Editor's Note: Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 arrives in stores tomorrow, October 7.

"Shock and Awe: Part 2"

A few weeks ago, Moon Knight returned to the mainstream Marvel Universe with a vengeance, no pun intended. With new armor, a new hideout, a new arsenal and most importantly, a new attitude, Moon Knight took a bite out of the Big Apple and made sure everyone knew he was back. This title is already on course to establishing Moon Knight as a major player in the Marvel Universe. Gregg Hurwitz and Jerome Opena are pulling no punches and bringing the right balance of character and action to this story. The first issue was in your face and very well-done. If you think that the second issue would bring an early "lull" to the series, you were wrong.

The opening of this issue is brilliant. There is no other way to describe how the confrontation between the Sentry and Moon Knight plays out. There's definitely some of the Sentry and definitely some of the Void present, but most of all there is the confident personality that is certainly somewhere in between the Sentry and the Void. This creates a very interesting conversation between the two characters where the Sentry essentially tells Moon Knight that he sees evil inside Moon Knight and that he has to tread lightly, because when he reverts, the Sentry will take him down. The back and forth dialogue between the characters is well-written and well-paced. It creates an interesting dynamic to Moon Knight's new situation, and it also shows his resilience, even in the face of the man with the power of a million exploding suns. It's actually quite brilliant having the craziest, yet most powerful character in the Marvel Universe offering advice to a character like Moon Knight, who has a reputation of being crazy and not always powered.

However, what's truly genius about this interaction is not just the well-written back and forth dialogue and excellent characterization of Moon Knight. What is truly well done is WHERE the Sentry and Moon Knight have this conversation. The Sentry can handle "generic" hero activities that don't involve super-villains or the Void. Hurwitz knows this about the character and uses it to his advantage during what Moon Knight cleverly refers to as "the shadow to shadow chat." Rather than have the two sit on top of a roof top and argue over who is crazier, the Sentry preaches to Moon Knight all the while flying him to different parts of the city to stop disasters from happening. I really thought this was a brilliant way of doing things rather than having a couple pages of "talking heads."

Hurwitz used the first issue to make his statement; this second issue though needs to be the one that really examines everything going on around Moon Knight. By keeping the action flowing and creating a unique scenario for two heroes to have a conversation, Hurwitz keeps the story engaging while keeping the dialogue flowing. Of course, I love the ending of the scene when they stand in the middle of the street being photographed by camera phones and the Sentry tells Moon Knight he will fail. Moon Knight's response? "So will you." Awesome!

Following this brilliant opening scene, the story goes in two directions. One direction shows Norman Osborn, ultimately the main villain and his supporting cast that will be going after Moon Knight. There's the Hood to add the supernatural element and, of course, there's the Profile. The Profile played such a major role in the last volume that excluding him would be unwise. But Hurwitz brings him in and uses him in a similar fashion as Huston and Benson. The Profile is truly the source for the reader to really understand what's going on inside Moon Knight's head. This is really a brilliant convention and not only offers the reader a unique perspective on the title character, but also shows the reader what Osborn sees.

Most interestingly about using the Profile is that he has always had a unique time reading Moon Knight. This trend continues in this issue when the Profile reveals something very interesting about Moon Knight. I have been saying it all along: no matter which personality is dominant, Marc Spector IS Moon Knight. This idea plays into a really interesting twist regarding Osborn, the Profile and where this title is headed. I really love what's below the surface here. Osborn, the Hood and the Profile will do everything possible to break Moon Knight, but there’s doubt they actually can. He's cool and composed, he's aware of his past, aware of what he can be and completely suppresses it not only for his reputation, but also because he is seemingly at peace with his "new" role as a hero. All of this plays into the ending of this issue with the Hood and the Profile, and if you've seen the solicitations for the next few issues, you know it's going to be madness. I will say that as much as Moon Knight is embracing the "Jake Lockley," to me it really seems that he's using it as an excuse, just a name to re-establish his own psyche. He is still and will always be, Marc Spector.

The rest of this issue, in fact a good portion of it, is devoted to Moon Knight, his operation and re-establishing his classic supporting cast. First, we get an idea of how Moon Knight brings in people to work on his equipment, most notably, the Tinkerer. It's interesting that Moon Knight would hire a villain who uses villains as worker bees, but at the same time, if Tony Stark isn't available, why not hire one of the best tech guys in the Marvel universe? Of course, it's all about the money so there isn't really any moral dilemma that Moon Knight faces. But nonetheless, it is an interesting and potentially dangerous dynamic if Osborn finds out about the situation.

Hurwitz also re-introduces Moon Knight's three main supporting cast mates. To really know who they are, it is important to know a bit of the character's history. Regardless, Hurwitz once again shines as he handles Marlene, Frenchie and Crawley as if he's been writing Moon Knight for years. The relationship with Marlene is tense, regardless of his personality. Moon Knight loves her yet you can still cut the tension between the two with a knife. I love their interaction. While brief, it certainly gets the job done and really begins to shape the future of the most important relationship in Moon Knight's life.

With Frenchie, the situation is a little different. Frenchie is brooding, unsure of his role. He's wondering what's next for him, whether or not to risk life and limb with Osborn in power. There's an uncertainty Hurwitz brings to Frenchie as Moon Knight (or Jake) tries to re-enlist him in the fight. With Crawley, it's back to the classic use of the character. He was always Jake Lockley's point man for information that Moon Knight could use to plan his next strike. Hurwitz does just that as Jake visits Crawley and receives information that leads into an action-packed sequence before this issue concludes.

Hurwitz is bringing the right balance of character development and action to this title, and it is really flowing beautifully. From the Osborn/Profile scenes to the explanation of Moon Knight's operations, they come together beautifully when Moon Knight goes after the Slug for robbing jewelry stores. Once again, Hurwtiz (and Opena) gives readers a fast-action thriller of a sequence as Moon Knight shows once more that he could give Batman a run for his money. Hurwitz also uses this sequence to show once again that Moon Knight didn't kill anyone, in case there's anyone out there thinking issue #1 was a fluke. Certainly if you have enough of the "talking" through much of the middle of this issue, this action sequence will really make you smile. Moon Knight is officially the most bad-ass character in comics.

Jerome Opena once again shines in this issue. His style is perfect and continues to improve as the story progresses. He's certainly going to be a big star very soon, and he's helping Hurwitz breathe new life into a character always destined for greatness. Opena's work is also consistent, unique and distinct, elements that I truly believe breed a superstar artist.

I will say that one thing that may detract from the overall enjoyment of this issue is that you may need to know some of the character's history. There's a page where Hurwitz touches on Moon Knight's origin, but in regards to the Profile, Crawley, what happened to Frenchie and the different attitudes of Moon Knight's secret identities, it does help to know the history. It also helps to know characters in the Marvel Universe like the Tinkerer and the Slug, but on that same coin, it is fantastic seeing these expanded universe characters appearing in this title. Hurwitz also covers a lot of ground in this issue, so if you really pay attention to the surface and the subtleties, you are in a for a very enjoyable read.
Overall, another home run from Hurwitz and Opena. Moon Knight is certainly a character to watch and could be one of the most important players in the Marvel Universe's future. If this title isn't on your pull list, you are making a big mistake. The force is strong with this one.

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