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Breaking down the comics: Ignore that problem till it goes away (Issue 25)

Moon Knight, Issue 25: Black Spectre.

A SPECIAL DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUE!

This was the preview cover from a previous issue:

With the tagline: A new vigilante rises as he spins out of a mental breakdown…and his primary target is Khonshu’s avatar!

This one is gonna be a saga!

The story opens with a discussion on war.

"Carson Knowles has come home; Hail the conquering Carson Knowles. What's a poor war hero to do?"

He finds a note from his wife. "P.S. You'll be hearing from my lawyer. I'm retaining custody of Billy. Sorry, Fran."

"First he stumbles through the strange streets."

We see hippies yelling at the man in a military uniform. "How many women and babies did you burn, soldier boy?"

This was a common thing that happened to soldiers returning from Nam especially.

We see the soldier return to his place of work only to find that he had been replaced and was no longer wanted.

He is rejected over and over again while the years hit him over and over again.

We see him years later in a small run down apartment. The police have him on the line, his son Billy Knowles, was killed in a gang fight.

A few years later and he finds his car stripped and trashed. Needing his car to do his job, he fears he's out.

A man attempts to rob him at knife point and he snaps, beating the man with the moves he learned in the army.

He declares war. He wants to take revenge on the whole city.

Back at his apartment, he finds a newspaper that features Moon Knight.

"Witness in Brooklyn overheard Moon Knight say to the murderer Bushman, 'I was once just like you, Bushman, a callous killer. But I'm different now. I've changed myself into something better."

Knowles ponders this. "If he could do it, so can I -- In reverse! Let him try to 'protect the nighted city' because I'm going to destroy it! And this time it's not all talk!"

He decides to make his own secret identity and run for mayor.

Knowles first sets about to hire goons. He decides to become the exact opposite of Moon Knight in every way.

His first act as Black Spectre is to go to Boss Cranston's house (a big political figure) and find all his records of corruption and misdeeds.

Look at that outfit. Where the heck did he do his shopping and how did he afford that?

This story is divided into three parts. We’ve reached the first part. (It’s a big issue)

Part I: First Clash.

Now, full of evidence of Cranston's misdeeds, he runs for mayor.

Back at Grant Mansion, we find Moon Knight in a mood.

"Sometimes I wonder about this whole myth of Moon Knight and--"

Marlene interrupts his thoughts.

"Steven, wait! I've got something to tell you... Something I've got to get off my chest..."

"Some other time, Marlene. It's getting dark. Time for me to take off. Crime waits for no man, you know."

"Yes, Steven I know... But I don't know...how long I can wait for you."

Marelene watches him leave in tears.

Recall the last issue where Moon Knight was questioning if he was doing the right thing. Doubt and moral ambiguity have come across his mind and Marelene is still wondering at the loss of her own brother.

At the political headquarters, we see Black Spectre crashing Cranston's party.

"I'm announcing my support for the mayoral candidacy of Carson Knowles."

Which...seems in poor taste if he is trying to win.

"And you had better do the same if you care about things like your future."

"I heard about you. Been makin' waves in the other parts of town. But you don't scare me with that Halloween outfit!" Cranston is pretty cheeky for a man going down in flames.

Black Spectre threatens to put Cranston into jail and blackmails him over some of his more nefarious deeds.

While they trash the joint, one of Cranston's men gets away to call the police. Frenchie picks up the call on his radio and informs Moon Knight.

About time they were introduced.

Both these men are former military. Both have undergone the same training.

Black Spectre has the advantage here through knowing he’s going to fight hard and fast from the start. Moon Knight is used to having to pull his punches. He’s also fresh off a few cases where he has started to question his own brutality and is trying to separate himself from Marc Spector. Moon Knight absolutely is at a disadvantage here.

By this time the police have arrived and Black Spectre isn't willing to show that hand yet.

Moon Knight knows he's beat. He admits he wasn't expecting anything like Spectre.

In a last ditch effort, he rips the mask from Black Spectre's face.

Spectre lashes back.

"You're a fool and a weakling, Moon Knight! I'd expected the match of a lifetime from you--But you're no better than a common grunt!"

And now we have our favorite Moon man doing what he does best:

Who ever said he didn’t have a sense of humor?

So they go inside and find Cranston beaten to a pulp in a trashed room pretending nothing happened.

Back at Grand Mansion... Yeah he's not having a good time.

If Marc ever had a tantrum this would be it.

"Only four of them! And they beat me! It's insane! Ludicrous! I should have been able to crush them--twist them into pretzels--and waltz home to an early shower! Three of them were nothing but cheap hoods! The kind of brittle stuff I normally chop down with one hand!

Oh sure, the fourth one--the one who called himself Black Spectre--He was a tough nut, all right--but even HE could have been cracked, if only I'd approached it differently--Hit him quicker, Harder!"

Narration: "Frenchie bites his tongue at seven separate pauses in the tirade."

Frenchie knows better. He knows his friend. He knows Marc. And THIS is Marc. This is what Marc does. He's seen it before.

Narration: "Marlene, However, has never been big on self inflicted torment. She does not like what she sees in the man she loves, and she tries to say so."

"Steven..."

"And even if I couldn't beat him--I should've at least been able to protect myself!"

"Steven, I want to talk to you...About something important. In private."

"Not now, Marlene. I'm still too twisted by what happened to me. Maybe tomorrow."

"Of course, Steven... if tomorrow isn't too late."

Marc is doing what Marc does best. Avoidance and running away.

He continues his tirade to Frenchie.

"I was awful--A disgrace! A rank amateur! I deserved the thrashing I got! But if only I had gone in feinting the left and then-- Wait a minute Frenchie. What did she say?"

But it's too late.

Morning comes and we find him still sulking but a little less dramatic about it.

He checks the morning news and listens to news about the political race for mayor.

Knowles gives his speech and comments that it was Moon Knight that inspired him to try to make a change.

Marc can't believe his eyes as he recognizes the man behind the podium.

It's the face he saw before he got his ass kicked!

And like a flash, Jake is dressed and running out of the mansion.

"Nedda-You know where Marlene is? I didn't see her all night."

"No, master Steven-Or master Jake I guess you are now being. I think Marlene is having a need to be alone these days of late..."

(Why is Nedda the only one that really tries to get their names right?)

He muses as he drives his cab to Gena's diner: "Wonder if there's something really wrong with Marlene? Maybe she... But no time to worry about it now--Not with a good like Black Spectre running for mayor!"

Even Jake knows something is wrong but there is a push systemwide not to confront things like this. They'd rather go face thugs than a possible issue at home.

At the diner, Jake speaks to Crawley to find what he's heard. Crawley has of course heard things and talks about what he knows about Knowles.

Sounds like Knowles is a shoe in to win the race for mayor.

Jake takes off to his cab. Gena notes how Jake didn't even ask her how she or her kids were doing.

Lockley heads to the political headquarters.

Inside we find Cranston on the phone telling someone not to mess around with Black Spectre.

Jake eaves drops through an open window.

Cranston is talking to a guy named Chiodo. Warning him that Black Spectre is going to come rattle him next.

Jake decides to go check out this Chiodo character.

Black Spectre is already at Chiodo's waiting. Hesitating.

A last moment of "the old, submerged Carson Knowles now struggles to break the surface... A last spark of sanity"

He waits by a window. "Sure, life's a crock--but maybe I shouldn't make it worse... Maybe I'm not the only one done dirt by this city. Maybe we're all in the same boat together..."

And he watches an ant struggle to haul food and he likens himself and the city to a bunch of ants just working to bring home dinner.

And of course a spider runs up and eats the ant.

"Of course--Survival of the fittest--Just like in The Nam-- The prime rule--The only one that counts -- Kill or be killed!"

So he busts into Chiodo's place. He warns him to support Carson Knowles for mayor or else.

Chiodo refuses and Black Spectre decides to make an example out of him.

Meanwhile, Jake arrives in his cab. "No time to change to Moon Knight. Chiodo may already be in danger! Black Spectre--Darting out the back! But he's got too much of a jump on me and--"

He spots Chiodo, hanging by his chains.

Back at Grant Mansion.

"I've GOT to talk to you, Steven--And not later, not tomorrow or the next day, not even yesterday. Right NOW, Steven." Marlene is trying again.

"But I ain't Steven, Lady--I'm still Lockley, on the job. Can't it even wait till I at least change to--"

"NO! This is exactly what I must talk to you about!"

Now, this is going to get heavy. This is where Marlene’s support falls apart.

"Oh, I know you've largely overcome your split personality problem--You're just upset right now--But there are other things forcing me to do this Steven..."

"To do what?"

"I...I'm leaving you, Steven."

First of all... He's told her that he's Jake. And Marc is the one avoiding her. And Jake has always avoided her.

She's been through a lot with the death of her father and brother. Perhaps she sees that being near them does cause trouble. Perhaps she is tired of dealing with the four of them.

This leads us to Part II: Sinking.

We open on Marlene.

"I realize I was instrumental in the very creation of Moon Knight--Helped you change into what you are, from Villain to hero--But I... Well, I just can't shake the feeling that I've created a monster... A benign monster to be sure. A good monster...A better man than Marc Spector ever was... but a monster nonetheless..."

That is a hell of a jab. And considering that Marlene’s brother created Morpheus and then died for it, maybe she’s afraid of losing Steven too.

Marlene has always made it very clear that she was never a fan of Marc Spector. She wishes he’d go away and she’d be left with Steven. Perhaps she was originally charmed by Moon Knight and the thrill of adventure, but with so much death, she wants to settle.

It’s also difficult because we know that Marc sees himself as a monster.

"...An entity that's grown larger than both of us, a being that's gone completely out of control!" She continues.

Is Jake still fronting?

"All right, Lady, maybe you're right--Maybe you DO need a vacation from me--and maybe I need a vacation from Moon Knight... But not now. I can't quit now--Not with Black Spectre ready to put a stranglehold on the whole city! And you can't leave me now--not when I need you!"

"I've made up my mind, Steven. Don't you see--? There'll always be some excuse for me to stay--And if I don't make the break now, I'll never do it."

I think Marc is slipping in.

"No--You don't understand. I don't need you for moral support now..."

"Of course not. You're a big tough man."

"Spare the sarcasm, Marlene--Please. What I mean is that I need you to literally HELP me. I want you to infiltrate Carson Knowles' operation--I want you to spy on him for me."

Yeah, that's Marc.

She accuses him of being on an insane kick thinking that Carson is Black Spectre.

He begs her to help him.

"Please -- Just do this one last thing for me and I'll never ask anything again unless you want me to...and if I'm wrong, I won't even argue as you walk out the door."

Marc...

She agrees to help him. They hug but he doesn't feel it.

He calls up Frenchie to get a car and go get Crawley and find out if he's found out any news.

Frenchie meets up with Crawley at the Pool Hall. He offers him a drink, but Crawley notes he gave up the drink ages ago.

Remember in an early issue when he lost his family because of his drinking and gambling. Notably, he lost his son, too.

Now, Frenchie is there in his full outfit. It's a classy outfit with a cap and a crecent moon on the cap.

He has always worn this while acting as piolet to Moon Knight and I often wonder why. Did he choose it? Did it make him feel useful and important again?

Either way, Frenchie has the unfortunate time to be in the same pool hall as Black Spectre's goons.

They sneak up and beat him.

Jake arrives at the hospital the next morning.

Frenchie warns him to watch himself when facing these men and that they are in league with Black Spectre.

Jake leaves.

"Maybe Marlene was right --Lord knows everyone connected with Moon Knight has suffered...And more than once..."

This is not the first or last time that this thought will affect the Moon Knight team.

Jake doesn't have long to dwell on it as the cab phone starts to ring.

It's Marlene. She's made it as a personal assistant to Knowles. She talks about how Knowles is a good man that genuinely wants to help change the city for the better.

Jake is stunned. He starts to doubt himself.

"Am I wrong? No, by Khonshu I know what I saw!"

On que a cab drives by and splashes him with drity gutter water.

It's the last straw. The whole city is falling for Knowles. He decides that he needs to start fighting fire with fire.

Moon Knight has called a press conference!

This is going to go well...

So he starts his speech by just telling everyone that Black Spectre is Carson Knowles.

It goes about as well as you can imagine.

No one believes him and he's called a lunatic.

Cut to Knowles and Marlene watching the conference on TV. He's gotten chummy with Marlene and he shrugs it off saying he isn't worried. He invites Marlene to dinner with him that night. After she leaves, he makes a few phone calls. He needs to take care of the Moon Knight problem. He calls in some cops that are on his payroll.

Meanwhile, Flint finds Moon Knight wandering the streets. He picks him up.

"Look, if you say Knowles is no good, I'm on your side. Me, I've never seen a guy running for office who was good. But Knowles has connections. Cops in his pocket. Not all cops, mind you. I'm a cop myself. A real cop. That's why I'm warning you. They're after you. The ones who only wear the badges. But even that isn't fair. Some of them will believe, even as they squeeze the trigger, that they're doing something good."

Flint does care about Moon Knight.

Moon Knight thanks him and heads for his own cab. He's about to get in when several cops show up and start shooting.

He manages to get away and make it back to Grant Mansion in time to find Marlene packed and leaving.

"I can't read the future, Steven. You made a perfect fool of yourself in front of those cameras. Why couldn't you believe me that you're wrong?"

"Why can't YOU believe ME? The cops just tried to kill me. Frenchie's busted up in the hospital. The election is no contest, in favor of a guy who came from nowhere...[...] And now he's even got you, Marlene. He's got the people, the press, the city bosses, the cops and now you. Wake up, Marlene! I tell you he's out to shaft the whole city!"

"YOU wake up! I was wrong about you! You're still crazy--But I'm not letting you take me along for the ride! You've slandered a good man, Steven. You'll regret it."

And Marlene leaves.

This is a rough issue to paint Marlene in any sort of good light.

And here we have Moon Knight once more clinging to the statue of Khonshu as if he can fix everything if he just tries hard enough.

Part III: The Climb Back.

Part three opens on a political rally. Knowles is soaking in the crowed chanting his name and he invites Marlene to enjoy it with him.

She decides to stay behind and he heads out to enjoy the night.

She has been looking for invoices for rally expenses but can't see to find them. She decides to check his office.

While searching, she comes across his budget plans.

Seems he plans to cut out public works, slash transit funds, remove housing funds, and put all the tax revenues into his own personal account.

Well well well, Marlene. Who's the crazy nut now?

Up on the roof, Knowles is enjoying the view of the crowd.

Moon Knight arrives off to the side and doesn't see him. Knowles decides tonight is the perfect night to win the city and destroy Moon Knight.

Moon Knight is still sore from all the recent wounds he has sustained. But he has a new weapon. He has his own knuckle spikes (which make a later appearance in much later comics from the early 2000s).

And Black Spectre sneaks up on Moon Knight and attacks from behind.

Black Spectre is in no mood to take his time. He has a rally to get to. He stabs Moon Knight with his sword.

He leaves Moon Knight for dead and changes for the rally.

Moon Knight pulls himself up.

"C-Can't let him...win... Fought long and hard to make myself something better...Can't throw it away....Got to prove it...By stopping him..."

Moon Knight bursts into the changing room. He gets a little brutal. He stops the goons with his spiked fists and tackles Knowles out of a window.

They crash into the crowd below.

"You want Knowles? You want tis piece of slime? Well here he is. And you can have him!"

ANd he throws Knowles' body, unmasked and still in the Spectre attire into the crowd.

Yeah, this goes well for the cops and guards.

Flint tells him that this doesn't prove anything.

But Marlene steps in to show him the paperwork.

She runs to Moon Knight.

"I'm back...If you'll have me."

"I'll have you--If you're back."

Flint declares Moon Knight innocent as he looks through the papers and sets out to arrest Knowles.

"But, Steven, there are still problems we have to-"

"I know, Marlene--There are always problems...But I can't think of any I'd rather face."

Narration: "Indeed. He has scars of his own...."

And that is the BLACK SPECTRE.

You can see why he became an iconic Moon Knight villain. His ability to push him to the breaking point by gaslighting the hell out of him was really quite effective.

This issue brings up a lot of questions and issues that start to plague Moon Knight in the original 80s OG run and much later by other writers. Some take it to the extreme and others take it in a completely different direction.

I’m going to try to just focus on how it’s presented right here in the 80s version with no outside context from other issues.

Still rattled after the death of Marlene’s brother. Still upset over the fight with Stained Glass Scarlet where he let her kill a man and then escape. Still reeling from the realization that Moon Knight is not just Marc or Steven or Jake, but might actually be his own person (though at times there is blending that happens).

We are faced with the question on if the creation of Moon Knight is a blessing or a curse. Is Moon Knight only there to exist as Marc Spector’s attempt to become more than an evil stain on the world? Is Moon Knight an excuse to let Marc keep fighting and causing pain? Is Moon Knight an apology from Marc to the world?

Is Moon Knight putting others at risk that know him?

We see Frenchie standing by Marc. Always by Marc. Loyal and willing to sacrifice himself for him. Why the uniform? Why living on the roof? Why always at beck and call? What is Frenchie getting out of this? He has ended up hurt in the hospital more than a few times. Still he stands loyal.

Still he stands silent. Letting Marc put himself down and rip himself apart.

We see a huge part of Marc’s self destruction here. How easy it is to make him feel worthless. How quickly he falls to wanting to destroy someone for getting the upper hand.

Not to mention him running from Marlene. He knows what she wants to talk about. He avoids it. Jake avoids it but worries. Steven doesn’t even show up. He knows she wants to leave him and if he just avoids the conversation perhaps it won’t happen. Or maybe it will push her to do it and he can say of course she left.

And when she does leave, he doesn’t feel it. He is so focused on his goal of victory and revenge that he doesn’t notice or care. A coping mechanism. Someone so used to the pain of loss that he knows if he can just do this one thing then it doesn’t matter.

Then we have Marlene’s excuse for leaving. Because he’s crazy. Because he has DID and can’t control it. Because he dares to be Marc Spector and not Steven Grant.

I can’t with her. It’s…. It’s hard to blame her considering the age. Considering what she’s living with. It’s not all luxury and happiness. She has her stress and she is in denial over the man she thinks she loves. But she is so ableist and just so abusive in these moments.

She blames him for his mental illness. She blames him for leaning into it. She thinks he does it just to be Moon Knight. Perhaps she thinks that if he tried hard enough he could be just the one person named Steven Grant that lives a happy and rich life. She thinks that they can choose her over their mental illness. And I have a lot of issue with that.

So Marlene will stick around. And pull away and come back. She supports and she breaks them apart. It’s a cycle that grows over time until finally it’s broken. But getting there… This is not a healthy relationship.

Then we have Marc and Khonshu.

We’ve seen it before when he fought Mogart and the statue was broken. He broke down big time.

Here we see him clinging to the statue. Begging it. Begging himself to find a way to keep going and to win.

This would be a VERY long post if I got into the faith of Marc Spector (not the system as a whole or even as Moon Knight. Marc Spector himself). But a tiny tidbit of my theories on that are seen in him clinging to the statue and pleading with himself to win.

Himself. Not Khonshu in particular. We start to see how his belief and faith in Khonshu is intertwined in his own faith in himself.

Despite it all, Marc can never forget his upbringing. He will always be the rebellious boy at the Rabbi’s table, rejecting passive peace and struggling against G-D.

And we’ll get more into his relationship with Khonshu later as his role starts to grow in the comics.

SO. This concludes the Black Spectre! (for now).

What did you all think of this issue?

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight Comics #Analyzing the comics #Marc Spector #Jake Lockley #Steven Grant #Marlene Alraune #Black Spectre #Gaslighting is Moon Knight's weakness #In this issue we watch Marc have a tantrum #Live Reaction by Frenchie #He ends up on the floor so much

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