The Inventor's Inventor, whose original Dutch title Wortelkwadraat is translatable to Gearlose Squared and is shared by the main character is a comic story written by Branko Collin, Mark Middelhuis, Paul Hoogma and Wilfred Ottenheijm and drawn by Bas Heymans. It features Gyro Gearloose, the Little Helper, and, in their debut, Megahelper and Little Megahelper.
Plot[]
Unsure he can meet an inventing deadline himself, especially not if he takes some “me time” away from work to watch a documentary he's been looking forward to, Gyro Gearloose has an ill-advised inspiration and creates Megahelper, a robot capable of inventing in his place. Thus does the Singularity happen in Gyro's front-yard with fast-paced and increasingly unpleasant consequences…
References[]
- Gyro Gearloose keeps time via his own (patented) Biodegradable Clock.
- He has been meaning to watch “a TV show about building giant-sized nanites”.
- Megahelper's inventions include a Remote-Control Jar of Applesauce, the Tree For Free, other electric plants, an electric frog, and finally, a Time Machine.
- Gyro is also briefly seen relaxing on a hovering hammock not attached to any trees.
Continuity[]
- The story ends with a potential sequel hook in the form of the Little Helper building his own “Little Megahelper”. This has never been picked up on directly, but was echoed by the one-pager A Helper For Helper (2017), where the Helper builds himself a different robot assistant.
Behind the scenes[]
This story was first printed in 2006 in the Dutch Donald Duck #2006-38. It was later printed in English in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #718 with localization by Jonathan Gray.