A review by joshgauthier
Lady Mechanika Vol. 2: The Tablet of Destinies by Joe Benítez, Martin Montiel, Mike Garcia, Michael Heisler, M.M. Chen
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.