Moonshadow #1-12
Published by: Marvel Comics/Epic – 1985
Written by: J. M. DeMatteis
Illustrated by: Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams, George Pratt
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Moonshadow, a twelve-issue Marvel/Epic miniseries from 1985 written by J. M. DeMatteis and painted primarily by Jon J. Muth—with some additional painting by Kent Williams and George Pratt—deserves a place in comic-book history alongside such watershed moments as Neil Gaiman’s run on DC/Vertigo’s Sandman and Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One; yet, it remains largely unknown to the comic-reading public. Those other series have been exalted to a mythic status that obscures how mundane they really are—they are masterpieces, but lightning such as theirs has struck many more times than modern memory allows us to recall.
Moonshadow is a sophisticatedly written and impeccably painted science fiction fairy tale. Its inventive and irreverent plot elements and characters simultaneously call to mind issues of the anthology comic 2000 A.D. and the Douglas Adams novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels. It is however, elevated beyond those works by possessing an earnest and honest insight into the human condition and being rendered in highly competent, loose watercolor washes and verbal eloquence. Each panel is a miniature masterpiece in its own right, and—unlike some painted comics—the art doesn’t distract, but rather facilitates the act of reading, propelling the reader through the story with impatient speed to find out what happens next because of enjoying so much all that has already been read.
It is often that a well-illustrated comic will be found lacking in the writing department, or that a well-written comic will suffer from sub-par illustration. But, when great art and writing coincide within one work, both are enhanced by the presence of the other and the result is in a class all its own. This is precisely the relationship between the art and writing in Moonshadow.
Moonshadow follows the adventures of its fifteen-year-old namesake “Moonshadow” whom grew up with his mother in an intergalactic zoo of sorts, run by creatures of immense power and seemingly inscrutable, unpredictable whimsy. On his fifteenth birthday Moonshadow is sent out into the cosmos on a spaceship with his mother and friend, “Ira,” in tow—one of his captors’ whims. The subsequent adventures lead him to a shopping-mall planet, a mental asylum, and an inter-planetary war, making him a thief, a mental patient, a soldier, a prisoner of war, a war hero, and aid to a king, with many adventures in-between. Sadly, the ending leaves much to be desired. DeMatteis’s narrator himself even admits the ending will likely annoy or upset most readers as narrative is abandoned for instead a silent montage of symbolist scenes that answer no questions and resolve no loose ends. This is perhaps the series’ only flaw.
Instead of relying solely on realism—which does predominate—Muth and company utilize cartooning to render certain characters—to imbue them with an alien-ness or to highlight a state of mind or demeanor or stature or subjective perception of a character. Moonshadow’s companion, the filthy mouthed and minded Ira, is a character design that approaches Platonic perfection and is immediately iconic. Imagine a lingual, shorter-furred version of Chewbacca from Star Wars—crossed with elements of The Addams Family’s “Cousin It”—with his entire face replaced or obscured by fur, and all clothing and adornments removed save for a bowler hat and a cigar, and, finally, add a furry cotton-ball tail and a penchant for alcohol and pornography, and you have Ira.
Moonshadow is very much not for all ages. Much of the comic would probably appeal to a teenage audience—the protagonists, their trials and tribulations, the art, the humor, the writing—but the frontal female nudity, and frequent references to masturbation (limited primarily—but not entirely—to Ira), render the comic suitable for mature audiences only and thus only mature teenagers should read it. The violence is minimal, and the language used takes a back seat to what is being said—there is little to no profanity but seemingly sterile wordings reference offensive actions or events in alternately blunt or eloquent terms.
Recommendations:
Other comics that fall into the same category of sharing both great writing and art are generally more well-known than Moonshadow, and include: Kabuki: Metamorphosis and Kabuki: The Alchemy (written and painted by David Mack), Kingdom Come (written by Mark Waid and painted by Alex Ross), Marvels (written by Kurt Busiek and painted by Alex Ross), Elektra: Assassin (written by Frank Miller and painted by Bill Sienkiewicz), and Arkham Asylum (written by Grant Morrison and painted by Dave McKean). These works are all recommended to anyone whom loves comics, art, or great writing as they will not solely appeal to comic-book geeks or aficionados. They transcend the stereotypes that have too often defined public perception of the medium.
Anyone whom enjoys the art in Moonshadow should look at other works by Jon J. Muth and Kent Williams. Williams collaborated with DeMatteis again on a vampire comic miniseries—published by Marvel/Epic—called Blood: A Tale, and Muth and Williams joined forces again on the Marvel Comics miniseries Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown.
Another artist to look into is Bill Sienkiewicz. Though much of his work has been limited to rather commonplace pen-and-ink work (such as his stints on Marvel’s The New Mutants and Moon Knight) his painted work is among the best and has graced numerous comic covers, though relatively few interiors. Stray Toasters is a lesser known series both written and beautifully painted by Sienkiewicz.
Brian Bigelow
October 8, 2016
