scrooge3 's review for:

Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire

4.0

---

In my quest to brush up on Moon Knight lore before the start of the upcoming TV series, I picked up this volume because it looked like it fit pretty well with the plot points in the TV previews. Whether that will be true is up in the air at this point. Whatever the case, this is a remarkable achievement, recasting Moon Knight's origin once again, and doing it with flair and compassion. This story gives Moon Knight a background filled with mental illness, something that could easily have been trivialized or ridiculed, but instead is treated with respect and empathy. How Moon Knight's mental illness is shown demonstrates how great art can enhance a story. The layouts and various styles convey a sense of disorientation while simultaneously keeping Moon Knight's various personalities separated. The use of white space is particularly effective, often blending Moon Knight's white suit into the fabric of the story. Sometimes this slows down the story; conventional layouts probably could have condensed the story substantially, but letting the story breathe serves it well. My biggest nitpick is that much of Moon Knight's backstory, especially his relationships with others, is not well explained, so that readers unfamiliar with classic Moon Knight continuity might be a little confused at first. Nevertheless, if the TV series is anything like this book, viewers are in for an exciting ride.