Vengeance of the Moon Knight #3: A Lingering Death

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MOON KNIGHT #1-30 and VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #1-2

Death in superhero comics is an ever-present element of the medium, ranging from a celebration of the natural passage of time to the tragic notion of lost life. A struggle in the more recent era of the genre would be the weight or importance of deaths due to the revolving door nature of the concept. Heroes make a noble sacrifice, supporting characters meet a tragic end, or death is even used as empty shock value. In each case, the modern expectation is the return of the characters within a year as a new creative comes onto the title and promises to reset the status quo.

To make a true difference in the way death is present in comics, a refocus on the fallout of a lost life is a clear way forward. It is easy to become cynical about death and expect a return, but the effect of death should ripple out across the world. The best use of death in modern comics allows breathing time for the event, allowing characters to react, to struggle, and to just exist in the shadow of a fallen character. That sense of hanging clouds is evident in the DNA of the current volume of Moon Knight, reinforcing how the book’s supporting cast changes because of Marc Spector’s death.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #3 — written by Jed MacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettering by VC’s Cory Petit — establishes a pattern for this first arc, using the framework of the Midnight Mission attending sessions with Dr. Sterman. Issue One focused on Reese, two centered on Tigra, and now it is Soldier’s turn to express his reaction to Marc Spector’s death. The tone of the issue is centered on grief and guilt surrounding his role in the previous run’s conclusion. There is a clear projection of the Soldier blaming himself for the new Moon Knight taking power and shaking the criminal underworld.

The bulk of the issue cuts between Soldier recounting his insecurities and his attempts to call in markers from across New York. He wants information on the new Moon Knight, to prepare for a fight that he plans to take to the imitation vigilante. He focuses his effort on The Bar with No Name, using 8-Ball as a contact to gather information. Conflict brews as the legend and brutality of the false Moon Knight spread throughout the city, which has already left literal marks on the criminal element. After a small supervillain fight and attack on the Mission headquarters, the team is left to regroup and call in another favor, one that feels timely for the larger Marvel line.

MacKay continues to show just how well he can infuse a sense of voice and character into a 20-page issue, especially with new and legacy characters. The only existing characters from the larger Marvel canon are Tigara and 8-Ball, while the other core cast members of the title all originated in the previous volume of the title. Reese, Soldier, and Hunter’s Moon feel like organic, well-fitting elements of the Moon Knight lore after such a short period. It’s a testament that they can not only lead the title in the absence of Marc but make the book carry on without skipping a beat.

Soldier is an interesting perspective to filter this issue through, as his internal strife propels the narrative and maintains the high-octane momentum established since the book’s relaunch. Even as the issue shifts from mostly talking sequences in the therapy session and then the Bar with No Name, there is a gripping sense of focused dread as Soldier becomes more and more desperate to resolve the core tension of the series. It snowballs into a bout of action that externalizes the internal strife plaguing Soldier, which in turn only pushes him further into the underbelly of New York.

Cappuccio’s artwork continues to refine itself as the series continues, always working to develop a new approach or reinforce existing elements that focus on specific storytelling. The artwork gives a split, equal focus to the intense action storytelling and raw emotional reactions. Cappuccio deploys stunning close-ups and medium shot panels within the fight scene to render the emotion and the expressions of characters like Soldier and Tiagra. Giving time for those beats in the flow of the action retains the humanity of these characters and reinforces how their emotional states, no matter how fraught, are driving the reactions of the story.

It is, however, the talking moments that make this issue such an excellent read. Cappuccio brings that eye for expression and body language into every panel and page. That choice in blocking and composition maximizes that emotional core, and reinforces the thematic focus of the run. Death feels like a weight that hangs over every page, weighing down each character in a way that causes subtle shifts in their designs. There are additional bags under the eyes, or a lack of emotional ranges on display for each character within the core cast. Even the uniformity of their white suits plays up the sense of dread and mourning for the characters, signaling a not-so-subtle attempt at honoring the dead Moon Knight.

The coloring is the key difference in understanding that sense of mourning within the visual element of the changed costumes. The suits of Soldier and Reese lack the distinct hues that are still present in the fake Moon Knight and Hunter Moon’s costumes, oftentimes the result of supernatural elements. The stark white reveals a lack of luster as a result of Marc’s death, and Rosenberg makes clear there is a piece left intentionally missing. The rest of the issue retains the dynamic palette and vibrant coloring to convey the blaring action.