Issue(s): Moon Knight #4, Moon Knight #5
Cover Date: Sep-Oct 89
Title: "Wild Midnight" / "Rockin' at Midnight"
Credits:
Chuck Dixon - Writer
Russ Heath / Sal Velluto - Penciler
Russ Heath / Mark Farmer - Inker
Marc McLaurin - Assistant Editor
Carl Potts - Editor

Review/plot:
After a somewhat promising start, Moon Knight gets uninteresting real fast. These issues seemingly feature the return of Midnight, sometimes (including in these issues) called the Midnight Man. Midnight is trying to discredit Moon Knight by stealing from companies that Marc Spector owns, based on the idea introduced in the previous arc that Spector is paper rich but cash poor, so people think it's Spector trying to get some quick cash. Midnight punches the business' clocks at exactly midnight as a calling card.

The story isn't helped by the fact that Golden Age artist Russ Heath draws issue #4. Here's a stiff sequence regarding Moon Knight's upgraded costume.

And here's the bikini-clad housemaid Chloe preparing a steaming pile of shit for dinner.

Marlene is upset because Moon Knight didn't kill Bushman last issue, and he reiterates that he's not a Dirty Harry (or Punisher) type character.

I'm not complaining about that characterization, and i think it's interesting the way it's been repeatedly emphasized, especially since Dixon will move on to the Punisher. But it's worth remembering that he went to Mockingbird's splinter version of the Avengers because he didn't quite agree with the Avengers' no-killing rule. Even then, though, he wasn't depicted as a being a bloodthirsty killer.

One other little tangent. This series is called Marc Spector, Moon Knight, and indeed all the characters now refer to Moon Knight's civilian identity as Marc, even the accountant, Hal Parkinson.

I haven't kept close track of this and i am missing the majority of the second Moon Knight series, but it was Moon Knight's Steven Grant persona that used to have the money.

I love this: Midnight is described as "a real pro", that "only skimmed the best stuff" including... wait for it... "anything that wasn't nailed down".

Marc throws a charity party to lure Midnight somewhere that he can catch him. The party is also infiltrated by FBI agents hoping to catch Marc in the act. And also by the Black Cat, who delivers a horrible line about how she likes her seafood fresh... like her men. I hope to god that was delivered tongue in cheek by both Dixon and Felicia, but it's hard to tell.

Midnight does show up, but it just gets confusing with two guys running around in similar costumes, and, as the script points out a few times, similar names, at least phonetically.

Midnight escapes in part thanks to the Black Cat, who is confused about who the bad guy is here.

The Sal Velluto / Mark Farmer art returns for issue #5.

Black Cat is not aware of Moon Knight.

But at least she doesn't call him Whitey, like the FBI do.

Moon Knight manages to dodge all these people and get back on Midnight's trail in Frenchie's helicopter. The Black Cat hitches a ride. And she does call him Casper.

But that's because she can't remember his real name. Moonbeam? Moonshine? Moonraker?

We did these jokes in the previous arc, too, and i like the idea that Moon Knight is a little known hero, but people seriously can't remember his name right after they just heard it? It's a bit much.

Also? Felicia? Can you keep it down about your old boyfriend "Parker"? Spider-Man has enough trouble. I know you're on the roof of the helicopter and probably no one else can hear you, but that just raises the question of why you're talking out loud in the first place.

Midnight crashes into the river and gets away. That's it for Black Cat in this story, but as we leave her she announces that she's attracted to Moon Knight since she melts for any man in a mask.

And just to make things extra stupid, Marlene finds a hair on Moon Knight when he gets home.

Moon Knight wonders if the fact that the hair remained on him is related to Felicia's bad luck powers.

Later, Midnight shows up at Marc's mansion and Moon Knight attacks him despite Midnight wanting to talk.

It eventually comes out that this is the son of the original Midnight Man...

...and he now wants to be Moon Knight's sidekick. Well, he says partner. Moon Knight has Frenchie give him cab fare and send him home.

Meanwhile, zombies.

I did say steaming pile of shit at some point during this review, right? It's really not that bad. It's just... you've got to really be a dedicated Moon Knight fan to look past the unexciting plot and weak scripting and get something out of this. It picks up a bit with the Velluto / Farmer art but not enough.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Midnight (Jeffrey Wilde)

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Moon Knight says that Midnight always was a lousy swimmer, a non-footnoted reference to his seeming death in Moon Knight #10.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

"Moon Knight wonders if the fact that the hair remained on him is related to Felicia's bad luck powers"
Which she doesn't have at this point.
If Marc is trying to get back with Marlene, then why doesn't he have his housekeeper put some clothes on?
Note that the FBI are aware that Felicia was the Black Cat. Because Michelinie will soon forget that Felicia's identity should be public knowledge.

Why would Marlene even care about a blond hair when he is just coming back from a mission as Moon Knight? Is he expected to avoid punching blond people or something?

Midnight as a sidekick is what derails the entirety of Dixon's run. Dixon obviously had a plan for all of this, but it detracts from the key things about Moon Knight.

Everyone's personalities don't always trace back to their depiction by Moench either.

There are a lot of good elements here, but there are a few critical missteps.

"Which she doesn't have at this point."

Michael - how would Moon Knight be expected to know that? It's not like there's a file on her that gets updated constantly. As far as he knows, she does still have her powers.

Clyde, my point was that it seemed like DIXON doesn't know that.

Bump significance rating for Midnight's first appearance? He does become a supporting character, appears in a prominent storyline (in another book) and returns in the 2006 Moon Knight series.

Agree. He's a legacy character, which caused my original neglect of him, but he does turn out to be relatively important.