Joe Benitez is back doing interiors for Lady Mechanika, and that alone is reason enough to get excited. Lady Mechanika: The Mechanical Menagerie #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 from Image Comics, bringing back that gothic steampunk aesthetic the series is known for. This time Benitez brought in Madeleine Holly-Rosing to handle the writing duties, with Martin Montiel joining him on art and Sabine Rich providing colors.
The setup is straightforward but effective. Three kids named Lewis, Fred, and Allie stumble onto an abandoned amusement park and wake up something that should’ve stayed buried. Now mechanical horrors are crawling out of the shadows, and Lady Mechanika teams up with Inspector Singh to track down Mistress Grimm and her Reapers before more people get hurt. The preview pages show exactly the kind of creepy clockwork atmosphere you’d hope for.
Benitez mentioned he had fun getting back into the characters and drawing interiors again. He also hinted that some “interesting developments” happen in this story. If you’ve been following Lady Mechanika, you know the series doesn’t shy away from shaking things up. The pages that Benitez and Montiel have released look great, with mechanical designs showing that intricate detail work that makes steampunk visuals actually work.
For anyone new to Lady Mechanika, this is a good jumping-on point. It’s a self-contained four-issue miniseries set in Victorian-era England with advanced mechanical technology and plenty of gothic horror. The art has always been a major draw, and Rich’s colors nail that moody steampunk vibe. Cover A features art by Joe Benitez and Sabine Rich, while Cover B brings Martin Montiel into the mix alongside Benitez and Rich. There’s also a 1:10 incentive variant, Cover C, by Joe Benitez and Martin Montiel showing off the pure line work.
Digital readers can grab it on Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play when it drops on May 6th, but this is one of those books that benefits from physical copies. The art is detailed enough that you want to see it at full size. If you’re into gothic horror, Victorian aesthetics, or just well-drawn comics with solid stories, put this on your pull list.
Beam Me Up Scotty
Born and raised in the city of Miami. Lifelong pro wrestling fan. Been deep in the 'zine scene since ’84, interviewing locals, Hardcore, Punk, and Metal bands. Spent 26 years in the comic book biz and still obsessed with all things pop culture—Mego, Micronauts, Shogun Warriors, Die-Cast Metal Super Robots, you name it. I can go on about comic books and bad movies all day.
