By Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (art), Matthew Wilson (color artist), VC’s Cory Petit (letters)
The Story: Marc Spector brings another ally into his fold in the form of ex-S.H.I.E.L.D .agent Buck Lime. After testing Buck’s loyalty, Spector sets him to work authenticating the head of Ultron. It’s a race against time, though, since the new, mysterious Kingpin of LA has already arranged a team to get it back.
What’s Good: Alex Maleev’s artwork can be controversial, and his work on this series has proven to be particularly so. My opinion hasn’t changed since the first issue though: I like it, and think it’s particularly well suited to this book. The sketchy, gritty style gives the book a noir-ish feel that works well in the setting and fits the dark, off-balance nature of the protagonist.
Although I’m not a fan of the complete and utter lack of Moon Knight in this issue, I do think it was necessary to take a step back and focus on the man behind the mask. Throwing readers into the deep end of Moon Knight’s delusions for the first two issues was fun, but probably not the best way to sell him. Better to take things a little bit more slowly and introduce the insanity in smaller increments, and leave the reader wondering if Spector is brilliant or insane. (Of course we already know the answer to that, but a little more ambiguity in the beginning would have been nice.)
What’s Not So Good: This issue does highlight Spector’s Bruce Wayne-ish rich man/playboy cover story that I’ve never really bought into. For whatever reason I have no trouble accepting it from Batman/Bruce Wayne, but it just rings false every time I watch Spector start discussing his latest movie project. Maybe its his background as a mercenary, or the schizophrenic state of mind he;s always supposed to be battling, but I can’t help shaking my head at the sudden character shift. The high profile nature of his secret identity just doesn’t seem to fit.
Conclusion: If you liked the first two issues, you won’t be disappointed by this one in spite of the lack of actual Moon Knight action. If you were one of those shaking your head in dismay, though, this issue will not be changing your mind.
Grade: C+
-SoldierHawk
Grade
Conclusion