The Spectacular Spider-Man #22
Published and © by Marvel, September 1978
Title: “By the Light of the Silvery Moon Knight!”
Synopsis: Moon Knight’s conflict with the Maggia is interrupted by Spider-Man, bringing the two heroes to blows.
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Mike Zeck
Inker: Bruce Patterson
Review: Full disclosure: This reviewer clearly remembers this comic book coming home from the local grocery store with Mom back in 1978, so there was some concern that that nostalgia could influence this review. But, despite the fond memory, this issue is a fairly typical Spidey comic for the era. Bill Mantlo’s script offers a little characterization but is largely a by-the-book, heroes-mistakenly-fight-each-other affair. The art fares a bit better; the early Mike Zeck pencils show a ton of promise but aren’t yet ready for the A list. And neither is this comic.
Grade: B
Cool factor: Moon Knight! And early Mike Zeck!
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant and a Whitman variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Well, no use crying over spilt milk!” – Moon Knight, with a few “kind” words for a witness who was just shot to death
Editor’s note: This review was written July 10, 2023.
