Al Harahap

By Remy Minnick, Comixfan Staff Writer

With his well received crime thriller Hank Thompson Trilogy well under way and his upcoming vampire/detective mystery novel Already Dead, writer Charlie Huston seems a perfect fit for the dark, suspenseful adventures of Moon Knight. Fortunately for readers, Marvel Comics was quick to nab him for the character's revival. To celebrate the character's 30th anniversary, Comixfan speaks to Huston about writing comic books, novels, the character of Moon Knight, and his plans for the upcoming Moon Knight: The Bottom miniseries with artist Dave Finch.

Comixfan: Moon Knight has had somewhat of a convoluted past that includes going from having normal strength to gaining superhuman powers based on the moon, Khonshu being the god of vengeance then being the god of justice, from having multiple personalities to one personality to turning into a demon and beyond. How do you make such a complex backstory accessible to new readers and what are the key points of Moon Knight's past that are essential for the character?

Huston: In my mind I have a Moon Knight timeline that runs through most of the "Fist of Khonshu", "Marc Spector” and West Coast Avengers continuity and embraces it. But there’s just no room to deal with all of it in six issues. My answer in this book is to deal almost exclusively with the original [Moon Knight creator Doug] Moench continuity. That also allows me to hit the main points of Moon Knight’s backstory and get new readers up to speed. I think you can come to this book having never read a Moon Knight story and get all the info you need to take the whole ride. I don’t want to talk too much about “essentials” as that’s kind of the point of the book, telling the story of who Marc Spector is, where he is in the Marvel Universe right now, and how he got there.

Comixfan: Moon Knight has often been compared to DC Comics' Batman, as both are "normal" people who fight crime with gadgets supported by billionaire playboy alter egos. What, for you, makes the character of Moon Knight different?

Charlie Huston: OK, for the record, I think its BS. Also for the record, I don’t really care if Moon Knight was a Batman copy/rip-off/homage because he’s still a great character. But, for the sake of fun, let’s deal with the grassroots basics of the two characters.

Bruce Wayne fights crime to avenge the murders of his parents. In the course of this battle he sometimes assumes false identities, one of them is Batman.

Marc Spector beats up whoever has it coming because he believes he is the avatar of the Egyptian god of vengeance and it helps him to feel better about all the people he killed when he was a mercenary, but not so much better that he doesn’t develop a multiple personality disorder so he doesn’t actually ever have to BE Marc Spector.

Hmmm, what’s different about these pictures?

Comixfan: With Batman, people have questioned Bruce Wayne as being the mask, and that Batman may be the real person behind it. With Moon Knight, there is not just one but three other alter egos, in the form of Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, and Marc Spector. Who do you see as the real identity of the character and which are the masks he chooses to wear?

Huston: I can only speak to my own approach here. As I’m going at it, Marc Spector is the man inside the cowl. Grant and Lockley are personalities he’s occupied at various times that helped him to get from morning to night without killing himself and everyone around him. Moon Knight may be another such personality or he may be the mask Spector uses to justify hurting people or he may be the earthly manifestation of Khonshu. I’m not telling which.

Comixfan: Moon Knight has a rogues gallery that's varied from the supernatural to the more street-level villain. What type of villain do you think works best for him to face and what types of villain will we be seeing him face in the new miniseries?

Huston: Well, I never liked it when Moon Knight was going up against cats like Doctor Doom. The scale was way off. Likewise, I’m not a fan of the big demon arc that ran through much of “Marc Spector.” I think Moon Knight is best suited to handling bad guys on a more human level, whether they’re superbaddies, supernatural, or just plain thugs. As for villains in this story, there will be a few. Some folks from his long past will be showing up, I got a classic from the eighties, who was never a Moon Knight bad guy, dropping in, and I’m bringing in a brand new baddy.

Comixfan: With such a wealth of supporting characters that include
Stainglass Scarlet, Werewolf By Night, Marlene, Bushman, Crawley and Geena. Will Moon Knight fans recognize any familiar faces in the new miniseries?

Huston: Most of Marc Spector’s backup team will be around in one way or another. As for specific villains, see above.

Comixfan: Having last been seen in the pages of Marvel Knights and a brief cameo in the Avengers Disassembled story, where do we find Moon Knight at the beginning of the new miniseries?

Huston: Moon Knight: The Bottom. That’s where he is, at the bottom. He’s utterly &*%$ed up and it’s his own fault. He’s an aging “hero” whose body doesn’t do what it used to do and he doesn’t know how to cope.

Comixfan: With the new mini series not set to debut until February of next year. How much of the miniseries has been written and what can you tell us about it?

Huston: There are several scripts in the bag and I’ll have my work wrapped up soon. As for what I can reveal, check the above answer and add some crunched bones, bloodies knuckles, crescent darts, the wicked costume, the Moon ‘Copter, and a Marc Spector who is as crazed as he has ever been.

Comixfan: With the mention of the Moon 'Copter, that can only mean that Frenchie is not far behind. Jean-Paul DuChamp has been as close to a sidekick, outside of Midnight's brief stint in the Marc Spector series, as Moon Knight has ever had. What makes Frenchie tick? Why does he still stay around through all the madness that has happened from his association to Marc Spector/Moon Knight?

Huston:

1. I can’t believe you brought up Midnight. You know, I actually have a story in my head for that guy, but what a lame attempt at giving Moon Knight a side kick.
2. You cannot do a proper Moon Knight story without Frenchie. Period.
3. I answer your question with a question. Why do any of Marc Spector’s “family” stick around? Hint: that is very much what Moon Knight: The Bottom is about.

Comixfan: Moon Knight has a considerable following for such a "second-tier" character. Why do you think fans have latched onto him so tightly and does such an avid fan base affect your writing on the title at all?

Huston: One of the best superhero costumes ever. And the potential embodied in the original run. I think many fans remember how good those Moench stories were. How the combination of his mature scripts with [artist Bill] Sienkiewizc’s developing style was something that really hadn’t been seen before. You had one of the best writers in the business at the top of his game with a character he had created, and a future hall-of-famer changing the rules of comic book art with every issue. That doesn’t happen often. I truly believe that a great deal of the interest that clings to Moon Knight is born out of a desire to see him taken seriously again as a character of consequence, as opposed to a backup or a punch line. I can’t live up to what Moench did, but I do take Moon Knight very seriously and I’m trying very hard to be true to the spirit of those first books.

Comixfan: With the Marvel Universe being such a vast place filled with numerous characters, what was it about the character of Moon Knight that made you want to write him?

Huston: Well, first off, there was opportunity. Marvel was looking to get Moon Knight back in the mix and thought I might be able to get a handle on him. When [Marvel Comics editors] Ruwan Jayatilleke, Axel Alonso and Joe Quesada first brought up the idea, they had no idea this was one of my favorite characters. Moon Knight was one of a handful of books I read back in my prime comics years from 12-16. The fact that I could have a shot at him with my first comic book project ever seemed too good to be true. So, short answer, I wanted to write Moon Knight because I love the guy.

Comixfan: What other comic books did you love when growing up and what got you out of comics when you were 16?

Huston: In no particular order:

• Miller’s Daredevil
• Claremont’s X-Men
• Byrne’s Fantastic Four
• Badger
• Saber
• The Legion of Super-Heroes
• Sable

Best minis:

• Wolverine
• Dark Knight Returns
• The One
• Cloak and Dagger
• Ronin (re-read it a few months back. Could Miller have been a little more ahead of his time with both the writing and the art?)

As for why I stopped reading: Girls.

Comixfan: What has the experience been like writing a comic book as compared to writing a novel?

Huston: I write my novels start to finish on my own before I ever show them to my editor. This is much more social. I interact with folks at Marvel pretty regularly about the work. And once David Finch (and I still can’t believe he’s really doing the art on this book because he’s an utter badass and I can’t be this lucky) gets cooking, that will add to the collaborative element of the project. And speaking of Finch, there are all these pictures that have to go in a comic book. It’s just a different world entirely. The biggest challenge is learning how to use the visual component to lead the story. It’s a pictures and then words medium. Story is still the baseline, got to have a good one, but you can tell a great comic book story without a line of dialogue. Take out the pictures, all you got is nothing.

Comixfan: If the title does well, has there been any talks of continuing with a monthly Moon Knight series?

Huston: Not that I’ve heard. But I know Joe Q. is a big fan of the character and his specific request was for this mini to deliver a Moon Knight who could play a roll in the Marvel U. It sounds to me like Moon Knight fans can look forward to the silver and jet avenger being back in the game.

Comixfan: What is next for you after you finish up with Moon Knight: The Bottom?

Huston: It’s not so much, “What is next?” as, “What’s happening at the same time?” This week I was doing the edits on the first draft of my second Joe Pitt [main character of Already Dead] book, going over copy edits of A Dangerous Man [final book of Hank Thompson Trilogy], answering several email interviews for Moon Knight, updating the journal on my website, starting story notes for an anthology called F**k Noir that I’m contributing to, and brushing my teeth. The next thing will be to get started on a stand-alone thriller that I owe Ballantine. It’s good to be this busy and I don’t ever want to take it for granted. It could stop tomorrow. So I’m keeping my head down and working hard and hoping I keep getting lucky.

---

Moon Knight: The Bottom #1 is scheduled for February, 2006.

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al_harahap@comixfan.cjb.net

Marty P

Great interview.

Good to know the writer knows the history of a character.
Doesn't guaruntee a good story, but it does give me a good feeling.

I will definetly pick up this book!

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Personal Wish List for 2007:
1-Return of the one true Magik in the 616 Marvel Universe!
2-Claremont on a Non-X book! (for example Avengers West Coast, or even better, Teen Titans!)
3-Not another X-revamp!
4-Mekanix vol.2 (ongoing) by Claremont!
5-Winning a lot of money!

It will always be Marty4Magik!!

Vyns

I wish it wasn't a freaking mini. Hope it's one of those "If it has good sales, we'll give you another arc" type deals.

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“New Avengers is indeed a monster, but Crossover features pretty much every character in the Marvel line-up drawn by Greg Land and some of them have their tits out. You really can't beat that..."

-Mark Millar on his Ultimate Fantastic Four run


Must Reads
1) Captain America
2) Daredevil
3) Hulk
4) JLA
5) Walking Dead

Radiate

This sounds GREAT,was always intrigued by the Moon Knight character.

But what an unfortunate name:

MOON Knight: the BOTTOM

Yes,i AM mature...

RADIATE!

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Millennial Missionary #1
Member of 'We NEED an X-Corporations Title!#1
-So I wish you well. I will miss many of you. Factor, Radiate, Fusion, UncannyAngel, Cet, Captain America, Lonewolf, BlooFrog, G-Whiz, Shabbasnake, Sinestro, Padan Fain, Xtence, and so many others. But particularly, Ryan and Jill.
I wish you all the best. Take care and goodbye. -Chuck Austen-
Well,personally,i kinda want to slay the dragon...Let's get to work!
-Angel-

Bernard Murnane

So why isnt this out yet?

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That you don't owe
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Janne Pietikainen

I'm definitely getting this. Good that it's back to basics since we haven't seen Moon Knight in a while.

Lucid

I am really, really looking forward to this. Moon Knight's one of my favourite characters and Huston really sounds promising as the writer.

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James Groves

I'm really looking forward to this new Moonknight series. I love the character; and seeing him in his own series again is great to see. Huston seems to have a good handle on the character as well. Love the multiple personalities of the character and the fact that it's connected to Egyptian mythology, which is an interest of mine. Ticks all the right boxes, basically!

I'm very much interested in the F**k Noir anthology! Any more info on that project at all?

Alex Guillen

when is the first issue out?
Come on Moon Knight! as long as he doesn't die and comes back hunting demons (well already happened with punisher) I think the mini has much potential.

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