The artwork in this comic is amazing. The amount of detail on the cover is what drew my attention, and the inside is even better. Every scene could be featured as wall art. This is the first comic I've read featuring Lady Mechanika. I didn't feel lost, but there was a touch of mention from a previous installment. It made me want to read the others out of interest, not because I was confused with this storyline. The female lead is a sort of vigilante hero after a group of villains torturing citizens. It has a bit of a dark vibe and less of a superhero feel than some comics. I liked it and plan to check out more of the series.

I received an advanced copy of Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte TP from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lady Mechanika La Dama de la Muerte is a side story following the events in volume three. I would have rated this a three and a half star, but honestly the artwork is just so stunning that I had to bump it up at least half a star for that. Seriously, I think I might have to see if I can buy a print or two from this volume. Even though it is a side story, it does contain some pretty massive spoilers for the other volumes, so I strongly urge that you read those first (though if you don’t mind spoilers it isn’t a requirement).

Spoiler Warning

As the title (and artwork) suggests the theme is heavily focused on the Dios de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The merging of artwork and style here is truly breathtaking, and by far the highlight of the volume (please take the time to look at all of the alternate covers in the back, you won’t regret it!). I seriously can’t seem to move past how beautiful all the art is, hence why I’m gushing about it so much. I think it’s safe to say that while the artwork for Lady Mechanika has always been exceptional, this volume takes the cake, so to speak.
I think was my favorite so far of the Lady Mechanika series – it is very approachable with beautiful art (I sound like a broken record, don’t I?), an interesting albeit slightly heart breaking plot, and well-rounded characters. While I don’t want to give everything away, I will say that you should be prepared to be hit in the gut during this story; as the story fits the theme very well.
There is less of the steampunk element in this volume, but honestly I’m ok with that trade-off. The cultural theme of the story more than made up for it in this particular case. While I’m no expert on Dios de Los Muertos, I do believe that it was beautifully interpreted here.

I received an advance e-copy of this graphic novel via NetGalley and the author. The gift in of this book in no way influenced my review or opinions. Why? Because oh. my. gorgeous! The story was a good one, centering around the Dia de los Muertos legend / festivities. It is the first in the steampunk series that I have read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. What set it over the top, however, was the art. Oh my! The drawings were done in such incredible detail! The story was perfectly captured in the artwork. I loved it all! And I will definitely be purchasing the rest of the series :)

This installment of Lady Mechanika is a weird one - it kind or sits outside of the volumes but you should have read volume 1 for a little bit of backstory. In this book, Lady Mechanika goes off on her own and ends up in Mexico. She finds out that there are some evil men running around scaring towns into providing tithing. She takes it upon herself to seek them out and teach them a lesson for their wrongdoings.

This was a pretty violent installment, there was a lot of shooting and blood, but there was also a lesson about Dia de los Muertos and what festivities take place to celebrate and show that death is not to be feared. There is a little bit of Mechanika's flashbacks but not much still, I am still waiting to learn more about her origins so I will continue to read these.

Review will be live on blog on Sept 22

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After the last couple volume in this series, this book felt like sort of a let down. I really enjoy the idea behind it, and felt that the creators did a nice job explaining the premise of the Day of the Dead. The art that accompanies it is gorgeous. That is definitely one the strongest element of the series.

Mechanika has traveled to Mexico, but there wasn't anything to bridge this back to the previous book. That should make it friendlier to a new reader. I found it frustrating that it leaves a big gap between the two stories. She recently lost a good friend, which helps tie her story into the plot, but I can't honestly remember who the missing person is if he was even present in the previous stories. Those are probably my biggest gripes about this book and they made it feel less complete.

The whole integration of the Day of the Dead celebrations was well done. Of course, there has to be some sort of conflict and that part of the story is good. It shows what Mechanika is capable of if she really lets loose. Even though this book doesn't bring the reader any closer to finding out more about Mechanika's history, it is a fun diversion.

Slated for September 26, 17 release, get your preorders in!

Lady Mechanika, part human and part machine, is haunted. As a detective in early 20th century England, she has done things she regrets and caused people she cares for to die. The Lady, running from her past and pain, heads across the ocean.

In Mexico, she arrives and is welcomed by the citizens of a small town. Lady arrives November 1869, on the Day of the Dead and celebrates life and loss with them. Her red eyes are explained away and beautifully melded with face makeup in the classic sugar skull.

Santa Muerta, the Devil's mistress, Lady of the Underworld. She has a penchant for forcing people's hand. While Mechanika may have a need to heal, Santa Muerta prefers people sweat it out a bit.

During the celebration, a messenger arrives and the villagers prepare for midnight when the demon rider Jinetes will come for their payments from the living. Lady Mechanika, decides to put her faith in science and logic, and hunt down the Jinetes to free the people.

La Dama de la Muerte is the collected trilogy volume from 2016.

Like other great series, Mechanika has had a minimal number of published issues. It focuses on stunning artwork and story. Set in a Steam Punk world, those who do not care for this genre will still be able to enjoy this collection. The extent of technology in this series begins with the fact that Lady herself is part machine (generally unnoticeable), and ends with the fact that she arrives in Mexico on a train (not unusual for 1869). It neatly sidesteps the need for deep genre familiarity and allows you to wallow in vibrant colors and beautiful design details.

This clean presentation is as graceful as the Lady Mechanika herself. It brings gorgeous cover to cover artwork, lots of full page alternate covers, but unfortunately not a lot of back story or additional editorial content. If you are unfamiliar with the series, this can stand alone, but will absolutely leave a couple questions unanswered for the un-indoctrinated.

Minor spoiler** There is one specific scene reminding me of a particularly brutal Wolverine/Logan attack. Lady can work a knife.. End spoil.

The presentation had one flaw which irked, the collection is penned in English, and calls out anything being spoken in Spanish <*translated to English> by sandwiching inside of <alligator brackets>. This drove me a little crazy as the majority of text uses these. They are after all in Mexico and just about every word is Spanish translated. Why not put the things spoken in English in brackets.. This gripe does not take away from the work; it is just a personal annoyance that would cause me to burst if I failed to mention. I might have to find a Spanish language version of this just to see what it looks like translated and if I am just moronic for being annoyed. Does it present better?

---

Disclosure-

This work was provided to me by the publisher for review purposes. I considered writing this review in Spanish until I realized I do not understand Spanish. As an old friend of mine used to say frequently, 'Por favor lavar mi langosta.' <Please wash my lobster.>

The illustrations are beautifully and wonderfully rendered, I can re-read this over and over and still pick up subtle little details in the pages.

The story works well as a stand alone as you get any backstory you need through the story. Please pick it up, please read it and stare at the illustrations.

Huge, huge thumbs up!!

I haven't read the previous comic books so I won't really comment too much on the story as it even says to understand more I need to read previous chapters. That was fine though and I didn't have too much trouble following along plot wise. At times I felt it was a little dialogue heavy and it slowed my reading pace but I think that's my own preference and probably not an issue for others.

What initially attracted me to this comic was the art on the cover. It was haunting and captivating and romantic all at once. It hinted at a magical and powerful story with a strong heroine front and center. Once I began reading I realized the art style was very different from what I am used to. It was beautiful and very detailed but at times it was a little hard to discern what was going on. The coloring helped a lot to distinguish shapes and people but I wish some areas were a little less heavy with lines. Not to say I don't like the sketchy style, which I do. It was just hard to understand when there was a lot going on at once action wise. I will say that the fiesta scenes were beautiful with the magical and natural over tones and delicate coloring. I also liked the way they drew the corrupted soldiers with their glowing green smoke that dragged through the air ominously. It was all done very purposefully and helped to juxtapose those who respected and celebrated death and those that unceremoniously caused death and destruction.

I'm not sure if I'll buy the previous books but I did enjoy this one and I can clearly understand why it's so highly rated online. The story is captivating, the integration of Dia de los Muertos was well done and very magical. Personally I'm not a fan of gory graphic novels so I was a little taken aback with some of the images, but it fit the story line and characters well. I give this comic 4 stars for being well put together, well thought out, and well drawn.

4 helms
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(www.vellumvoyages.com)

Wow, can Joe Benitez draw! What a stunner Lady Mechanika is and her outfits are gorgeous! LOVE! A feast for the eyes and a steampunk graphic novel set in the Victorian England period is what Lady Mechanika is all about. I could just look at the pages for hours and not have any idea what the characters are saying...that's how gorgeous these illustrations are! I haven't read any of the series previously so this was completely new, so I did feel like I kinda started in the middle. A bit of background would have been nice (just for my own satisfaction) but can totally read this as a stand alone.

Lady Mechanika needs space and solitude after the loss of a close friend and finds herself in a small village in Mexico, where the festival of the Dia de los Muertos is just about to begin. As she begins to relax and enjoy herself, the fun becomes deadly as the Jinetes del Infierno (The Mythical Hell Riders) come to gather their tithes. Suspecting something is not right with this deadly gang, Lady Mechanika investigates and what she finds does not please her at all.

I just love the illustrations....they are breathtakingly beautiful and this is what has me awestruck with Lady Mechanika. The story itself was good but lacked depth as I felt like it was a bit short. I am definitely interested in reading the previous novels just to stare at more pretty outfits and I am curious about her background too, which she is trying to discover for herself. Very interesting and different so will be definitely reading more! Five helms for the illustrations and four for the story :)

*Thank-you Joe Benitez, M. M. Chen, Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the ARC.

In this steampunk world, Lady Mechanika travels to a village called Santa Catrina and happens to arrive just in time for the Dia de Los Muertos festival. But when the Demon Riders come to the village demanding their tithe, Mechnika mounds up to stop them.

This story is my first experience with Lady Mechanika and despite it being super dark (there’s a high body count) Mechanika is an awesome character. The cynic in me says this entire side story is just an excuse to put the character in Day of the Dead makeup, however, I am totally ok with it because the art is fucking amazing! Spectacular line and color work, dynamic layouts; dear gods half the panels could be posters!

The story itself is pretty standard: a small village with robbers and such but it is so damn gorgeous, you don’t mind seeing it all again. A near perfect read, I give this a 4 out of 5 because there are some plot points dropped here that require reading the main series.

The storyline is interesting and dramatic, keeping your attention, and is a perfect prop for the simply excellent graphics, exactly like I have become accustomed. I think this is the main reason that draws me back to the series of Lady Mechanika's adventures: the attention to details, the beautiful curves, just the right mix of époque and steampunk, even the gear contours. Keep 'em coming!

Joe Benitez' Lady Mechanika just gets better and better. His artwork is beautiful and the stories are engaging.

In La Dama de La Muerte, Lady Mechanika just wants to get away. She wants to grieve in peace. Somehow she ends up at a small Mexican village during their Día de los Muertos celebration. Sure that she can handle the Jinetes del Infierno, the mythical Hell Riders, she completely underestimates them.

When she awakens after the slaughter, she has a new calling. She will eliminate the the Jinetes del Infierno once and for all and free the villages.

Benitez characters are damaged and beautifully flawed. From Lady Mechanika, so sure she can take on everything by herself, to members of the Jinetes del Infierno, all of the characters you meet are developed and designed to move the story forward.

My late night reading streak commenced and I chose to continue with this comic. The cover art captured my eye. It was dark but really beautifully done. The content did not disappoint. Every page I turned was stunning. The art on its own stood out. The colors were vibrant and I have a thing for the La Muerte makeup.

Story-wise, I thought it would be the horror or thriller type of plot with ghosts or a killer and all but to my surprise, it actually portrayed the evil in the society. How greed can lead to gruesome acts and how corruption can really put an end to one's life. We can all relate to it and I can't shake the feeling that it's rampant in our society. With the conflict already presented, it is expected that a hero will come along. Usually one with a bright and positive personality. But in this graphic novel, the protagonist, Lady Mechanika was also enveloped by darkness which made it interesting and at the same time perfectly imperfect.

You can see that Lady Mechanika is a strong-willed and independent woman. But like any other human being, she is flawed, she has weaknesses, and she has her own dark secrets. But what I liked about her is that behind all these, she still has something good in her that will eventually make her a hero. I have to commend her boldness on how she was willing to fight big guys by outsmarting them with her wit and swift moves. There's a hint of feminism here and I like it. I find it inspiring when female characters stand up to men or those who oppress others.

Overall, I love the moral of the story especially on how you can redeem yourself by always choosing to do good. If you're asking if children can read this, no. It's not appropriate as the comic might contain too graphic visuals and violence. But I'm sure adults, men or women, can enjoy this.

Hmmm... while this is a lot better than the only other evidence I've seen of Lady Mechanika's worth, which was awful, it's not great. An overly-wordy first chapter sees our heroine in a village celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead, only for some nasty people to turn up and need killing. The problems after that are (a) a lame ''ooh, American soldier mentality is bad'' shtick, which helps nobody, and (b) no real use of the mechanic bit of the Lady - or if there was, the awful page layouts for the action scenes prevented me from seeing it. Some of the artwork is lovely - the floral boundaries to statuesque poses, and so on, but a lot else is very poor indeed. The story here is a whole heap more coherent than the origin story, but it's still not a perfect execution.

I give it 3 stars but I really really wanted to give it more. The artwork is very good, the action sequences were also great, the characters had distinctive personalities, there was gore, but the storyline lacked suspense. It just felt a bit flat. I think the genre is supposed to fall under steampunk as well, and I suppose technically it does because the main character has mechanical limbs, but that's about it, the story doesn't borrow anything else from the genre, she may as well have had real limbs for all the contribution it made.
But I saw another reviewer mention that this was the flattest arc in the series so maybe it is worth going back and reading the original comics. It is still better than mainstream comics though imho

I highly recommend everyone getting the chance to read Lady Mechanika series. Lady Mechanika is a pure badass who I enjoy reading about time and time again. I really enjoyed the artwork in this comic. I'm a huge fan of the makeup done for day of the day. I liked that it was mixed in with the steampunk vibe of Lady Mechanika. It was so well done and really beautiful. I really need to get some artwork done by this Joe because I'm always left more impressed.

I really enjoyed the story of this as well. Lady Mechanika stumbles upon a little town that is getting ready to celebrate the day of the dead. Everything is going smoothly until she learns about these thieves that go from town to town. It was a heartbreaking story but also really fun and enjoyable seeing Lady Mechanika spring into action.

I highly recommend everyone check out these comics. You will not be disappointed.

Okay, I'm gonna be honest I am really trying to make myself like graphic novels but ones like Lady Mechanika make me think maybe I do actually like them, I've just been reading the wrong ones.

Okay let's start with the illustration because it is bomb af. The colours are so rich and vibrant, the illustrations are next level good. I mean I'm no artist, but I know what I like and I love the style in Lady Mechanika. Everything was just so beautiful. Honestly the plot could have been basically non-existent and I would have stayed for how beautiful this graphic novel is.

Now the plot I also loved. We were given a kick ass woman named Lady Mechanika with a past I look forward to learning more about. Joe Benítez did a great job of walking that fine line between too much back story and not enough. The secondary characters were lovely as well. The family that takes Lady M in are so charming and sweet. The medicine man is old and wise. The plot was steady, and a nice balance of light and heavy. It was something I'd never really come across before. I was here for it, all of it.

I don't know man, I just really loved it.

Lady Mechanika is back and she's getting out of town. Her lover is dead. She's going to Mexico. She just wants to get away and get herself back together. However, she hits the town when the Day of Dead celebration is going on...

Diamond Book Distributors and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published September 26th.

The illustrations in the series are always breath-taking. Add the vivid colors of Mexico and the makeup used for the Day of Dead make this issue really stand out.

She meets the family of the place she stays and agrees to go to the party. When men ride in on horses with green flames around them, she finds that they all go hide in the church and give the men money and goods to make them leave. If you don't have enough, they take a child and disfigure it and then throw in the next village to ensure getting plenty. She doesn't take well to that and decides to take the fight to them.

She tracks them, kills the ones she finds but also learns there are more. One thing about the Lady, she's a killing machine. All you can do is follow along and be surprised by how versatile and varied her killing talents are. Especially after she finds out they leveled the village she was visiting and killed everyone in it. There's no mercy here. Well, maybe just a touch of mercy.

These series is bloody and adrenaline driven but I like graphic novels and this artwork is enchanting. Give it read as long as death doesn't scare you.

I will definitely be buying more issues in this graphic novel series. This is exactly what this genre needs more of - strong female characters.