PULP HEROES – THE MOON MAN: STORIES 13-15

I’m continuing my look at Frederick C Davis’ pulp hero the Moon Man. In reality police detective Stephen Thatcher, the Moon Man stalked the night-darkened streets of fictional Great City (“Great City ya got here … it’d be a shame if something happened to it …”) clad in his black costume and his helmet made of one-way Argus glass. Armed with an automatic pistol plus limitless courage and ingenuity the Moon Man captured or killed Great City’s most dangerous criminals (white collar and blue collar) and robbed them of their ill-gotten booty. He would then distribute that money to the city’s Great Depression-ravaged poor. ( “Great Depression ya got here … it’d be a shame if – ” oh, forget it!) All this made him hunted by both the crooks AND the cops. For more on the Moon Man and other neglected pulp heroes click here: https://glitternight.com/pulp-heroes/

13. THE MURDER MASTER – The Moon Man robs the box office of Great City’s New Community Theatre while his alter ego’s fiancee, Sue McEwen, is performing on stage in a play titled The Perfect Murder. During the confusion caused by our hero’s escape from the police’s attempts to collar him Sue is framed for the murder of a costar. Lt Gil McEwen must arrest his own daughter, who escapes custody and is hidden in the Moon Man and Angel’s new secret headquarters in the Apex Building.  The situation becomes even more complicated when the man who is the only other potential suspect in the murder is kidnapped and held for $200,000 ransom. Naturally Steve Thatcher, alternating action with his globe-helmeted secret identity, gets to the bottom of it all, spares Sue from the electric chair and hands the real killer over to the police.    

14. MOON DOOM – In this thrilling adventure the Moon Man clashes with one of his most colorful foes – the Rattler, a master criminal who kills by injecting his victims with rattlesnake venom. The Rattler moves from city to city, commits four or five robberies, kills anyone who gets in his way and then moves on. This time he’s operating out of Great City, which isn’t big enough for both the Rattler and the Moon Man. Our costumed crusader has a personal stake in bringing the murderous madman to justice when Angel gets injected with the fiend’s rattlesnake venom necessitating a race against time to save him.

15. CALLING CAR 13! – On the night of the Police Fund Ball the proceeds are robbed by four crooks dressed in police uniforms. During the daring raid the crooks kill two police captains, prompting a mammoth citywide manhunt for them. While the Moon Man and Angel join in the search Angel gets nabbed first by the criminals and then falls into the clutches of Lt Gil McEwen. McEwen goes rogue and holds Angel captive to try to force him to reveal the Moon Man’s secret identity. Our hero brings the gang of four to justice, frees Angel and recovers the funds from the Police Fund Ball, which, being charity funds for widows and orphans, he does NOT steal himself, but turns back over to the cops.

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