Jack Coggins' Lunar Combat, Startling Stories Oct. 1952
Surprisingly technical for a pulp cover, Jack Coggins renders a zero-gravity spacewalk firefight above the cratered lunar surface with the credibility of a military illustrator — helmeted figures grapple and exchange fire between sleek spacecraft while a tethered astronaut tumbles helplessly below. The Moon's pockmarked surface curves away dramatically in the background, and the starfield beyond lends a cold, authentic silence to what is otherwise a very hot action scene.
Coggins brings an almost respectable aerospace realism to what is essentially a bar brawl on the Moon. The tethered astronaut drifting helplessly below adds a poignant touch that no one asked for but everyone needed.
“TODAY'S SCIENCE FICTION — TOMORROW'S FACT • OCT. 25c STARTLING stories A THRILLING PUBLICATION STARTLING STORIES OCT. 1952 featuring ASYLUM EARTH a novel by Bruce Elliott and THE GUIDED MAN a novelet by L. Sprague de Camp Jack Coggins”
