Broken Frontier

In September, Moon Knight returns with a brand new series and a new creative team, as writer Gregg Hurwitz and artists Jerome Opeña take on Marc Spector in Vengeance of the Moon Knight. BF had the opportunity to speak with Gregg about the new series and where he plans to take it.

First, Gregg filled us in on his writing background. “I started out writing novels—crime fiction—and branched out from there into screenplays, and finally, into comics. I do a lot of hands-on research when I'm digging into my stories, everything from sneaking onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs to going undercover into mind-control cults.

My latest thriller Trust No One just came out last month—it's about an average guy, Nick Horrigan, who gets dragged out of bed in the middle of the night by a SWAT Team; the commander tells him that a terrorist has just seized control of a nuclear power plant and will ONLY talk to Nick.

And Nick has no idea who this guy is or how Nick is implicated. It's like a Hitchcock everyman thriller on steroids. With comics, I started with Foolkiller, then got the call to write the first Punisher arc after Garth left. That was really a blast. I've done some Wolverine one-shots after that, and just now have started my transition to Moon Knight.”

That transition came pretty smoothly, as Gregg tells it. “Axel [Alonso, Senior Editor] and I were talking about what I was gonna do next, and Moon Knight kept coming up and coming up, and finally I said, "What if I took Moon Knight and blew it up bigger?" I'd just read The Ultimates and was thinking more in that vein. And Axel said, "Sold!"

Some readers may be concerned that when a writer from another medium comes to comics, they won’t bother to fill themselves in on the characters. Not so with Gregg. Asked if he’s read any Moon Knight comics to prepare for his run, he replies succinctly, “Yes—a ton. I’m still going through back issues.”

And Gregg has nothing but good things to say about working with his collaborator, Jerome Opeña, describing the experience as ‘terrific’. “He's got a fantastic eye for detail, he's easy to work with, and he makes everything I write look that much better.”

Delving into the character of Moon Knight, Gregg explains what he sees in Marc Spector. “There's a compelling darkness there, certainly, but I especially love the way he can play in both worlds: a street-level ass-kicker and a through-and-through Marvel hero with gadgets and gear. It's a kick and a challenge to get at his tortured, fractured psychology while keeping him engaged in mayhem on a bigger level.”

Moon Knight’s had a long history up to this point, so what makes this the right time for readers to jump on board? Of his run, Gregg says, “It's a fast-paced ride of a book. It's got an explosive opening and just picks up speed from there. But I hope I've also managed to capture the parts of Moon Knight that will keep readers engaged with who he is and what he's struggling with.”

His run will not be a mere carbon copy of those before him, though. Explaining how it matches up with previous runs, Gregg says, “It maintains some of the depth and darkness [Charlie] Huston brought to the title with the fun and scale of the earlier books. Also, I want to dig into Moon Knight's psychology in a way that hasn't been explored before—to show what he's really on the run from and what he hopes he's heading toward.” As to what else readers can expect, Gregg adds, “Look for some Marvel staples. Some old friends. And an old enemy!”

Gregg also has some other projects in the works. “I wrote a short story for Punisher #75 called "Gateway" that takes a look at a little piece of the puzzle from that fateful day in Central Park. I just saw some pages this morning and it looks amazing!”

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1 goes on sale September 2nd, 2009.