Lady Mechanika: The Devil in the Lake #2 // Review

The lady is unconscious on her back in the snow. Her face is scratched-up. Her leggings are torn. Somewhere else she’s in hell. She might be in her mind or she might be elsewhere. There are those who wish to save her in Lady Mechanika: The Devil in the Lake #2. The writing team of Joe Benitez and M.M. Chen continue their story with artist Siya Oum and colorist Mike Garcia. Though there’s a stylish feel of immersiveness about the story, far too much of the plot rests in the dialogue to make for a fully satisfying experience on the page.

There are a couple of magical beings who are taking an interest in the unconscious Lady Mechanic. She’s going to pull through, but it’s not exactly going to be due to anything to remedy the situation. When Lady Mechanika surfaces from the hell of her unconsciousness, she’s going to find a pistol pointed at her. The man pointing the pistol at her is going to be responsible for bringing her to safety. It’s okay: an intrepid adventurer like her is accustomed to such greetings. She’s going to need to take some time to recover from her most recent encounter, though. 

Benitez and Chen manage a pretty tight chapter. There's a lot going on. There is a lot of backstory that needs to be developed. A lot of it's being developed in the dialogue, though. And that doesn't necessarily engage really well with the comic book format. That being said, there's more than enough intrigue going on in the heart of the series to carry some momentum from panel to panel. cell in the recovery. It's kind of interesting to see them advance the plot while allowing the hero to come across as a bit more vulnerable.

Oum is good with the intrigue. There is a classy feel about the moodiness in the horror drama. It has a very sharp poise about it that seems to create a kind of formality even in the presence of a chilly Jack London-style wilderness that is amplified by supernatural horror and magic. It all feels very well executed. It's just too bad that the rhythm of things needs to be broken up so much by so much exposition in the dialogue.

The series is taking the adventure genre in an interesting direction that feels like it's adding quite a bit around the edges of traditional steampunk. There is a rich depth to the story that begins to embrace the potential of supernatural drama from the era in the oft-ignored region of snowy northern Russia. Things that seem to be progressing quite well in this series in a way that's also adding quite a bit of depth to the character of Lady Mechanika herself. There is quite a bit of momentum as the series reaches its third issue next month.

Grade: A-