One of Aspen’s finest books, but also the one we have to wait the longest for, is Joe Benitez’s Lady Mechanika. Created, written and illustrated by Benitez with colors by Peter Steigerwald and letters by Josh Reed, the book starred a steampunk cyber heroine with sleek and impressive artwork, Mechanika is a Multiversity favorite (the first issue itself earned an 8.7 when it came out back in December of last year).
The only major problem with the book is that we have to wait six months per issue (the second issue came out in July of 2011), although in a press release back in June, Aspen Editor-In-Chief Vince Hernandez addressed the issue, remarking, “The encouragement for the next issue of Lady Mechanika, and the patience of both the fans and retailers in this regard cannot be understated. We’re so thankful that everyone understood that the situation for the delay was unplanned and definitely unintended. We’re well aware of the importance of delivering the series on time and apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. But, we’re also thrilled to be able to provide, in our opinion, an amazing issue #2 that we are extremely proud of, and I think that people will really be pleased with the final product.”
Now, with a similar delay assumedly hitting the production, Lady Mechanika is finally back for her third issue, set for a December 21st release. The book, picking right up where the previous issue left off, follows Mechanika’s quest to retrieve the Mechanical Girl, which pulls her upon a question to “the strange and wondrous Cirque du Romani, where she encounters a bizarre–and also dangerous–troupe in search of answers,” as written the Aspen press release attached to this preview. The issue will also feature “even more shocking clues to the girl’s whereabouts are uncovered, and Mechanika is driven to attend the world famous Mechanicon!”
Either way, the book’s three issues (including a #0) have been fun up through this point, and we are highly looking forward to the third as well. Check after the cut for four-page preview, as well as three variant covers. If you haven’t been reading the story up until now, be sure to check your stores for back issues.
