The following contains spoilers for the current Moon Knight series from Marvel Comics.
Moon Knight has always been a somewhat esoteric character in the Marvel Universe, largely seen as far more beloved than mainstream. Comic book runs in the past decade have helped to increase his popularity, however, with the recent Moon Knight Disney+ TV series only further hyping him up. Now, his current comic book from writer Jed Mackay is taking him even higher, resulting in a hit that even Marvel likely didn't expect.
In fact, the success of the ongoing Moon Knight comic is not unlike that of Marvel's previous series Immortal Hulk. Beating more stalwart books and putting their protagonists in new status quos that also address their history, the similarities between Immortal Hulk and Moon Knight are rather uncanny. This could see the latter becoming a modern classic, and perhaps one of Marvel's best-selling current titles.
Jed Mackay's Moon Knight Comic Book Is Selling Surprisingly Well
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A fan letter reposted in a reddit thread by redditor Temporaryking66 shows just how successful Moon Knight has become. This letter states that in one particular comic book shop, Moon Knight is outselling Spider-Man. Given that Spidey is Marvel's premiere character, whereas Moon Knight is only now getting a big push, that's saying quite a bit. According to Comichron, Moon Knight had projected sales of over 55,000 units in April 2022. This was more than the Wolverine and X-Men titles sold that month, illustrating just how well Moon Knight is doing.
It's a situation similar to the runaway success of Immortal Hulk, which was a sleeper hit, building up to become a sales juggernaut thanks to critical acclaim. The book beat the sales of the main monthly Batman title, a feat that even the aforementioned X-Men and Spider-Man struggle to do. The similarly impressive sales numbers speak to how much fans love the current Moon Knight book, which isn't even receiving much in way of promotion from Marvel. However, being able to beat supposedly bigger properties isn't the only thing that Moon Knight and Immortal Hulk have in common.
Immortal Hulk and the Current Moon Knight Series are Very Similar
Both Immortal Hulk and Jed Mackay's Moon Knight put their titular protagonists in storylines that address their publication history, as well as put them in strikingly different scenarios than before. In the case of Hulk, obscure parts of his character, including his rivalry with "original Hulk" Xemnu were brought into the series. Hulk's immortality and transition into a horrific monster was something far different from the usual adaptations, as was Banner's relationship with the many Hulk personalities. The current Moon Knight also makes references to Marc Spector's history and past adventures, all while putting him in the new role of the leader of a "Midnight Mission". His book also has horror and supernatural elements galore, with vampires and the patron heroes of gods.
Speaking of Spector, he's of course one of several personas from the same being in the series, with Steve Grant, Moon Knight and Mr. Knight also showing up. In Immortal Hulk, Banner not only turns into the monstrous Savage Hulk but also Joe Fixit Hulk and a darker version of the Merged Hulk incarnation. In touching on the past while moving far beyond them, both Immortal Hulk and Moon Knight are perfect examples of what progression in comic books can look like for age-old characters. It's no wonder that both of them have gone on to become such huge hits. If Moon Knight keeps it up, he may outsell most of the Marvel Universe.