Moon Knight #29 Review

Written by: Jed MacKay
Art by: Federico Sabbatini
Colors by: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Stephen Segovia (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 29, 2023

Moon Knight #29 continues the high-rise gauntlet as Black Spectre’s plan to drive the city insane ticks closer to fruition. Can Moon Knight defeat the mysterious man behind the black mask in time to save the city?

Is Moon Knight #29 Good?

Jed MacKay escalates the threat level, the urgency, and the desperation as Moon Knight draws closer to giving his life to save the city in Moon Knight #29. If you wanted edge-of-your-seat energy and pacing, you get it times two.

When last we left Moon Knight and his allies, they fought their way up Black Spectre’s tower, named the Mount, to find and shut down the resonance machine that would drive the city insane once activated. Along the way, Harvest Moon went after Sarnak, Tigra got stuck on a pressure mine, and an injured Moon Knight was left to confront Black Spectre solo.

Now, Soldier arrives to lend Tigra a hand. Harvest Moon defeats Sarnak to learn the secret of the resonance device, and Moon Knight learns the identity of Black Spectre and his motivation for destroying the city. Meanwhile, Zodiac learns attacking a c vampire ally inside the Midnight Mission wasn’t a brilliant choice.

I praised MacKay’s previous issue for concocting a plot that had direction, focus, and urgency via a ticking “bomb” to keep the issue moving at a sprint. To his credit, MacKay does more of the same here, but a few of the surprises come off as head-scratchers, and one plot development is just downright dumb.

What’s great about Moon Knight #29? Regardless of the particulars, Jed MacKay delivers edge-of-your-seat thrills as all players race to stop a doomsday machine. Each ally has their own challenge to contend with, and MacKay gives each their moment to get the job done with a satisfying outcome.

What’s not so great about Moon Knight #29? A few of the surprises range from weirdly complicated to dumb. For example, Black Spectre’s identity is revealed, but it turns out there’s more than one Black Spectre in play without a clear rationale for the two to work together. The reveal should be a wow moment that turns into a soap opera silliness.

For another example, Zodiac charges into the Midnight Mission to kill Reece. He doesn’t bring any holy relics because he isn’t religious, but somehow, he manages to ward off Reece (a vampire) with his nameplate necklace because he “believes in himself.” Come on, MacKay. That’s not how that works, and it’s a dumb play.

Those are the bigger foibles, but one or two lesser ones contribute to making this issue less good than it should be.

How’s the art? The art’s fine, but a little rushed. Sabbatini’s suggestive art style, combined with Rosenberg’s wide brush stroke coloring, muddy the clarity of the figure work. Human faces look great, but anything with a cape or mask looks slightly unfinished.

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 #29 keeps up the edge-of-your-seat pacing from the previous issue as Moon Knight fights his way up the Mount to stop Black Spectre’s doomsday device. There’s plenty of action and urgency to pull you along, but some surprise twists are overcomplicated or silly.