Moon Knight and Echo have had their hands full fighting the powerful Avengers villain, Count Nefaria. Moon Knight just might be in over his head as the battle heats up to an explosive plateau.
The Good
Thank goodness Moon Knight managed to get Buck Lime to help him prepare for his battle against Count Nefaria. Moon Knight has been showing some major signs of split personality disorder and some would even say he's crazy if he thinks he can actually defeat a villain capable of taking on the entire Avengers.
Seeing flashbacks to Moon Knight's preparation and ways to accommodate the voices he hears adds an interesting twist. Seeing how each personality tries to claim dominance in giving him advice makes his fighting style interesting and unpredictable. The pairing of Moon Knight with Echo was an odd choice but the more you see them together, the more you want to see more. Where could this relationship go to? If this is something you're wondering, Bendis gives a pretty good indication in this issue.
The fight with Moon Knight, Echo and Count Nefaria is intense. Maleev's art adds intensity and a certain kind of mood to the battle. We don't often see Moon Knight get into this level of fighting and it's great to see the action flying and explosions all around. Maleev also gives us a really sweet cover.
The Bad
I'm just not used to Moon Knight being at this level of crazy. It makes the series unpredictable in a good way. Because I've always been a big Moon Knight fan, it's sometimes a little hard to see him so crazy.
I understand that Los Angeles can get a little deserted at night but the fight scenes, while very intense, had a very sparse feeling to them. There aren't any bystanders. There's explosions all around but you don't see anyone, not even in the car that hits Count Nefaria.
The Verdict
Bendis is cranking up the crazy level with Moon Knight and it's just in time as he faces off against the insanely powerful Count Nefaria. The entire series has been building up to this battle as now the cover to the first issue perfectly makes sense. Moon Knight's relationship with Echo continues to thrive and where the two will go after this is strongly alluded to. Moon Knight is a fighting machine and Maleev's art sets the tone and vibe for the battle. There is the feeling of isolation during the fight as you don't see any bystanders around. Despite this, the action heats up and the unexpected ending could change the direction of the series in a big way. I may have minor issues with the super-crazy Moon Knight but Bendis and Maleev know how to deliver a whopping issue.