PREVIEW: Moon Knight #1 by Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey

Moon Knight has been a character that has never been a hit. Even though he has a passionate fanbase, Moon Knight has never been a chart-topper but instead has been in the realms cult status. This could all change this week as Marvel puts Moon Knight into the spotlight with a new series, featuring a superstar creative team in Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and Declan Shalvey (Deadpool). The series will see Moon Knight stripped back to his core, having him investigating “weird crimes” in the darkest corners of New York City.

Moon Knight (2014) #1 cover by Declan Shalvey. All-New Marvel NOW! Warren Ellis. — Moon Knight (2014) #1 cover by Declan Shalvey.

As Moon Knight has never been a big name it is easy to assume there are plenty of people who are not familiar with him. The best way to describe him would be is: Moon Knight (aka Marc Spector) is a vigilante that suffers from multiple personality disorder. Although he is primarily a street-level hero and has some powers, including heightened strength and agility, which are affected depending on the lunar cycle. These abilities were given to him by an Egyptian God, although certain details regarding it have become a little convoluted over the years.

Many have compared him to Batman, which is a fair comparison when you factor is his wealth, but I would argue that he is different in many ways due to multiple personalities and his general insanity. While you could argue that Batman is crazy, he is not crazy enough to fight crime in complete white for everyone to see.

Warren Ellis has stated that he plans on making the character less convoluted by “scraping back the accumulated barnacles… in order to show what excited people about it in the first place.” In an interview with CBR he mentioned that most of the elements that the fans enjoyed will be kept but in a form that less complex and more digestible for those who are not familiar with the series. Much of the early issues will be about re-establishing/introducing the character to readers which will set his status quo for future issues.

The new Moon Knight series will see Marc Spector, and his three multiple personalities, investigating “weird crimes” in some of the most rotten parts of NYC. Clearly, it will take a madman in order to solve these crimes.

By recruiting a creative team like Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey you can tell that Marvel is serious about making Moon Knight work. Warren Ellis is one of the most acclaimed writers of the past twenty years, who is not one to follow industry trends. This has allowed him to create comics that have been critically acclaimed and has helped him build a very dedicated audience. Declan Shalvey is an artist who, with each project, is getting bigger and bigger. Looking at the preview pages below, his art is great and works great within the context of the narrative and helps set the tone perfectly.

Moon Knight #1 is available from March 5th in all good comic book stores and digitally.

Take a look at the covers by Adi Granov, Katie Cook, Skottie Young and Bill Sienkiewicz as well a five-page preview below.