Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: aftershock, chris evenhuis, HRL, leonardo da vinci, monstro mechanica, Paul Allor, sci-fi, sjan wiejers
Monstro Mechanica #3 Review: What if All Your Experiences Were Bad?
The siege of Volterra comes to a conclusion (sorry, I said Rome last review) with the Medici faction coming out on top. However, Isabella is still being held hostage by Riario, and the Monstro Mechanica is running rampant throughout the city. Da Vinci and the Medici forces move into the city, but chaos takes hold once more not long afterwards.
Da Vinci is given the opportunity to be something of an insufferable jackass once more, but he actually does show some genuine concern and compassion towards Isabella, making the character of Leonardo da Vinci in Monstro Mechanica feel like an actual human being for once.
The automaton shows some more personality in this issue too. It rounds up all of the women in the city who look like Isabella in an effort to protect her. It also shows itself to be wantonly violent when given a vague order that is open to it doing so.
Unfortunately, this violence ends up taking up much of the comic, leaving the overall plot little room to advance. While it is fun to watch the Monstro Mechanica kick some mercenary ass, it turns into bloated empty action given more space than it needed. The overall plot of the book doesn't move that far forward as a result.
That being said, Chris Evenhuis does make that action a lot of fun, with the automaton making big, heavy swings sending men with sword flying across the city. The characters also continue to be very expressive, and the overall world is detailed quite well. Sjan Weijers's color art is also quite bright and appealing to boot. Monstro Mechanica continues to be a very good-looking comic book.
Monstro Mechanica #3 slows up the plot somewhat, but it doesn't dip down to the quality of the first issue. It is a fun read, and the book has something to offer even if the pacing is far slower than it needs to be. It still earns a recommendation on its charms and artwork, and you should feel free to check it out.