1985 - Anatomy of a cover - Alien Legion #9

By Chris Warner and Frank Cirocco

http://www.coollinesartwork.com/featured.asp?Piece=294354&Details=1&From=Room

1985 - Moon Knight - Fist of Khonshu #1

Moon Knight – Fist of Khonshu #1
June 1985
Writer: Alan Zelenetz
Artists: Chris Warner/E.R. Cruz

The first Moon Knight series was cancelled in July 1984 and almost a year later, a new series, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu, hit the stands and was an attempt to rebrand the character. Moon Knight writer Alan Zelenetz stayed on as the new writer, kicking off this new direction.

Marc Spector had retired as Moon Knight and discarded his Steve Grant and Jake Lockley alter-egos. Unfortunately for Spector, the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu still had a need for him. Khonshu’s rival Anubis had himself an avatar and he set in motion a plan to strike at Khonshu. Of course, that introduced conflict between Spector’s lady-friend Marlene and led to their break-up.

Spector, haunted by nightmares and visions of Khonshu and Anubis, made his way back to the Valley of Kings where his journey as Moon Knight began years ago. Despite his initial attempts to refuse his role, the priest of Khonshu convince him that he was their man and Spector is reborn as a new Moon Knight with assortment Egyptian weapons that would make Batman proud. And there were modifications to his new costume giving it a bit more of an Egyptian feel, and new powers allowing him super-human strength when the moon is out.

Moon Knight then took up the battles against the avatar of Anubis and defeats him. The victory restored Spector’s faith in his role as Moon Knight and in Khonshu.

One of my great comic book memories of the late 1970s was reading the Marvel Classics Comics, retelling classic stories like Time Machine, Treasure Island, She, and The Prince and the Pauper. E.R. Cruz was one of the artists that contributed to that series and to see him inking Warner’s art was a nice touch. This issue had a great Indiana Jones pulp feel to it and was a dramatic and refreshing change from Moon Knight’s usual urban city setting.

Unfortunately, the concept wasn’t terribly well executed and the series would be canceled after only 6 issues and several creative shufflings. I think that if Marvel had tried to give Moon Knight more of an international setting with global emergencies and villains, it might have been more successful. But, they simply returned Spector to New York with his new powers and costume, and went back to the status quo, abandoning the high concept of that first issue. Perhaps even something as simple as continuing the rivalry between Khonshu and Anubus, having Anubus choose another avatar and have him plague Spector’s life, might have keep that new concept alive and caught readers’ attention.

1985 - Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu

June - December 1985

Writers: Alan Zelenetz (issues #1-3) and Jim (Priest) Owsley (issue #6)

Artists: Chris Warner and E.R. Cruz (issues #1-3)/Mark Beacham/Geoff Isherwood (issue #6)

Moon Knight’s first series ran 38 issues and was cancelled in July 1984. Almost a year later, a new series was released with the title Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu. Writer Alan Zelenetz wrote the last three issues of the first series and was called upon to kick off the new title and new direction.

Marc Spector tries to leave his other identities behind, retiring his Moon Knight, Steve Grant, and Jake Lockley responsibilities and going so far as to auction off the statue of Khonshu. As you might expect, it doesn’t last long as Khonshu calls Spector back to the Valley of Kings and he is reborn as Moon Knight with new weapons, a new costume, and new powers. He then battles against the avatar of Khonshu’s enemy Anubis and recovers the statue of Khonshu.

The first two issues have this wonderful Indiana Jones pulp feel to them and was a refreshing change from Moon Knight’s usual urban setting. One of the draws to this series was Chris Warner’s art and the inks by E.R. Cruz, the veteran artist who drew Marvel’s Classics, enhanced Warner’s pencils although they tend to overpower them at the same time.

Unfortunately, the creative team suddenly changes after issue #3 with other artists coming to finish Chris Warner’s breakdowns and the art takes a dramatic step backwards. With issue #6, the entire original creative team has been replaced and despite a pretty solid story by Jim (Priest) Owsley and Mark Beacham.

I couldn’t really find any details on what happened behind the scenes in this series and why the new direction was abandoned and why the series was cancelled so quickly. I’ve come across a few article that mention that this series was in fact a 6 issue miniseries, but flipping through the comics themselves, there’s no indication of that.

I did find an interesting tidbit on the letter page of issue #4 by editor Denny O’Neil: “Will there be a Secret Wars (probably meant Secret Wars II) crossover in Moon Knight? Funny you should ask... Yes. More on that next issue...”. But, of course, that item isn’t discussed in the last letter page of the series (in issue #5).

After this series, Moon Knight would join the West Coast Avengers and then go on to star in his third ongoing series in 1989.

One of my favorite Sienkiewicz Moon Knight covers: