Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire

Illustrated by Greg Smallwood and Jordie Bellaire
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Marc Spector wakes in a mental hospital, where he has obviously been thoroughly mistreated, judging by the black eyes and a number of other bruises. His psychiatrist, Dr. Emmet, is dismayed by the lack of progress he's made, especially in that he continues to talk about his other personas. He often slips in and out of his mind to talk to Khonshu, his patron god, who is also disappointed that Marc hasn't seen through the lies and broken out of the hospital yet. Marc starts to recognize some of the other patients - Frenchie, Gena, Marlene, Crawley - as people who have been helpful or important in his life. The facade of the hospital starts to crumble, and Marc begins to see the hospital staff as agents of Ammit, with crocodile heads and very foul tempers. Marc struggles to escape the hospital with his friends and maintain a handle on what he knows to be true, while slipping in and out of his other identities: Steven Grant, the successful Hollywood producer; Jake Lockley, a scrappy cab driver; and Moon Knight, the Fist of Khonshu and protector of travelers at night.

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It's been a while since I have devoured a comicbook in the same way I devour manga. This was thoroughly engaging and kept me on edge with every page turn. The way Lemire slips in and out of different identities is frenetic and definitely a little disorienting, but if readers can suspend disbelief and flow with the frantic pace of the story, they will enjoy every panel of this comic. Marc's other identities were originally written as cover identities so that Marc could continue to fight crime in different levels of society, but in this comic, Lemire masterfully uses these identities and embraces what makes Moon Knight so different from other superheroes. The creative team also employed different illustrators for each of the different identities, and this brilliant move really helped set a different tone without making the story too fragmented. 

There isn't anything particularly violent or sexual about this title, but the jumping around in the storyline and the dissociative identity disorder make this a title that might be a little more challenging or intense for lower grades. This would, however, be a great addition to the library for those looking for something closely resembling the Disney+ show.

Note: the edition I read is a reprint of the collected works of the 2016 run of Moon Knight, originally collected and published in 2018.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: Marvel 
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 9781302933630 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: High School, Comicbooks, Superheroes, Action Adventure, Mental Health, Mythology, Suspense, ​Marvel