Nerds That Geek Comic Book Review: ‘Moon Knight’ (2017) #197

Written by Joel T. Lewis

A disappointing follow-up to a particularly refreshing 2 issue arc, Moon Knight #197 feels rushed, unbalanced, and unfocused. Introducing yet another team of all new villains brought together by a common uniting philosophy, (this time they are all twisted hopefuls jockeying for induction into the macabre ‘Societe des Sadiques’) Bemis spends most of this issue rehashing and extending the formula of issue 195’s prologue.
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We are introduced to four Society of Sadists applicants with specialized methods of doling out pain and suffering at a candlelit dinner who lay their case for induction at the feet of a mysterious robed figure at the head of the table. In turn the snuff photographer, the mob boss assassin, the casual mass murderer serial killer, and the punk rock body piercer describe their sadistic tastes and origins. They are then joined by a fifth uninvited dinner guest. Revealing himself to be Moon Knight, Marc takes his seat at the table and makes a case of his own for induction into the society by reassuring all those in attendance that he’s going to beat the hell out of all of them and enjoy doing so immensely. Before all hell breaks loose the hooded figure and founder of the Society reveals himself to be Uncle Ernst, (the super powered Nazi whose wanton cruelty and violence caused Marc’s very first psychological break) and as the issue ends, he embraces Moon Knight, welcoming him to participate in the ritual for admission into the Society of Sadists.

Unfortunately, this issue manages to feel both rushed and like filler as Ernst’s return (an event that seemed to be setup for a much later issue/arc) comes only 3 issues after his introduction in this series and the 14-page exploration of this newest motley crew drags on and on rather instead of furthering the plot. Ernst’s return and introducing another ragtag bunch of villains so soon after the Collective makes it feel as if there were supposed to be issues in between 196 and the events of this one, as if Bemis had to rush to reintroduce Ernst in time for his final issue, number 200. We don’t have time to forget Ernest and be surprised by his return which seems like a wasted opportunity. If Bemis had sent Marc on a mission to infiltrate the society of sadists and spent an issue or two with our hero following rumors and leads gleaned from broken and bloody middlemen and perhaps working his way through these new bad guys on his way to a mysterious central figure, the surprise of that last panel embrace would feel earned rather than cheap and rushed. Dropping us in at the banquet for new inductees with no build up makes us ask why do we care about this group, and why was it so easy for Moon Knight to find if Ernst has been alive, at large, and in the shadows for all of Marc’s career as Moon Knight.  

Not even the art could save this one for me as one of the most jarring miscalculations of this issue was the pairing of returning artist Jacen Burrows with newcomer colorist Matt Mila. After the refreshing indie-pastel combination of Paul Davidson and series regular Matt Lopes on colors in the previous 2 issues this book feels out of sync. As we explore each of the prospective society inductees’ history of cruelty the warmth of the colors used and their similarity to those used in the narrative frame of the banquet muddle the attempt at setting those flashbacks apart. And even when the color shift is dramatic, as it is in the flashbacks of the body piercer, the jolt away from the expected color scheme is more jarring than refreshing. The panels all seem to have this firelight glow that is more distracting than contributing to an underlying tone or perspective.

Frankly, this issue is a mess and tonally it doesn’t even have Bemis’ unique wackiness to fall back on as a positive. It’s unclear what we can expect from the rest of this arc but I hope that my disappointment with this issue means that it can only get better. Until Next Time, Geek On!

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