Editor's Note: Moon Knight #23 arrives in stores tomorrow, October 15.

"The Death of Marc Spector: Part Three"

This issue picks up what seems like at least a week after last issue. If you remember, last issue Venom attacked Marc Spector, and Spector barely made it to one of his safe houses before passing out. The final page reveals a stash of Spector's Moon Knight gear. This issue opens with an irate Norman Osborn, upset that his team of Thunderbolts has been unable to apprehend Moon Knight. Benson does a decent job capturing the bizarre and psychotic nature of Osborn, something we see a lot of throughout the Marvel books right now. The heavier focus on Osborn as opposed to the other Thunderbolts offers up a unique perspective in regards to the hunt for Moon Knight. This is because the previous four issues of this series before this arc focused on Tony Stark and his own frustrations with trying to track down Moon Knight. It also says a great deal about Moon Knight himself. He's a former mercenary, former C.I.A. black ops man, a master of disguise and now an unregistered superhero. Taking a beating and avoiding capture is what Marc Spector does best, even when he wears a white costume.

With Osborn's frustrations over his team's lack of results, he recruits the newest villain to the mix. Remember the guy who had the half moon carved into his forehead, the one the Profile let out of prison? He's back, and he and his gang have been recruited by Osborn to find Moon Knight. I'm not sure if Benson and company have decided on a code name for the character whose "civilian name" is Oliver Finn, but Hooligan seems to fit the best, so that's what I'll call him. I really like the fact that Osborn recruits Hooligan to help the Thunderbolts. This book has also had an underlying theme of "personal effects" that each character has on others. In this particular case, the Hooligan has a vendetta against Moon Knight, and this makes him almost more dangerous than the Thunderbolts who are more or less just on a routine mission.

When Benson gets to the scene featuring a recovering Marc Spector, things get edgy, dark and psychological, three major elements that make this book so fantastic. We're treated to Marc injecting himself with pain killers, an idea that I've mentioned that I think is brilliant, especially for a hero with no super powers. But beyond that, Benson brings Khonshu back into the mix when Spector pleads for his help. When Khonshu appears, he and Spector have a heated argument where Benson plants seeds for the future of the title beyond this arc. There is a fantastic revelation that is sure to get any reader's imagination going and really brings Benson's transition into comics full circle. I won't spoil anything, but if you think Spector's got it rough now, I have a feeling things are going to get a little wilder. Personally, I think Khonshu's words involve someone very close to Spector.

Speaking of people close to Spector, the action of this issue picks up when Hooligan and his gang attack Frenchie's restaurant and send Frenchie's boyfriend, Rob, to the ICU at the hospital. Benson has kept a great deal of focus on the personal tolls that Spector and Frenchie's former life take on the much calmer life enjoyed by Frenchie. Because Rob and Frenchie are gay, Frenchie assumes that it was a hate crime, even though a police officer tells Frenchie it was a statement of retaliation.

This of course leads to a very emotional sequence with Frenchie that ends with him going to Crawley and finding out where Hooligan is located. This is a major plot point because Frenchie, who has tried very hard to put his past and Moon Knight behind him, is embracing the very thing he opposes and is becoming just like Moon Knight.

Speaking of our hero, he finally shows up in full Moon Knight gear when Frenchie is attacking Hooligan and his gang. It's a quick action sequence, but there is something that gets the pulse pounding when Moon Knight unleashes. Moments like these make me wonder who really would win in a fight, Moon Knight or Batman. I'd honestly consider Moon Knight because he is not afraid to take that extra step to ensure justice or victory. The sequence and issue ends with a wild cliffhanger that makes me super-excited for the next issue because I think the action and fighting is going to be insane, no pun intended.

As the series has progressed, Texiera's artwork has become more hit and miss in my opinion. It's still fairly solid, and I love the way he portrays Moon Knight, but there are some moments of freaky anatomy and inconsistency. It's interesting because his Spector and Marlene always look the same, but Frenchie's features vary and so has Tex's portrayal of Norman Osborn. He does a good job capturing the action, but there are some moments of freaky looking anatomy. All in all, I'm still a fan of Tex's work, and I think he's done a great job on this series; I'm just being nit-picky.

Benson gives yet another solid issue of Moon Knight and uses this issue to progress the characters familiar to this title rather than focus solely on the Thunderbolts. This is both a good and bad thing because many readers will yearn for more of the Thunderbolts while at the same time being treated to a solid issue featuring Moon Knight's supporting cast and introducing a cool new villain. Benson also plants the seeds for possible future story-arcs in a brilliant fashion and the intensity of this title increases, not only because of the coming fight with Bullseye, but also because of what Benson seems to have in store.

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