Lady Mechanika

Origin

Lady Mechanika's early life and origin are shrouded in mystery. A detective and private investigator of the supernatural and paranormal, Lady Mechanika is also somewhat supernatural herself. Part human and part machine, she is as much as mystery to herself as she is to others.

Her fiery and sardonic nature, disguising a kind and nurturing heart, Lady Mechanika stands out in a crowd with her jet black hair and unnatural red eyes, layered against black sclera. The Lady herself features mechanical limbs as well as augmented eyes, and also suffers from a nasty case of amnesia.

As such, she is constantly hunting for clues about her past and her mysterious limbs. She is both famous and infamous in her country for her willingness to take on the cases and mysteries that no others are willing to accept. She has a reputation as a top private investigator and often carries around a set of pistols.

Creation

Lady Mechanika was created in 2010 by Joe Benitez and Peter Steigerwald for an original series with Aspen publishers. The inspiration for Lady Mechanika and her self-titled series came after all the years Joe Benitez spent participating in conventions. He enjoyed seeing all the steampunk cosplayers and began to take interest in the genre itself. Lady Mechanika is the product of his ambitions. The comic has become very popular due to its extremely prevalent design and interesting plot.

Benitez, on his character's creation had this to say: "The Steam punk genre intrigued me for sometime now. Going to cons and watching all these very cool cosplayers decked out in costumes of their own making was fascinating. The more I delved into the culture and did research, the more into it I got. Being an artist and creator there is an ocean of possibilities you can do with it. The more I thought about it, the more stories would formulate in my head. All I needed was a strong character to be the focal point in my stories. In came Lady M. I always had a female in mind as the main protagonist."

Major Story Arcs

Mechanika and Ucky

The series opened with Lady Mechanika watching over a 19th century city scape. She heard about a rumour that was spread by tabloids of a monster terrorizing an area known as Satan's Alley. She is aware that Blackpool Armaments Co. have also caught wind of the creature and hired experienced hunters to locate it so it was a race to who can find it first.

After hearing shots, Mechanika leaped from the roof and started her hunt for the creature. She explained that her interest was peaked after she heard that the creature was part mechanical, which is the same reason Blackpool would be interested in the monster; to dissect it and find ways to make weapons out of it, Mechanika revealed she has a more personal reason for her interest.

Mechanika found the small creature and noticed it had a mechanical tail. She shot it with a tranquillizer dart but it this was not enough to take care of the creature and it turned on her revealing it's mechanical limbs as they battle.

Eventually Mechanika gained the upper hand and demanded that the creature not force her to have to kill it. To her surprise it agreed to her demands, in english, and calmed down. After giving the beast an apple and a short discussion with the creature, she discovered its name was Ucky and that it was actually extremely polite.

While examining the creatures wound from one of the Blackpool goons, the pair discuss Ucky's master who also gave him his limbs. They discuss that he was left behind when his Master left their home. Mechanika revealed to Ucky that they are very similar and Ucky admitted that he recognized Mechanika even though she was a lot older then when he last saw her. Mechanika desperately pressed the little creature for answers to who she was and who was their master. Ucky revealed that Mechanika actually named him long ago. Before Ucky could explain, he was shot in the back of his head by the Colonel, one of Blackpool's men.

Lady Mechanika vs. Blackpool Armaments

The group of men are a collection of goons: Lord Blackpool himself, his helper Mr. Higgins, and Doctor Littleton. Blackpool expressed his disgust at the fact that he had requested the creature alive. The Colonel shrugged it off and recommended that Littleton look to the lady. Mechanika ordered Littleton not to touch her before she broke the Colonel's nose which revealed her hand to be made of machinery.

Mechanika walked away from the group but was stopped by the explosion of a gun shot. She turns to see that Lord Blackpool had shot the Colonel for insubordination by putting his religious views about half-mechanical creatures before his task. Blackpool then ordered the goons to secure Mechanika. The three men attempt to take the lady but she disposed of them quickly.

Mechanika requested Littleton wrap up Ucky in a blanket and bring him to her, he does so without argument and it is clear that he is not like the other men in Blackpool's employment. Meanwhile, Blackpool had ordered Mr Higgins to stay and hold off Mechanika as he escaped, Mr Higgins seemed uncertain and does not fend off Lady Mechanika when she told him to stay out of her way.

Mechanika wounded Blackpool with a bullet through the leg and after taking the body of Ucky she slowly closed in on her wounded prey. Blackpool would tell her that he will catch her some day and Lady Mechanika answered to this by rendering him unconscious with a swift kick to the face.

Mechanika and the Littletons

Almost a year after the altercation with Lord Blackpool and the murder of Ucky, Lady Mechanika visited the house of Professor Littleton, Uncle of Doctor Littleton who is staying there with his daughter. While waiting to meet with Doctor Littleton, Mechanika met his daughter Allie.

When Littleton arrived, Allie exited the room and Mechanika questioned Littleton about his involvement with the body of a young girl who had mechanical arms. This young girl was found earlier that day at the train station. After revealing he no longer works for Blackpool, Littleton explained everything to her.

Mechanika at the Ministry of Health

Upon arriving home, Mechanika discovered her acquaintance Lewis, who built her home security, drunk on her couch. He said the papers had pronounced Mechanika dead due to the young girls mechanical body turning up.

She tells him that she was busy and that he should stop wasting her time. She quickly changed her attire and disappeared out the window while he talked to her about a possible job up north involving werewolves. She then made her way to the Ministry of Health to examine the body of the dead girl.

Lady Mechanika revealed that she was held captive here, when she was a young girl, after being discovered in the basement surrounded by corpses. She was held at this Ministry with other "questionable" subjects. Mechanika examined the body of the young girl and found a couple of differences between her and the girl. She apologized to the girl's lifeless body and promised to make those who killed her pay.

She then picked the young girl up to take her to her home but she was attacked by the Engineer who used what appeared to be telekinetic powers. He forced Mechanika backwards while flinging the young girl's body into his arms. He then disappeared as Mechanika slipped out of consciousness.

Lady Mechanika vs. Commander Winter

Lady Mechanika would regain consciousness soon after the Engineer had escaped. The only thing that she found in the aftermath of the attack from the Engineer was a small piece of jewelry. Lady Mechanika recognized this almost immediately as belonging to the Cirque Du Romani.

Before she can investigate further, Lady Mechanika was interrupted by the appearance of Commander Winter and Blackpool Armaments. A lengthy exchange of words revealed a long history between Winter and Mechanika. It was revealed that Commander Winter had freed Mechanika from her cell at the Ministry of Health and taught her the ways of the world. Lady Mechanika would grow up to discover the type of person that Commander Winter truly was and would sever their relationship. Lady Mechanika had once thought of Commander Winter as a sister and the only family that she had ever known.

It was revealed during this conversation that the man who attacked Lady Mechanika was known as Cain, or the Engineer. When the conversation started to turn sour, Lady Mechanika disposed of the troops around Commander Winter with ease. Commander Winter reached for her weapon at this point but was shot at and wounded by Lady Mechanika. With the opportunity to kill Commander Winter, Lady Mechanika chose mercy instead and let her live.

Lady Mechanika and the Cirque Du Romani

With the Cirque Du Romani earring she had found earlier, Lady Mechanika set out to track the dead girl's past. Mechanika visited the Cirque Du Romani to question them about the dead girl and her possible ties to this circus troupe. The Cirque Du Romani, just as expected, did not trust Lady Mechanika because they viewed her as an outsider. They managed to disarm her and even take her hat before questioning her motives.

Lady Mechanika asked them of what they knew about a young girl with mechanical limbs who might have been with the Cirque Du Romani. Gitano and his troupe were quick to dismiss her questions and tried unsuccessfully to get her to leave. Lady Mechanika noticed how quickly they were trying to get rid of her so she grew suspicious and began to question them further.

Things turned sour when Gitano began to take offense to Lady Mechanika's accusations and a fight ensued. Lady Mechanika managed to stun Chavaia and pin Gitano to the ground before Madame Divinite showed up. Madame Divinite is the leader of the Cirque Du Romani and she broke up the fight with a few words to her troupe members.

During the fight between Gitano and Lady Mechanika, Mr. Lewis watched the fight from a distance and decided to go and rescue Lady Mechanika. He ended being captured himself by Bippo but was rescued himself by Lady Mechanika who asked for his release.

Seraphina, The Mechanika Girl

Lady Mechanika began to question Madame Divinite about the Mechanika Girl to which Madame Divinite gave Lady Mechanika the same response as Gitano; there had never been a girl with mechanical limbs at the Cirque Du Romani. It was when Lady Mechanika showed Madame Divinite the earring that was found on the Mechanika Girl's body that she recognized to whom Lady Mechanika was searching for. The earring belonged to Seraphina, the daughter of Gitano. Lady Mechanika told Gitano and Madame Divinite that Seraphina was dead.

Arliquinn then spoke up and told the Cirque why Seraphina left them in the first place. She was approached by a one-eyed woman with red hair who invited her to join a rival circus troupe. Lady Mechanika recognized this woman right away as Commander Winter. What troubled Lady Mechanika was why they would trouble to go after a circus member to do their mechanical experiments on. She was unsure of what the special interest in Seraphina was to which Gitano and Madame Divinite replied by casting glances toward one another, hinting at something secret.

Lady Mechanika, satisfied with the information she now received, parted with the Cirque Du Romani but not before Madame Divinite told Lady Mechanika that Seraphina was not dead yet. She makes this bold claim because when someone of her blood dies, she is always visited by their spirit but she had never been visited by Seraphina. Lady Mechanika vowed to Madame Divinite and Gitano that she will deal with whoever did this to Seraphina.

Mechanicon

Lady Mechanika traveled to Mechanika City with Mr. Lewis to confront Lord Blackpool about his experiments. She met up with Dr. Littleton and his daughter, Allie, who now began to dress like Lady Mechanika and even talk like her. Lady Mechanika and her group watched as Lord Blackpool himself took the stage and announced the opening of Mechanicon, a week long festival showcasing technological inventions and gadgets. Lord Blackpool announced his very own invention to the cheers and awes of the crowd, the Helio Arx.

The Helio Arx was a giant airship and Lady Mechanika recognized it right away as the airship that transported Seraphina and the Blackpool Armament troops to Darqueshire Woods. This forest was where Seraphina, the Mechanika Girl, was being chased by Blackpool Armaments. Lady Mechanika decided Mr. Lewis and herself would board this airship and investigate it.

Powers and Abilities

Mechanically enhanced, to various effects, meaning strength, agility and eyesight. Lady Mechanika also has an assortment of cool gadgets and weapons as well. She is incredibly quick on the draw and an excellent marksman.