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Lady Mechanika Serie #6

Lady Mechanika Vol. 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci

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Lady Mechanika's investigation into her forgotten past is overshadowed by concern for her associate Mr. Lewis when he becomes enamored of a beautiful and enigmatic young widow, whose own past seems disturbingly linked to the untimely deaths of several creative geniuses. Will Mr. Lewis be next?

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2019

13 people are currently reading
257 people want to read

About the author

Joe Benítez

292 books180 followers
Joe Benítez is an American comic book artist who has worked on such titles as "JLA", "Superman/Batman", "Detective Comics", "Supergirl", and "Titans" for DC Comics and "The Darkness" for Image Comics. He also co-created and penciled the sci-fi series "Weapon Zero" and the dark fantasy mini-series "Magdalena: Blood Divine" for Image. In 2005, Joe published his first creator-owned mini-series "Wraithborn" through Wildstorm. In 2009, he stepped in to finish up Michael Turner's run on "Soulfire". Joe is currently working on his steampunk adventure series, "Lady Mechanika".

http://www.joebenitez.com

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5 stars
212 (39%)
4 stars
239 (44%)
3 stars
81 (14%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
Profile Image for Christy Hall.
367 reviews95 followers
April 6, 2024
La Belle Dame Sans Merci is a beautiful and heartbreaking story. Mechanika gets a bit closer to finding who is responsible for making her the way she is. She runs into another mechanical woman who bests her in a fight over a mechanical arm. This other woman references their shared "father." Mechanika gets some information to investigate where she is kidnapped by the Mistress Grimm and her Reapers, presumably to take her to Blackpool or some other villain. Before she can get any further in her investigation, she must change directions and save her very good friend - Archie - from certain death.

I so want to figure out the overall mystery of Mechanika's origins! I am suspicious of so many: Blackpool, Mr. Cain, Ms. Cain, Dr. Littleton...the list goes on and on. She is making some slow headway and gaining more clues and more memories, but something always gets her off the scent. This time, she has good reason to not think of herself. Archie needs her and he is one of her very good friends. He deserves saving. Archie's story is such a sad one and to see his heart break again in this one is quite awful. I know it had to be done, but it didn't hurt any less. I love that Fred and Singh make appearances again. I hope Mechanika and Singh have a chance at something once she finds out about her past. This world is amazing and the stories are unique. I love the Steampunk elements, but this one had fewer of those. Volume five was more about the supernatural elements, which was fine because it was quite good. Again, stunning art work and character development. I really do love this series so much!

Update: I love this volume! Beautiful and heartbreaking story!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.3k reviews1,061 followers
June 22, 2019
The art and character designs for this series are great. My problem is the constant teasers about Lady Mechanika's origins that go nowhere. Either further that plot thread or drop it. It's just annoying and a waste of the limited page count at this point. That being said, the main plot is interesting and it's nice to focus on some of the supporting cast at this point.

Received a review copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Profile Image for Steve.
962 reviews112 followers
May 5, 2019
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so here's the thing that bugs me most about this series. This is the fifth volume, and we are no closer to Lady Mechanika's origins than when we started. It seems like every volume starts out with a plot about who she is and who mechanized her when it is suddenly derailed by some other lesser storyline. Talk about leading the readers on! Come on and give us the origin story already, and then build some plots around her strengths and weaknesses!
Profile Image for Dev.
2,462 reviews187 followers
May 13, 2019
I received an ARC copy of this book from Edelweiss

actual rating: 3.5

I have such a love-hate relationship with this series. The earlier volumes technically have 'better' stories just by virtue of being long enough to tell an actual story, but the art was beyond ridiculous a lot of the time. The later volumes draw Mechanika and other women more like actual people, but they're so short that there's never really any progress made with the overall plot. I still enjoy this series overall and I thought the added fantasy element with this volume was interesting, but I wish they would go back to doing longer volumes.
Profile Image for Corrie.
1,689 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2020
In Lady Mechanika, Volume 5: La Belle Dame Sans Merci we find Lady Mechanika
concerned for her associate’s behavior. Mr. Lewis is under the thrall of the beautiful young widow who’s own past seems linked with the untimely deaths of several creative geniuses. Will Mr. Lewis be next?

Joe Benítez supplies us with page after page of gorgeously detailed art. The storyline are garnished with plenty of action and suspence. We are teased with Mechanika’s mysterious origins story in the prelude, but don’t expect anything solid yet (sigh). While the artwork is getting better, the stories are not.

Themes: Victorian Steampunk on steroids, awesome artwork, and great costumes.

4 stars
Profile Image for Mel (Epic Reading).
1,115 reviews351 followers
October 11, 2024
A fairly stand-alone Lady Mechanika story. While we still encounter some new elements to her overall mystery the main story here is her friend Archie and his encounter with a fairy muse. I really liked this little sidebar and love that it gave us a moment to see what Mechanika values at the end of the day.
As always these comics have more prose than many others, and are beautifully illustrated. Lady Mechanika remains one of my absolute fave comics out there.
Profile Image for Annemieke / A Dance with Books.
969 reviews
May 24, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in any way.

This volume starts us of with us heading into a bit of Lady Mechanika’s past. Or at least there are some hints there. It got me quite excited to maybe see a bit more of it discovered in this volume.

Unfortunately that did not happen. Those little hints were all we got and the story shifted.
I could have really liked the shift of story as it goes into Lewis’ problems, if it had also properly gone into the bond these two have. Instead it barely skims the surface. Lewis makes it clear he doesn’t feel appreciated and lady Mechanika feels attacked. That is it. It sucks because Lewis fragility here opened up a lot. He is clearly suffering and it could have added an emotional feel to this volume.

Instead I got a negative feel from this volume. Lewis is trying to deal with the loss of his family that he blames on himself. It makes him drown himself in drinks. His decisions when he does stop drinking aren’t of liking to Lady Mechanika. And yes she had every right to criticize them. They weren’t great. HOWEVER at what point is it okay for her to make decisions for another adult because she doesn’t like/agree with them? He wasn’t under a spell in that he was being coerced. The end clearly showed that. I am interested in seeing how this backlash will be dealt with in later volumes because you can’t just recover from something like that in a friendship.

I feel like these volumes (this one was just 100 pages) really aren’t long enough to do justice to the world, the stories and any kind of overarching plot with Lady Mechanika’s past.

The art in itself is great and consistent.
Profile Image for Frédéric.
1,972 reviews86 followers
December 17, 2025
I still love the characters, the artwork and the design, but I must admit that this abrupt intrusion of pure fantasy into a purely steampunk universe bothers me a little. It seems to me that the genre is sufficient in itself and carries an intrinsic magic that requires no addition.

What's more, the plot is shaky, built on a first part that is abandoned halfway through to branch off into the part that gives the book its title.
Profile Image for Anja.
385 reviews9 followers
July 3, 2020
Jetzt heißt es warten bis September
Profile Image for Jessica Strider.
537 reviews62 followers
May 14, 2019
Pros: gorgeous artwork, interesting story, great costumes

Cons: depressing ending

Lady Mechanika’s quest to discover her past is sidetracked when Mr Lewis’s depression suddenly dissipates and he announces his engagement to a mysterious woman.

This volume collects the three comics that make up this storyline. It references some of the earlier volumes, but as situations and people are given enough reference, you can follow along even if you haven’t read those.

As with the other volumes, the artwork is gorgeous with some great steampunk costumes and a Victorian style setting. There are a few fight scenes with good action and a new female bad guy.

I found myself conflicted by the depression plotline. On the one hand I think the team did a great job of showing that it can take a long time for people who have suffered lost to recover. On the other hand, Lady Mechanika seems to have reached a point where she’s tired of Mr Lewis’s grief and just wants him to go back to being her occasional sidekick. I could actually understand his choice for marriage at the end of the volume and felt that Lady Mechanika took something from him and then left him alone to deal with the fallout at a point when he clearly needs intervention. The idea that he’ll just recover on his own - given enough time - is unfortunately rarely true in real life, and it would have been nice to see this acknowledged in the comic, maybe by sending him to a convalescent home or giving him a pet to care for (it’s possible this will be addressed in the next issue). But that last page with him is very depressing to read.

On the whole though, I thought it was a great volume.
Profile Image for Courtney K.
1,805 reviews25 followers
August 9, 2019
I like the overall development of the overarching mystery, but I didn't like the problem of the day. Mr. Lewis made a decision that makes sense with his predicament and LM completely disregards his wishes. It was just sad and his life is still in ruin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Dávid Novotný.
588 reviews13 followers
October 29, 2020
Fifth volume brings nice mix of supernatural and mystery elements. Also some small pieces from Mechanika's past are hinted. Unfortunately, not much is revealed, so we must wait till another issue. Hope it won't take 20 volumes to reveal everything (even though I understand that this is the thing, that keeps reader hooked on). Even that also this volume is not very innovative, as genre piece it work's pretty good.
Profile Image for Amanda.
605 reviews9 followers
January 6, 2022
Lady Mechanika continues to be beautifully drawn, but I'm beginning to weary of how drawn out her search for her origins is.

Received via NetGalley.
Profile Image for DominiqueMS.
185 reviews45 followers
October 8, 2020
Oh, this was a curious one.
Here we have two stories: one more related to Lady Mechanika past, and one related to Mr. Lewis.

From the Lady Mechanika part, we discovered a little more clues that may led to her past , and from Lewis' part, the one that at the end takes more screentime, we have a curious situation when we can know more about his psychology, and a little touch of one other theme somewhat common in the steampunks themes: the magical one.

Plus, one very interesting new character .

Profile Image for 47Time.
3,455 reviews95 followers
May 28, 2021
It's so rare that I get to read a comic that is so graphically complex. There is no shortage of gothic elements adorning every page. The theme reminds me of a PC game called Dishonored - it also features a cyberpunk British setting.

Police office and Lady Mechanika's friend Singh brings her news about a house that contained the mechanical arm that she seeks. Upon investigating, it turns out to be a ruse. She is taken captive by Grimm's reapers who work for Mechanika's enemy, Blackpool. The story then focuses on something just as personal for Mechanika. To her surprise, her close friend Archibald is engaged to a mysterious woman all in the course of but a few days. His infatuation is puzzling. All focus turns to this plot, so there is little added to Mechanika's life goal of discovering her past. It feels like no more than an interlude.

Profile Image for April Gray.
1,389 reviews9 followers
July 20, 2019
First, I haven't read any of the other volumes in this series, so my review is based on this volume alone. The artwork is gorgeous, very detailed and lush. I love all the steampunk going on, and the art style makes me think of Aeon Flux, though much prettier, of course. There are two story lines going on, Mechanika trying to discover her origins, and trying to save her friend Mr. Lewis from a fae that is stealing his mortality. I figured out what had been going on previously for the most part, but I'm sure I missed some relevant stuff, so maybe jumping in this far into the story isn't the best idea- if you're considering this series, starting from the beginning is better, I'm sure. The story is intriguing enough that I plan on looking for the previous volumes. Now, for the boobily factor- the body style isn't terribly unrealistic; I mean, most graphic novels have unrealistic body types, male and female both, and personally, I'm not reading comics expecting to see realism. Mechanika definitely has a nice bod, but she's not super top heavy, her flesh is covered in form-fitting but not spandex clothing, and even after a fight where her clothes got thrashed, she wasn't showing gratuitous skin, no barely there strips of cloth. Overall, a satisfying read.

#LadyMechanikaVol5LaBelleDameSansMerci #NetGalley
Profile Image for Michael.
729 reviews
July 4, 2019
Lady Mechanika keeps searching for her origins and there are many plots afoot to keep her away from discovering the truth. Frustrating for her but very frustrating for the reader. This needs to move faster toward some revelations soon or people may grow disinterested.

Here we find a copy of her mechanical man, and another mechanical person maybe more advanced? Is she linked to them? And then she gets sidetracked by a fairy entrancing Mr. Lewis. Oh, that man!

How do you stop a fae? Loved that story element. It was physical and emotional and an ethical quandary wrapped in one.

The art is fantastic as always.

The story meanders and got sidetracked a tad so it could use a little focus. Now we have to wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Janne Paananen.
998 reviews31 followers
August 10, 2021
Lady Mechanikasta on tullut yksi suosikeistani sarjakuvien maailmassa. Piirrosjälki on tarinasta toiseen uskomattoman hienoa, tarkkaa ja värikylläistä... sopii upeasti steampunk-maailmaan. La Belle Dame Sans Merci on yksi parhaista tarinoista. Pidin pienestä synkkyydestä, joka kulki tällä kertaa mukana. Archibald tyttärineen ovat hienoja sivuhahmoja ja mekaaninen nalle tuo hyvän mausteensa.

Ainoa pieni toive olisi, että ison kuvan taustatarina etenisi hieman nopeammin. Se tuntuu junnanneen paikoillaan jo useamman osan ajan.

Olisi muuten helppo nähdä tämä ison tuotannon suoratoistosarjana. HBO, Netflix, Disney, Amazon tai Apple... oisko aika herättää steampunk onnistuneesti valkokankaalle?
Profile Image for Andrew Kline.
780 reviews3 followers
February 23, 2025
This may be my favorite volume yet. More hints of Mechanika's past, but interrupted by Mr. Lewis's unexpected nuptials. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship moves forward after her interference.
Profile Image for Florin Pitea.
Author 41 books199 followers
May 5, 2019
A must-have item for steampunk fans, chock-full with literary and artistic references, action, adventure, breath-taking graphics and exquisite dialogues. Six stars out of five. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Ivan.
400 reviews67 followers
December 1, 2021
Sa svojim petim tomom, ovaj serijal vrlo lepo napreduje. Uvođenje elemenata onostranog predstavljaju lepu protivtežu stimpanku a crtež je konzistentno dobar i detaljan. Istini za volju, daleko više bih se ložio na ovakvu stilizaciju pre dvadeset godina, ali šta da se radi. Kako god, Ledi Mehanika je prilično osveženje u savremenoj ponudi nezavisnog stripa.
Profile Image for Samantha.
742 reviews17 followers
June 24, 2019
this one had a fairy in it, which was fun. I disagree with lady mechanika's decision.

I'm not that keen on how the books are built around discreet cases rather than just covering an ongoing time span. I feel like time is getting skipped. at the same time, things are moving slowly. she has flashbacks here and there but there's never any revisiting of them. invariably, whoever is with her notices her flashing back and says, are you alright? and she just says, yes, it was nothing. but there is never a scene where she mulls over the clues, let alone one of those wallboards detectives do where they put up all the clues they have and pictures and pin strings between them in a big confusing map. I would like that. I would like to see what her clues add up to so far. she doesn't seem that focused on discovering her origins, even as she is said to be obsessed by it by another character.

I still haven't figured out where the day of the dead mini issue fits in - she was saying she had let someone down and now he was dead, but who was he and when did that happen?

so yeah, I guess these aren't moving fast enough for me in the backstory. there is always a case that gets solved in each volume, but there is little progress with character growth. she and singh haven't gone on a date. she hasn't summed up what she's learned about her origins, nor does she investigate them independent of other cases that we see.
Profile Image for Stephanie (Gorelenore) Cover2CoverBlog.
1,406 reviews40 followers
July 16, 2019
This, the fifth volume of Lady Mechanika, was another wonderful story that had gorgeous illustration throughout. Lady Mechanika is still trying to learn about her past but is deterred by Mr. Lewis' disappearance and funny demeanor. Mr. Lewis has found a fiancé out of nowhere and she is doing something to him.

I love the illustration in these graphic novels, it is very detailed and it follows the story well. One thing to note about these graphic novels is that there is a lot of text though for a graphic novel and while the illustration does carry some of the weight of the story, there is still a lot of reading when you get into the story.

Mechanika is growing as a character and I really like her growth so far, she is seeming more human than machine as the story line moves forward and that may play into developments later in the story. I am really enjoying this series and the weird developments that occur that are inhibiting her from moving forward on her journey because it is more friendships built while she is trying to be alone and in the end I think she needs these people in her life to help her find her origin.

A few other disclaimers, this is an adult series with adult content and a good amount of violence, so be aware before you go picking these up.
Profile Image for Angèle Dbs.
126 reviews15 followers
May 22, 2020
J'ai beaucoup hésité entre 3 et 4 donc on va dire un 3,5.

Un tome très court malheureusement, mais j'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire (d'où mon envie de donner un 4) ! Par contre, je regrette toujours qu'on nous en dévoile si peu sur Lady Mechanika. On a la suite directe du tome 5 ici, qui finissait sur une info sur le passé de l'héroïne justement, donc c'était carrément l'occasion d'en découvrir davantage, et malgré ça, on apprend toujours rien à la fin de ce tome. Après 6 tomes, ce serait cool de nous en donner un peu plus ! Et c'est pour ça que je descend un petit peu ma note symboliquement.
Profile Image for Jess.
1,225 reviews15 followers
December 5, 2022
This was a great volume. I'm so happy another volume is coming out soon.
Profile Image for Arsnoctis.
840 reviews150 followers
November 12, 2024
Una bella incursione nel mondo delle fate. Anche la qualità di stampa, per una volta, è piuttosto nitida.
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