Bad Sun Rising in WHAT IF…? DARK MOON KNIGHT #1

In this week’s predominant Marvel Rundown overview, there’s a foul solar rising in What If…? Dark Moon Knight #1. While this overview incorporates SPOILERS, you possibly can scroll to the Rapid Rundown for spoiler-lite blurbs of Alpha Flight #1 and Uncanny Avengers #1.

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What If…? Dark Moon Knight #1

Writer: Erica Schultz
Artist: Edgar Salazar
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letter: Cory Petit

In this one-shot, Marc Spector is felled throughout his battle in opposition to Raul Bushman in Marc Spector: Moon Knight #3. The deviation results in Marlene Alraune, sometimes consigned to the function of “damsel in distress” or “hero supporter” in Moon Knight tales, rising to the function of the avatar of Ra, the Egyptian Sun God. As an enormous fan of Moon Knight, from his backup tales in Hulk Magazine to his glorious at the moment ongoing run, I discovered this one-shot was an attention-grabbing twist on the Moon Knight mythos.

Moon Canon

While Marlene seems in many Moon Knight tales, she is usually consigned to a supporting function. In a number of tales, she performs the a part of “damsel in distress” or “hero supporter,” tending to Marc and/or coaching with him after he’s returned to the mansion after a night of tremendous heroics.

But in What If…? Dark Moon Knight #1, a model of the timeline in which Marlene turns into one thing of a superhero herself unspools. After Marc falls in battle, Marlene is obtainable the chance to change into “Luminary,” the avatar of Ra. This permits her to perform some good deeds, nevertheless it’s additionally fairly clear that the immense energy that Luminary wields burns highly regarded certainly.

At the conclusion of the story, it appears as if Marlene’s humanity evacuates her physique to be reunited along with her late lover. In the ultimate panels, the lettering suggests Ra has taken over her physique, reworking it right into a mere vessel for Ra. The rise of Ra is a suitably “dark” ending for this getting into in the What If…? Dark line.

More What If…?

My largest grievance in opposition to this difficulty is similar downside I had with What If…? Dark Venom #1: there’s a lot story potential right here that consigning the story to a one-shot looks like a waste.

The narrative requirements of a What If…? one-shot imply Marlene should settle for Ra’s provide in the house of only a single web page, however there could possibly be some fascinating angles to discover in her motivation for acceptance. While the problem does a superb job of demonstrating Luminary has a heroic profession, the related particulars might fill many points.

And whereas the ending does appear fairly last, it isn’t like Khonshu hasn’t eclipsed Marc’s consciousness earlier than. Remember West Coast Avengers? It’s attainable Marlene might return as Luminary even after being briefly subsumed by Ra. And removed from being a redundant Moon Knight clone, Luminary might discover the ways in which having a deity like Ra arrange store in your noggin is totally different than being occupied by one like Khonshu.

What If…? Dark Moon Knight #1

In addition to the weather mentioned above, I loved seeing a few of Moon Knight’s supporting solid working for Luminary (however would have loved seeing a few of his different associates as effectively). And whereas I might have preferred to see the explanations behind it defined a bit of bit additional, having Khonshu narrate this story was an intriguing contact that was suitably distinctive for a Moon Knight story.

As mentioned in my overview for What If…? Dark Venom #1, there’s precedent for multi-issue What If…? arcs (and in truth, we had been even promised extra of them that by no means appeared to make it to publication). What If…? Dark Moon Knight #1 could be one more worthy candidate for such hypothetical enlargement.

Verdict: Visit a timeline the place this one-shot lasts for a number of points.

Rapid Rundown!

Alpha Flight #1
- I used to be intrigued when this was introduced, and really curious the place this was going to go, however I loved the left-field perspective Ed Brisson and Scott Godlewski introduce to the Fall of X right here. I’m not completely certain the right way to describe it, however it is a far more simple tackle the turmoil post-Hellfire Gala than I feel we’ve seen so far (and I like that!). As identified on the podcast X-Plain the X-Men, Canada seems to be much more evil in the 616, and this difficulty opens with the Canadian authorities matching rhetoric that feels nearer to American insurance policies than what may be anticipated from the Great White North (at the least from my naive perspective). Two Alpha Flight groups exist right here, one working for Orchis and one other composed solely of mutants, and so they appear set as much as go head-to-head in each difficulty. Godlewski, with colorist Matt Milla and letterer Travis Lanham, supplies some nice layouts, with panels that warp and twist when the motion kicks off. The story doesn’t do something loopy, and there’s a twist that I ought to’ve seen coming (although I nonetheless didn’t!), however as an individual (me) who has little or no expertise with Alpha Flight, Brisson does a stable job of introducing us to the staff and the lengthy historical past that comes with them. I’m to see the place this goes and the way the 2 Alpha Flight groups work together. – CB
Uncanny Avengers #1
- Writer Gerry Duggan will get to play with this combined staff of X-Men and Avengers once more as he and artist Javier Garrón revive the short-lived Avengers Unity Squad. That staff was shaped in the wake of Avengers vs X-Men to foster higher relations between the groups, after the occasions of the Hellfire Gala this staff is about higher relations between Mutants and people. For the X-Men which might be free in this post-Krakoa period, the gloves are off and never killing people is out the window because the remaining Mutants on Earth are hunted and compelled into reassignment camps the place they’re both depowered or despatched to Arrako/Mars. In addition to that, there’s a concentrated media marketing campaign to color the Mutants as terrorists and subversives. While not as vicious as Shadow Cat’s combat in X-Men #25, Psylocke takes out at the least 10 Orchis foot troopers earlier than assembly up with Cap and his newly reformed Unity Squad. This new period is bloody as F and leaves no room for appeasement, which brings me to my dilemma of not being certain if I’m delighted in the Mutants getting retribution or disturbed that Cap appears very pleased with it and I don’t know if that’s in his character. Yes, he’s been at conflict, however at this level, he’s been an Avenger longer than he’s been a soldier. I’m curious what different strains will likely be crossed as this new underground staff pushes again in opposition to Orchis, the brand new Stark Sentinels, and the New Mutant Liberation Front, a bunch of Mutants duped into preventing for Orchis. Still a bit of early to see how the Unity groups dynamics work, for now, Duggan’s plotting works effectively with Garrón’s clear dynamic storytelling. – GC3