Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5: Asking 8-Ball

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MOON KNIGHT #1-30, VENGEANCE OF THE MOON KNIGHT #1-4, and BLOOD HUNT #1

See our review for BLOOD HUNT #1 here!

With event comics, tie-ins can be a tricky beast. The modern expectation of a tie-in is a filler issue that allows the main creative team to catch up while another team tells the story linked to the bigger story. The great tie-ins play in the space of the event, using the interconnected aspect of these larger-than-life sandboxes to forge growth and story from the constraints of continuity. Maybe the best examples of this come when a writer can write both the tie-in and the main event, as they can find the organic inflection points that allow the two to meaningfully open a dialogue. 

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5 – written by Jed MacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettering by VC’s Cory Petit – pulls double duty, working to both progress the ongoing story while also kicking off the tie-in season for Marvel’s big summer event, Blood Hunt. The event, which is also written by MacKay, builds directly on plotlines and story beats from the previous volume Moon Knight, and these last four issues. It directly name-checks Moon Knight #15, which focused on the restructuring of vampires, and the recently revealed faux-Moon Knight, who becomes the first volley in the vampire’s attack. 

Right away, it needs to be stated that reading both issues is the best experience, specifically in the order of Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5 and then Blood Hunt #1. However, while Blood Hunt enhances the experience, it is not required to understand the Moon Knight issue. It can stand on its own and provides enough context to exist as its own story. MacKay’s script makes that delineation clear and reminds audiences of the fact by referencing the last tie-in from the series, reaching back to the Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto event Devil’s Reign. 

MacKay used that single issue to not only further Moon Knight’s journey but also introduce 8-Ball into the proceeding, seeding his character arc that appears to be culminating in this current story arc. Using 8-Ball as the tie-in anchor point is a fascinating character choice that makes the issues feel both essential and necessary without making them seem forced or like homework. The progression of 8-Ball to a sense of heroism and redemption is a result of his actions within Moon Knight’s pages but the epic nature of events allows for him to elevate the story into something aspirational.

That division also comes across in the way the events of the story are placed, echoing the structure MacKay laid out for the series. One-half of the scenes feature another therapy session, this time giving 8-Ball his chance to unpack his grief at losing Marc Spector (or more specifically, Moon Knight). The other half of the issue is Tigra and Hunter’s Moon confronting the Shroud, taking their fight out into the street as they try to escape with the knowledge of his identity. Weaving in between the sequences not only allows MacKay to highlight some thematically rich ground in the notions of identity and legacy but also ensures the introspective drama is balanced with the kinetic action. 

MacKay channels his character-driven approach to humanize 8-Ball in a way that hits home. The two-bit villain is given the care of a core supporting cast member in his therapy session, expressing emotions like survivor’s guilt and a dedication to change. When Dr. Sterman questions if 8-Ball considers himself a hero, all he can do is deny it at the moment but indicate he’s pining for that delineation. His inspiration is a healthy mix of fear and admiration for Marc Spector, reflecting on the darker parts of the vigilante’s history. 

That thematic beat reflects later on while Tigra and Badr face down the Shroud. The Darkforce-empowered vigilante claims he is carrying on Marc’s will because he wants to achieve the progress the former Fist of Khonshu achieved. Marc was able to overcome his darker impulses and become a hero, which is what the Shroud wants, especially after his darker turns in his last few appearances. MacKay sets up this mindset, which on a meta-level, feels like the surface-level understanding of Marc’s journey as a character. He immediately then knocks it down and refutes it using Tigra as a deeper perspective on Marc’s turmoil. MacKay informs Shroud (and by extension, reminds the reader) about the circumstances leading up to this current story. Marc’s attempts to conquer the world, attacking the Avengers, and destroying his relationship with Marlene. 

MacKay infuses these critiques into the script as an opportunity to explore just how far Marc moved the bar throughout 30ish issues. For Shroud, he believes he can just put on a costume and emulate Marc to find order in the chaos. For 8-Ball, Moon Knight was the endgame to a long, difficult path that only was achieved through dedication and hard work. That dichotomy makes for a solid foundation of thematic richness that propels this book into its next step as vampires slink from the shadows. Even as the book shifts its focus to Blood Hunt, that clarity of emotion never dissipates. 

Expression and emotion are essential parts of this issue, and Cappuccio does excellent work to infuse it into the visual elements. This could have been a perfect time for 8-Ball to remove his ridiculous helmet, to mirror the Shroud reveal of the previous issue. Instead, Cappuccio and MacKay stick to their guns and the artwork completely sells the roiling emotions through body language alone. The subtle uses of shoulder slumping, movement with the therapy session space, and even the directed hand gestures tell more about 8-Ball’s internal thoughts than many artists can express on faces in other comics. 

To achieve this, Cappuccio frequently plays in the medium and three-quarter panels. Rather than utilizing cinematic wide panels and close-ups, Cappuccio zooms out and lets 8-Ball’s body take up more space within every frame due to a reduced need for expressions or facial tics. Instead, the space can feel fully realized and react to the body language of the former villain. It’s a little series of details that add up and contribute to the tragic but affirming story at the heart of 8-Ball’s journey from Devil’s Reign to now. 

A similar focus on the zoomed-out panels is also present in the Shroud sequences, as the vigilante becomes further unmoored and his dark abilities grow more erratic. Cappuccio gives the darkness a fascinating form of skeletal wings evoking the recent Venom/Knull look. As Shroud becomes more unstable, the wings transition to more complicated, feathery appendices that swallow the panel. Cappuccio illustrates that transition with a low angle that imbues a sense of messy, overwhelming power that comes with those developed visuals. 

Rosenberg’s coloring remains an essential element to those visuals, as the deep purples of Shroud’s shadows give a sickly tone to the magic. As Shroud’s perspective deteriorates throughout the issue, the coloring matches the headspace with a greater shift from glowing purple to deep blacks. In the 8-Ball scenes, the book operates in its typical palette, illuminated by blinding green/blues and splashes of yellows from the room. That creates a moody atmosphere, reinforcing just how conflicted 8-Ball is living in the shadow of Moon Knight. The former villain is trying to live up to the idea of Marc Spector, and thus, the usual hues become a mantle that adorns 8-Ball.