Life on the Moon is dedicated to the memory of its author, Robert Grossman. Creating this illustrated novel was a labor of love for him, and he considered it one of the greatest achievements of his storied career, if not his magnum opus. It represents a culmination of over fifty years spent drawing ingenious, hilarious, thoughtprovoking illustrations and comic strips, and combines so much of what interested him: history, fantasy, New York City, ideas, pictures, and words. “When I was a kid,” he once said, “I often thought books I read needed more pictures. One of the greatest capacities of pictures appeals to our abilities to formulate ideas, and we formulate our ideas with words. Most of what we consider to be great artworks of our culture throughout history relate to words. This pictureword thing is very intense.” Indeed. Robert Grossman found the process of originating his work “endlessly magical,” and the idea that “there are an infinite number of little worlds” waiting to be put on paper excited him as much in his final years as it did when he was a child. With Life on the Moon, he has not only given us such a world, but he’s one step ahead of us as always. Based on one of the earliest “fake news” stories ever documented, the book was entirely conceived prior to this era of “alternative facts.” Sadly, Robert Grossman was taken from us too soon to see his illustrated novel in print, but he would be over the moon knowing that you’re reading it right now.
We publish this book with heartfelt fondness and the highest respect for my departed friend, Robert. Our deep thanks go the Grossman family and Richard Curtis. —Craig Yoe Cover design by Michael Grossman Rimbaud. Dedication and endpapers photo of Robert Grossman working on Life on the Moon by Alex Emanuel Grossman. Robert Grossman photo on page 398 by Leila Grossman. Oil paintings by Robert Grossman, photographed by Annie Watt. Executive Producer, Clizia Gussoni. Robert Grossman’s story reflects a period when some social mores were different than those of our more enlightened times. We trust the reader will understand. YoeBooks.com: Craig Yoe & Clizia Gussoni, Chief Executive Officers and Creative Directors • Jeff Trexler, Attorney • Randall Cyrenne, Mark Lerer, Peter Sanderson, and Steven Thompson, Proofreaders • Steven Thompson, Publicist. IDW Publishing: Chris Ryall, President, Publisher, & CCO • John Barber, Editor-In-Chief • Robbie Robbins, EVP/Sr. Art Director • Cara Morrison, Chief Financial Officer • Matt Ruzicka, Chief Accounting Officer • Anita Frazier, SVP of Sales and Marketing • David Hedgecock, Associate Publisher • Jerry Bennington, VP of New Product Development • Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Services • Justin Eisinger, Editorial Director, Graphic Novels & Collections • Eric Moss, Senior Director, Licensing and Business Development Ted Adams, IDW Founder ISBN: 978-1-68405-456-5
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April 2019. First printing. Life on the Moon is TM & © 2019 Gussoni-Yoe Studio, Inc. All Rights Reserved, including the digital remastering of the material not held by copyright owners. Yoe Books is a trademark of Gussoni-Yoe Studio, Inc. Yoe is a registered trademark of Gussoni-Yoe Studio, Inc. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 2765 Truxtun Road, San Diego, CA 92106. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Printed in Korea. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork.
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1781, the English astronomer William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus. He was aided by his sister Caroline, who also discovered eight new comets by herself. William Herschel believed that all the planets, as well as the Sun and the Moon, would one day be found to be inhabited.
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In 1833, William’s son, John Herschel, set sail for Cape Town, South Africa to study the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. He took with him the most powerful telescope ever built.
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NEW YORK CITY, summer, 1835. The largest city in America, population 200,000, is well known for the energy and brash enterprise of its citizens. Richard Adams Locke, the young editor of The New York Sun, takes an afternoon walk heading west down Canal Street.