*I received an ARC of this book through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review*

Lady Mechanika arrives into Santa Catrina, a small village, during the Día de los Muertos festival after suffering a loss. The Jinetes, horseback-riders from the world of the dead, come to the village to collect their offerings. Lady Mechanika then decides to act to save the villagers.

By [a:Joe Benítez|54938|Joe Benítez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1486040773p2/54938.jpg]

What struck me first was how gorgeous all the artworks are! In fact, they are jaw-dropping with the flamboyant colours and numerous details in their clothes, build, bodies, and objects. I really enjoyed how all the acts' titles (even the main title) are in Spanish—now that speaks of culture and experience! Because, if you don’t know, the Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico, where the people speak Spanish. Did I say acts? Yes, I did. Instead of chapters, acts divide the whole book, just like a play, a movie, or most stories for that matter (depending on the technique used, there can be from 3 to 6 or 7 of them in a novel).

Moreover, the characters’ clothes and makeup are sensational. Wow! They even serve the story which is doubly amazing. The panels are dynamic (sometimes we even get a glimpse from Lady Mechanika’s point of view under her big hat). Fun times, I’m telling you! Last note about the graphic aspect of Lady Mechanika is how the panels’ borders are made of pipes and gears which really make for a steampunk feel to it! The background has got scratches like used paper, which feels old too… A subtle but great touch!

Now, what about the story? The beginning is intriguing and jumps right into the subject. It doesn’t wait around. Instead, it sets the tone for the rest of the story and is creepy enough while being stunning. It also sets up the setting and the events quite early on and this comic does it quite nicely. You’d have to be blind to miss the information! The story itself is exciting and starts drastically, mixing folk tales with the Lady Mechanika’s invented story. The use of children as important characters in the story impressed me—it is rare but exquisite and fun when it happens! As for the other characters, they are all different and lovely in their own ways. But most noticeable, they all have their own agendas, stories, thoughts, and everything else that makes them unique. It is enjoyable to see them all mix and react to each other!

It’s hard to feel for Lady Mechanika, the main character, at the beginning, but the more I read the more lovable she became. After all, she’s courageous, a trait I respect. Moreover, we get to see a bit of her backstory, which helps us understand more about where she comes from and why she’s so different. Mostly for people who don’t read Lady Mechanika (like me) and thus don’t know her well over several comics.

On top of that, I found it to be culturally respectful of Mexico and El Día de los Muertos. The author and artist really made La dama de la muerte a pleasure to dive into. I felt like I was there, sucked into these magnificent pages and trying to do good alongside Lady Mechanika. It was insightful, that’s for sure. The emotions are well-portrayed. We can identify them without any problem. The action is thrilling and nice in terms of visual. I’m not one who likes fight scenes much in comics, but I can say those are entertaining.

The story is intriguing and sometimes misleading (a real treat!) as the plot unfolds. I admit it emotionally destroyed me (I cried, yes), but it was SO good! The ending… Awww, what can I say about the ending? I loved it! It’s such a surprise even I couldn’t see coming (and I usually detect all the major twists in a story).

There is only one negative point and I think it’s somewhat big. Let’s say the villagers’ reaction to the tragedy befalling them is… strange to say the least. I didn’t find it realistic, but it was cute and soothing—if not comforting.

I give this comic a rating of 5 out of 5 despite the negative point because I had such a wonderful time reading it. Seriously, it is well-done and impressive. I have fond memories of this book and I am certain I’ll keep them for a long, long time… Why? Because I will buy and read Lady Mechanika’s other comics! I am a fan now.

Full review to come!

*** Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

The art in this book is phenomenal! Seriously, I know there's a coloring book for this series and I really want to buy it now because the art is breathtaking! The lines and the colors give it such a distinct tone that is such a cool blend of the themes of Dia de Los Muertos and steampunk. I usually want every comic to be a live-action TV show but unless we're talking some Bryan Fuller realness, I don't even know if we could capture this type of feel with live-action television.

So, I've gushed quite a bit about the art - now on to the story.

Unfortunately, this is the first Lady Mechanika story I've read. Whenever me and my friends pass it in our comic book store, the first volume is always sold out. So, I thought this read just fine as a solo, oneshot story but I could be wrong. I didn't feel that lost (barring the bits about Dallas) because Lady Mechanika gives Lucito and Zita some of her story.

This begins with Lady Mechanika having gone off on her own for the first time (?). She comes to a small town, Santa Catrina, the day before they were to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. This appears to be a foreign custom to Lady Mechanika but she participates because the villagers really sell it to her. She becomes quite taken with a little girl, Zita, and gets into the spirit of things. As this is happening, a mutilated boy comes into town and collapses. He's the latest punishment of the Jinetes. These are the "gods" that require tithes every year. If villages don't have enough to give, or if the leader feels like it, they torture people, usually children, and send them as warnings. Lady Mechanika takes it upon herself to stop them.

The story is fairly simple. She's on a quest to rid these people of the Jinetes for good. I really enjoyed this story because I quite like Lady Mechanika as a character, there's a compelling reason for her quest and the art was beautiful. I won't spoil any of the events but I'll just say, I felt no remorse for the Jinetes. They got what they had coming to them.

So, this was a perfectly enjoyable reading experience. I'm definitely going to check out more of the Lady Mechanika series.

Received from Netgalley  and Edelweiss in exchange of honest review.

Five Stars!

This is my first Lady Mechanika novel and it didn't disappoint. The artwork in this book was beyond anything I seen before and the story was pretty good. Even tho I haven't read the other LM books, I understood what was going on with the Lady M and how she become to be. So all over  it was pretty good and wouldn't mind reading some more novels dealing with her..

*I Recieved this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

When i saw this on netgalley I got a little overexcited and read it immediately, if you want first impressions of this series mine is not the review to read.

You can't beat Lady Mechanika, Joe's art style is beautiful and takes my breath away every time. I loved this edition to the series and i am excited for what's to come going forward! You know i have already pre-order this in bindup.

4 Stars>

In my quest to read more graphic novels and not only manga I stumbled onto the Lady Mechanika series by Joe Benitez, a steampunk action series with beautiful character designs and gorgeous artwork. Lady Mechanika is a graphic novel series that I’ve been following for almost half a year now. The series is a steampunk, action packed story that follows the Lady Mechanika, a woman with mechanical limbs with no recollection of her past who solves problems that other people can’t. Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte is a prequel of sorts, occurring before the start of the first volume of the graphic novel between the as yet unexplained origin. With breathtaking art and a story that is keeps you hooked, La Dama de la Muerte is another great addition to the series.

In this volume we are introduced to a younger Lady Mechanika, one who is lost both mentally, spiritually, and physically. When she disembarks a train and finds herself in South America, she meets a kindly grandmother and her two grandchildren who put her up for the night and invite her to the downs Day of the Dead celebration. When terrifying creatures in glowing masks come and ask for their yearly tithes, Mechanika knows not all is as it seems and sets off to stop them – whether or not they really are the servants of Mictecachuatl, the Lady of the Dead.

I do wish it was just a little bit more obvious that this volume was set in the past earlier on in the story. Only after Lady Mechanika explained her situation in full during the Day of the Dead celebrations was I absolutely certain that was the case, though it did become more obvious as the story progressed. Still, it would have cleared up some initial confusion as to how Lady Mechanika managed to clear several continents and an ocean by train alone.

While we may not have gotten a great amount of new information on Mechanika’s past in this volume, we did see character development. Her feelings, her changing views and priorities are all wonderful to see. While Mechanika is never portrayed as entirely flawless, I did like that her mistakes in this volume had much more dire consequences than normal. This was not a case where a slip up meant the death or imprisonment of a friend. Here we see Mechanika swept up in events that threaten complete strangers – people who share little more than an understanding of the same language.

Some beautiful moments did occur, moments where Mechanika allowed herself to be a bit more open with her emotions and allow us to glimpse her past.
While I quite enjoyed this graphic novel overall, there were a few pet peeves it struck with me. There first was… Well, let me just explain.

Everything within brackets in the graphic novel is supposed to be spoken in Spanish. Okay. Makes sense. They’re in Mexico. However, there are times when words and phrases pop up within the bracketed sections that are actually written out in Spanish. Why? Well, at first I attributed it to a lack of an easily translatable word. These things happen often within translations, right? I can forgive that.

What I can’t forgive is entire sentences written out in Spanish when it is already understood that they are talking in Spanish. I’m not sure what it is, but this always, always, completely shatters my suspension of disbelief. Maybe it’s just me, but that did cause some eyebrow twitching.

The other pet peeve that I wanted to touch upon was the use of symbols to denote cursing. There are definitely situations where doing this makes sense. Maybe the genre or age bracket isn’t appropriate for the words. Maybe its being used for humor. And I know that it’s something that comics tend to do. There are most definitely times I can let it slide. When curses are reduced to a string of symbols but a good deal of gore and other terrible things are shown around it I begin to question the editorial and authorial decisions, tradition be damned.

It just doesn’t make sense to me to censor curse words but show depictions of decapitation and the aftermath of torture. What line do some curses cross that excessive blood and guts do not? Is there something obvious I’m missing? Some publishing rule I haven’t heard of? If this is the case, by all means, let me know in the comments.

Oh, yes. Also, this one get just a little gorey at times. While this isn’t something new to the Lady Mechanika universe, it is worth mentioning as this does strike me as more obviously bloody than, at the very least, volumes two and three.

As this is a prequel, I really don’t feel that reading the prior volumes before starting this one is necessary. If you’re looking for a place to jump into the story this is as good a spot as any before continuing on to Volume 1 where some of the characters mentioned are giving more background and context.

At its heart, this is a familiar tale, one told often in many genres. It’s a story of redemption, revenge, and changing hearts. For some readers this could be seen as a detractor. But while the concept of this volumes story may not be especially new, it was executed very well.

I really enjoyed Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte by Joe Benitez. The artwork was beautiful, colors bright and popping off the page. The story was well told. And I can’t wait for the next volume to be released. If you are a fan of the series or if you like steampunk you’ll want to pick up a copy of this. If you don’t like a lot of blood and guts or if you aren’t a fan of the series, this may be one to stay away from.

*This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

This review and more can be found on my blog Looking Glass Reads.

Great story and phenomenal artwork!