After the rather awesome #0 issue Aspen Comics
Lady Mechanika really starts to get going in issue #1.
Set in a steam-punk England Lady Mechanika
follows Lady Mechanika an ass kicking take no prisoners super woman
with mechanical arms and a deadly arsenal. Oh, she also oozes
sensuality from her divine figure.
Issue one sees Mechanika investigating the death
of a young girl not unlike herself. It seems to be the flavor of the
series; Mechanika investigates cases that might lead her to a
discovery about her past. It’s a pretty standard storytelling
structure, but one that can be really interesting and exciting when
it’s done well. So far Mechanika is doing it well. There are
a lot of mysterious figures who seem to have a history with
Mechanika, some dazzling locations (Mechanika city) and some pretty
good action, which all help to make this tried and true story
structure a fun read. I say fun because that’s how the series feels.
Something like Indiana Jones and the old adventure stories it
was based on. The fact that the issue includes more recipes from the
steam punk kitchen seems to reaffirm that fun feeling.
I was a little confused at the start and I think
that was due to reading the #0 issue as I already had some
interaction with the world of Lady Mechanika and I felt it
was more a story of Mechanika’s backstory and not something
altogether different from that. Also the narration that seemed to
accompany the introduction felt like an introduction to the world of
Mechanika and therefore an introduction to Mechanika herself not a
different character altogether. Aside from that the issue contained
good dialogue, with a hint of British humor, and accents that felt
authentic but not over the top and annoying. It’s certainly a very
easy issue to read.
The art continues the high standard set in issue
one. Outfits look authentic in terms of both the period and the
steam-punk flavor of the series. Like I said Mechanika herself oozes
sexuality but the eyecandy isn’t so overdone that the strength of
her will is overshadowed. A skank Lady Mechanika certainly is not
and she’s all the better for it. The action is handled well and the
fact that it’s violent but not gory adds to the fun adventure aspect
of the series. Extreme gore would cheapen the experience but the use
of a black silhouette and a spray of blood gives the desired effect
to the reader. I was a little surprise by the ‘fight’ at the end.
Mechanika seems pushed aside by something akin to Force powers and
it kind of threw me seeing as guns and knives had been the main
weapons shown so far. It could turn out to be some sort of
steam-punk weapon but right now it seems like the series might be
heading into an even deeper fantasy element that may prove
overwhelming in the long run. There was some mention of werewolves
and I just wonder whether the series might start to deal with more
than it can handle.
Overall, Lady Mechanika #1 is a fun read
that has plenty of action, great artwork and well written dialogue
with just the right amount of humor. I do wonder about where the
series will go in the future and whether it’s the wrong path but I’m
certainly sold enough on the series to take that journey.
