#yeah this post feels a lot less thorough than the last but eeeeh what am I trying to do here???? Get a good grade in tumblr???

[age-of-moonknight]

History of the Vestments (Part II)

Long post incoming! :D Here are the rest of my random thoughts on 616!Moon Knight's costumes up through modern comics. As I was going through the material for this post, it normatively felt like there were a lot more artists drawing Moon Knight around the same period of time but with slightly different styles, so unfortunately this definitely isn't an exhaustive collection; it kind of ended up being a little less ontological and a bit more of a tour of some of my favorite points along the timeline (RIP my academic credibility).

1. The Skinny Peaked Hood Era

Although it was probably more indicative of artist David Finch's style than perhaps how Moon Knight's hood was actually supposed to be perceived, I do find it interesting that the markedly longer and thinner peak in the hood distinctive of Mr. Finch's work started to bleed into other artists' interpretation of Moon Knight around this time.

Moon Knight (Vol. 5/2006), #5

For example, there is this comic with art by Arthur Adams and Walden Wong.

Hulk (vol. 2/2008), #8

Another interesting characteristic that was especially emphasized during this period was the cloak's volume, which was expanded to create such wonderfully dramatic panels as this one by artist Jefte Palo:

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #29

Other artists around this same time period, such as Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares respectively, chose to emphasize other elements, instead adding more prominent crescent details on the bracers, boots, and belt. (This definitely confirmed for me that the correct answer to the question "how many crescents are on Moon Knight's suit at any given time?" is "yes")

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #17

Moon Knight (vol. 5/2006), #24

2. Armored, High-Tech Jake Lockley

With a new series and artist, Vengeance of the Moon Knight and Jerome Opeña respectively, the Moon Knight suit once again got a new look, featuring a new crescent logo design on the chest plate and what looks to be, in my opinion, more "futuristic" armor. The designs of the spaulders, bracers, and boots have been altered to include more elongated crescents and the armor overall appears to be more extensive and intensive to put on (necessitating the very post-Iron Man (2008) suiting up scene hahaha). Furthermore, there's also the addition of the firearm holsters, which is a marked development from the Moon Knight of the 1980's who largely tried to avoid firearms.

Cover for Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #1

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #7

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #4

One other interesting detail that I noticed becoming more prevalent around this time is the inclusion of more noticeable seams, especially along the sides of the mask (which frankly reminds me of Fantomex hahaha), as seen in this panel with art by Juan Jose Ryp.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2009), #9.

But to be honest, this period was a bit of a free-for-all when it came to design, with some people like artist Bong Dazo really focusing on the details....

Shadowland: Moon Knight (Vol. 1/2010), #2

....others like Mike Deodato Jr. and Will Conrad going with a more "classic" look...

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #10

...and others still sort of splitting the difference, as seen with Graham Nolan’s work...

 Captain America: Hail Hydra (Vol. 1/2011), #5

3. Meleev’s Take

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #8

Maleev’s work on volume 6 leaned more towards the “understated” end of the spectrum, with no decoration on the bracers and boots and a belt that frankly reminds me of the sort of the thing Spider-Man would keep under his suit to carry his web cartridges (and of course, there’s all the other costume weapons/accessories that came with this volume hahaha).

Moon Knight (Vol. 6/2011), #9

4. Precursor to Mr. Knight????

Now this was an interesting (re)discovery: apparently in Secret Avengers #19 (a personal favorite issue of mine) with art by Michael Lark, Moon Knight's undercover stint as a civilian ends with him wearing a combo that is very similar to what Mr. Knight would wear in his debut in an issue published three years later. Just a fun little bit of trivia.

Secret Avengers (Vol. 1/2010), #19.

5. Ladies and Gentlemen, THE Mr. Knight

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #1

Perhaps one of THE most iconic looks for Moon Knight, Declan Shalvey’s Mr. Knight was described as a respectable public persona who could interact with official authorities, unlike the vigilante Moon Knight, and with such a smart looking three-piece suit, he definitely looks the part. In this particular panel, I especially like the crescent details on the buttons and cuffs.

5. That One Black Suit

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #2

I uuuuuh actually already wrote a whole post breaking this suit down, so you can find that here, if you like hahaha

6. Ghost Ripper Armor

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #3

If Mr. Knight is for respectable, above-board business and the Moon Knight armor is for beating up crooks in alley ways, this here armor is for the more mystical elements Moon Knight might need to deal with. While most prominently featured in Shalvey’s work and throughout volume 7, it has popped up in two issues of Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood, first in a story drawn by Akande Adedotun and then in a story with art by Leonardo Romero.

7. Lockley????

Moon Knight (Vol. 7/2014), #8

This one isn’t revolutionary so much as it just haunts me personally. This appearance by an alter only referred to as “Lockley” (Jake Lockley??? although some argue that this may be another alter???) is only found in this issue with art by Greg Smallwood. It features the volume 7 black suit sans the cowl and with the addition of a white mask and honestly, the whole lack of information surrounding this incident just insures that at least I will forever lie awake thinking about it hahaha

8. Bemis Era

Cover for Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #189

The initial artist for the Bemis run, Jacen Burrows, continued the trend of keeping the Moon Knight suit fairly simple in design and monochromatic in color. Some elements I do appreciate, however, are the subtle change in shape of the bracers while the straps across the inner arm still mimic the banding of earlier designs. Furthermore, I just find the use of white lenses surrounded by black, as opposed to the typical glowing blue or slightly less common red, to be an interestingly distinctive artist’s choice.

Moon Knight (Vol. 8/2016), #197

9. MacKay Era

Simply put, I owe artist Alessandro Cappuccio and colorist Rachelle Rosenberg my soul. On my last post about Moon Knight’s suits, there’s a comment about how the body of Marc’s suit was originally supposed to be black while the white was only intended to act as highlights. The classic all-white suit wasn’t adopted until around the West Coast Avengers era due to changes in printing and some readers coming to the conclusion that the suit was white (sort of a Spider-Man 2099 situation where his suit is described in the text as being predominantly black despite looking blue). Mr. Cappuccio seems to be harkening back to that effect and I personally find it very exciting. Depending upon the lighting in a panel, the suit in volume 9 can look almost like the one introduced in volume 7 or it could look almost entirely black…

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

…OR it could look as pure white as people have thought it has been for decades hahaha

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #8

Add on to that the faint glow effect that’s present even with Mr. Knight's suit and you get a truly otherworldly look perfect for a guy who’s been brought back from the dead a couple times by an Egyptian deity and who will not hesitate to punch a ghost or kill a faery. Or live in a haunted house for that matter.

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #1

Moon Knight (Vol. 9/2021), #7

Look at this walking glowstick

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #History of the Vestments #Moon Knight comics #Moon Knight #Marc Spector #Jake Lockley #Lockley #Mr. Knight #yeah this post feels a lot less thorough than the last but eeeeh what am I trying to do here???? Get a good grade in tumblr??? #(....I would be lying if I didn't answer with at least '....a little bit' but I am practically yerding that instinct hahaha) #I had some fun and I hope at least someone else enjoys this too :D #I might do a big ol' compilation of non-616 Moon Knight suits #and then it'll be on to all the vehicles that have been crashed in Moon Knight comics hahaha #long post