the planet with the U.S. Navy, make silent movies, and hobnob with the likes of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla. Boilerplate is also active in the First World War, but disappears during the relief of Major Whittlesey's Lost Battalion, possibly having been captured by the Germans for study. Supporters of this theory point out that German military technology advances tremendously in the twenty years between the two world wars, encompassing guided rockets, experimental jets, and sophisticated tanks. Post World War II, Boilerplate is sighted on a number of occasions, often in Chicago. In other media Paul Guinan and his wife Anina Bennett (who also maintains the Boilerplate website) have coauthored Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel, an illustrated history of the character's adventures. This coffee table book covers Boilerplate's 25-year existence as well as its subsequent impact on popular culture. It was published by Abrams Image in October 2009. Guinan and Bennett have previously collaborated on the comic book Heartbreakers, published by IDW Publishing; "Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate", a 2005 one-shot of this series, also featured Boilerplate and was nominated for an Eisner Award. Boilerplate is a character in Chris Elliott's 2005 novel The Shroud of the Thwacker, a spoof historical thriller. Elliott mistakenly thought that the Boilerplate site concerned a hoax which dated back to the 19th century and included material from the website in his book, not realising it wasn't in the public domain. After being alerted to the copyright infringement, Elliott and Guinan negotiated a settlement which allowed the character to be used in exchange for a percentage of Elliott's earnings from the book and credit in future editions. Boilerplate is featured on the cover of Canadian indie pop band Stars's 2008 EP Sad Robots, as well as on merchandise for their 2008–9 tour. Paramount Pictures have optioned the film rights, to be produced by J. J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company. References External links A Robot From an Alternate History Visits Our World, Newsarama, October 19, 2009 Fictional robots 2000 robots Comics characters introduced in 2000 Steampunk Fiction set in the 1890s Fiction set in the 1900s Fiction set in the 1910s Caribbean in fiction Cultural depictions of Mark Twain Fictional characters from Chicago Internet hoaxes Klondike Gold Rush in fiction Spanish–American War fiction Cultural depictions of Theodore Roosevelt Victorian era Comics set during World War I World's Columbian Exposition