WARNING: SPOILERS FOR MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 5, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE EPISODE.

Moon Knight’s 5th episode came out today, and it took a lot of inspiration from one specific comic – Moon Knight by Jeff Lemire!

But, just what is this comic all about? What was referenced the episode? And is it worth reading the comic now, after seeing the show? I have all your answers and more!

The Synopsis:

Marc Spector (A.K.A. Moon Knight/Jake Lockley/Steven Grant) has been fighting criminals and keeping New York City safe for years…or has he? When he wakes up in an insane asylum with no powers and a lifetime’s worth of medical records, it calls his whole identity – identities – into question. Something is wrong, but is that something Marc himself? Delve deep beneath the mask of Moon Knight to meet the many men inside his head! While Steven Grant prepares for a box-office smash, Jake Lockley is arrested for murder! And as the muddled mind of Moon Knight reaches its limit, the secrets of his past are revealed in a story of birth, death and rebirth unlike any other. Trapped outside of reality, Moon Knight’s survival depends on answers – but Marc Spector is plagued by nothing but questions!

So as you can see, in both the episode and this comic run, we are figuring out what happened in Marc’s past, and just who he and Steven are. There are obviously differences, like the fact that Jake is not (currently) involved in the show, and the fact that Marc and Steven are talking with Tarawet throughout the episode, but the basic premise is the same idea.

What was taken straight from the comic?

The nose bandage

This temple design

Everyone in the psychiatric ward is someone Marc or Steven has met before

What were the differences between the comic and the show?

Going through it, it turns out there aren’t that many differences between the episode and the comic, and there certainly isn’t anything too important that’s different. Most of the things that have been changed have had to be different so they fit into the show’s storyline better.

But, there are a few smaller things that have been changed, such as:

• In the comic, Marc sees the orderlies as jackals instead of people. In the show, the orderlies we see are the police officers who arrested Marc/Steven in episode two. They do share the same names as their comic counterparts though.
• We also see the reason why Steven came into being, and the origins of his name in the show – he’s there to protect Marc from his mother after his brother died. In the comic, Steven starts out as Marc’s imaginary friend after a different traumatic event, which would not be explored until Max Bemis’ follow up run.
• And, maybe most importantly, Marc and Steven are (mostly) working together to balance their hearts. Whereas in the comic, Marc, Steven, Jake and Moon Knight are jumping between their own lives, unsure of what is going on.

There’s a lot more I could say, but I don’t want to spoil anything more for you! Hopefully this gives you a small idea of some of the changes the show made.

Is it still worth reading?

Without doubt, it is still very much worth reading! In fact, I’d say that this is possibly the best Moon Knight comic to read if you’re just starting out with the character, as it provides an origin story, a deep look into Marc, Steven and Jake, and their relationship with Khonshu!

And, let’s be honest here, it’s just a damn good time, and the artwork is stunning too, which always helps.

What did you think of today’s episode? Did anything surprise you, are you going to read the Jeff Lemire comic to find out more? Let me know in the comments!