Line #13 Webcomic/TheLastMechanicalMonster


1	A webcomic created by professional comics artist Creator/BrianFies, creator of "Mom's Cancer" and "Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?", TLMM is based on the premise that the anonymous, tuxedo clad villain from the classic Fleischer Studiios ''Superman'' cartoon [[https://youtu.be/C40OeMiSAaE The Mechanical Monsters]] (now out of copyright) gets out from prison in 2005, after finishing a sixty-four year sentence for his crimes. Despite being 99 years old, and all of his robots remaining trashed in his old lair, "Sparky" is determined to recreate one last robot to carry out his revenge on society.
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3	But first he has to convince the owner of the local electronics store to let him buy antique vacuum tubes on store credit.
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5	[[https://web.archive.org/web/20150507000334/http://lastmechanicalmonster.blogspot.com/2013/11/page-1.html Starts Here]]
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7	!!Tropes:
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9	* BadPresent: The world of 2005 from Sparky (and to some extent Lillian's) point of view. The local neighborhood is poor and run down, and there's no magic or incredible inventions anymore.
10	* BewareTheSillyOnes: As a villain, ninety-nine year old Sparky is pretty laughable. But his rage is real, and he ''did'' restore a flying, flame throwing robot to working order.
11	* BittersweetEnding: In the end [[spoiler: Sparky dies of his injuries]] but he does so knowing that his mind is still as sharp as ever, and Lillian [[spoiler: uses his patents to make a fortune and bring her neighborhood out of poverty.]]
12	* ComicallySmallBribe: Sparky tries to bribe a bus driver to drop him off in the middle of an uninhabited area near his lair with a $5.00 bill.
13	* CoolOldLady: Lillian. In her early seventies, still running her own electronics store, and a trained electrical engineer from an era when that career wasn't exactly encouraged for girls.
14	* CutLexLuthorACheck: As Lillian [[spoiler: ultimately takes advantage of]] any of Sparky's inventions, from an AI that runs on vacuum tubes to flying robots, could have earned him ''millions'' in 1941. Instead he used them to rob jewelry stores...
15	* TheDeterminator: Sparky in a nutshell. He's stayed alive this long with the help of, as he puts it, "Rage, and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance."
16	* DistantFinale: After [[spoiler: Sparky's funeral]] the story jumps ahead from 2005 to present day 2015.
17	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Most of the premise of story revolves around this. Being ninety-nine years old, Sparky isn't up to much physical labor, and he's dependent on Lillian for help.
18	* ItsAllAboutMe: Why didn't Sparky become famous for inventing his robots? Because two weeks after he was arrested the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor]]. He regards this as a ''personal insult.'' Fortunately he gets a [[CharacterDevelopment bit better about it]]
19	* {{MacGyvering}}: Sparky restores power to his lair with the help of a pair of garden rakes, a set of jumper cables, and some nearby power lines.
20	* NoNameGiven: Our villain protagonist's given name is never revealed, but Lillian nicknames him "Sparky".
21	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: During a failed test run, Sparky's robot hilariously tosses him over the side of a crevice. Which results in several broken ribs and a fractured skull [[spoiler: that ultimately he never recovers from.]]
22	* [[spoiler: RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
23	* SharpDressedMan: His hands might not be able to tie his bowtie anymore, but Sparky wouldn't be caught dead in anything except his tuxedo.
24	* VillainProtagonist: Sparky, obviously.

Context Webcomic / TheLastMechanicalMonster