The moment Moon Knight fans have been dreading, the end of (yet another) series. Will this be a happy ending or not?
The Good
"All good things must come to an end." When it was announced that MOON KNIGHT was ending, it wasn't a huge surprise. Moon Knight has gone through several volumes but always comes back. Bendis mentioned that his story was coming to an end as planned but a small part of me started wondering if this wasn't just the end of the series but also the end for the character.
With Moon Knight making the move to L.A. and his mind becoming more fractured and fragile, he definitely got in over his head. Count Nefaria may not be the ideal supervillain to be featured in a comic but I can appreciated the enormity of the threat he poses. We're seeing how all the pieces fall together and what the outcome may mean for Moon Knight and the entire Marvel Universe.
Maleev delivers on the action scenes. If this is going to be the final issue, we deserve to see some spectacular action shots. Moon Knight versus Nefaria may not end quite the way you'd expect.
The Bad
I know 'hate' is a strong word but I do hate that this series is over. Should it have continued without Bendis and Maleev? Both have brought a certain level of consistency and creativity to the title. Bringing in a new creative team always comes with the risk of the book going in a bad direction.
Part of me wonders if everything here was as Bendis intended his story to end. Did he change or tweak anything knowing the series was coming to an end. We're seeing some characters die. Would that still have happened if the book was going to continue?
The resolution to the story and what it means was good but it seems Moon Knight should have brought in some help earlier. It did make perfect sense for Moon Knight to want to do things on his own but the entire Ultron/Nefaria story felt as if it went on a little too long.
The Verdict
I'll never understand why Moon Knight can't maintain an ongoing series. For long time readers, we've seen this moment numerous times. Moon Knight has had series end. He's even died before and returned. If anything, we can count on him returning once again. Bendis and Maleev took the character into a new direction. Moving him to L.A. gave him a new direction and they even made him crazier. Somewhere along the way it seems things went a little south. I never read any official statement on why the series ended, whether it was over sales or otherwise. Bendis did state that twelve issues is the length he intended his story to be. Whatever the case, it's unfortunate that the series has ended and there's one less comic I have to look forward to each month. The entire Utlron head/Count Nefaria storyline felt as if it went on a little too long but we do get some closure. We also get some pretty cool action to give Moon Knight the send off he deserves. I may not have loved every single bit of the series but Bendis and Maleev's issues will hold up as one of the top Moon Knight runs.