Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lady Mechanika #3

I have to admit that I don't know much about steampunk, except that I like the designs and the costumes that go with it.

That's been the main reason for picking up Lady Mechanika. It features stunning art by artist (and writer) Joe Benitez, with amazingly ornate costumes, designs and mechanical creations.

This issue splits its time between the title character's visit to a mysterious circus and more revelations about the "big bad" guy, and the visuals are arresting - Benitez has crafted an amazing and original world here.

But the writing doesn't hold up its end. The characters spend most of the issue standing around and talking - for a visual comic, it's very heavy on dialogue. Which would be fine if there was a compelling story unfolding here - but we don't really cover much ground in this issue.

And that's a problem because it's such a long wait between issues. The first issue in this series was printed a year ago, and the second issue five months ago. That's a lot to ask of a readership - with such a long gap, each issue needs to pack a lot in to hold attention - and so far, that just isn't happening.

Buy this comic for the art, certainly - but the story will try your patience.

Grade: B

No comments: