Outside of Moon Knight being his own worst enemy, which of his other greatest foes should we start looking at for possible speculation? Here we look at part 1 of Moon Knight’s impressive rogues’ gallery.
HULK! #17 (1979)
Marc Spector and his brother take sibling rivalry to a whole other level. In Hulk! #17, Moon Knight investigates a series of murders that point to a fellow mercenary from his past, who had betrayed Marc and even killed his girlfriend with a hatchet. This “Hatchet-Man” turns out to be none other than Marc’s own brother, Randall Spector in his first appearance. Despite dying at the hands of Marc, Randall resurfaces decades later in the 2010 series Shadowland: Moon Knight #1. This time he is convinced that he himself is the new avatar of Khonshu, and takes on power and an appearance strikingly similar to Moon Knight.
At the moment, the latest two CGC 9.8 slabs of Hulk! #17 sold in 2019 for $399.99 and $250. The closest one sold at a large gap of a decade earlier in 2009. The volume of sales for this book are extremely low; even at the CGC 9.6 level, only a single book sold in the last decade (one in 2018 for $85). Between Hulk! #17 and Shadowland: Moon Knight #1, the former is definitely the one to get. Only a single CGC 9.8 Shadowland: Moon Knight #1 has been recorded, taking place in 2014 for $28. Surely Marc’s own brother would show up in the Disney+ series at one point or another.
MOON KNIGHT #1 (1980)
Raul Armand Bushman was a fellow mercenary of Marc’s, but with the big difference of a willingness to go too far. Bushman makes his first appearance in Moon Knight #1, where he kills an archaeologist and takes his daughter hostage in his relentless pursuit of Egyptian treasure. Marc tries to stop him but is overpowered and left for dead in the desert; and so, beginning Moon Knight’s origin story.
Outside of the significance of Moon Knight #1 containing the 1st appearance of Bushman, other factors also add to the issue’s value including the 1st appearance of Konshu, the origin story, and simply by the issue being the #1 of the first self-titled series. Prior to the Disney+ announcement, the price for CGC 9.8 slabs of the comic capped out around the $150 to $200 level. Most recently, it has reached an FMV of $300. The large volume of sales is very attractive, but without a history of steady growth prior to the Disney+ bump seems to indicate that the book is more suitable for a short-term strategy. If Bushman should ever be confirmed for the series, reduce into any news/trailer spike accordingly.
MOON KNIGHT #3 (1981)
Another villain speculation in the first Moon Knight comic series is Moon Knight #3, which contains the first appearance of the art and antiquities thief Midnight Man (aka Anton Mogart ). Quick side note: years later, Anton’s son Jeffrey Wilde helps Moon Knight as a sidekick to make up for his father’s crimes.
The sales history for Moon Knight is rather interesting. With a low overall sales volume, CGC 9.8 slabs of the book held under the $80 level until 2019 when it jumped above $230. It’s interesting because the jump didn’t occur after Nov 2019 when the Disney+ series was announced; rather, it took place early 2019 in March. Almost eight months before the official announcement. Is it insider knowledge? This aspect could warrant further exploration.
“I will use the Pythagorean theorem to solve this groovy mystery. Hmmm, as I suspected. This man is dead.” - Mr. Knight
