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.

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.

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.

This was my first encounter with Lady Mechankia, an English lady with mechanical limbs travelling the New World. Originally published in a three part series this compilation let's you enjoy the complete story and all the accompanying artwork. And that means artwork is a good place to start.

You're not exactly picking up a graphic novel for stick figures that would be at home in an XKCD comic strip, but this one? Wow. It's stunning and vibrant. It's one of those that indulges in flourishes, the frames often decorated with cogs and gears. Some of the frames are a little static at times, but they're generally fairly minor pieces. The showstoppers are spectacular though. The front cover is incredibly eye catching - it stands out as slightly different. It's a wonderful take on <i>La Calavera Catrina</i> (if you'll forgive the anachronism) with a gorgeous palette and presence. Luckily it doesn't stop there. Aside from the story artwork we're also treated the the individual covers of the original books - something that is a huge bonus if you've ever felt cheated at the collections that rob you of those pieces.

The story? Well coming into the middle of a series I don't know how or why Lady Mechanika turns up in a seemingly random Mexican village, but as it's Día de los Muertos we get some glimpses of previous stories. I didn't feel lost but I've no doubt there would be some extra richness if I'd greater background to the story. At times Benitez possibly over-explains the local customs, but not harmfully so. Its a fine balancing act though, and any less could well have invited criticism for it being too obscure and inaccessible so I was happy to ride it out. Likewise the smattering of Spanish words. I really don't speak the language, just a few words picked up here and there, but the use of them here wasn't difficult to understand and gave a nice flavour to the conversations. But I digress. The story is good. It's brief too so don't expect huge character exposition, although I'd say Benitez does impressively well in that regard given the limited opportunities. We get a few interesting minor characters, a little dose of action, and it's enjoyable. The whole thing is fairly self-contained and I'd be surprised if it had much impact on other stories in the series, but that's also good. Much as it left me feeling I wanted more Lady Mechanika on my shelves I didn't feel I was robbed of a conclusion or left hanging as the author taunted me into hunting down the next installment.

A good story with great artwork. It's eye-catching, and a satisfying read.

Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte is a stunning new graphic novel about a woman who takes a trip to Mexico over the Day of the Dead holiday and gets more than she bargained for. It was action packed and offered a colorful look at some of the local cultural beliefs. The plot of this story was solidly entertaining and left things open for further series installments. Speaking of which, this is apparently not the first Lady Mechanika book, but it was the first I have read. So while I didn't know anything about this character's background, going into the story, it didn't seem to affect my overall ability to follow this individual storyline.

Loved the intensity and pop of the illustrations. I did, however, find some of the pages were a little hard to make out because there was just too much going on or too many details to discern.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for hooking me up with his advanced review copy. If I ever get to go to comic con I so have a kick butt costume idea ready!

I received an ARC through Netgalley, for which I'm grateful. This does not, however, affect my review, or how friggin' much I love this series.

This was probably my most favourite installment yet. It had everything; culture, heart and action. And even though the premisse isn't a new one (little Mexican town is terrorised by a gang of bandits...), it's presented in such a way, that it does not feel stale at all. On the contrary.

The artwork is always top notch in this series, but the details in this one were particularly great. I loved the make-up design. And the borders (which are usually decorated with gears), were, where appropriate, decorated with Aztec-inspired art, skulls, bones and roses. Absolutely stunning!

Lady Mechanika vol 4: La Dama de la Muerte by Joe Benitez and M. M. Chen

Illustrated by Joe Benitez and Martin Montiel

Pros: gorgeous artwork, touching story

Cons: makes the locals look ignorant

Mourning the death of a friend, Lady Mechanika makes her way to Mexico, where she’s coerced into joining the Day of the Dead festivities.

This graphic novel gathers a 3 issue storyline.

As with the previous volumes the artwork is simply gorgeous. I love the costumes and make-up associated with the festival. There are some beautiful double page spreads.

I enjoyed the story, though it does depend on the ‘superstitious natives are easily duped’ trope and it’s not particularly original. I found the opening beautiful and sad, despite the positive message of the festival.

I was confused by who Dallas was. He isn’t mentioned in the earlier volumes nor was there a flashback explaining how he died or any explanation of why Mechanika felt responsible for his death.

Despite a few minor issues, I love this series. Each volume stands alone and uses unique new locations and outfits. The artwork really is worth it.

Lady Mechanika: La Dama de la Muerte by Joe Benetiz proves beyond a doubt that this is Benetiz's character and he has a firm handle on developing Lady Mechanika into one of the few Steampunk characters that will transcend into the mainstream. Whether that be in comic form only or in all literature.

Reeling from the death of her closest friend and confidante, Lady Mechanika leaves England for a small town in Mexico where she can hide away and find solace. She needs time to grieve and deal with the guilt she feels. She finds that she has arrived just in time for a festival and though she would like to stay alone in her room, she is enticed by the family she is staying with to take part in the celebration for the Dia de los Muertos. The festival for the dead. It seems just the thing to ease her pain.

But the festival turns into a time of horror as a young bleeding boy wanders into the town. He is the lone survivor of the Jinetes del Infierno, the mythical Hell Riders. They are on their way to take thier payment from the village. They cannot be opposed but Lady Mechanika cannot sit back and allow them to pillage the small town. But can even she stand against these supernatural creatures?

One of the more put together and well plotted stories so far from Benitez and crew. Lady Mechanika flows seamlessly into Mexican culture and takes the helm as the Lady of Death during the time of Day of the Dead. Benitez has actually humanized her more than ever for this book, allowing her humanity to outshine her mechanical attributes for this tale.

The villains are well constructed and evil beyond reproach. The horror they do to the weaker townspeople is repugnant and even more so as we learned their past and their secrets. This is an old west kind of comic, with the lone hero protecting the village from the oncoming marauders. Benitez has adapted this tale well into his comic and Mechanika is terrific.

Another well written and beautifully drawn series.

Gorgeous illustrations, perfect dark story that mixes history and religion with revenge.

The story was pretty good, but it's really the artwork that keeps me coming back to this series. It's simply fantastic! More, please!

I haven't read any of the previous mechanika books...but I didn't need to in order to start this. The artwork was stunning. Beautiful, intense, colorful. It drew me in almost more than the story. I did enjoy the story, but i could stare at the artwork for days.

This book was too beautiful to rate at anything less than five stars. The gorgeous covers reflect the wonderful artwork throughout , which is vivid and dramatic and dynamically enhances the story being told.
In this volume Mechankia heads to Mexico and finds herself celebrating Dia de Los Muertos with the inhabitants of a small village. The celebrations come to an abrupt halt following an interruption in the form of the arrival of a mutilated young boy, and Mechanika soon learns that he is a messenger, and a warning - the village must pay a tithe of gold, wine and anything else of value or face the consequences. Mechanika decides to fight, but will she save the village, or is this band of supernatural thieves more than she can handle?
While the story is good, it is the artwork that really elevates this book from four to five stars for me, every page was a treat, with so much detail and colour to enjoy.
I reviewed an ARC from NetGalley

I gave the book 4 stars on what I could see when I downloaded it. I could not really read the book but I could see most of the artwork which was gorgeous. I think either my computer or the file was messed up since I could not see everything the book had but what I did see, I liked.