I Would Love to Know How Bendis Came Up With the Name Buck Lime
Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev slow things down this issue to develop Marc Specter's new status quo in Los Angeles for readers, further dealing with Echo and introducing some new supporting cast members.
Much of this issue focuses on the introduction of Buck Lime, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Marc hires on to secretly be his weapons supplier and adviser. There is almost a metatextual moment in this issue where Marc tells his assistant Amy that they do not need a French guy to play the role based on Frenchie in the show. It is interesting that this bit of dialogue is in the same issue as Bendis introducing Buck Lime as Marc's new ally rather than trying to incorporate Frenchie into the usual role.
Dialogue and character dynamics are Bendis' strengths, and he shows it in this issue. Marc's interactions with Echo, Buck and Amy are all well done and entertaining in their own ways. These three characters do a lot to diversify the facets of Moon Knight that we get to see. Echo is part of his superhero life while Amy is the face of his civilian life, leaving Buck somewhere in between possibly as close to the real Marc Specter as anyone will get.
For continuity alarmists, there is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to Bullseye and his death in Shadowland. Nothing about this issue conflicts with that.
Bendis continues to build Snapdragon, an obscure villain with little street cred, as a worthy foe for Moon Knight by positioning her as one of the kingpin of Los Angeles' chief lieutenants. He also brings in the Night Shift, obscure villains from the Avengers West Coast days. Some may criticize Bendis for using such obscure villains, but given that he's world-building in the west coast, he's doing exactly the right thing by using villains we don't see often in an area we don't see often. What would be interesting about exploring crime in Los Angeles and seeing the same faces we always see in crime in New York?
The most interesting thing about Moon Knight is becoming Los Angeles, and moving Moon Knight there may be the best thing that could have happened to the character. To read Moon Knight is not to only read about the title character but to also see a part of the Marvel Universe we don't usually get to see much of, and Bendis is doing some strong work developing it.
