The Last Mechanical Monster
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
From Brian Fies, the multi-award-winning, acclaimed graphic novelist of Mom’s Cancer, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?, and A Fire Story, comes a classic comic book adventure for all ages.
Decades after being imprisoned for threatening his city with an army of giant robots, an elderly scientist reenters society, only to discover he needs help navigating life in the 21st century. Experiencing real kindness and friendship for the first time, his new relationships challenge the inventor’s single-minded devotion for vengeance—just as his plans threaten to spiral out of his control. The Last Mechanical Monster by Brian Fies is a story about ambition, creativity, mortality, friendship, and legacy. But it is also a story about how we want to be remembered, and what we leave behind.
This latest graphic novel from Brian Fies already has a fan base and a considerable history of accomplishment. Initially published online as a webcomic, it was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic. It is also a pivot from Fies’s more serious graphic novels, created at a time when he was between large, demanding projects, and needing to remind himself that comics could and should be fun and provide a joyful escape—something we can all use a little more of these days.
Includes a four-page removable paper toy on card stock for readers to create their own mechanical monster
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This touching, delight-filled fable from Eisner-award winner Fies (A Fire Story) features a mad scientist whose reformation comes at the hands of the same humanity he vowed vengeance upon, and from the care of his sole remaining battle robot. A savvy take on a sequel to the 1941 Superman cartoon "The Mechanical Monsters," it tackles classic themes: the drive to be remembered, the battle against aging and failing, and friendship. Confused by modern society, the scheming scientist is aided by people he becomes dependent on: Ted the bus driver who ferries him to his mountain lair, Helen the librarian who introduces him to the internet and eBay bidding for electronic parts, and Lillian, an electronics expert who is drawn deeper into his plans to resurrect his robot army. His giant robot, meanwhile, comforts him like a nursemaid. Slowly and reluctantly, through relationships with the automaton and human crew, the madman's fiery genius is tempered and he ends up fighting to save his friends from his own evil scheme. Fies's animation-style artwork recalls C.C. Beck and Scott McCloud, and of course the film The Iron Giant with its clean sharp lines highlighted by the bright colors of a Golden Age comic book. Bonus pages in back matter are designed to be cut out, glued, and assembled into a paper model of a mechanical monster. This one's an absolute wonder.
