I have a fundamental issue with comic-book covers on which the name of the writer is bigger than that of the character he's writing about. Maybe it's a well-deserved recognition, but in this case -- sorry, Charlie, but I don't recall ever hearing your name before.

Fortunately, Marvel Comics did remember to squeeze the name of title character Moon Knight onto the cover as well, so I picked it up with fond memories of the hero's previous series. If memory serves, he was rather like Batman, but light where Batman was dark, cheerful where Batman was morose. Moon Knight's alter-ego, Marc Spector, even had an Alfred, although his name was Jean-Paul and he was French. And Marc had a hot, steady girlfriend, too.

There was some nonsense too about a vengeful moon god, Khonshu, but it was easy to ignore; after all, self-made heroes are always more interesting than mystical ones.

But after a few years on Marvel's back shelf, Moon Knight is back -- without any of the things that made him cool. Charlie Huston, a best-selling novelist but comic-book novice, has apparently decided that a morose, Batman-like character is the way to go -- even as Batman's writers are taking him away from the whole grim and depressed motif. Spector has lost his girl and his friend. He's crippled, drunk and addicted to painkillers. He's still rich, but he's not enjoying it. Of course, you just know something is going to happen to shake him loose from his funk.

The story is a little confusing and a lot violent. By the end, I'm not sure I really like the character any more. Huston should have served him better. On the other hand, artist David Finch -- who received absolutely no front-cover billing, by the way -- turned in amazingly good work. The art, while dark and bloody as suits Huston's writing, is sleek, stylish and expressive.

I hope the next Moon Knight collection has the title character's name in a big, gleaming font, Finch's name in smaller letters and someone else's there in Charlie's stead. Maybe then Moon Knight will get the book he deserves.