At the height of the Renaissance, warring factions vie for control of Leonardo da Vinci’s destructive arsenal. The only thing standing in their way is Leonardo’s young apprentice and her nine-foot tall mechanical bodyguard. Together, they navigate a world of wicked men and war machines, determined to save Leonardo from the world—and the world from Leonardo.
Writing
A common geek phrase is “Anything is made better by adding robots.” This is not always the case though as many movies and series were terrible despite the inclusion of robots (looking at you Transformers: The Last Knight). Luckily, Monstro Mechanica is a series which helps to backup the original statement as this comic is made better by the inclusion of having a mechanical creature in it.
Writer Paul Allor introduces some intriguing characters in this new series. Leonardo Da Vinci as a man who is so intelligent enough to build a steampunk automaton is not a new concept. Thankfully by showcasing his assistant, Isabel, the series becomes more appealing. She is shown having a special bond for the wind up contraption and knows Leonardo’s intelligence is a double edge sword. Her being portrayed as an outcast for the clothes she wears who can only bond with the unspeaking machine makes her very sympathetic and likable. She easily steals the issue and will no doubt become the selling point of the entire series.
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Artwork
The art team for this book delivers a smooth art style. Everything has a subdued steampunk feel to it. Chris Evenhuis provides a more simplistic style for the robot but makes up for it by adding intense detail work to the rest of the book.
The colors by Sjan Weijers offers a lot of earth tones which are synonymous with the steampunk style. A mixture of tans, browns, and red makes the book feel like the series is taking place in the past.
Writer Paul Allor also did the lettering for the issue. The advantage of serving this dual roles allows them the opportunity to perfectly know when to employ the right about of bolding to get the point across throughout the issue.
Conclusion
An intriguing character and a great art team makes for a fantastic series. AfterShock keeps delivering some interesting comic series. It’s easy to recommend this book and see how fantastic history will become moving forward.
