A Guide to Moon Knight for New Readers
A New Readers Guide to Moon Knight
Whenever a new Moon Knight series is launched, there is a rush of new readers that discover what makes Moon Knight so interesting. Many of them want to dig a little deeper into the character. The only problem is that it’s not as easy to do that with Moon Knight as it is with other heroes. Moon Knight’s relative obscurity means many people don’t know much about the character, so advice is few and far between. Furthermore, Moon Knights publication history is so inconsistent that there is no exact answer as to what people should be reading. I have created a guide that I hope will help prospective fans find the right way to get into Moon Knight.
Which Moon Knight Comics are right for you?
Moon Knight is a character that has had a plethora of creative writers and artists over the years. This means that Moon Knight been subject to some of the most creative minds in the industry. What that also means, however, is that Moon Knight’s series have been wildly inconsistent. These inconsistencies range from theme and style to character interpretation, as well as integration within the rest of the Marvel Universe. This has resulted in fans finding series that they love and hate depending on the creative direction each takes.
That Said, all I can do is direct you to what I personally consider the best of Moon Knight. There are entire series I don’t think are really worth reading, as they contribute very little to what makes Moon Knight interesting to me as an individual. I find his supernatural and macabre elements to be his most intriguing, and I find his eternal guilt to be one of the most fetching and relatable elements of the character. I choose to believe that Moon Knight is both mentally unstable but also affected by a supernatural element that as far as I can tell is in fact the Egyptian Moon god Khonshu. I think Moon Knight works better with a large supporting cast, and I love when stories focus on mysteries and horror. This means that I consider the original 1980 series to be the definitive Moon Knight. It also means that I don’t recommend the action oriented Marc Spector series and Vengeance of the Moon Knight series. Bendis’ Moon Knight series was also overly focused on his Mental issues to the point that Moon Knight as a character took a back seat.
So What I have below is what I consider to be the best Moon Knight stories you can read. I have two lists, one for individual issue collectors, and one for trade collectors.
Definitive Moon Knight Reading List: Single Issues
The following list is strictly my opinion as to the most essential Moon Knight Stories ever published. I have only included stories that are must read either because of their quality, or relevance to Moon Knight mythos.
Moon Knight Vol 1 (1980)1-38
Moon Knight Special Edition (1983)
1-3
Marvel Team-Up (1976)
144, Annual 4
Marc Spector Moon Knight (1989)
4, 15-24,26-31,50
Amazing Spider-Man (1963)
353-358
Moon Knight: Divided We Fall (1992)
1 Shot
Moon Knight: Resurrection War (1998)
1-4
Moon Knight: High Strangeness (1999)
1-4
Black Panther Vol 3 (1998)
20-22
Moon Knight (2006)
1-30, Annual 1
Moon Knight Silent Night (2009)
1 Shot
Shadowland Moon Knight (2010)
1-3
Moon Knight (2014)
1-17
Moon Knight (2016)
1-14
Avengers (2018)
33-37
Moon Knight Vol 8(2021-Present)
1-10+
Definitive Moon Knight Reading List: Trades
The following list is strictly my opinion as to the most essential Moon Knight Trades ever published. I have only included trades that contain must read stories. Due to the sparsity of trades, this list might be missing some key stories.
Moon Knight Epic Collection: Bad Moon RisingMoon Knight Epic Collection: Shadows of the Moon
Moon Knight Vol. 1: The Bottom
Moon Knight Vol. 2: Midnight
Moon Knight Vol. 3: God and Country
Moon Knight Vol. 4: The Death of Marc Spector
Moon Knight Vol. 5: Down South
Shadowland: Moon Knight
Moon Knight Vol. 1: From The Dead
Moon Knight Vol. 2: Dead Will Rise
Moon Knight Vol. 3: In The Night
Moon Knight Vol. 1: Lunatic
Moon Knight Vol. 2: Reincarnations
Moon Knight Vol. 3: Birth and Death
Avengers: Age of Khonshu
Moon Knight Vol. 1: The Midnight Mission