes are a bit blockier and are rendered with sharper angles. The result of that decision is a book that feels submerged in the darkness and despair that scratches at Marc. As the story moves into the severe due to Fairchild’s relentless attacks on the Mission, Pramanik’s linework rises to match the intense flashes of loathing and self-destruction. Even the typically patient and reassuring Dr. Sterman takes an edge under Pramanik’s pencils, giving a hardened, battle-ready tone to the doctor. 

Pramanik also takes full ownership of the art direction in the layouts, especially in the moments inside Marc’s mind. Cappuccio’s style lent itself to pretty standard panel shapes and single-page splashes in previous issues. The splashes continue in the new art styling while there is a clear expansion of the layout approach. Pramanik uses Marc’s fractured mind as a canvas for twisting shapes and segmented rows, building up the intense emotions broiling within. Crescent waves, curving borders, and even the haziness of images blurring into one another all make for interesting storytelling choices on the page. Pramanik drops a stunning 19-panel grid towards the end of the issue that uses the backdrop of a silhouette to sell the visceral carnage Marc is interested in. The page is a shock in the best possible way, achieving that high level of execution in the layouts and composition of images within. 

It’s fitting that Pramanik’s style resonates with Cappuccio’s, as it allows Rosenberg’s coloring to come in and offer an additional cohesive layer. Without the steadfast palette of the book, the shift in art could have felt off, like it was trying for an approximation but never quite meeting it. Alongside the saturated, ethereal coloring choices the book is known for, Rosenberg is allowed to highlight the contrasts in tones for the various personalities. 

Marc/Moon Knight is bathed in the explosive oranges created from the underground tunnels, reflecting his volatile nature. There’s the hazy pinks in Jake’s bar space, offering an inviting sense of rationality behind an appealing layer of self-medication at a bar. Rounded out by the green-yellow hues found on a dollar bill for Stephen, the penthouse office becomes a reflection of the calculating, rational aspect. Rosenberg can contrast these colors with one another during the moments of dialogue, slipping between characters and emotion with a deft stroke of the paintbrush. Like the three personas, they feel distinct in the moment but of a whole when looked at from a distance, resulting in a fluid pathway for the story and conflicts to unfold.