High Moon

Key takeaways

High Moon belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect High Moon to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of High Moon from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

High Moon is a horror Western webcomic series featuring werewolves. It was developed in 2004 with a debut in 2007 as a part of Zuda Comics, DC Comics' webcomic imprint. The first season concluded on July 8, 2008. Season two ran from August 16 to November 25, 2008. Season three and four began its run in February and October 2009, respectively. Serialization ended when Zuda Comics shut down in 2010. Papercutz re-released High Moon in a new collection in 2017, consisting of three volumes for their Super Genius imprint.

Publication history Created by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis, High Moon was part of Zuda's initial launch in October 2007. Month later, High Moon was awarded a contract with DC Comics, where the strip was serialized on Zuda.com. Scott O. Brown was the production artist and letterer.

Synopsis In the first series, a bounty hunter, Matthew Macgregor, investigates a series of strange happenings in the Texas town of Blest, where drought has brought famine and hardship to most of the town and surrounding ranches. Additionally, the nights are haunted by werewolves. While Macgregor, a former Pinkerton detective, seeks to uncover the town's secrets, he tries desperately to keep secret his own past steeped in witchcraft and the supernatural. The second series finds werewolf-hunter Macgregor in Ragged Rock, Oklahoma, investigating a series of murders following a bizarre train robbery, and finds himself caught in a vendetta and confronting a technological monstrosity. In series three, Macgregor helps a young woman and finds himself amid two warring factions in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Characters Matthew Macgregor: A descendant of Scottish outlaw Robert "Rob Roy" Macgregor, the protagonist is a stubborn and grumbly retired Pinkerton. He first appears on page 3 of Season 1. As of page 17, he demonstrates a degree of ritual psychometry. He carries a pair of pistols with the words Gáe Bolga carved into the handles. As seen on page 30 of the strip, his bullets of choice are Blaine bullets. Mac's history shows a past with James Bowie, Abraham Lincoln, Allan Pinkerton, and Marie Laveau. Eddie Conroy is an African-American outlaw afflicted with lycanthropy. After MacGregor is killed, Conroy assumes his identity. He is seen on page 5 in werewolf form, and again on page 6 in human form. Tristan Macgregor is a member of the Macgregor family, an esoteric subset of the Pinkertons and brother of Matthew. He has a mechanical arm, conceals his face with goggles, and uses steampunk weapons invented by Nikola Tesla. Red: Conroy's loyal wolfdog.

Supporting characters Tara Bradley: Daughter of legendary lawman Sheriff Patrick Bradley, Tara is a beautiful redhead who since moving to Blest has been working for the Sheriff's office. She first appears on page 2. Deputy Jeb Garret: He first appears on page 2. He enjoys reading dime novels. Gabriel Hunter: The founder of Blest and father of the little girl who goes missing on page 1 of the story arc, he first appears on page 2. Margaret Hunter: Goes missing in page 1 of the opening prologue. Mavis Hunter: Seen on page 7, and recounts his story in a flashback on page 10. Sheriff Patrick Bradley: Mentioned on page 2, he does not appear in the prologue. Doc McNear: Appears on page 11, where he aids Mavis Hunter with her hysteria, and later is confronted by Conroy. Were-Bats: Strange, multi-eyed, multi-armed bat-like creatures, spawned from the Jim Bowie caves. Miss Molly: Appears on page 33, she is the owner of the Crabapple dance hall. Deirdre: Wife of Tristan. Young Raven: A Red Indian mystic who becomes Conroy's lover, she is the granddaughter of Raven the Trickster, a legendary Native American character. Dr. Bell: An English detective based on Sherlock Holmes, he is revealed to be the alter ego of the vicious serial killer Mr. Hyde. Others include Ester, August, and Frederick Kittel, Vivian, and Egregore.

Print Bayou and High Moon were the first two Zuda titles to be published as graphic novels, in June and October 2009, respectively by DC Comics. In October 2017, Papercutz published new trade editions of the series.

Awards High Moon was nominated for two 2009 Harvey Awards, for Best New Series and Best Online Work, winning the latter award. High Moon was nominated for a 2010 Harvey Award for Best Online Work.

Notes

References Zudacomics.com: High Moon High Moon Production Blog

External links Comixology.com New York Comic Con podcast, ComiXology D'Orazio, Valerie. "Occasional Interviews: Zuda Artist Steve Ellis on High Moon", OccasionalSuperheroine.com, October 31, 2007 "Last Minute Edition – David Gallaher on High Moon and Zuda.com", YourMomsBasement.com, October 30, 2007 Kean, Benjamin Ong Pang. "The Opening Team: Talking to the First Wave of Zuda Creators", Newsarama, November 1, 2007 DavidGallaher.com Hypersteve.com (Steve Ellis official site)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with High Moon

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what High Moon claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to High Moon before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about High Moon ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of High Moon

In research: High Moon appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses High Moon in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: High Moon is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2000s webcomics, 2007 webcomic debuts, 2010 webcomic endings, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for High Moon outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study High Moon in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what High Moon means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain High Moon out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is High Moon in simple terms?

High Moon is a horror Western webcomic series featuring werewolves. It was developed in 2004 with a debut in 2007 as a part of Zuda Comics, DC Comics' webcomic imprint.

Why does High Moon matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study High Moon?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on High Moon.