Moon Knight #2

By Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey & Jordie Bellaire

Moon Knight is a character that has had his chance to be a break out character; he’s had several books devoted to him, but never really made mainstream. This time around things could be a little different because Warren Ellis is writing him and he knows how to make everything cool.

Warren Ellis is an extremely intelligent guy and that clearly shows in his writing. Sometimes he can be too wordy, but that is not a problem in this issue as there isn’t much dialogue at all. Ellis crafts a creepy and intense stand alone issue about a sniper seeking revenge on people who have wronged him. Ellis plays Moon Knight perfectly, making him say so much without speaking. Ellis makes things tense as the targets begin to get picked off one by one. A battle ensues with Moon Knight, who has his eyes set on taking out the perpetrator. The battle scene between Moon Knight and the sniper is done well, with an ending that is close to perfect. An excellent job by Ellis as he nails down characterization and writes Moon Knight flawlessly.

This issue was drawn beautifully by Declan Shalvey, but Jordie Bellaire should get a ton of credit as well; her colors were integral to making this book look as sweet as it does. Shalvey draws the first eight pages wonderfully and doesn’t shy away from leaving white space on the page. His panel set up is great as well, letting each of the eight kills work themselves out before they disappear. The battle with Moon Knight is also stunning; how often do you see anyone get hit with a grappling hook? An overall great performance from Shalvey and Bellaire as they bring this book to life.

While only two issues in, this has been one of the best Marvel NOW! titles to hit shelves. Ellis is a writer who will take chances with his storytelling and Declan Shalvey is doing great work with the art. This has all the making to be an excellent series for a long time to come.