Marvel’s Moon Knight has a major score to settle with the Tutor, the unscrupulous leader of the vampire cult taking over New York City. Reese, his assistant, became a vampire thanks to Tutor’s forces. Moon Knight succeeded in finding a powerful ally in Lady Yulan and her vampire faction, but the Tutor’s assassins — Nemean and Grand Mal — decided to send Moon Knight a message by breaking Hunter’s Moon’s neck. But Hunter’s Moon wasn’t just a sidekick — he was a Fist of Khonshu. And Fists of Khonshu don’t die, nor do they go unavenged.
Written by Jed MacKay, drawn by Alessandro Cappuccio, with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, and letters by VC’s Cory Petit, Moon Knight #17 places the action entirely in Moon Knight’s territory. He’s lost allies, friends, and battles to these two assassins. But Moon Knight is the agent of a vengeful Egyptian God, and he knows exactly how and where to inspire fear. Now he has a message of his own to send to Nemean, Grand Mal, and the Tutor.
The last few issues of Jed MacKay’s run of Moon Knight have been something of a slow burn, a gentle simmer slowly rising to a roiling boil. Much emphasis has been placed on Moon Knight regaining confidence in himself and his purpose in the face of loss and insurmountable challenges, starting with reconciling with old friends and later with himself. Moon Knight #17 picks up the pace as a much-needed and very satisfying revenge tale.
After a lot of character development and scheming, Moon Knight is back to being the Fist of Khonshu and an agent of fear. The Midnight Mission sequence plays out like a scene from a horror film, or some strange, twisted ceremony, with Moon Knight’s disembodied voice scolding and taunting the assassins with chilling calmness. It’s especially effective and gratifying since Grand Mal and Nemean, up to this point, have been unafraid and ignorant of Moon Knight and what he represents. They have been steps ahead, arrogant and believing themselves untouchable as they taunt and threaten him. Their murder of Hunter’s Moon is the ultimate transgression, and they pay for their sins dearly.
Moon Knight #17 is especially dark, narratively and visually. Cappuccio and Rosenberg have shown mastery over the art of darkness, with Cappuccio’s judicious use of texture and shadow on each page. Rosenberg uses atmospheric color washes to convey tone and space. More so than any other issue, Moon Knight #17 relies more on shadow for its visuals, with far more black in each scene. In lesser hands, this approach could create a muddied and incoherent mess. Luckily, Cappuccio uses negative space brilliantly to convey intricate, gruesome details like decaying skeletons, shiny cockroaches, shattered runes, rust, and vomit. Given the mystical nature of this issue’s setting, Rosenberg’s color washes are especially atmospheric with brooding, sinister tones. It’s unsettling but beautiful, as only this series can be.
After losing friends, allies, momentum, and innocents, Moon Knight #17 turns the tide in favor of the Fist of Khonshu. The torture and comeuppance for Tutor’s allies have been a long time coming — and with the run’s finale approaching — it hasn’t come a moment too soon. MacKay, Cappuccio, and the rest of the creative team have completed another exciting issue in an energetic and enthralling series.