Unfortunately, I'm going to have to mark this as Did Not Finish. I read part of the first volume and lost interest about 25% of the way through.

*** 3.5, but not enough for 4 ***

I enjoyed Lady Mechanika a lot more than I did Wraithborn. Considering my immense disappointment with the latter, I was almost scared to start Lady Mechanika.

But as I received both of these, and the 2nd volume of Lady Mechanika, from NetGalley, I had to finish it. I am glad I had this incentive, because ultimately, Lady Mechanika is by far better than Wraithborn.

Lady Mechanika is the epitome of steampunk. Everything about it is highly detailed and intricate. If you look at the illustrations, you would notice that there are layers upon layers of art and attention to detail and I can’t not admit how impressive that is.

The art, in general, was much better here than in Wraithborn. If you remember my review, I was aghast at the depiction of women. They are still very sexual in Lady Mechanika, but it’s done a lot more tastefully, to a point where I can agree that this is the wet dream of a classy high school boy.

I also found the story more intriguing. I enjoyed the main story arc about the mechanical people a lot. The part that didn’t impress me as much were the sub-plots and hints at other relations between the character that just add fluff to a story that could go without. Almost all characters are related in pairs and have common past. These two are siblings, those two worked together, the two men know each other, etc. etc. As far as the story about the Frankenstein-esque doctor who creates the mechanical people goes, there’s already enough suspense that everything else is just micromanagement of pages that need to be filled.

And speaking of, my major issue with Lady Mechanika: the writing. Literally. The author really wanted to write a book, didn’t have enough material for that, but he obviously had too much for a comic book. There is just SO MUCH DIALOGUE. It doesn’t go harmoniously with graphic novels. A book rat such as myself can tell you as much: when you are reading a book, you can take as many pages of text as there are; but if you are reading a comic book, you are not prepared for the insane amount of dialogue that is just out of place and both disjoints the story, and distracts the reader.

Wow how is this comic not super popular and well known? Every page I had to stop and take a moment just to admire the artwork. I've never read much about steampunk but boy am I missing out. This was such a great way to start off the series. Everything was beautiful and the story kept me fully engaged. There was always something happening. It was a lot of fun and the ending had me wanting more. I am so thankful that the second volume is provided on Netgalley to read now. This is a series I will be investing in buying just for the artwork alone. I am so excited I decided to start reading this.

A few years ago I read the comic issues of Lady Mechanika #0 and #1, my husband found them and thought they would be something that I would enjoy. The cover was of a busty steampunk dresses woman, looking pretty badass and so I was excited to read them. I didn’t continue with the series but that was not because I didn’t enjoy it, I actually really did, I just had a lot of other things going on at the time. When I saw Volume 1 available on Netgalley I squeed with joy and grabbed it. Then I saw that Volume 2 was available as well and got even more excited.


Lady Mechanika follows a woman who is part human but mostly machine in a steampunk universe. In the first volume we follow her as she tries to solve the mystery of another mechanical woman who quite literally fell into the city as a way to uncover more about her past. Her hope is that the creator might be one in the same. Lady Mechanika mostly works alone but on occasion has the help of a human inventor named Lewis, he makes all the mechanical gadgets that Mechanika needs for her investigations.

This graphic novel is super detailed in the art. There is so much layering and world building in such a short amount of time. The Steampunk nature combining old Victorian with mechanics is amazingly done. AND THE OUTFITS! Everything the character’s wear is incredibly elaborate and amazing – they don’t look comfortable but they are beautiful!

I could help to love this graphic novel. Mechanika is a very mysterious lead, she is very independent and she seems to be able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to. It is geared toward an older audience featuring violence, cursing, and a lot of ill-fitting tops, but it was very action-packed.

The art is well done and the story intriguing, but the female characters are so heavily over-sexualized in their design that I lost interest. It may work better for other readers.

Lady Mechanika V.1: Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse
She’s a half-mechanical steampunk Lara Croft chasing down a demon, but all is not as it seems. She makes enemies wherever she goes as she tries to figure out her origins, especially when another mechanical girl dies after running from some goons and a hot evil redhead.
Did I say steampunk? This is steampunk on steroids.
As often happens, especially in operas but also stories like this, she’s standing around talking to the corpse rather than escaping, so a bad guy comes along and beats her to the prize. And right after it happens again; wish the author didn’t make it so contrived. This was my least favorite part.
There are some excellent touches, though. She infiltrates the bad guy’s lair with a ridiculous flying machine, made by an inventor—Cockney sidekick, of course—who’s afraid of clowns; it’s the first time we see Mechanika laugh, and it goes a long way to making her more likable. She laughs again at the carnival, but it really comes full force when she whines, “I’m pleasant!” Would have thought she relished her bad-ass reputation. But most of all, the way she keeps humoring the kid that insists she’s not who she claims is simply endearing. Also very cool how Lewis and the doctor become instant friends.
The artwork is sometimes overdone, as one might expect from steampunk, but still gorgeous, even considering the muted colors that at times feel like sepia. There’s something that looks weird yet somehow right about her wearing a derby with goggles on them. And in the cover gallery at the end it’s just plain weird to see Mechanika standing like she’s posing.
More importantly, this is in my top three of most beautifully drawn and colored graphic novels I’ve ever seen. And it didn’t occur to me till the end–mostly due to that cover gallery–to notice all the elaborate costumes she wears, mixing Victorian finery with steampunk leather and such.
She also has an inordinate amount of hats. . .

Super Cool Comics!!!!

Never read steampunk before and never thought I would like it. When I saw the cover of this comic on NetGalley I said to myself why not give it a try as the cover looks promising. The artist who could draw so good must have an interesting story to tell. And I wasn't disappointed a bit.

Oh my God the artwork!
I can look at the artwork for hours and hours. The illustration, the detailing, the colors are all just so so amazing.

And the story! Too good!
The story is full of action - a lot of action. There is element of suspense, thrill and mystery. A lot of twists and turns kept me on the edge.

Lady Mechanika - A lady who has mechanical limbs but no memory of her past. She is smart, fearless and determined to find out who did this to her. She thought she was the only one like that - part machine, part human being. To her surprise she found out she wasn't anymore. There was a mechanical corpse of a young girl. While investigating for the death of the poor girl, she unraveled mystery of some unique people and uncovered horrendous experiments of a science maniac.

Although I have read this volume but I still want to add this beautiful comic to my collection so I can read and admire the artwork anytime.
I can't wait to read the next volume.

An ARC of this book was provided by Diamond Book Distributors via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story is kind of complicated, but definitely interesting.

The book had an interesting premise and intriguing characters. The timeline of the story, however, was a little confusing in the way it was presented.

This book was definitely interesting! I cannot wait to see what the rest have in store! I'm pretty excited for the second one in the series

Lady Mechanika is an amazing steampunk adventure the art is so interesting and beautiful.

I found the plot slightly confusing and felt maybe I'd missed something, a prequel maybe. The artwork is beautiful though at times it was very dark, as in struggle to see, dark. I loved the general look of the characters the outfits and such. A great book but probably something I wouldn't go out if my to buy.

while the illustrations were brilliant. Some of the dialogues couldn't be read because of the mis-match in the font size. The story is definitely captivating and makes you want to know more about the background.

This was interesting. I haven't read a steampunk graphic novel until now, and I believe this was a rather good one. Engaging storyline, and strong female characters.
There were so many details to the drawings, you can go over them again and again and find something newb(and all the cover art is amazing!)
At times though, there were so many speech bubbles on the page, it was hard to track which one to read first.

Lady Mechanika is beautiful, both in the images and the characters. Joe Benitez makes this feel like a love letter to steampunk. I loved all of his characters. They were complex, each with their own motivations and needs.

Benitez story does an amazing job of keeping you guessing about each of the characters. And just when you think you have figured out all of the players, boom, Benitez drops a twist into the mix. There are several characters that leave you wondering, just who's side are they on?

The artwork speaks for itself. Steampunk is a rich canvas, and it is used to it's fullest in Lady Machnika. The content is visually stunning, and the strong plot and characters make it all the more enjoyable.

I first was introduced to Lady Mechanika on Free Comic Book Day and thought the story sounded very promising. I got a copy of the full first volume through NetGalley and was very impressed. The art is lovely and consistent and the story doesn't hang waiting for a next volume. It is complete and the world is introduced well. The characters are also intriguing and have promising backstories. Lady Mechanika herself is a Laura Croft-type, Mr. Lewis serves as goofy sidekick engineer, the gypsies with chutzpah of their own, and of course the mysterious Mr. Caine. This is a wonderful steampunk adventure and I'm looking forward to Vol. 2!

I was hoping that I would be able to recommend this book to teens who enjoyed the Levithan series, Blood+, or even readers for steam punk chicklit. Judging only from the first volume in this series, it may miss the mark for some, but if you are interested in steam punk and manga's like blood+ I would certainly give it a shot. I wish that more had been done with the female protagonist. I was really hopeful from the opening pages with the first altercation creature in the beginning, it showed a lot potential and I was hoping that Lady Mechanika would be a multi dimensional character. However, after that first scene my attention drifted and the over-used amnesia action hero trope made everything a little flat. Don't get me wrong I have watched Memento and Jason Bourne a million times (then again maybe that is the problem....) but I just wanted something more. I will pick up the next two volumes when I have a chance but I wasn't desperate to grab the next installment.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book received via NetGalley.

One word: Awesomeness. Lady Mechanika pushed all the right buttons for me. Victorian: check. Steampunk: check. Kick ass heroine: check, check, checkedy check check! This is the first graphic novel that I read and I literally want more of it! I'm hooked, addicted, a newly formed junkie that already needs a fix!

So, a graphic novel has, well...graphics!

The art work is just amazing. Literal eye candy for those that appreciate that sort of thing. And no, it does not detract from the reading enjoyment. I just could not get enough. The author/artist definitely captured the Victorian Steampunk category well, and the added effect of the mechanical aspects were nice. She is called Lady Mechanika after all....

And why is that you ask?

Well, she is part machine (Her forearms, actually. She doesn't quite like to show it, so hence, the gloves she always wears). Part of a mad experiment done to her and others for reasons that she is still trying to figure out. She's a sort of Steampunk sleuth slash 007. She even has her humorous sidekick who fixes her up and creates gizmos for her.

As for the storyline itself, well, it's not cerebral. Very easy to follow. There are the quintessential bad guys: Lord Blackpool and his cronies who give our Lady Mechanika a hard time. Her exploits in this volume consist of trying to solve the mysterious death of a mechanical girl, not unlike Lady Mechanika herself. Which in turn, causes her to investigate that and also makes her delve deeper into her own past. One that she does not know/remember.

I could not put this book down. Really, at only 160 pages (most of which are beautiful images of Lady Mechanika) it makes for a short and fast read. This is Vol. 1 which consists of chapters 0-5. So, if you do pick up this comic individually, I suggest starting from the very beginning.

Hello Fellow Readers,

I've read some Lady Mechanika comics before, however I had to stop buying comics for a while due to space, so when I saw that Netgalley had both Vol. 1 and Vol 2 available for review I jumped at the chance. I am a avid comic book fan and I decided with this blog to review comic books, graphic novels and Manga as well. I will say that I am not a expert on art, however I have tons of it, so I am just a fan giving my ideas and opinions on things. If you don't agree that's completely okay, please even leave a comic on what you agree or disagree about. I love hearing from you all. I've decided to take a slightly different approach to these books as opposed to reviewing my regular books. Instead of a rating system I will simply say read or not read (that is the question isn't it?)

The Graphics/Artwork

I love the illustrations for Lady Mechanika Benitez did an amazing job of giving the characters life and color. Since the story takes place in 1800s in a steampunkish society Benitez allows his imagination to roar to life with inventions and gadgets that impressive and functional. His details are amazing yet they don't distract from the story which I like. Using the artwork can be a bit of a hit or miss for me, but Lady Mechanika was a total hit for me. While I am not sure how historically accurate the dressing is I can say I love them, Especially Lady Mechanika's wardrobe. They give her respectability while also making her look cool, and yes while they are tight clothing and there is even one image that draws attention to her boobs (they were talking about her necklace) they did not overly sexualize the character in my opinion. In fact I found a lot of her outfits pretty badass. Lady Mechanika is beautiful I will say and I can hardly fault Benitez in that sense. I have yet to see him throw her in a non-sensible outfit.

The Story

This is the beginning of comic series and we can see a boom in mechanics taking off yet, Lady Mechanika is already well know, she is a great fighter (and shooter) and her gadgets are to die for, while Benitez could have gone the origin route he didn't, this is because our Heroine is searching for her origins, we are learning with her why she was picked to become half Mechanics and half women. She is currently searching for who made her and why. While throughout the story we are fed bits and pieces of her life pre-series, I enjoy this as it doesn't take away from what's going on in 'present day', I'm not trying to process what happened to her while learning more information, Benitez poses the story like a puzzle a mystery we are tying to solve with the heroine to feel more connected to her. This makes you want to keep reading but like Lady Mechanika you start to feel a need to know what happened to her. Of course that's not the only thing going on especially with our heroine discovering other mechanical people like herself, oh ucky….

Our Heroine (Lady Mechanika)

Lady Mechanika is pretty badass, she has amazing gadgets, she's beautiful with Red eyes, Long dark black hair and creamy white skin with a complexion to die for. There is a overwhelming huge cloud of loneliness that I can see in her. She doesn't know why she was made, or who made her and since she is not quite human it's hard to bond with others because she will always be different. There's also a line which gives a clue to the fact that she may not be able to reproduce which gives a huge sadness as she will never have a family (I'm not saying that’s what makes a woman of anything like that, it's just with no siblings or parents around and not being able to have children it's just sad…) of her own. There's also a great compassion that she seems to keep hidden with her tough exterior, while Benitez allows us glimpses of, this tells us that or Heroine is a good person. Yes she does kill, and while I won't debate the merits of this, I can tell you in my opinion it's not she does off hand.

Overall

I really enjoyed Volume 1 of Lady Mechanika so much so that I immediately moved on to Volume 2, I know I will have to continue buying the comics as I know how more space (must buy all the books!). Lady Mechanika is a kickass female with a great story and gorgeous artwork, if that is something you are interested in you really need to read this.