Mooncop by Tom Gauld | Book Review
A week or so back, I took my son to our local library for chess club. While he learned the finer points of en passant, I browsed the shelves. I thumbed through several graphic novels and even read a disturbing Tales from the Crypt issue from the 40s. In search of something that would replace some of the ultra-dramatic pre-war sexism, I happily stumbled upon Mooncop by Tom Gauld.
A Minimalists Dream
Rendered in simple, clean black lines on midnight blue background with white highlights, Mooncop only gives you what’s important. After the tall, color-pack ink explosion that is Tales from the Crypt, my eyes sighed with relief.
The Story
Mooncop tells the simple story of a police officer on the moon who’s charged with keeping the peace. There’s only one problem. The moon has zero crime. Our intrepid here putts around in his hovercraft from the station to the cafe, to lost dog inquiry and back again in an endless linear march of tedium. One day, the moon cop has had enough and requests a transfer. Since no other law enforcement can be spared, his transfer is denied. Instead, headquarters, fearing their solo moon cop may be depressed, sends a robotic therapist.
The therapy AI is short-lived as it comes equipped with the newest charging system. The upgraded cafe is the only building on the moon with the ability to charge the little thing, but that too proves unnecessary as the bot shorts out after only a few hours due to the lunar dust gumming up its circuits.
Humor in Melancholy
While the title Mooncop makes one think of action and adventure, the novella is quite calm in demeanor. Our moon cop soon discovered that he is alone on the moon base. The rest of the moon’s population is tired of moon living, and have defected back to Earth. In the end, only he and the cafe worker are the moon’s solo inhabitants. Since there is no one to police and no one to serve in the cafe, the two decided to enjoy the solitude space has to offer and make the moon their kingdom. The last part is something I’ve implied to the text, the story ends before we know what antics the two get up to with everyone else gone.
There’s a quiet hilarity to the pages of Mooncop. No one gets excited. No one had inappropriate outbursts. The moon cop doesn’t even talk to himself while out on patrol. The only call he has during the entire novel is to help find a missing dog. After taking the socially concerned citizen to search with no luck, the cop takes her back home only to find the dog and his specialized space suite have returned.
It took me around twenty minutes to breeze through Mooncop. Each page a study in the absurdity of life. Mooncop is an absolute joy. Fans of graphic novels, Sunday comics, and humor will enjoy Mooncop.
