Issue(s): Werewolf By Night #32, Werewolf By Night #33
Cover Date: Aug-Sep 75
Title: "--The stalker called Moon Knight" / "Wolf-beast vs. Moon Knight"
Credits:
Doug Moench - Writer
Don Perlin - Penciler
Howie Perlin - Inker

Review/plot:
Last night, Jack Russell put his special friend Buck in a coma while in werewolf form. But, back in human form, Jack is completely unaware of it, so he just staggers home.

Meanwhile, a mercenary named Marc Spector has been hired by the organization known as the Committee to capture him. Spector dresses in an all white outfit and arms himself with silver weapons and silver-spiked gloves in order to fight the Werewolf.

He calls himself Moon Knight. He seems especially equipped to fight werewolves, but as he becomes a popular character and gets his own series, we'll learn that he's more of a general purpose mercenary.

This story seems to imply that the Committee designed his costume...

...but Moon Knight #4 will show that Moon Knight already had the costume, and the fact that they are giving it (back) to him here is due to Frenchie's infiltration of their group. It does seem that the Committee has upgraded the costume with silver for the Werewolf fight. That's interesting since a previous Committee agent, Ma Mayhem, also used a lot of silver weaponry (see Werewolf By Night #18).

Spector's partner and helicopter pilot "Frenchie" captures Jack's sister and the "witch" Topaz...

...while Moon Knight and the Werewolf have a long drawn out fight.

Moon Knight's dialogue is more rough and lowbrow than you'd expect from him if you're familiar with his later appearances (i guess you could say it's more Jake Lockley than Steven Grant).

Moon Knight has the upper hand most of the long fight and eventually captures the Werewolf and brings him to the Committee. But not before the Werewolf breaks free so that the fight can be extended even further.

When we finally get to the Committee, we find that they are much more corporate than they were under their previous leader, Baron Thunder.

The new Committee leader is not aware that Lissa has already been cured of her potential lycanthropy.

Or, since there's no first person narration from Jack contradicting it, it may be hinting that Lissa could still turn into a werewolf. But we're already past her 18th birthday at this point and we've seen at least one new full moon and she hasn't changed.

It's also funny that the Committee members still don't really know what they've signed up for. Some of them still believe the silly "werewolf attacks are good for the economy" story from Werewolf By Night #9-10 (which was discredited in Werewolf By Night #17).

Moon Knight has a change of heart when he realizes how slimy the Committee is, and he frees the werewolf and the girls.

The Werewolf kills the Committee leader.

The panel following this one has the following narration: "Fatso hit the floor like rubberized Jello, and when the quivering stopped... it was just the two of us." And the Werewolf does immediately attack Moon Knight after their little team-up, but Moon Knight withdraws.

The plot with Buck in the hospital doesn't really have anything to do with the Moon Knight attack. But it's presented as a flashback in the middle of the fight as if it did. Muddled storytelling. This is actually typical of the Werewolf By Night series, which seems to always start things off in the middle so that we begin with some action, and then flashes back to where we left off last issue. When the plots are completely unrelated, like the Buck/Moon Knight situation, it's extra weird.

As for the Raymond Coker subplot, he reveals to the voodoo witch Jeesala that he's really there to ask about "zuvembies".

Coker was originally introduced as being Jamaican in origin so it's a little odd for him to have come to Haiti, but he reveals in this arc that he had an aunt and uncle living in Haiti, and according to his cousin they were killed by his zuvembie great-grandfather.

Jeesala tells him that if zuvembies are his problem, then Brother Voodoo is the man he needs.

It's also worth mentioning that police lieutenant Victor Northrup is still trailing Coker, but as an American cop well out of his jurisdiction, he's not navigating Haiti well, especially when he assumes that he's supposed to bribe the local law enforcement and that turns out to be an insult.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 5 - first Moon Knight

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place soon after the end of issue #31. Buck Cowan is badly injured and shouldn't appear anywhere else until the end of the next arc, when he's healed. Jack also punches a wall in anger over Buck's injuries this issue, and breaks his hand; he's seen wearing a bandage (even in Werewolf form) in the next arc, so there shouldn't be any generic Werewolf By Night appearances until the next arc is over, either.

References:

• Raymond Coker used to be a werewolf but he was cured in Werewolf By Night #21.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Moon Knight #20 (2008)

Before this book got reprieved from cancellation later in 1975, FOOM #10 stated that dangling plotlines would be finished in Tomb of Dracula(which was probably a surprise to Marv Wolfman).

I love a good fight...that damn fight went on way too long.

Moon Knight's dealings with the Committee- and how they got the costume- are explained in Moon Knight 4, which you summarized and linked to but didn't note the revisions to this story.

Thanks Michael. That's the hazard of not reading your Marvel comics in chronological order. I've updated this entry and added the relevant scan to Moon Knight #4.

The art looks a little stiff to me. Especially during the fight scenes.

I for one am glad that Doug Moench ditched the street-tough speech patterns/thought bubbles for Moon Knight once he got his own book, saving them for when he was in his Jake Lockley persona.