Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5 Review

Written by: David Pepose
Art by: Marcelo Ferreira, Jay Leisten
Colors by: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Rod Reis (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 22, 2023

Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5 brings the Disney Plus-inspired mini-series to a close with a final showdown between Moon Knight and Jackal Knight that can only be won when one combatant walks a mile in his brother’s shoes.

Is Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5 Good?

Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5 is just okay. David Pepose’s take on the Fist of Khonshu, which seeks to merge the comic version of Moon Knight with the Disney Plus version of Moon Knight, brings Marc’s conflict with his brother to a close with a power upgrade (that we may or may not ever see again), an end to Jackal Knight’s revenge quest, and a generally happy ending. Whether or not tying everything up with a neat little bow is a satisfying ending is up to you.

When last we left Moon Knight and Scarlet Scarab, Marc’s brother Randall, aka Jackal Knight, had stolen most of the Osiris power resident in Khalil and used that power to force the City of the Dead into the living world. Now, Moon Knight pushes past his limits to manifest Marc’s multiple personalities into separate Moon Knights to fight by his side. Scarlet Scarab activates the power of her scarab to hold the City of the Dead down (did anybody know she had powers beyond her wings?), while Khalil uses what little strength he has left to sacrifice himself, cutting off the source of Randall’s Osiris power. In the end, Randall’s bloodlust only ends when Marc gives Randall his heart… literally.

If that last statement seems confusing, you’d have to read the previous issues to know that hearts are a valuable commodity in the City of the Dead. By giving Randall his heart, Marc forces Randall to see the pain, grief, and guilt Marc carries, teaching the villain a valuable lesson about empathy.

What’s great about Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5? Pepose’s ending is complete and reasonably satisfying. As a bonus, Pepose improves on the finale of the Disney Plus show by keeping Marc as the center of attention instead of Layla.

What’s not so great about Moon Knight: City Of The Dead #5? The adventure is effectively over at the two-thirds page, leaving the last third for lessons learned, lots of monologues, and a plethora of epilogue material. There’s nothing wrong with an epilogue to address loose sends, but it feels like Pepose ran out of story to tell, so the last third of the comic is just filler.

How’s the art? Excellent. Ferreira and Leisten deliver outstanding panel layouts and composition, cool imagery of the mystical variety, and energetic action. Plus, Rosenberg’s colors are phenomenal.

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: City Of The Dead #5 is a reasonably clean ending to a mini-series designed to create synergy between the comics and the Disney Plus show. Marc saves the day, Randall’s vendetta may be over for good (maybe), and the art is rock-solid. That said, the conflict feels like it ends too early, so a good third of the comic is epilogue filler.