5 best Moon Knight comics explored ahead of MCU series' release

With Marvel Studios' Disney+ Moon Knight series slated to drop on March 30, the interest in the character's comic book origins and endeavors have piqued amongst comic fans.

Furthermore, Marvel head Kevin Feige's reassurances to fans about the brutality being carried on to the series from the comic pages, has also hyped the arrival of the character in live-action.

While speaking to Empire, Feige said,

"We're able to take more risks, to bring that experimental quality on a huge scale."

The character's vicious nature is well accounted for in the comics run since its debut in the Werewolf by Night #32 almost 47 years ago. As per Complete Marvel Reading Order, the character has appeared in over 446 comic issues.

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Exploring five must-read comics before Moon Knight's debut in MCU

5) Marvel Spotlight (1971) #28 and #29

Marvel Spotlight (1971) (Image via Marvel Comics)

While the title states '1971,' the actual two-part comic issue was published in 1976, a year after the character's debut. The comic issues were written by Doug Moench and had cover art from legendary Jack Kirby as well as Don Perlin.

These comics introduced the two other personalities of Marc Spector, millionaire Steven Grant and taxi driver Jake Lockley.

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4) Moon Knight (1980) Vol 1

Volume 1 written by Doug Moench (Image via Marvel Comics)

Marc Spector's origin story as the vigilante. The series had Khonshu's presence and also explored Spector's Dissociative Identity Disorder.

The character's deeply rooted vengeance against Raul Bushman's crime was also showcased in the 1980's comic run.

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3) Marc Spector: Moon Knight (multiple issues)

The vigilante team-up in the comic run (Image via Marvel Comics)

This is the longest comic book run for the character spanning more than five years from 1989. It resulted in around 60 issues written by various comic writers and had guest characters like Ghost Rider, Punisher, Spider-Man, and even Doctor Doom.

In the comic series, Spector lost his Avengers' membership card. Furthermore, the subsequent comic issues got pretty gnarly with his body decaying with gangrene in the series.

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2) Moon Knight (2006 - 2009) - Vol 5 (The Bottom)

Charlie Huston and David Finch's 'The Bottom' series (Image via Marvel Comics)

The series began with a crippled Marc Spector who was deserted by his longtime girlfriend Marlene Alraune and his partner Jean-Paul "Frenchie" Duchamp. Spector reminisced about his battle with Raul Bushman that left him in this condition and begged Khonshu, the Moon God, to help him.

Later, the series went into much darker territory and acted sort of like a soft reboot to the previous comic runs. In the fourth issue written by Charlie Huston, Spector carved the face of Bushman with his crescent blade. This ended up being one of the darkest moments of Marvel Comics.

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1) Moon Knight (2014 - 2015) - Vol 7 (From the Dead)

Mr. Knight in the comics (Image via Declan Shalvey/Marvel Comics)

This series is one of the most popular amongst fans for the introduction of another personality sitting inside the Moon-based vigilante, Mr. Knight. The run was written by Warren Ellis, with artwork by Declan Shalvey.

In the series, Mr. Knight is portrayed as the elegantly suited detective-esque iteration of Moon Knight. This version of the character will also appear in the upcoming MCU series.

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Note: The compiled list is subjective and reflects the author's personal opinions.