Moon Knight by Stuart Sayger

Moon Knight and Marlene by Bill Sienkiewicz

Moon Knight by P Craig Russell

1984 - Anatomy of a Cover - Moon Knight #38

1987: The Whackos' Cross Time Craziness part III: Khonshu Forget About Me?

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

When we last left the West Coast Avengers, they were actually in the Far East... Ancient Egypt, to be precise in a desperate attempt to get Rama Tut to repair their damaged time platform. Instead, the heroes were shot by the evil pharaoh the minute they arrived. And even worse: back in the present, no one even had the slightest clue something was wrong.

Your name is Dominus, you're an alien with a purple turnip for a hat who is ready to take over the world. You're all set to launch your masterplan and have already successfully rid yourself of the West Coast Avengers by sending them into the past with no obvious way of ever coming back.

Yet, you remain uncomfortable sitting in your hollowed out butte in the Arizona desert...

"Is there any loose end? Anything I've overlooked? That I need to rectify?"

The answer to that sort of speaks for itself. But for now, let's get back to the stars of the book... the Avengers West, sent down time's stream without a paddle on a defective time platform. They're stuck around 2900 before Christ but they're by no means alone...

"Ancient Egypt rocks with Doctor Strange and the Fantastic Four!"

Who knew Rama Tut's reign would prove to be one of the most popular hot spots for 20th century superheroes? But as always, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves. The West Coast Avengers might be stuck in 2900 B.C,. but the Lost In Space-Time arc revolved around a lot of players in multiple time periods. So, time for ye olde, obligatory "Previously, on West Coast Avengers..."

"Time has split in five!"

The recap page really is helpful to keep track of the myriad threads writer Steve Englehart was trying to pull together. Not only were the Avengers stuck in ancient Egypt, the mind controlled Mockingbird was still madly in love with the Phantom Rider in 1876. And while Hank Pym and Bonita Juarez were busy welding something in 1987, her family bible was making its way into her hands through the ages. 

Starting with the Avengers: after Rama-Tut shot them with his futuristic weaponry, they were forced to lie in the sands and hear him monologize. Though paralyzed, they were still thinking up a storm, which meant it was time for some classic Englehart exposition....

"My power's gone! Can't move a muscle! It's like... when I was dead! But there's no panic any more!                         I've made it, all the way back from the darkness! Even now I'm a star!" 

...Riiight, Wonder Man. With an ego like that, comparing yourself to a giant, exploding ball of gas is only fitting. Still, as clunky as Steve's scripting is, it does tell you everything you need to know about the team, plus a little something about their personalities and individual plights. Thought balloons are a thing of the past in today's comics. And while their absence does add realism, having them can sometimes be beneficial to both the story and any new readers out there eager to play catch up. As former Marvel editor in chief Jim Shooter was fond of saying: every comic is someone's first.

In Englehart's defense: the reason his scripts tend to be so exposition heavy might be related to a policy initiated by Shooter during his reign. To make the comics as accessible as possible, writers were "(t)asked" to include all the characters names, codenames and powers. Such an edict spells certain death for organic scripting, because no one outside an Alzheimer's ward repeats facts about themselves everyone already knows. Check out some of John Byrne's early Fantastic Four issues for some prime examples. They littered with mentions like "Sue, darling", "my brother Johnny" or Ben Grimm explaining for the umpteenth time Alicia Masters is blind, his girlfriend and a sculptress...

Content with having defeated his enemies, Rama Tut ordered his underlings to drag the Avengers away. They decided to take them to the temple of Khonshu, Egyptian god of the moon. After Rama Tut took over the country ten years ago, he abolished all other religions though a small sect of priests remained loyal to their gods. They took care of the Avengers, but the already ailing Hawkeye pretty much died there, lying in the deity's temple. 

Clint's demise didn't go unnoticed. Not even back in 1876...

"All of a sudden I felt a chill... As if everything I loved in the world has died".

Somehow, the death of her husband nearly 3000 years ago gave the addled Mockingbird a sudden jolt. She took Phantom Rider's horse and took off, desperate to clear her mind. This scene was witnessed by Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid who were still on the Phantom Rider's trail after he'd kidnapped Bobbi. Two-Gun decided the best way to shock her back to her senses was by confronting her dressed as Hawkeye. Quickly crafting a makeshift version of the archer's costume, he approached her and, following a brief altercation, her memory was restored.

"The Spook-Man hit me, and he gave me some drug and made me love him!
I'll KILL him!!"

A seething Mockingbird joined the two gunslingers and prepared to get her pound of flesh. But her revenge will have to wait for the next entry. Let's visit the Avengers in Egypt again where we find out Hawkeye might not be quite so dead after all. He was saved by Khonshu, a god with a fondness for reviving down on their luck heroic types, just ask Marc Spector. Hawkeye had a heart-to-heart with him and surprised the Egyptian god with his moxie: Clint actually wanted him to send the Avengers home. 

Unfortunately, the answer was no-Konshu.

"Send a subtle message to friends of ours in the future..."
"DONE!"

Hawkeye was returned to life, his health fully restored and ready to lead once more. The Avengers decided that if Rama Tut wouldn't help them, they'd simply raid his pyramid which was filled with all the futuristic technology needed to fix the time platform themselves. Hawkeye didn't give Khonshu's promise too much thought, but the god of the Moon kept his word.

"1987, New York City..."

Khonshu's modern era avatar Moon Knight received his god's message and made preparations to travel to California to warn the Avengers. Just why Marc Spector didn't simply contact the East Coast Avengers, he was in New York after all, is a mystery for the ages. It would have prevented a lot of confusion by the time he got to the West Coast Avengers' Palos Verdes compound. But more on that later... The Avengers had just gained access to the pharaoh's main pyramid using a secret underground passageway the priests of Khonshu pointed out. Once inside, they quickly realized they weren't the only superheroes who happened to be visiting Rama Tut's Egypt.

"Hey Whackos, it's the FF! They must have gotten my message from Bonita!"

Not exactly, this is actually yesteryear's FF, from a time not too long after the team's founding. They had used Doctor Doom's time platform to travel to Egypt in order to look for a cure to Alicia Masters' blindness. They were prisoners of Rama Tut before too long, with the pharaoh deciding to turn the male members into his slaves while planning to marry the Invisible Girl. But, the WCA ran into yet another old, familiar face they'd encountered once before during their current time travel crisis.

"It's Doctor Strange! If we rescue him, he can get us home with a coupla spells or somethin'...                                                                        Avengers assemble!"

Yeah, Doctor Strange also happened to be in Egypt in an ongoing time travel tale written by Roger Stern back in 1982. The Doctor was moving through time to chase a soul shard belonging to his ladyfriend Morgana Blessing. The shard kept manifesting in Morgana's past incarnations, and by the time Strange reached ancient Egypt "Morgana"was a mere handmaiden in service to the pharaoh. But before he could locate her, Strange was attacked and kidnapped by Rama Tut's robots and brought to the main pyramid.

In a rather clever bit of retroactive storytelling, the WCA attempted to rescue Strange only to barely miss the mage no less than two times.

             
                           "I must locate Morgana Blessing's past life and turn back her soul-shard!"

It wasn't all for nothing, Wonder Man got a much needed attitude adjustment when he failed to open the coffin Rama Tut's robots had put Strange in. Focussing their efforts on getting to Rama Tut and forcing the pharaoh to help them, they were stunned to find out the FF (thanks to some unseen help from Dr. Strange), had all but brought down the mad man's reign. Rama Tut decided to flee back to the future he came from while the Whackos could do nothing but watch.

"He can't escape! He's our main chance to get home!"

But escape he did... And while Tigra was right when she said both the FF and Strange were still left as viable options to return to their own time, the fickle finger of faith was giving them the middle one on both options. Not too surprisingly, after all having the West Coast Avengers interact with either the Fantastic Four or the sorceror supreme would have upset established continuity. That's why, to no one's surprise but the Whackos, this happened...

"They're already using their time machine!"

And with that, the West Coast Avengers watched their final chance of getting home the easy way slip through their fingers. Understandably frustrated and desperate, all they had to rely on now was the message to Bonita Juarez written by Hawkeye back in 1776, a message that Carlotta Valdez promised to keep safe inside her family bible. But, as the recap page of West Coast Avengers I#21 showed, Valdez died later that year. The padre she served with took her bible back to Mexico with him where he used it every single day of his life. After his death, the good book became the principle bible of a mission post in Ciudad, Corazon.

In 1847, a young girl called Isabel Ramirez was visiting the mission her family helped found. Ignoring the pious priest who ordered her not to touch the good book, deeming it too holy for peasant hands, she picked it up and almost immediately discovered a by now familiar message...

"A note... in English?"

Isabel was then hit with a sudden (perhaps Konshu khaused) flash of divine inspiration. She felt it was important for her to have the bible and proceeded to steal it. To make sure the theft couldn't be traced back to her, Isabel hid the bible inside an old tree near a remote cliff. There, the book remained undisturbed for seven decades until the now elderly Isabel returned to the site with her own grand daughter Chita and her young friend Benito Juarez.

While Isabel showed Chita the bible and its hidden message for the future, the clumsy Benito almost fell off the cliff. Isabel managed to save the boy, but the effort caused her to have a fatal heart attack. Though disturbed by her nana's passing, the future missus Chita Juarez made a vow.

"Oh Benito... She'll be my inspiration for the rest of my life!
And there won't be one day when I don't read her Holy Bible!"

Way to drive that particular storypoint home, little girl... And yes, that is the way all preteens spoke around 1915, especially with their grandmother's corpse developing rigor mortis next to them... Another example of Englehart's extremely au naturel scripting. But, that explains how the bible came into possession of the Juarez family, passing on from Chita to her child and finally to Bonita Juarez in the present day.

Bonita who, as La Espirita, had prevented Avengers founding member Hank Pym from committing suicide. So convinced every human life had value, she personally guided Hank's to give his life new meaning, which eventually led him to realize he didn't need to hide behind a codename or a costume to be an adventurer. Simply being himself was all it took...

                  "From this day forward, as an adventurer or an everyday guy, I am... Doctor Pym!"

Truth be told, it's an interesting take on the basic concept of the Hank Pym character. More than any other Avenger, he was always defined by the emotional problems of the man behind the mask, never comfortable with whatever costumed identity he adopted.

As Ant-Man he felt inferior compared to the other, more formidable Avengers. When he was the far more formidable Giant-Man, he still found himself unable to effectively contribute to the team and as Goliath he developed the size-increase related illnesses that forced him to quit growing to giant size altogether. While in his Yellowjacket persona, he suffered a number of mental breakdowns, which would explain his reluctance to return to that particular alter ego... It'd be for the best if he was just himself: Doctor Pym, master of robotics and the size-altering Pym particle, which he used to carry around a vast array of miniaturized weapons, tools and other gadgets he could call up at a moment's notice.

All in all, not a bad power set to have. Add to that the fact he'd fallen for Bonita during their shared journey of self discovery and Hank was ready to take on the world. His first challenger turned out to be Moon Knight, who had infiltrated the West Coast Avengers Compound to deliver Khonshu's message. But, as always, an obligatory fight scene was required...

"I'm not a failed hero any longer.... I'm Dr. Pym... the scientific adventurer!"

That's all well and good, Hank... but just how much of a hero, let alone a rational, empirical scientist, are you when you ignore your perceived opponents' pleas he isn't looking for a fight? Moon Knight just wanted to talk and you attacked him anyway. That doesn't make you either a hero or an adventurer and least of all a scientist acting solely on verifiable facts. No, it makes you a bully, plain and simple.

Luckily, despite the fact he was dressed remarkably similar to Sylvester McCoy, the seventh Doctor Who, he was still no match for the fist of Khonshu.

                                                                  "Then study this now!"

At last, the message gets delivered... Though it is somewhat telling that a supposedly devout Christian like Bonita never even noticed a piece of ink stained petticoat stuck inside her family bible... A piece of cloth with her name on it, something all her ancestors all felt was an important message intended for the future? Still, let's ignore this semi-obvious loophole and see if the Fantastic Four can help save the West Coast Avengers. Hank and Bonita call the Richardses at Four Freedoms Plaza only to find out Dominus had thought of everything after all...

"A man calling himself Dominus and a group of mutated desert creatures just broke into our headquarters. Their object, apparently, was to destroy our time machine... And they did!"

How's that for a call back? Dominus finally figured out that he wasn't the only one in possession of Doctor Doom's time travel technology. Aided by his mutated desert creatures, he invaded the headquarters of the Fantastic Four behind the scenes and disabled the heroes' final option to return from yesteryear.

Next time, we'll cover the way the heroes got home (as if it was ever in any doubt), plus the final fate of the Phantom Rider in an entry we just had to call Mockin' Bird (will let ya fall of a) Hill)*

*(with sincerest apologies to Patti Page) 

Moon Knight by Bob McLeod

1980 - Anatomy of a Cover - Moon Knight #3

http://www.romitaman.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=8219&ArtistId=849

1981 - Uncanny creative differences

I left, as I have stated many, many, MANY times, because I finally hit the end of my rope when it came to Chris and me (and sometimes Chris on his own, and sometimes me on my own) plotting out very specific scenes for very specific purposes in advancing the story, then seeing the finished issue and finding Chris had scripted the scene as something else entirely.

Shooter, at one point, had offered me script approval -- I would be sent a copy of Chris' script to "edit" before it went to the letterer -- but that sounded like too much extra work, especially since I would be expected to do it gratis. So, since I was already set to write the FF, with Bill continuing to pencil, when Bill decided to go with Doug over to MOON KNIGHT, I decided to pencil FF, too.

There was never so much as a single instance of me wanting to do something, Chris wanting to do something else, and Weezie choosing Chris' idea over mine.

 http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35290&TPN=16

From "Comics Creators On X-Men" (Titan Books - 2006):

Why did you leave X-Men at that point?

John Byrne: I know exactly why. Chris and I were getting further and further apart on who the characters were, and what the characters were about. When Roger Stern was our editor, he worked closely with Chris, to make sure the stories came out as close to what Chris and I plotted as possible. Jim Salicrup, who replaced Roger, sort of leaned in my camp. Then Louise Simonson came in as the editor and she came from the school of thought that says the writer is the important guy. All of a sudden, I had no power. I started to develop what I call my 'Argh' moment -- which is, 'How deep can I delve into this issue before I hit something that makes me go, "Argh!"?' There was one particular issue [X-Men #140] where Colossus is pulling a tree trunk out of the ground with a chain on the splash page, and I went, 'Argh!' right on the splash page because of the way Chris wrote it. I said, 'Okay, this is obviously telling me it's time to go.' There was also a little piece off to one side where Chris and I had argued a great deal about who the characters were and how the characters act, and what they say and what they do and I realised that the Chris version of the characters was what was seeing print. They way Chris wrote it was what was seeing print, regardless of what I thought it was in my head while I was drawing the pages. So if I didn't like what Chris was doing, that meant I didn't like the characters. So when I hit that 'Argh' moment, I basically picked up the phone and called Louise and said, 'I can't do this any more.' I was originally going to stay on for another couple of issues, but ultimately I didn't. The characters deserved better than for me to turn in what was going to be a whole lost less than my best work. So I just left.

From Byrne Robotics in 2010:

>>The way you've described it, JB, you really didn't get tired of the X-Men, just aspects of the collaboration.
Byrne: Yes and no. I certainly grew tired of plotting one thing, and then having Chris script it as something else. That rather goes against the notion of a "collaboration".

But I did get tired of THOSE X-Men. As I've noted elsewhere, I strongly disagreed with Chris' characterizations, and, eventually, I realized that since those were what was seeing print, those were who the characters "really" were. So if I didn't like what Chris was writing, I didn't like the characters!

Eighties August 8 part II: Best Titles Of The 1980s

By Jef Willemsen (clarmindcontrol.blogspot.com)

In the second part of Eighties August 8, we'll be counting down the eight best titles of the 1980s. Now, we can all agree that books like Simonson's Thor, Miller's Daredevil, Byrne's Fantastic Four and of course Claremont's Uncanny X-Men belong on that list by default. But that would make this entry far too predictable. Instead, let's focus on some of the lesser known gems of the decade.*


8) - Power Man & Iron Fist 

Not too many characters considered typical 70s creations were able to survive and thrive in the 80s... But somehow, Luke Cage and Daniel Rand beat the odds. One a relic of the blackploitation rage of the mid 1970s, the other Marvel's response to the Kung Fu craze of the same time period. Odds of them being able to support a monthly book after disco went out of style were unlikely. In fact, Marvel actually did cancel their solo titles, but decided to give the two another chance, bringing them together as Power Man & Iron Fist.

Somehow, an instant, almost effortless chemistry occured between the tough, street smart Power Man and the slightly naive, spiritual Iron Fist. Their adventures ran the gamut, ranging from mystical menaces like Master Khan to super powered mercenaries such as Constrictor and Sabretooth. The book effortlessly switched between complicated detective style stories in which barely a punch was thrown and broad, silly romps featuring characters like the unapologetically unbelievable Black Mariah.

Add to that a rich, varied supporting cast including the likes of Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, and you were sitting pretty, storywise... Which is exactly what Power Man & Iron Fist did until September 1986's issue 125, the final issue of the series that ended with Iron Fist's death (don't worry, he got over it).

7) - Damage Control

So, what happens after your favorite heroes have defeated a villain, trashing half of New York in the process?

The late great Dwayne McDuffie and artist Ernie Colón finally answered that question with Damage Control, a 1989 four issue limited series about Ms. Hoag and her employees who specialized in clean up and reconstruction after super powered conflicts. Now, if you think corporate machinations, tons of paper work and construction crew banter sounds boring, think again... I'll bet the Punisher doesn't show up in your reception area, loaded for bear. And oh boy, was it fun.

But even though Damage Control was first and foremost a comedy, McDuffie did use it to add a whole new dimension to the Marvel Universe . Despite all the infectious silliness and the giddy oneliners, the book showed for the first time the very real, human impact of superhero conflicts. The Avengers, Fantastic Four and all the other New York based heroes may go home after a fight, but they don't exist in a vacuum. Their actions have consequences and Damage Control was on hand to help out (even if they did drop Avengers Mansion back in the drink after they tried to salvage it following Acts Of Vengeance).

6) - New Defenders

Like Power Man and Iron Fist, the original Defenders hail from the 1970s and were reinvented, albeit it far too briefly, for the new decade. By its very nature, membership of the Defenders was mostly fluid, the only constants being Doctor Strange who often acting as the team's leader, and Valkyrie who stayed at Strange's home which incidentally also served as the unofficial team's inofficial gathering place. By November 1983, writer J.M DeMatteis decided to shake things up. Defenders changed to New Defenders with issue 125.

Beast (Hank McCoy) had decided what the team needed was more structure and organization. Long serving members Gargoyle, Valkyrie and her unwilling ward Moondragon were game, joined by Beast's former X-Men teammates Iceman and Angel (who bankrolled the operation). And so, the Defenders 2.0 were born.

My love and affection for this colorful rag tag band of heroes is no secret, the formation and adventures of the New Defenders were covered on this blog some time ago. When DeMatteis left (ironically after realizing writing a 'real' team stymied his creativity), Peter B. Gillis took over and told some truly dark, creepy stories that took the former non team to places few mainstream books dared venture at the time. Don Perlin and Kim DeMulder provided solid and appropriately moody art for the book, but in the end it was cancelled so Angel, Beast and Iceman could appear in the new X-Factor series. Wotta sassafrassin' shame, really.

5) - Squadron Supreme

Don't call them the Justice League...

... Though, really, they are. Originally dreamed up by Roy Thomas in 1971 during his Avengers run in order to poke some gentle fun at DC's premiere superteam, these alternate reality heroes spent the next decade and a half popping up occasionally to cause random mischief until Mark Gruenwald took them under his wing. Starting in September of 1985, the 12 issue Squadron Supreme limited stories told the story of what would happen if Earth's mightiest decided to become benevolent dictators, taking over control of the world for a year in an attempt to fix its many woes.

Because of the very nature of the Squadron Supreme (i.e. not being household names), Mark Gruenwald was pretty much allowed free reign. He could let the Squadronners do and experience things very few if any mainstream superheroes had by then. When Lady Lark broke up with Golden Archer, the furious, spurned hero brainwashed his ex girlfriend, forcing her to love him unconditionally. The radioactive Squadron member Nuke accidentally caused the cancer that killed his parents. And, perhaps most tragic of all, the team's inventive genius Tom Thumb succumbed to cancer as well, but not before his desperation caused him to betray his personal code of honor by trying to steal a cure that in the end proved ineffective.

The series was a prime example of Gruenwald at his best: telling ground breaking stories that were always rooted in the inevitability of the human condition.Well before Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns revolutionalized and matured the genre, Squadron Supreme led the way.

4) - Sensational She-Hulk

"What if... She-Hulk knew she was in a comic book?"

John Byrne took a concept that might as well have been a throwaway, semi-funny What If? one pager and turned it into Sensational She-Hulk, Shulkie's second 80s solo title. The main gimmick was the fact Jennifer Walter was well aware she was a comic book character and she was absolutely fine with it. Byrne initially only wrote the first eight issues of the book, before he was unceremoniously discarded.

He'd eventually return in the 1990s, taking over with #31 and delivering some nice work until he quit again with #50. But his arguably best, most original work can be found in those first 8 issues, with She-Hulk gleefully indulging in breaking the fourth wall and what it meant to be in a comic. Not sure about the best way to defeat Stilt Man, she checked the villain's Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe entry. Threatened by a seemingly inescapable menace, she simply tore her way through the pages, crossing a mock double spread advertisment to get to safety.

All in all, it's goofy, silly fun that still holds up.

3) - Spider-Woman

Much like the She-Hulk, Marvel ordered the creation of Jessica Drew in 1977 simply to make sure other companies couldn't copyright the female counterpart of a popular character. Spider-Woman was launched in March of 1978, after her initial appearance in Marvel Spotlight I#32 sold surprisingly well. One little problem, though... No one really knew what to do with her.

Oh, sure... There were plenty of theories and most of them were either implemented or strongly hinted at. Writer Marv Wolfman gave Drew an origin that implied she wasn't a woman at all, but an actual arachnid given human form by the High Evolutionary. Eventually, it was revealed HYDRA had planted these false memories within Jessica, but that didn't help matters much. Drew was mostly rudderless, between writers Wolfman, Gruenwald (him again?) and Michael Fleisher who turned her into a bounty hunter. It wasn't until Chris Claremont took over the book with January 1981's issue #34 that the book finally found its bearings.

Claremont and his creative compatriot Steve Leiloha salvaged Spider-Woman, distilling the essence of the character as a fringe superheroine and taking it to the next level. Over the course of 13 issues, Jessica Drew quit the bounty hunting business, moved to San Francisco with her best friend Lindsay McCabe, started a new career as a private investigator and made the city by the bay her own. The change came with a completely new, distinctive supportive cast: Drew's landlord and love interest David Ishima, the tough as nails but secretive police lieutenant Sabrina Morrel and many more... Including old enemies like Morgana Le Fay, the elder god Ch'ton and Viper, who may or may not have been Jessica's mother Meriem.

Spider-Woman under Claremont and Leialoha had its very own, distinct look and feel which in itself is an achievement for a bi-monthly book. That alone makes it well worth remembering and checking out.

2) - Moon Knight

Ever since he made his debut back in 1975, Moon Knight has been unfavorably called "Marvel's Batman".

A rather unfair comparison... Sure, they're both caped crusaders who prefer to stalk criminals at night, travel by helicopter and wear their insignia on their chest that are like an ever so handy bullseye. But the comparison really stops there, as Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz proved with their run on Moon Knight.

In many ways, the book was far ahead of its time. Placed against the backdrop of a gritty, grimey pre-Giulliani urban renewal New York, Moon Knight told urban parabels and presented highly stylized pieces of comic book art that dangerously walked the highwire between the sublime and the ridiculous. Take for instance the striking cover of Moon Knight I#24, which features Moon Knight and Stained Glass Scarlet. She looks imposing and important, but is actually a former nun who killed her criminal son by becoming a crossbow wielding vigilante. As one does.

Suspension of disbelief is essential for the enjoyment of comics, and Moon Knight is a prime example of that philosophy. Moench's stories were tremendously aided by Sienkiewicz's atmospheric art. Over the course of their run, Bill's prefered technique matured: slowly abandoning the Neal Adams style he had been emulating in the beginning to start experimenting with a far more abstract, expressionistic style. The fluent, ever changing mood and personality of the schizophrenic Moon Knight allowed Sienkiewicz to take a variety of truly fascinating approaches portraying what could otherwise have been fairly pedestrian crime stories. For proof of that statement, go check out "Hit It!", the first story in Moon Knight I#26.

Pure poetry in motion...

1) - Doctor Strange

The Doctor is in!

Strange to think he ever was out, if one reads Roger Stern's lengthy stint on the sorceror surpreme's second and bi montly solo book, aptly called Doctor Strange. Stern chronicled the adventures of the Doc for a fair chunk of the early 1980s, pitting him against a variety of foes both mystic and more down to earth. However, the quintessential 80s Strange didn't appear until Stern was joined by artist Paul Smith, who had been garnering quite a bit of attention at the time because of his work on Uncanny X-men.

For some borderline mystical reason, Smith's crispy, clear lined art proved to be a perfect match for the often arcane otherworldly messes Doctor Strange got himself involved with. The result was a comic that not only looked incredible, it also told particularly fascinating tales, often within the space of a single issue. Both webmaster Jason Shayer and yours truly happen to be unabashed fans of the Stern/Smith Strange, as we covered in times past (like say here & here).

What it boils down to, is the very root of the Marvel Universe. The one, defining aspect that sets it apart from its erm, shall we say, Distinguished Competitors: the only reason why the fantastical is so engrossing, is the fact that it is tempered with an undeniable sense of identifiable humanity.

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*Naturally, these picks are solely based on my own, anything but unbiased preferences. Think I'm wrong or an absolute idjit for leaving out your particular fave? By all means, join the conversation!

1983 - Moon Knight pinups by Kevin Nowlan

From Moon Knight #28:

1982 - Anatomy of a Cover - Moon Knight #20

1983 - Moon Knight Portfolio by Bill Sienkiewicz from Moon Knight Special Edition #1

1983 - Moon Knight #28 - Pinups by Kevin Nowlan

1981 - Anatomy of a cover - Moon Knight #4

http://stlcomics.com/cover_gallery/details.php?image_id=600&sessionid=6755b38c7bf47e80dfe8100432ece089