Volterra has fallen but events are just starting to pick up.
Creative Staff:
Story: Paul Allor
Art: Chris Evenhuis
Colors: Sjan Weijers
Letterer: Paul Allor
What They Say:
The machine is on a rampage through the streets of Volterra! As Isabel and Leonardo da Vinci ponder drastic action, Lorenzo Medici arrives in the city—and doesn’t like what he finds.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The further we get into Monstro Mechanica the more uncertain about it I am. There are aspects to it that I like and I keep hoping that through it I’ll get a bit more of an idea of the period and people involved but it just feels too disconnected for me, particularly as our lead characters almost seem secondary to… something that I can’t quite put my finger on. They and the Monstro all appear in here but it’s like they’re going through the motions. That’s also partially because of the artwork as Evenhuis’ style still feels like a weird fit for the period and characters involved. I really like his take on the Monstro but beyond that it just feels like it’s almost too superficial for the period piece.
Though Volterra fell fairly easily overall thanks to a combination of factors, everything has gone downhill quick from there with the Monstro now basically taking anyone and anything out thanks to the last command it got. This is making for a lot of carnage and people being taken out but it all gets stopped in the end thanks to Isabel and the canon she has. It’s not what she wanted since she believes it to be alive, but Da Vinci is still not believing that and just wants it ended. It’s a fun bit of action overall and I really like the way it moves as you can almost envision it in an old school stop motion way in a film. That said, it doesn’t have the weight it needs because of the nature of the series so far with how disjointed a lot of things feel. Isabel handles it well and provides most of the heart but even that feels distant and closed off here.
Other events are moving along with this settled, such as Riaro making his way to where he shows some of his abilities and light defenses of one power player while also having some of his background revealed, as a son/nephew to the pope depending on the story. This just adds another weird complication to matters with a character that’s barely memorable. A bit more interesting is the time with Da Vinci and the Medici upon entering the city of Volterra and discussion of events going on, which includes Da Vinci basically being on board for an army of mechanical men that will get the job done hard and fast and without the loss of a soldiers life. It’s an easy angle to play and it makes sense but I’m just having a hard time really feeling this at this point.
In Summary:
The more that Monstro Mechanica has gone on the more it’s disconnecting for me. The moments that have worked have been with Isabel and the creature itself as I want to know more of what’s going on there and the meaning behind it all. Riaro, Da Vinci, the Medici, and much of the other material is just not clicking anywhere near as well and this issue turned out to be a bit of a struggle to get through since everything feels secondary to something that I can’t even pin down as there’s an uncertainty as to the intent of the story itself. I suspect time with Isabel and the Monstro Mechanica will pick up next time around and that’ll help some but not with the fundamental problems.
Grade: C
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: March 7th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
