Lady Mechanika Vol 4: The Clockwork Assassin
By: Joe Benitez; M.M. Chen
Illustrator: Joe Benitez (pencils); Martin Montiel (pencils); Beth Sotelo (colors); Michael Heisler (letters)
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Publisher: Benitez Productions
Series: Lady Mechanika #4
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:

You know what? There aren’t enough steampunk stories. Doubly so for graphic novels. I mean who doesn’t love cool steam based tech and gorgeous Victorian outfits? Well, thankfully there’s the Lady Mechanika series. Lady Mechanika Vol 4 by Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Beth Sotelo, Michael Heisler, and Martin Montiel is a steampunk graphic novel series with detectives, fabulous lady investigators, and some scientists closer to the evil genius side of things than is comfortable.

Lady Mechanika Vol 4 is a classic murder mystery – or at least starts out that way. The volume opens with a murder, but not just any murder. A scientist and former friend of Archibald Lewis has been killed, bringing a past Mr. Lewis would rather forget rushing back. Inspector Singh is assigned to the investigation, which quickly goes from bad to worse. But the few witnesses there are all report a woman too strong and quick to be human, one with mechanical limbs. And the only person who fits the description is Lady Mechanika herself.

This volume was a lot fun. We are once again in the capital city, following some familiar faces. The story really focuses on Mr. Lewis. As much as I liked him before, Mr. Lewis often was relegated to the role of funny sidekick. Here, he gets plenty of backstory and character development, fleshing out his character very well. He really takes a lead role in this volume, which was a welcome change.

Not only do we learn a lot about him, we learn a lot about some of the other scientists working with mechanics. Familiar faces make appearances as well as many brand new ones. Despite this, we don’t necessarily learn much in regards to Lady Mechanika’s still hazy past, leaving questions on this front still unanswered.

The art is, once again, very beautiful. The world is gorgeous, steeped in Victorian charm and fancy outfits. One of the reasons why I love the art is the beautiful outfits Lady Mechanika wears. However, I did find one or two of the outfits a little plainer than some of the previous volume. This isn’t any kind of make or break deal, but it is worth mentioning.

Lady Mechanika Vol 4 was another solid entry in the series. If you like mysteries and steampunk I would suggest picking up this series.

If you’re interested in what we thought of the other volumes in the series you can find reviews for Lady Mechanika Volume 1 here, Volume 2 here, and Volume 3 here.