Not so long ago, Chthon tried to break free from his prison in the Other-Realm, but the Scarlet Witch absorbed the Darkhold and imprisoned the dark lord within herself. Agatha Harkness has stolen Chthon's heart from Wanda's prison to create her own Necronomicon by harnessing chaos magic. For her latest challenge, she pits Moon Knight against the reformed hero Taegukgi, letting chaos take hold of their minds. Written by Jed MacKay with artwork from Creees Lee, colors by Arif Prianto, and letters from VC's Cory Petit, Moon Knight Annual #1 makes the contest a Godly clash. Meanwhile, the Contest of Chaos backup, by Stephanie Phillips and artists Alberto Foche and Raúl Angulo, tests the tense waters between Agatha and the mysterious Korrosion.
Moon Knight Annual #1 opens with the Fist of Khonshu walking through the New Jersey Pine Barrens at night as if drawn toward an invisible force. He soon finds Agatha Harkness and the South Korean hero Taegukgi waiting for him. Agatha explains that she brought them together to fight as she raises Etsium Crystals from the ground, imbued with chaos energy. The crystals start to affect their minds, forcing them to fight. But the crystals also impact their appearances, channeling their other selves from alternate realms. In the Contest of Chaos backup, Agatha pushes her ship through a storm in the Bermuda Triangle when Korrosion's demonic forces try to overwhelm her. Luckily, she has her champions by her side.
Much like the other Annuals in the Contest of Chaos stories, Moon Knight Annual #1 starts as abruptly as it ends, without any prior setup. Despite Moon Knight's presence in the title, writer Jed MacKay gives equal focus to Moon Knight and Taegukgi in the ensuing battle. Their pasts play an influential role in the story. Like Marc, Tae-Won is also a reformed mercenary whose power has Godly origins. On paper, they seem like the perfect foils for each other. But having no previous encounters in comics, their interaction feels more forced and falls flat. MacKay's better understanding of Marc makes him a better protagonist than his counterpart. The pacing is relatively consistent and makes the overall action enjoyable.
Creees Lee's illustrations are clean and heavily stylized in the book. Lee gives special attention to the anatomy of the characters. Even in their variant versions, the pencil work clearly fleshes out the different body types and features of the two brawlers, making the fight scenes feel dynamic. But the vacant negative spaces feel symptomatic of the emotionless tale. Colorist Arif Prianto uses a glowing violet shade for the crystals that gives some variation to the monotonous muted shades. In the other story, Alberto Foche and Raúl Angulo channel quite the storm through their artwork, where the red and blue gradients of the sky and the water create a sinister atmosphere. Letterer Cory Petit uses the space around the characters well to place his letters in a pretty straightforward issue.
Moon Knight Annual #1 is a fast-paced, action-focused tale. But more simply put, it is a pit stop for the characters involved in the bout who have no idea about the tournament they are participating in. The crystals take over the narrative push and force them to battle, turning Marc and Tae-Won into divine or monstrous versions of themselves without much say from their side. Despite the flashy artwork and cool fisticuffs, the most noticeable element lacking is emotion. Moon Knight Annual #1 exists solely to promote a crossover event, which has yet to find a concrete foothold of its own.