The Last Mechanical Monster

From Brian Fies, the 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 agesDecades 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 ever, his new relationships challenge the inventor’s single-minded devotion for vengeance-just as his plans threaten to spiral out of his control. An homage to the classic Fleischer Studios Superman cartoon The Mechanical Monsters from 1941 (one of the most admired and influential animated shorts of all time, inspiring the look of Batman: The Animated Series, Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Kingdom Come by Alex Ross), The Last Mechanical Monster is about ambition, creativity, mortality, friendship, and legacy. How do we want to be remembered? And what will we leave behind?

This latest graphic novel from Brian Fies (Mom’s Cancer, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?, and A Fire Story) 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 in both 2014 and 2015. 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.<