(EDITOR’S NOTE: Paint Monk’s Library, in collaboration with the enthusiastic fans over at the Into the Knight Podcast, is tackling the Moon Knight chronology! Each week we’ll take an in-depth look at the Fist Of Khonshu in a series of reviews, all in order of character appearance! These reviews will appear on Monday each week until we’ve covered them all, or until the enthusiastic Loonies get too exhausted to write, whichever comes first!)

By RUSSELL MORAN – Guest Writer

In 1975, writer Doug Moench and artist Don Perlin brought life to a character they intended to be a villainous foil for Werewolf By Night Jack Russell. Little did they know, that villain would blossom into one of the most complex, creative, and downright crazy heroes the Marvel universe had ever birthed. This is the debut of The Fist of Khonshu himself, Moon Knight, although his personality bears little resemblance to the Marc Spector we would grow to love…

REVIEW: Werewolf by Night 32

We begin the issue with our bone-crushing duel already in progress. Jack Russell has once again succumbed to his lycanthropic curse, only this time he’s the victim. Weakened and outmatched, the werewolf is helpless against this mysterious new foe called The Moon Knight. Armed with a plethora of werewolf-slaying gear, including a cestus, a truncheon, and the now-iconic crescent darts, it looks like our monstrous “hero” is at his end.

As our werewolf’s apparent end draws near, we flashback to the previous night’s events. Jack’s best friend Buck is mauled by the werewolf after heroically saving a young girl named Buttons. Buck is rushed to the emergency room in critical condition. Later that morning, Jack regresses back into human form injured and confused and begins searching for his ill-fated friend. Upon returning home, Jack’s stepfather tells his stepson of Buck’s peril. Buck has slipped into a coma, and he may never recover. Jack is distraught with these macabre events and once again returns home. This ends up being a mistake.

The Moon Knight is waiting for Jack. We learn he is a mercenary named Marc Spector, hired by the devious Committee to hunt and kill the werewolf. The Committee has provided the suit and the arsenal to take down the creature of the night. Jack’s stepfather distracts Spector long enough for his son to escape, but not for long.

Jack stumbles into a crowded alleyway and once again is tormented by his dreaded metamorphosis into the Werewolf by Night. But Moon Knight is not far behind, tailing the beast in his mooncopter. The battle begins, but it’s one-sided – a squash match, if you will.

Elsewhere, Frenchie (his first appearance!) kidnaps Jack’s sister and his friend. The battle rages on, with Moon Knight practically begging the beast to stay down. But this is a werewolf we are talking about; apparently they don’t know when to quit. Jack lands a mighty right hook with his broken hand on the lunar assassin, but it just isn’t enough. The werewolf is in captivity and his conqueror is Moon Knight.

CAPSULE REVIEW:  Doug Moench and Don Perlin do a masterful job with this book. The writing is smart, but also very basic in that it’s very easy and enjoyable to read. I enjoy Moench’s almost self-awareness in this story, making a few remarks that border on being breaking the “fourth wall”. He weaves a tale that gets you to care about its characters, keeps you guessing on what’s coming next, and evokes sympathy for the title character. His introduction to Moon Knight is stellar; he’s immediately a force to be reckoned with and that’s complemented by Perlin’s fantastic art.

Don Perlin was one of the best illustrators of his time, and this issue really lets him shine. The Werewolf is scary, but not too scary – he is the “hero” after all. Moon Knight’s early design here is effective, but somewhat lacking, especially in the face. My favorite part of this issue is the wonderful fight choreography Perlin crafts. I’m a big fan of good dialogue and drama, but sometimes, I just wanna see the good guy and the bad guy just have a slugfest. This is something most comics lack, but this issue has in droves. It perfectly balances action and narrative.

The colorist on this issue is Phil Rache and he helps define Moon Knight here for his debut. The issue is very colorful – the werewolf jumps off the page with his bright green pants. The backgrounds are vibrant, and the cast of characters catch the eye. And then there’s Moon Knight, nothing but white and black. It works so well, he stands out most of all by lacking the most color. He shines in every panel he’s in.

I mentioned earlier that this is very different from the Moon Knight we would come to know later. And that’s mostly because a lot of this issue is retconned away in Moon Knight (Vol. 1) #1 (also by Moench). However, staples of Moon Knight’s character are brilliantly defined in this first appearance. We know immediately that Moon Knight’s real name is Marc Spector; Moon Knight has battle experience and worked as a mercenary; he has a pal named Frenchie (although he is literally unrecognizable as the character we know today) and finally, he has a host of gadgets and weaponry and is a force to be reckoned with.

All in all, I really enjoyed this issue. It’s a fun ride, with likable characters and a perfect spotlight on a brand-new rogue for the werewolf to battle. The only things I really felt dragged were some of the extended hospital scenes and a side plot involving Raymond Coker.

I can’t really fault the book for that because it involves characters I’m unfamiliar with but readers at the time were not.  This issue is effective, and the story and art sucked me right in. I knew the werewolf was going to be okay, but for a moment there, I really thought “My goodness, Moon Knight is going to kill poor Jack!” I’d recommend this book for sure. It’s a nice taste of what’s to come

On a scale of 1-5, Moon Knight’s debut appearance in Werewolf By Night #32 earns a 4.