The Moon Man Volume One

by Gary Lovisi, Robert Kennedy, Ken Janssens

The Robin Hood of the Pulps! Detective Sgt. Stephen Thatcher is the son of Police Chief Peter Thatcher. Sickened by the effects of the Great Depression on Great City, the young lawman cannot reconcile the rich society elite living the good life while across town the poor of Great City go hungry. Unable to correct this injustice through the system he represents, Thatcher assumes the role of the vigilante thief the Moon Man by disguising himself behind a one-way Argus glass globe. In this get up he then proceed to rob the rich and give to the needy via his loyal aide, former boxer Ned “Angel” Dargan. He is also aided by the lovely Sue McEwen, the daughter of the man sworn to capture him, his own boss, Lt. Detective Gil McEwen. Created by pulp legend Frederick C. Davis, the Moon Man’s exploits appeared in the pages of “Ten Detective Aces” and was a reader favorite. Now he returns to the streets of Great City in five new thrilling adventures written by writers Ken Janssens, Gary Lovisi, Erwin K.Roberts and Andrew Salmon. Pulpdom’s most bizarre hero is back on the case with a cover by Rob Davis & Rich Woodall as well as twelve interior illustrations by Ralf Van Der Hoeven.

180 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2012

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Moon Man, a robin hood type figure who looks a lot the Spider Man villain Mysterio, is featured in several short stories. They're all pretty good. Not too much focus on the sidekicks, a peeve of mine.

Recommended for the pulp fan!

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Moon Man is one of my favorite pulp characters of the 1930s. The creation of Frederick C. Davis, the original 38 stories were suspenseful and fun. Stephen Thatcher is a detective on the Great City police force. His father is the Chief of Police. His fiancée's father is the chief detective and Stephen's immediate superior. If it was ever discovered that Stephen is actually The Moon Man, who steals from the uber-rich to give to the Depression-strapped poor, it would destroy the lives of everyone he loves. The four authors in this collection of five pastiches have mostly captured the feel of the originals. Standout stories are "Black Moon" by Andrew Salmon in which a private security firm humiliates the police by seemingly putting an end to The Moon Man forever, and "Fire and Glass" by Ken Jansens, in which Stephen Thatcher tries to clear an old college pal of arson. I'm looking forward to more of these anthologies.