Moon Knight Annual #1 Review

Written by: Jed MacKay
Art by: Federico Sabbatini
Colors by: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Rod Reis
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: October 26, 2022

Moon Knight Annual #1 howls at the moon when Marc Spector’s daughter, Diatrice, is kidnapped by Jack Russell to fulfill a prophecy that would forever untether werewolves from the Moon God’s oppression.

Is It Good?

Ooh! So Close! Jed MacKay almost comes up with a banger of an annual, but a continuity misstep and an unbelievable character moment relegate this annual to just okay.

Considering Moon Knight first debuted in a Werewolf By Night comic, this Annual is a homecoming of sorts, and the two catch up with all the warmth their deadly natures will allow. Jack Russell kidnaps Diatrice to use her in a Darkhold prophecy that would result in the death of Khonshu. Werewolves hate Khnonshu because they are enslaved to the Moon, so killing Khonshu is a top priority for Jack as the recently-crowned King of the Wolves. Of course, Moon Knight isn’t keen on having his daughter used by anyone for anything. Violence ensues.

MacKay peppers in plenty of dramatic moments of emotion when Marlene steps back into Marc Spector’s life, the Fist of Khonshu(s) vs. Werewolf action is fun, and Diatrice’s interactions with Reese (Moon Knight’s vampire assistant) are amusing. However, the issue falls flat in two ways.

First, the Annual is out-of-step with the main title, also written by MacKay. Without spoiling the details, a character aids Moon Knight in his quest, but that character is dead in the main book. You could understand if two different writers were handling Moon Knight, but how does the same creative team make this goof?

Second, the conflict is resolved by a precocious little girl waving her disapproving finger at Moon Knight and Jack Russell. No little girl is so confident, courageous, and almost cavalier when standing between a costumed vigilante and a deadly werewolf. MacKay asks too much by making Diatrice utterly void of fear.

Sabbatini’s art and Rosenberg’s colors are excellent. I will never get tired of Rosenberg’s unique application of moon glow on Moon Knight, and Sabbatini does a fine job with the werewolf designs.

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

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts:

Moon Knight Annual #1 is a good Annual with a creative plot, but a glaring continuity error and a too-much-to-believe resolution to the fight keep the book from being great. Still, you can never have enough werewolves and the art’s fantastic.