Moon Knight #13 Review

Written by: Jed MacKay
Art by: Federico Sabbatini
Colors by: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stephen Segovia, Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: July 13, 2022

Moon Knight #13 enters the next phase (*ahem*) of Moon Knight’s career as the casualties resulting from his conflict with Zodiac motivate Moon Knight to exact payback. This time he’s going after vampires.

Is It Good?

How do you introduce a supervillain into a new arc and not do anything with him other than to act as a narrator? This is how you do it.

Credit where credit is due, MacKay took the steaming pile of poo that was his Taskmaster mini-series and brings back the ultimate mimic for a cameo appearance that retains the charming bits that do work and jettisons the awful, snarky jokes that don’t. Taskmaster shows up in Moon Knight #13 when he’s offered a job by NYC’s top vampire, Tutor, to kill Moon Knight, and he spends the rest of the issue explaining exactly why that’s a bad idea.

Taskmaster is cleverly used to build up Moon Knight from an outsider’s perspective. In telling Tutor why Moon Knight is so dangerous, Taskmaster adds a mystique to the titular character in a very short amount of time. Readers get a deeper sense of the reputation Moon Knight carries among his allies and enemies.

The story happening outside Taskmaster’s narration involves Moon Knight going after the network of vampires ruled by Tutor. He’s partly driven to stop the undead incursion into NYC, but he’s also driven by the need to “punch something” after Soldier’s death in the last issue. Moon Knight’s crusade also elevates Moon Knight’s reputation as a badass because it shows he is willing to go after anyone – alive or undead – when he makes his mind up. His unstoppable determination is reflected in the deadly way he deals with vampires to get information, compounded by Taskmaster’s amusing narration.

Sabbatini’s art is phenomenal in this issue. The panel compositions and layout are exquisite, and Rosenberg’s colors add little, pointed hints of pop to make the most of a very dark (with shadows) comic.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Moon Knight #13 begins a new arc with a new crusade against a growing tide of vampires in NYC. Taskmaster’s cameo adds an amusing bit of levity and reputation-building for the Fist of Khonshu, and the art is filled with gritty, moody drama and action. Coming off a lackluster finale to the Zodiac arc, this is an excellent start to get the title back on track.