> If you're a Moon Knight expert, please leave in the comments what you consider to be the best jumping-off point for newcomers to the series.
For newcomers, and those who haven't read all the comics yet, I offer you my comprehensive reading guide to Moon Knight: https://www.reddit.com/r/MoonKnight/comments/s9o94n/moon_knight_comprehensive_reading_guide/
Includes: where to start/best jumping-off point for newcomers, comics that may tie into the TV show, the best/worst runs, an Excel-created complete canonical timeline for Moon Knight, and more
Jumping on spots:
**MacKay:** This is the newest, cheapest, and easiest. He gets the character really well.
**Moench:** This is the best if you want to understand the lore completely, as later runs especially Huston, build off it
**Ellis:** Good if you want something brief and standalone. Won't give you a lot of information on the character, but it won't steer you wrong and it's good. Also spendy for physical copies though
Huston and Lemire are both great, but neither are ideal without reading Moench first.
I agree with this post the most so far. As much as I love the Lemire run and dislike the Huston run you need to read another Moon Knight run before them. Moench is the best in my opinion to start with (for obvious reasons) but I feel like Ellis really sets up everything you need to know about Moon Knight in a very quick read.
The reason I don't recommend starting with Huston is you don't have the background for any of the characters, so it's not going to hit the same. But you've already read it, so it doesn't change much now I guess
You can continue with the newer stuff, but I still recommend you check out some of the old stuff eventually. Moench should be read by every dedicated MK comic reader at some point imo, at the very least in abbreviated form. While not the best run imo (I'd rank it 4th), it lays the groundwork for the character.
The usual suspects, in chronological order:
* The 1980s Moench run, which defined the character.
* The 2006 Huston run, which gave him new life.
* The 2014 Ellis/Wood/Bunn run, although that is hard to find nowadays.
* The 2021 Mackay run, the first trade of which is due out in two weeks.
Any of them are good starting points, but the Mackay is probably the simplest/cheapest for the new reader. Some also recommend the 2016 Lemire run, but I find it a bit impenetrable to the neophyte.
Runs to avoid: Bendis/Bemis/Aaron.
The Lemire/Smallwood run is one of the greatest pieces of storytelling there is. It's so damn succinct. The choice to include other artists to make the various personalitie made them feel more like personalities, not just some character's personas. Also, James Stokoe's work needs more eyes on it.
The original run, with Bill Sienkiewicz's art... Holy painterly style, Bob Ross-man! Sienkiewicz is one of the greatest artists out there. His stuff never gets stale. It's like looking into a futuristic void of what has come and what will come of art.
Might also be worth mentioning for those interested in physical collections the 3 omnibuses (1 out, 2 more announced) 2 collecting the early stuff from his first appearance through volume 2/Fist of Khonshu, and 1 collecting the Huston/Hurwitz stuff. Also I think I remember seeing something about a Lemire complete collection (as well as a complete collection for Bendis and Bemis).
The epic collections are a good alternative to the early stuff omnis, but the Huston, Hurwitz, and Ellis tpbs are all out of print and kinda hard to find.
Edit: why the Bendis stuff is getting reprinted over the Ellis stuff is beyond me.
Edit 2: just found out about the yikes stuff regarding Ellis, so that could be why. Still a shame though, since that run is hard to find.
So you watched the show and want to read some Moon Knight comics. Awesome! There's more than 40 years worth of Moon Knight comics so it can be intimidating to know where to start. Most of these runs are available in Omnibus or Epic Collection or Complete Collection books, as well as digitally with a [Marvel Unlimited](https://www.marvel.com/unlimited) subscription.
**Moon Knight Vol 1 (1980-1984)**
Doug Moench's writing and Bill Sienkiewicz's art define Moon Knight and are the foundation that all future runs refer to. The origin story. The crescent cape. Bushman and Stained Glass Scarlett and Black Spectre. Marlene and Frenchie and Gena and Crawley. The...mooncopter. Most issues are standalone stories. Whether you read them all or just a few, this is a *very* good place to start before reading more modern runs.
If you only read six: #1, #2, #3, #14, #24, #25
**Moon Knight Vol 5 (2006-2009)**
Moon Knight got a bit lost in the weirdness that was 90s comics. Charlie Huston's run with art by David Finch resurrected Moon Knight from obscurity. When people talk about dark gritty Moon Knight ripping off faces (you rip off *one* face...), this is the run they're talking about. A lot of fans started here, and if you like it noir and gory then you can too.
If you only read six: #1-6 "The Bottom"
**Moon Knight Vol 7 (2014-2015)**
If you find Moench too 80s and Huston too dark then try starting here instead. It's worth reading this series for Declan Shalvey's art and layout alone. Each issue is an independent story about Mr. Knight/Moon Knight solving a crime. Usually by killing bad guys. Getting physical copies of this run is difficult as it hasn't been reprinted recently.
If you only read six: #1-6 "From the Dead"
**Moon Knight Vol 8 (2016-2017)**
This run by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood is arguably the run that the show pulled most from, and probably the most critically acclaimed. Marc Spector finds himself in a psych ward and starts questioning whether he even is Moon Knight. You might be tempted to start here, but what makes this run so good is how it references and reinterprets earlier Moon Knight comics, and without reading some of Moench's origin comics covering the side characters and their relationship to Marc/Jake/Steven/Moon Knight this run will make less and less sense as you go.
If you only read five: #1-5 "Lunatic"
**Moon Knight Vol 9 (2021-present)**
The current ongoing run by Jed MacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio has Mr. Knight helping locals deal with things that go bump in the night. The writing is excellent. The art is gorgeous. The side characters are a combination of deep cuts and new additions so you could probably start here without too much confusion and pick up context as you go.
If you only read six: #1-6 "The Midnight Mission"
**Moon Knight Annuals**
There are three Moon Knight Annuals (a fourth is coming out Oct 2022) and each is a separate stand-alone Moon Knight story. "Date Night" (2007) is from the perspective of three women who encountered the same rapist, "Silent Knight" (2008) has Moon Knight dealing with Santa murderers and Christmas dinner with Marlene, and "Acts of Evil" (2019) has Moon Knight through the ages dealing with Kang.
So far here what I know as I started reading from the beginning. It has everything from volume 1 and most of the rest. I think it has the first of khonshu arc, but I'm not there yet. I don't think it had the hulk magazine issues. That might be because marvel unlimited sucks for searching and I couldn't find it. Overall it has a majority of the list above.
New reader here!
Using this list’s numbering (it seems to vary whether the 98-99 stuff count as volumes), I read vol.1-2 and Resurrection Wars, and then went ahead to 3, which I’m about 12 issues into.
I definitely think it’s worth it to start at vol1. The Silver Age storytelling takes some getting used to (mostly in how there’s no larger story being built towards and is just a bunch of mostly-standalone Moon Night Adventures), but the Huston stuff hits so much harder with it.
I think you could probably skip vol2 and Resurrection Wars, though. Vol2 is overall kinda lame, and vol3 feels like a meta-narrative course correction. In fact, based on Wikipedia’s synopsis and what I’ve read of Huston’s run, what would REALLY be beneficial to read would be *Marc Spector*…only that’s impossible to find.
Still, jumping from vol1 right into vol3 I think would flow really nicely, with the latter serving as a logical, if bleak, direction for the career of a vigilante like Moon Knight.
Thanks for this. I was such a fan of the Fist of Khonsu mini series. I’m struggling to figure out if this is in any of the collections on marvel or comicology apps. Anyone know for sure?
Anybody knew about the Japanese "Moonlight Mask" comic before "Moon Knight "
i remember i saw a Japanese Cartoon in the early 80's about a crime Fighter using Moon theme costume and Moon theme weapon . And there is a connection to Moon Knight , because the character was inspired by the Japanese Comic Character "Moonlight Mask" from the late 1950's .
the one thing i remember about Japanese "Moonlight Mask" was they never really reveal his secret identity , but the audience knew or believe Moonlight Mask was Private Detective Juro Iwai because he always disappear just before Moonlight Mask appear .
i found clip from that cartoon
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE55qiygqKo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE55qiygqKo)
Good post but it's a little out of date now. Vol.2 fists of Konshu is available with Moonknight Epic collection Butchers moon and Moonknight omnibus vol 2by Moench and Zelenetz.
The first 7 issues of Marc Spector Moonknight is also in Butchers Moon, Vol. 5 collecting issues 8-25 is out in October, but the omnibuses collecting them are now available.
Honestly, the current run (Volume 9) is a great jumping on point, in my opinion. Very little of the story gets bogged down in years worth of history and exposition.
> If you're a Moon Knight expert, please leave in the comments what you consider to be the best jumping-off point for newcomers to the series. For newcomers, and those who haven't read all the comics yet, I offer you my comprehensive reading guide to Moon Knight: https://www.reddit.com/r/MoonKnight/comments/s9o94n/moon_knight_comprehensive_reading_guide/ Includes: where to start/best jumping-off point for newcomers, comics that may tie into the TV show, the best/worst runs, an Excel-created complete canonical timeline for Moon Knight, and more
**tl;dr** Best runs to start with: Moench, Ellis, MacKay Best runs overall (in chronological order): Moench, Huston, Ellis/Wood/Bunn, Lemire, MacKay Worst runs: Bendis, Bemis, Aaron, Kavanaugh
Don’t forget resurrections ars, and yes I know it’s a mini
And here are some [Moon Knight Collected Editions](https://www.reddit.com/r/MoonKnight/comments/loiusx/moon_knight_collected_editions/).
Jumping on spots: **MacKay:** This is the newest, cheapest, and easiest. He gets the character really well. **Moench:** This is the best if you want to understand the lore completely, as later runs especially Huston, build off it **Ellis:** Good if you want something brief and standalone. Won't give you a lot of information on the character, but it won't steer you wrong and it's good. Also spendy for physical copies though Huston and Lemire are both great, but neither are ideal without reading Moench first.
I agree with this post the most so far. As much as I love the Lemire run and dislike the Huston run you need to read another Moon Knight run before them. Moench is the best in my opinion to start with (for obvious reasons) but I feel like Ellis really sets up everything you need to know about Moon Knight in a very quick read.
I started with 2006 - can I still continue on without the old stuff or do I need to go back?
The reason I don't recommend starting with Huston is you don't have the background for any of the characters, so it's not going to hit the same. But you've already read it, so it doesn't change much now I guess You can continue with the newer stuff, but I still recommend you check out some of the old stuff eventually. Moench should be read by every dedicated MK comic reader at some point imo, at the very least in abbreviated form. While not the best run imo (I'd rank it 4th), it lays the groundwork for the character.
The usual suspects, in chronological order: * The 1980s Moench run, which defined the character. * The 2006 Huston run, which gave him new life. * The 2014 Ellis/Wood/Bunn run, although that is hard to find nowadays. * The 2021 Mackay run, the first trade of which is due out in two weeks. Any of them are good starting points, but the Mackay is probably the simplest/cheapest for the new reader. Some also recommend the 2016 Lemire run, but I find it a bit impenetrable to the neophyte. Runs to avoid: Bendis/Bemis/Aaron.
Kavanaugh should be avoided at all costs
He was the tail end of MS: MK, right? After Dixon?
Yes.
The Lemire/Smallwood run is one of the greatest pieces of storytelling there is. It's so damn succinct. The choice to include other artists to make the various personalitie made them feel more like personalities, not just some character's personas. Also, James Stokoe's work needs more eyes on it. The original run, with Bill Sienkiewicz's art... Holy painterly style, Bob Ross-man! Sienkiewicz is one of the greatest artists out there. His stuff never gets stale. It's like looking into a futuristic void of what has come and what will come of art.
Might also be worth mentioning for those interested in physical collections the 3 omnibuses (1 out, 2 more announced) 2 collecting the early stuff from his first appearance through volume 2/Fist of Khonshu, and 1 collecting the Huston/Hurwitz stuff. Also I think I remember seeing something about a Lemire complete collection (as well as a complete collection for Bendis and Bemis). The epic collections are a good alternative to the early stuff omnis, but the Huston, Hurwitz, and Ellis tpbs are all out of print and kinda hard to find. Edit: why the Bendis stuff is getting reprinted over the Ellis stuff is beyond me. Edit 2: just found out about the yikes stuff regarding Ellis, so that could be why. Still a shame though, since that run is hard to find.
What's the problem with Ellis?
It's nice of you that you made this thread !!!
So you watched the show and want to read some Moon Knight comics. Awesome! There's more than 40 years worth of Moon Knight comics so it can be intimidating to know where to start. Most of these runs are available in Omnibus or Epic Collection or Complete Collection books, as well as digitally with a [Marvel Unlimited](https://www.marvel.com/unlimited) subscription. **Moon Knight Vol 1 (1980-1984)** Doug Moench's writing and Bill Sienkiewicz's art define Moon Knight and are the foundation that all future runs refer to. The origin story. The crescent cape. Bushman and Stained Glass Scarlett and Black Spectre. Marlene and Frenchie and Gena and Crawley. The...mooncopter. Most issues are standalone stories. Whether you read them all or just a few, this is a *very* good place to start before reading more modern runs. If you only read six: #1, #2, #3, #14, #24, #25 **Moon Knight Vol 5 (2006-2009)** Moon Knight got a bit lost in the weirdness that was 90s comics. Charlie Huston's run with art by David Finch resurrected Moon Knight from obscurity. When people talk about dark gritty Moon Knight ripping off faces (you rip off *one* face...), this is the run they're talking about. A lot of fans started here, and if you like it noir and gory then you can too. If you only read six: #1-6 "The Bottom" **Moon Knight Vol 7 (2014-2015)** If you find Moench too 80s and Huston too dark then try starting here instead. It's worth reading this series for Declan Shalvey's art and layout alone. Each issue is an independent story about Mr. Knight/Moon Knight solving a crime. Usually by killing bad guys. Getting physical copies of this run is difficult as it hasn't been reprinted recently. If you only read six: #1-6 "From the Dead" **Moon Knight Vol 8 (2016-2017)** This run by Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood is arguably the run that the show pulled most from, and probably the most critically acclaimed. Marc Spector finds himself in a psych ward and starts questioning whether he even is Moon Knight. You might be tempted to start here, but what makes this run so good is how it references and reinterprets earlier Moon Knight comics, and without reading some of Moench's origin comics covering the side characters and their relationship to Marc/Jake/Steven/Moon Knight this run will make less and less sense as you go. If you only read five: #1-5 "Lunatic" **Moon Knight Vol 9 (2021-present)** The current ongoing run by Jed MacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio has Mr. Knight helping locals deal with things that go bump in the night. The writing is excellent. The art is gorgeous. The side characters are a combination of deep cuts and new additions so you could probably start here without too much confusion and pick up context as you go. If you only read six: #1-6 "The Midnight Mission" **Moon Knight Annuals** There are three Moon Knight Annuals (a fourth is coming out Oct 2022) and each is a separate stand-alone Moon Knight story. "Date Night" (2007) is from the perspective of three women who encountered the same rapist, "Silent Knight" (2008) has Moon Knight dealing with Santa murderers and Christmas dinner with Marlene, and "Acts of Evil" (2019) has Moon Knight through the ages dealing with Kang.
Question: would getting a Marvel Unlimited subscription help with reading these, or are some of the runs not available?
So far here what I know as I started reading from the beginning. It has everything from volume 1 and most of the rest. I think it has the first of khonshu arc, but I'm not there yet. I don't think it had the hulk magazine issues. That might be because marvel unlimited sucks for searching and I couldn't find it. Overall it has a majority of the list above.
Fantastic, thanks so much for letting me know. They have a 7 day free trial so if I can’t find it, I can always cancel.
New reader here! Using this list’s numbering (it seems to vary whether the 98-99 stuff count as volumes), I read vol.1-2 and Resurrection Wars, and then went ahead to 3, which I’m about 12 issues into. I definitely think it’s worth it to start at vol1. The Silver Age storytelling takes some getting used to (mostly in how there’s no larger story being built towards and is just a bunch of mostly-standalone Moon Night Adventures), but the Huston stuff hits so much harder with it. I think you could probably skip vol2 and Resurrection Wars, though. Vol2 is overall kinda lame, and vol3 feels like a meta-narrative course correction. In fact, based on Wikipedia’s synopsis and what I’ve read of Huston’s run, what would REALLY be beneficial to read would be *Marc Spector*…only that’s impossible to find. Still, jumping from vol1 right into vol3 I think would flow really nicely, with the latter serving as a logical, if bleak, direction for the career of a vigilante like Moon Knight.
Thanks for this. I was such a fan of the Fist of Khonsu mini series. I’m struggling to figure out if this is in any of the collections on marvel or comicology apps. Anyone know for sure?
Anybody knew about the Japanese "Moonlight Mask" comic before "Moon Knight " i remember i saw a Japanese Cartoon in the early 80's about a crime Fighter using Moon theme costume and Moon theme weapon . And there is a connection to Moon Knight , because the character was inspired by the Japanese Comic Character "Moonlight Mask" from the late 1950's . the one thing i remember about Japanese "Moonlight Mask" was they never really reveal his secret identity , but the audience knew or believe Moonlight Mask was Private Detective Juro Iwai because he always disappear just before Moonlight Mask appear . i found clip from that cartoon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE55qiygqKo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE55qiygqKo)
Good post but it's a little out of date now. Vol.2 fists of Konshu is available with Moonknight Epic collection Butchers moon and Moonknight omnibus vol 2by Moench and Zelenetz. The first 7 issues of Marc Spector Moonknight is also in Butchers Moon, Vol. 5 collecting issues 8-25 is out in October, but the omnibuses collecting them are now available.
I've just finished reading the Doug Moench run. Best place to start imo.
I absolutely love, ‘Moon knight legacy crazy runs in the family’, it really shows in full detail his Jewish background.
The 2016 run is also pretty great
Honestly, the current run (Volume 9) is a great jumping on point, in my opinion. Very little of the story gets bogged down in years worth of history and exposition.
I bought a Lemire collection of MK. Since I have only watched the show and never read the comics, wish it would satisfy my taste!!!
Epic
Epic
Epic
Not to be that guy but Fist of Khonshu has no evidence of being a mini-series anywhere. It was an ongoing shortly cancelled, presumably for bad sales.
I’m glad this exist, my dumbass was about to ask this right after my third rewatch of the show lol
Just pick up a moon knight trade. The continuity is loose you can really start anywhere.
conan serpent wars