A sparse, bittersweet romance for misfits, Mooncop is the graphic novel I can’t stop recommending. Without much in the way of dialogue or narration, Tom Gauld‘s lovely little tale crafts a toast to endings and beginnings that is infinitely memorable.

The titular Mooncop is just that: a police officer on the Moon. He’s been there long enough to get to know a few of the locals, and to realize that life on Earth’s satellite isn’t all it was cracked up to be, but he remains hopeful, even as his neighbors grow fewer and fewer. People are moving back to Earth, you see, as jobs on the Moon are given to more efficient workers of the robot variety. And regardless of how he feels about life in the void, the Mooncop is stuck there until no one needs his patrols anymore.

Gauld proves himself a fantastic storyteller with this offering, though many readers will be already familiar with his cartoons in The Guardian and his earlier graphic novel, Goliath. With his story told in small vignettes about banal police officer duties — rescuing wandering dogs and androids, buying doughnuts and coffee, etc. — Mooncop comes to life on the page, as Gauld somehow manages to endear his thin little hero to readers.

Although it’s ultimately a short read that ends far too quickly, Mooncop is the sci-fi/romance graphic novel you’ll want to re-read again and again.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

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Image Credit: Tom Gauld