joshgauthier's review
4.0
In the vein of Indiana Jones and such treasure-hunting adventures, but with a steampunk aesthetic, Lady Mechanika continues to provide a fun and exciting read. This story deviates a bit from Volume 1 in terms of setting and story. Moving away from London and away from Mechanika's investigation of her past, this volume is more purely an adventure story. This isn't a problem, but it does clarify for me where this series is heading in general.
There is a lot that works. The storytelling is well-plotted and effective. The characters are interesting, if not entirely original. The story too, is comfortably what can be expected from this genre. The only deviation - without spoiling anything - was the unexpected reveal about the villains at the end - a reveal that didn't really work for me within the rules of this world as I understood them.
Otherwise, I will continue my complaint about the visual portrayal of the female characters and how they are accentuated in the art. Additionally, I'm debating how I feel about the portrayal of African culture and British imperialism in this volume - though it isn't a central dynamic of the story.
Alright, so, overall I continue to like this character and the fun storytelling that this series provides. I had a couple more complaints about this volume as opposed to the first one, but this series is generally strongly-written with a vibrant artistic style. It's well-worth the read.
There is a lot that works. The storytelling is well-plotted and effective. The characters are interesting, if not entirely original. The story too, is comfortably what can be expected from this genre. The only deviation - without spoiling anything - was the unexpected reveal about the villains at the end - a reveal that didn't really work for me within the rules of this world as I understood them.
Otherwise, I will continue my complaint about the visual portrayal of the female characters and how they are accentuated in the art. Additionally, I'm debating how I feel about the portrayal of African culture and British imperialism in this volume - though it isn't a central dynamic of the story.
Alright, so, overall I continue to like this character and the fun storytelling that this series provides. I had a couple more complaints about this volume as opposed to the first one, but this series is generally strongly-written with a vibrant artistic style. It's well-worth the read.
alexperc_92's review
4.0
The sequel of this steampunk adventure continues with more mystery and amazing art!
jnikolova's review
3.0
Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.
Not as good as the first one.
My general problem with Lady Mechanika, after two volumes, is that it doesn't follow through. In the first volume she was decided on finding her maker. In this volume that story is completely forgotten and something completely different is happening on a different continent.
Not to mention that this is Lady Mechanika and the tablet of destinies, except that Lady Mechanika is not even in the story line with the tablet. So to call it like this would be something like "Aragorn and the One Ring". I mean... uh... they are in the same world?
I firmly believe that this could have been much better, had the story been more condensed and had there been fewer sub-plots.
Much like the first volume, there is a recipe in which there is a male mastermind who has a bunch of generic soldiers and a female assistant, while Lady Mechanika on the other team finds unlikely friends and a mysterious guy who helps her from afar. Maybe if they hadn't followed this already used story, it could have been much better.
I continued liking the art, however. It was very intricate and detailed, and also pleasant to look at. The more female characters come in, the more obvious it is that they are all the same when you remove the colors. But I will choose to disregard that and enjoy the general feel of the book which was pretty good.
Not as good as the first one.
My general problem with Lady Mechanika, after two volumes, is that it doesn't follow through. In the first volume she was decided on finding her maker. In this volume that story is completely forgotten and something completely different is happening on a different continent.
Not to mention that this is Lady Mechanika and the tablet of destinies, except that Lady Mechanika is not even in the story line with the tablet. So to call it like this would be something like "Aragorn and the One Ring". I mean... uh... they are in the same world?
I firmly believe that this could have been much better, had the story been more condensed and had there been fewer sub-plots.
Much like the first volume, there is a recipe in which there is a male mastermind who has a bunch of generic soldiers and a female assistant, while Lady Mechanika on the other team finds unlikely friends and a mysterious guy who helps her from afar. Maybe if they hadn't followed this already used story, it could have been much better.
I continued liking the art, however. It was very intricate and detailed, and also pleasant to look at. The more female characters come in, the more obvious it is that they are all the same when you remove the colors. But I will choose to disregard that and enjoy the general feel of the book which was pretty good.
davidkelly0324's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lady_nett's review
2.0
This volume was okay, there wasn’t anything bad about it nor was there anything spectacular. I went into this with really high expectations because volume 1 was so incredible but this one fell short for me.
carroq's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm glad I took a chance on this book. I wasn't impressed with first volume because it felt like it dragged on and on. The story is set in an alternate Victorian England with science fiction elements mixed in. Volume two picks up on a thread from the end of the first volume, but goes off in another direction.
The story reminds me of The Mummy. Much of it is set in Egypt and it involves a search for an ancient artifact. Lady Mechanika's relationships with the various characters worked well. There are some tropes used throughout the volume, but the creators execute them wonderfully. It is a fun adventure story that roams across the heart of Africa. And the art is great again. It shows off a range of skill from the creators. This book made me interested in continuing the series.
I'm glad I took a chance on this book. I wasn't impressed with first volume because it felt like it dragged on and on. The story is set in an alternate Victorian England with science fiction elements mixed in. Volume two picks up on a thread from the end of the first volume, but goes off in another direction.
The story reminds me of The Mummy. Much of it is set in Egypt and it involves a search for an ancient artifact. Lady Mechanika's relationships with the various characters worked well. There are some tropes used throughout the volume, but the creators execute them wonderfully. It is a fun adventure story that roams across the heart of Africa. And the art is great again. It shows off a range of skill from the creators. This book made me interested in continuing the series.
raven31's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
urlphantomhive's review
4.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
This second volume was even better than the first! The artwork, as I'd come to expect after the first volume, was still great. It is amazing and really one of the best things about this comic. I liked this story better than the first, even though it is not that original (typical ancient treasure kind of thing). Still it was a pleasure to read. There is still a lot of text on some pages, but I had the feeling it was slightly less this time. Lady Mechanika makes a really nice lead in this steampunk comic.
Looking forward to more!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This second volume was even better than the first! The artwork, as I'd come to expect after the first volume, was still great. It is amazing and really one of the best things about this comic. I liked this story better than the first, even though it is not that original (typical ancient treasure kind of thing). Still it was a pleasure to read. There is still a lot of text on some pages, but I had the feeling it was slightly less this time. Lady Mechanika makes a really nice lead in this steampunk comic.
Looking forward to more!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
leticiatoraci's review
4.0
I would like to thank NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The artwork in this graphic novel is really amazing and the story very entertaining, even if not too original.
The artwork in this graphic novel is really amazing and the story very entertaining, even if not too original.
monroev1225's review
4.0
I am really enjoying this series. The artwork is beautiful, Lady Mechanika is fascinating and the steampunk universe is a delicious pleasure. If you enjoy mystery and action with a steampunk touch, you need to pick up this series.