The Los Angeles Police Department is not used to super heroes. Sure there has been super hero activity in the past with Iron Man, the Runaways and even the Avengers West Coast taking up residence in the City of Angels, but when compared to the New York super hero scene the super hero action on the West Coast has been pretty sparse, but now Moon Knight is in Los Angeles and the LAPD is going to have its hands full. In Marvel Comics’ Moon Knight #6 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, Moon Knight runs afoul of LA’s finest and quickly gets on their bad side.
With the villains known as the Night Shift beaten by Moon Knight and Echo at the end of the previous issue, Moon Knight and Echo find themselves surrounded by the LAPD. The LAPD has little experience with super heroes and are unaware of who these heroes are. The unfamiliarity with these kind of situations comes back to get them.
Moon Knight’s multiple personalities are conflicted on what to do when faced with the LAPD. Should he run or stay and face the music. Moon Knight is ready to go quietly but changes his mind when one of the officers takes a photo of him to make a profit on his arrest. Moon Knight blows up and fights the LAPD.
Bendis works with the multiple personality disorder of Moon Knight and uses it nicely to create tension within in the character. The inner conflict between his various personalities are comedic and only serve to get him into more trouble, when your multiple personalities have the traits of Spider-Man, Wolverine and Captain America that will happen.
Maleev’s artwork defines Moon Knight with grandiose scene setting shots. During Moon Knight’s escape from the police Maleev illustrates a full page of Moon Knight flying up and away from the conflict. The shot instills the scene with a sense of wonder. In one moment Maleev has the down and dirty hero on the streets and in the next he lifts Moon Knight up to the sky creating awe in the eyes of the on looking police officers.
The decision: If you are not reading Moon Knight yet what are you waiting for? Bendis and Maleev have brought the chaos of New York’s crazy super hero lifestyle to Los Angeles. The LA landscape has been built from nothing into an intriguing part of the story. Bendis and Maleev incorporate a lot of bits and pieces from around the Southland that make the story feel real and it plays with the actions and demeanor of the Moon Knight.
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