(a.k.a. Clash of the Comics #35)

                                                                                        Lady Shiva vs. Lady Mechanika

Origin:

Lady Shiva – given name Sandra Woosan has two origins; one is a bit strange and the other is even more strange. But we shall only discuss the one that has any remaining relevance in order to avoid a great deal of unnecessary confusion. So basically she had a sister (or was it cousin?) named Carolyn who used to train in martial arts with her everyday until this heartless guy named Heartless Guy! Err I mean…David Cain came along and decided to kill Carolyn which unlocked Sandra’s greater potential.

Dubbed as Lady Mechanika via newspapers, this mysterious woman has no memory of her past, she is known as the sole survivor of a serial killers rampage and she also has various mechanical body parts in lieu of where she lost her organic pieces. In search of the truth, Mechanika is now an investigator of the supernatural. She also generally does good things, and if answers about her past seem likely, she'll probably concern herself as well

MrUnknown: Shiva’s origin treats her more as a means rather than an end. Plus, it’s very likely that it will be changed the next time we see her, so I give this to Mechanika even though we don’t know all the nitty-gritty details of her origins quite yet.

SC: Both are tragic... I think I'll give Lady Shiva the edge. 

Powers:

Lady Shiva is considered to be one of the greatest martial arts fighters in DC. She has trained in many different fighting styles and is most well known for her famous killing technique the Leopard Blow.

Mechanically enhanced, to various effects, meaning strength, eyesight, has a bunch of cool gadgets and weapons as well. She is incredibly quick on the draw, and she seems to be a master word smith. Her aim is pretty wicked as well. 

MrUnknown: I’m not quite certain what kinds of feats Lady Mech is capable of, but so far I don’t consider her to be at the level of Shiva and her Leopard Blow.

SC: One of these ladies is enhanced and although Shiva could probably dodge bullets, dodging bullets from someone enhanced that is as quick on the draw as Lady Mech? Not sure if she can. Plus Lady Mechanika is part machine.  

Costume:

Whatever she wears whether traditional martial arts clothes or tights, they share in a fiery red colour scheme.

Lady Mech, oozes Steampunk, long leather gloves, intricate belts adorned with patterns and metal, and iron, hip hugger striped pants, brown boots, multi lensed, multi colored glasses, goggles, straps, leather, holsters, bustiers, puffed shoulders, textured fabrics, ascot ties, dials, fancy hats, compasses etc maybe a picture would better explain *insert picture here*

MrUnknown: That’s not what you normally see lead female characters wear. But Lady Mech just looks gorgeous and rocks err punks that outfit!

SC: Mechanika could almost be considered to like define an entire genre with her costume... its like the epitome of Steam Punk... I give her a point. 

Personality:

Similar to Catwoman, Lady Shiva strives for thrills. However opposed to petty thieving where the spoils are just going to collect dust anyways, Shiva seeks a mix of challenge and adventure. She has traveled the world in order to hone her own skills and face many of the fiercest warriors the world has to offer. In some parts, she is even worshipped as a goddess of death.

Steamy, and punky... and steam punky... but aside from that, Lady Mech has quite a bit of class, elegance, sass and sophistication about her. Her unknown past seems to give her a strong motivation and will, she is typically heroic. She is described as charming by one of her villains... I think its accurate. Then again, she is half machine, so unless you are a part of the transhumanist agenda or the Scarlet Witch then you know... machines don't have the rights to personalities. Oh she is also cool under pressure. (but that might just be the evil machine part shining though) a tad bit sarcastic as well

MrUnknown: This one is a bit of a tight situation but I think Mechanika would be a better to make an acquaintance with. She seems nice, heroic and even a bit mysterious. Shiva at best circumstances would try to kill me, and at worst would say I’m not worth the effort. Wait… what?!

SC: I like both characters... I think Shiva deserves this more, via way of being more refined. 

Aesthetics:

Despite the fact that Shiva is considered one of the deadliest and fiercest warriors in DC, she has had a losing track record of late. She was defeated by Talia albeit through the element of surprise but she shouldn’t have gotten unconscious from one hit. She’s also lost to her daughter Cassandra, Chesire and most recently the Huntress.

I should mention this now, especially if I have not before, but Lady Mech is very Steampunk. Its a futuristic type of steam punk, and her design is very elaborate and intricate. She is a character searching for the truth, her own past shrouded in mystery. Why is she part machine now, why does she had Gambit from X-Men's eyes? 

MrUnknown: Shiva’s stories have really done a disservice to her lately. She just seems to take the part of the practice dummy for weaker characters to well… practice on, and prove their own competence, skills and worth.

SC: Tough... one has been around a lot longer and is a lot more popular. Both are sort of cult characters for fulfilling a certain niche. One the cream of the crop with martial arts finesse the other very *wait for it* Steam Punky... so I say draw. 

Best Story:

I am a bit fond of her earlier mercenary years such as that one time when she was hired to kill the Question. She defeated him easily and nearly drowned him but then decided to save him stating that she sensed a warrior’s passion from within him. She decided to train him and then settled for a rematch.

Her current story is her best *smile* Well worth reading, it has received great critical reviews and fans approval, for both the art, story and the character herself. 

MrUnknown: Lady Mechanika doesn’t have much variety for stories, whereas Shiva has had quite a few good ones. Some like the one with the Question have been interesting and engaging to her character, despite that most of them don’t fit the bill.

SC: Lady Shiva. Too many great stories, and erm, well finished stories as well. 

Fun Fact:

She substituted for Black Canary and was a temporary member of the Birds of Prey. She even wore Canary’s trademark fishnets for the occasion.

Lady Mechnika is okay around clowns, but a monkey stole her hat. 

MrUnknown: Shiva looked very fierce and beautiful in those fishnets. Well, sssh! Don’t tell her that if you want to avoid the terrible fate of the messenger.

SC: Shiva! This is both a fact and fun. Mine was just a fact. Sort of more odd than fun. 

Media Appearance:

She was in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies for about five seconds to make Batman look good but that shouldn’t even be mentioned!

A movie by Zack Snyder, or Robert Rodriguez, or Tim Burton will probably eventually come, probably... probably... (I think would be cool subject, and character for big screen, Steampunk is pretty cool and making a slow revival of sorts) 

MrUnknown: Lady Mechanika really brings something unique in a heroine and a movie quite like it hasn’t been done before which would be something nice to see.

SC: Draw. One appearance nor worth mentioning and one. 

Whereabouts:

Currently somewhere in Thigh-land.

Searching for the truth and other oddities you might expect in a amazonian death metal world. sorry I mean.. stream punk world... 

MrUnknown: Pun aside, Thailand seems like a pretty fun place to go to relax.

SC: Lady Mecha has her own book.. A huge advantage in my opinion when it comes to tracking whereabouts. 

Scoreboard:

Lady Shiva:  8
Lady Mechanika: 8