Is Moon Knight #1 New Reader Friendly?

My entire knowledge of Moon Knight is second hand from either friends talking about him or memes. More so, most of my Moon Knight knowledge comes from memes. I’ve built this wild image of the character in my head thanks to those memes. To me, Moon Knight is a violent Dracula hating man with a lot of baggage, dissociative identity disorder, and a proclivity to peel off people’s faces like a fruit roll up.

When I read the announcement that Jed Mackay was launching the character with a new #1 issue, I decided it was finally time to jump on the train to moon town. Jed has a way of balancing violence, humor, and humility in a lot of the comics he writes. I saw a lot of people saying it was an odd choice but as Issue #1 proves, it was the perfect choice.

Even with the limited knowledge of this characters convoluted past, Moon Knight #1 by Jed Mackay, Alessandro Cappuccio, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Cory Petit is a very approachable first issue for new readers wanting to follow the character. I am giving it the full GateCrashers seal of approachability ribbon. I never felt lost or that I was missing major parts of context that discouraged me from reading further. With a character who has appeared in multiple tv shows, games, and now has his own Disney + show coming, this serves as a perfect gateway into Moon Knight for new readers.

Moon Knight, named Marc Spector, is serving as the Fist of Khonshu. While that title may sound far out there, the story gives you as much as you need to follow the story properly without getting too far into the weeds. Moon Knight has set up Midnight Mission which serves to protect the community of those who travel at night. We are also introduced to a new ensemble cast that gives the reader their own sense of community from the jump which is important to not feeling like you need to read 100 back issues to just enjoy a new #1.

The issue’s art is incredible and the use of white for his costume is a distinct parallel of the often dark situations he is in. The lettering is easy to read and guide’s the story along with ease. All of the parts together make for a great debut issue.

My real apprehension for picking up a Moon Knight title was how writers would handle his mental illness. This issue doesn’t dig too far into it but there is a running story of Moon Knight in therapy which serves to inform the reader of his backstory, current life, and a bit about who he is. With Jed’s push for representation in Black Cat, I do think he will handle the subject with care which is highly important.

So is Moon Knight #1 a good jumping on point for the character for new readers such as myself? Absolutely.

Moon Knight #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.