Issue(s): Moon Knight #32, Moon Knight #33
Cover Date: Nov-Dec 91
Title: "Half life" / "Torn"
Credits:
Howard Mackie - Writer
J.M. DeMatteis - Plot on #32
Ron Garney - Penciler
Tom Palmer - Inker
Danny Fingeroth - Editor

Review/plot:
There are no lettercols in these issues, so we don't get to see a reaction to J.M. DeMatteis' Scarlet Redemption storyline, and there's therefore also no explanation from the editors regarding his departure. Based on my personal reaction to that story, i'd like to think he was removed from the book. But i also wondered if that story was something that DeMatteis had already plotted years earlier (given how quickly it restored the book to a 1980s status quo), and maybe after that story was concluded he didn't have as much interest in the book, or something else. The fact that he plots but doesn't script issue #32 suggests that his departure was abrupt, in any event.

This is a much more straightforward super-hero story, featuring the Hobgoblin as a villain and a guest appearance by Spider-Man. But it does include an interesting twist on the Hobgoblin. It's also presented as a kind of resolution for the character, as you can see by the cover of issue #33, which says that it features "the fate of the Hobgoblin". The covers of both issues also make sure that we know that it's the black-suited Spider-Man in these issues.

The story is that after getting hit with Ghost Rider and Blaze's hellfire, he's been alternating back and forth between his human and goblin forms.

And when he's in goblin form, he's specifically focused on attacking mercenaries, since that's what Jason Macendale was before he became the Hobgoblin (well, he was Jack O'Lantern first, but you get the point).

I like this because it takes the warped religious idea that Todd McFarlane added to the character but gives a focus to it (and of course sets up a conflict with former mercenary Marc Spector, currently Moon Knight). I also love how the Hobgoblin lingers after he's killed his target; that makes him extra terrifying somehow. He's not just performing hit and run assassinations. He's going to hang around and rant.

Hobgoblin next goes after Frenchie, Moon Knight's assistant/partner/pilot. There's a conflict between Frenchie and Moon Knight in this story that i don't really agree with. The idea is that Frenchie is upset with Moon Knight after he's (re-)affirmed his commitment to not killing during the Scarlet Redemption story. But Moon Knight hasn't been a killer for a long time as far as i know. Certainly when Chuck Dixon began writing this third Moon Knight series, he explicitly established that Moon Knight was against killing, which as i noted in those entries was in direct contrast to the Punisher. And there wasn't a peep from Frenchie during those issues, but now suddenly they aren't on speaking terms over this.

Anyway, Spider-Man is swinging by when Hobgoblin attacks Frenchie.

Frenchie and Macendale recognize each other when Hobgoblin briefly changes back into human form. It's a tightly knit mercenary world in the Marvel universe.

Hobgoblin gives up on fighting Frenchie and decides to go after Marc Spector instead. Spider-Man goes with Frenchie to help Spector, unaware that Spector is Moon Knight.

The big conflict is about whether or not Moon Knight should try to reach out to the Hobgoblin's human side and help him, or agree with Frenchie and just kill him.

Even Spider-Man comments on the change in Moon Knight, and to be fair, he is extra merciful in this story.

Moon Knight does manage to help Macendale gain control of himself. But the problem is that Macendale was never that nice of a guy to begin with.

So Frenchie is kind of proved right. And once Marlene is threatened, Moon Knight's kid gloves are off and Spider-Man has to stop him from beating Hobgoblin to a pulp.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is meant to take place directly after Spider-Man #14, with Spidey not yet having had time to go home and change out of his black costume.

References:

• Hogoblin fought Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider #16-17 (as AF notes in the comments, incorrectly footnoted as #14).
  
• Spider-Man wore the black costume in Spider-Man #13-14 and was on his way home when he saw the Hobgoblin fighting Frenchie.
  
• There is a flashback to Hulk Magazine #15-17, which featured the first appearance of Moon Knight's brother Randall Spector, which comes out of nowhere. Not coincidentally, Randall is lurking in the bushes during these issues, and will be the main villain for issue #35.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

For me sadly Moon Knight was a yawn fest. None of this excited me or mattered.

Ghost Rider #16-17 is incorrectly footnoted as Ghost Rider #14.

I suspect DeMatteis might've had a bigger hand in it than just plotting, Pages 4-12 are pretty heavy on the inner-monologue and they definitely read like DeMatteis. Either that or Mackie is doing a pretty accurate DeMatteis impression. I think it's the former though since they do sort of drop off sharply and are completely absent from most the other pages. After that there's just some on Page 20 and there's a few Hobgoblin ones later that also reek of DeMatteis (and even refer to Spider-Man as "the Spider"). #33's thought boxes are more just generic exposition thoughts which read more like Mackie's style.