(EDITOR’S NOTE: Paint Monk’s Library, in collaboration with the enthusiastic staff 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 REYNALDO G. – Guest Writer

It’s always great to see Moon Knight step out of the shadows and team up with other heroes in the Marvel Universe, and this romp with Spider-Man is no exception.

Picking up where Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #22 left us, this installment – “Guess Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb” – has plenty to offer. Not only do we learn more about Moon Knight and his place among the heroes, but we are kept mesmerized by the relationship dramas that are synonymous with Spider-Man comics.

But first, it’s Spider-Man and Moon Knight versus the French villain Cyclone!

Synopsis: Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #23

The Maggia’s assassin, Cyclone, has Spider-man and Moon Knight under his thumb as he tosses them like rag dolls with his hurricane-force powers. As Spider-Man desperately grasps for purchase on a nearby wall, Moon Knight attempts to lunge unnoticed at Cyclone. But the devious villain is too quick, and before Moon Knight can make an impact on his attack, he is hurled blocks away with a mighty gust of wind. With Moon Knight gone, Spider-Man rushes at Cyclone in the hope to incapacitate him. It seems the two have unfinished business. Cyclone is bitter at the Web-Head for sending him to jail last they met – and it’s Cyclone who is adamant that their confrontation won’t end in the same result.

Calling upon more wind and breezes than ever before, Cyclone appears to defeat Spider-Man in a torrent of gusty force, and as the dust clears, Spider-Man is no more. With both heroes defeated, there’s only one loose end to tie up, and much to the other assassins’ dismay (that very same assassin pinned to a nearby payphone by Moon Knight’s crescent dart), Cyclone puts an end to him too.

Not long after Cyclone leaves the scene, Spider-Man pops up again from under a manhole. It seems the wall-crawler managed to hide underground during the colossal winds that Cyclone conjured. Spidey discovers the dead assassin and reproaches himself for not being able to save him. Moon Knight also re-appears. Having swung back after being blown blocks away, Moon Knight calls a truce with Spider-Man and they both agree to team up to take down the Maggia.

In a brief shifting of the scenes, we’re treated to snippets involving the White Tiger and the lament for his love, Holly Gillis; Mary-Jane Watson briefly dating  an uninteresting Marty, and Betty Brant pining for her love Ned. All of these ongoing storylines are briefly covered before we return to the action with Spider-Man and Moon Knight.

Still a bit wary of each other, Moon Knight offers Spider-Man a ride to his secret headquarters (that of Grant Mansion) which is shrouded in man-made fog. Moon Knight quickly greets Marlene before rushing out to escort Spider-Man to his Command Center. It’s a high-tech, elaborate lair which shows Moon Knight has been tracking the Maggia for some time. With a clue taken from the dead assassin and Moon Knight’s scale model of New York City, the duo deduces that the Maggia must be hiding in Grant’s Tomb – a historic monument in New York. After a quick trip to the Mooncopter, the Web-Slinger and White Eyes arrive at the Tomb and peer inside.

Their hunch proves fruitful as they see the Maggia – and Cyclone – inside. They are waiting for Big M – their leader and someone as yet unseen. With a little pre-planning complete, Spider-Man and the Fist of Khonshu crash into the tomb, taking the Maggia by surprise. The fight is on as both Spidey and Moony prove to be a handful for the roomful of cutthroats. Cyclone joins the fray, but in haste to use his wind-generating powers, he causes cause just as much trouble for his own men as for the two heroes.

During the fracas, one of the tombs discreetly opens and in the shadows, Big M lurks. He still remains a mystery, as he quickly decides to avoid the conflict around him and returns to the tomb before being seen.

The Maggia members eventually try to escape the heroes and the strong winds summoned by Cyclone. But he exits to the premises are already locked – Spider-man and Moon Knight had seen to that before they instigated their attack.

With the Maggia beaten, Cyclone is the last man standing and it’s Moon Knight who has the solution. Previously, Moon Knight had consulted with Stark and had been given a weapon to counter Cyclone. Moon Knight hurls a silver capsule at Cyclone’s feet and the liquid gases immediately have an effect. Cyclone is disorientated at the immediate drop in temperature. Rapidly heading into shock, Cyclone stumbles and then becomes victim of his own contraption. He is flung hard against a wall by the whirling winds and with a ‘KRUMP’ he’s knocked out.

Another day, another victory for the heroes.

REVIEW: Bill Mantlo’s script and Jim Mooney’s art set a good pace for the issue and things pick up immediately where things left off after issue #22. Moon Knight and Spider-man put their differences aside, taking on the super-powered villain and for me, there’s always something utterly indulgent in seeing Moon Knight fight villains way above his pay grade.

Granted, he has Spider-Man alongside him, but the willingness to stare danger in the face is one of the defining qualities of Moon Knight. Mooney’s layouts are jam-packed and a marked difference to what some readers are used to today. Mooney’s action panels are claustrophobic, to say the least, and serve well to create a feeling of a close-quarter fight which is very much what is created in the fight with Cyclone. Spider-man and Moon Knight are cornered in an alleyway with intense and dangerous winds generated by the villain. One would feel a little pinned down by the situation and Mooney captures that perfectly.

Moon Knight doesn’t last too long in the fight (well, it is a Spider-man book after all!) and Spider-man is beaten too, which leaves Cyclone free to deal with the Maggia assassin who proves to be a loose thread to Big M. It’s interesting to compare this 1978 issue with comics of today, as Cyclone is portrayed as quite ruthless when he murders the assassin in cold blood. Perhaps it’s the classic style of writing and art which belies the tone of some of the characters, who would be better visualized by a grittier, darker art.

The middle section of the issue is dedicated to no less than four quick-fire dramas involving Spider-Man supporting cast and characters. Hector Ayala (White Tiger), Holly Gillis, Mary Jane Watson, and Betty Brant are all given moments to flesh out their relationship woes. For me, this is part and parcel of Spider-Man and what makes his book largely appealing. Although it has no bearing on Moon Knight, it’s a nice interlude that allows the two protagonists to reconvene at another location for the later part of the issue.

Mantlo pays respect to the short history which has been set up for Moon Knight so it’s good to see that Moon Knight’s estate and secret entrance are kept intact. What is interesting is how Mantlo has Spider-Man deal with this little corner of Moon Knight’s world. Initially having meant to follow Frenchie to meet Moon Knight inside, Spider-Man goes it alone and to Moon Knight’s surprise, Spidey is ready and waiting at their agreed-upon meeting point.

This is important, as it furthers the aspect that Marvel characters do not entirely trust Moon Knight. In fact, early on in the issue, this is called out repeatedly by Spider-Man. Mantlo consolidates this even more by reiterating the fact that Moon Knight does not trust Spider-Man (or other heroes for that matter). Although they eventually end up teaming up at the finale of the issue, it’s an important point. It keeps Moon Knight at a distance and it’s something we see in characters like the Punisher (the first appearance of the Punisher in 1974 predates Moon Knight’s by about a year) where the vigilante gains popularity and prominence. Moon Knight was one of the first introductions of the vigilante and a new breed of the superhero for decades to come.

Another fun aspect fleshed out here by Mantlo is the ‘War Room’ of Moon Knight (which incidentally we don’t ever really see developed, though it does come back in the 2006 Huston run and the Bendis run in 2011). If ever there were similarities made with a certain Bat-themed character from the Distinguished Competition, then Moon Knight’s War Room again seems to be a nod at this. Complete with various computers and terminals, the War Room sports a scale model of New York City, which is fortunate; it prompts Spider-man to connect the dots and make a HUGE guess that the villains are convening at Grant’s Tomb.

Part of the fun of reading these older comics is that the writing is clearly from another era and willingness to suspend disbelief is at a premium. Today’s savvy readers scrutinize plots a whole lot more. Today’s readers might take issue with Spidey finding a tourist guide in the back pocket of the now-deceased assassin whom Cyclone killed; or the heroes finding a circled image of Grant’s Tomb. They’re all a stretch…but they’re fun ones to read.

As the mistrust for each other slowly fades, both Spider-Man and Moon Knight manage to successfully coordinate a team-up at the end of the issue. It’s during the fight that both heroes begin to respect the others’ prowess and this simple tool by Mantlo allows the reader to watch the trust build.

Similar to how they discovered the Maggia’s meeting place, the means to dispose of Cyclone is just as brief and glossed over. A capsule created by Stark Industries creates sub-zero temperatures at ground zero of the cyclone (i.e Cyclone’s feet) and that’s enough the incapacitate him with a flurry of comic science logic. A brief appearance of the mysterious Big M tantalizes the reader to follow the story and once Cyclone is defeated, the issue wraps up quite abruptly.

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s good to see other writers continue to write about the aspects of Moon Knight laid out by Doug Moench. Mantlo has fun with it in this issue while still keeping the comic Spidey-focused.

Moon Knight still sports his original costume (i.e all in white, and most notably the moon glider attached to the wrists) and Mantlo builds on Moon Knight’s supporting cast and headquarters which were seen briefly a couple of years ago in 1976’s Marvel Spotlight #28.

Jim Mooney’s art is a pleasure to see and although the layouts can get crammed on each page, it either serves the purpose or is caused by the number of plots and sub-plots which Mantlo inserts into the book. None of this detracts from the art itself and both Spidey and Moon Knight look amazing in all their classic glory.

The dialogue and script are also very much of the era, but this in no way detracts from any enjoyment. Its the pacing here by Mantlo which ensures that this is a riveting read – typical Spidey relationship dramas, the slow trust built between Moon Knight and Spider-man, and two main action sequences at the beginning and end of the issue make this a thoroughly satisfying read.