Well, after a few weeks away from my blog, I would like to present my fourth favorite character. Ladies and gentlemen, my friend and yours....#4 Moon Knight

There is nothing I like more than a character exceeding expectations. Too many times have I mentioned Moon Knight to a friend with the reply being, "Oh, that Batman rip-off." As much as it stings to hear, there is always the sense of satisfaction when that friend actually reads a Moon Knight comic and is appalled by what he finds. For those of you, and dear God I hope there is very few, who have yet to read Moon Knight, he is NOT a Batman rip-off. He is soooooooo far from being a Batman rip-off that I cannot put into words how unique a character Moon Knight is.

Okay, with that mini-rant over with let's start with my actual thoughts. The costume. I love hoods. I don't know why, but they are very cool. I may be one of the few who prefer Shazam w/ hood. Moon Knight pulls off a hood like no other. The piercing whit eyes coming from what appears to be a black hole in the white hood. That is some scary sh*t. The white costume as a whole is phenomenal. A character such as Moon Knight, prowling the night and hunting criminals, one would think, might wear a costume of dark colors to cloak himself amongst the shadows. But no, Moon Knight says, "F*ck it, I want them to know I'm coming." The man has balls, and readers must respect him for that. The origin. Moon Knight's origin is definitely my number two favorite origin of all time. This story really has it all. Marc Spector was born the son of a rabbi, he's Jewish and I couldn't be more proud. So he he grows up to become a Marine and a merc, awesome. He then goes with an African merc by the name of Raoul Bushman (man these names are bad a$$) to an archaeological dig in Egypt. Raoul goes nuts, attempts to kill every one and steal the treasures. An on-the-verge-of-death Marc Spector is found by some Egyptians and placed before Khonshu, the Egyptian Moon god. He becomes the god's avatar, kills Bushman, and goes back to America. In America, he adopts multiple personalities and becomes a crime fighter. The one aspect of his character that many can identify with is his struggle balancing the multiple personalities. It is unlikely that readers have a disorder like Marc develops, but many share a similar experience balancing work, family, and fun. Marc's difficulty keeping up with his different personalities wears away at his psyche. After refusing to kill once and for all, Marc begins to be tormented by Khonshu, appearing in various forms, goading him to kill. It becomes painfully clear that Marc is struggling with some serious mental problems. That is really the number one thing I enjoy about Moon Knight. It might sound weird, but I enjoy reading about Marc, or Jake, or whoever he is for the moment, knowing how messed up he is in the head, but still going on some wild adventures and kicking a$$. The arc I most enjoyed before the relaunch was Down South, featuring the Zapata brothers and the Punisher. Though the arc features wicked twists and a very enjoyable adventure, the most interesting and compelling part is Jake's struggle with Khonshu. A very laid back Jake seems to have had enough with the constant nagging, but the ever-present Khoshu wouldn't dream of letting him alone. Then came the relaunch. Wow. Let me tell you, I never would have thought that Moon Knight would be given the All-Star treatment by Marvel. This 12 issue-er was without comparison. BMB and Maleev knocked it out of the park. With some ties to previous Moon Knight lore, the two erected a brand-new Marc with a real multiple personalities disorder and all the wackiness that comes with it. The story was fun, fresh, and exciting. While part of me wanted more, I knew there was the chance that more stories would prove a disappointment. But sadly , Moon Knight has had little to no time in the spotlight in recent months. I hope we can get another limited soon with more of Spectors wild adventures.

Moon Knight is a character that has exceeded expectations from day one. He has grown into a unique character apart from much of what Marvel has put out in past years. He is less a superhero and more of a guy who wanted to atone for all the f*cked up stuff he did in the past. Even when the Sentry told him he was going to fail, he had the balls to tell one of Marvel's most powerful heroes that he was going to fail too. Moon Knight is a hero with balls. And frankly, he is one of the few.