Elektra #6 Spoilers

[tsaimelemoni]

All right, we have the start of a new arc! To get it out of the way, yes we have a different artist for this and next issue. Outside of the heels he put on our ninja, he's a good artist, and I actually don't mind seeing a little bit of a different style.

This issue sees our intrepid group being forced to their last safe house as the assassin's guild has been hunting them down all over the world.

Lady Bullseye receives an interesting if not yet defined upgrade, and the Serpent Society tries to take Elektra down.

This issue ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the fates of Kento, Cape Crow, and Matchmaker (Noooooo!) in the air as Lady Bullseye confronts Elektra for round 2.

Super exciting!

[Mahes]

Liked the fight scenes. Not as good as Del Mundo but it worked. Sad about Matchmaker though! I liked her and wanted her to be in supporting cast.

Looking forward to seeing Lady Bullseye's powerset now. Solid issue!

[tsaimelemoni]

I'm hoping Elektra can pull off some Hand magic to revive her. She did it to Daredevil, so why not one of the most fun and plucky supporting characters ever? Please?

[Akktim]

The fight scenes were pretty good, yeah, and the art was great too. The writing is much improved compared to the kinda boring first few issues.

[scouse mouse]

This may sound almost blasphemous but I rather liked the art this issue! Yes it's not the stunning art of Del Mundo but it's still good. I did wonder how Del Mundo would have done the splash page of Lady B getting her upgrade but that was it. I loved all the references to the wider MU with the Inhumans and her battles with the various assassins. I also LOL'd at Elektra biting Black Mamba's nose! With regards to Match Maker, I'm quietly confident she will survive, there is no way Blackman would off such a great new character so quickly...would he? I'm also excited about Lady Bullseyes new powers, I think she is going to have some sort of shadow-porting, shade based abilities.

[tsaimelemoni]

I might shed a tear if Matchmaker doesn't make it.

Also, gotta say I got a very general Batman vibe with Elektra's 'if I'm prepared' line. I wonder how much of a fight she could put up against an actual superpowered foe if she's done her research? It seemed like the Serpent Society wasn't much of a challenge.

[scouse mouse]

I might shed a tear if Matchmaker doesn't make it.

Also, gotta say I got a very general Batman vibe with Elektra's 'if I'm prepared' line. I wonder how much of a fight she could put up against an actual superpowered foe if she's done her research? It seemed like the Serpent Society wasn't much of a challenge.

I really do think she will make it Tsai. I think Elektra can take on pretty much anyone if she's done her research, though this is a whole new Lady Bullseye she is taking on next issue. Like Matchmaker I hope she doesn't die again; either by Elektra's hand or from nanotech burn out as I really like her as well!

[tsaimelemoni]

Yeah, I think next issue will be an interesting fight. Will we see Elektra use any of her other mysterious abilities?

In the end, I can see Elektra turning LB into an ally, even if only temporarily, or through Kento's TP.

[CraigTheCylon]

It seemed like the Serpent Society wasn't much of a challenge.

To be fair...it's the Serpent Society. And without Viper giving the orders they're kinda all jabronis, as proven here.

Anyway, on topic: Very good issue. One of those funny ones where not a lot happens on paper (Elektra and co. look for a safehouse, get into a fight, enter safehouse, CLIFFHANGAAA~) but the presentation makes it feel more substantive. Best example would be when Matchmaker is explaining the resources of the Assassins Guild; instead of just doing dry exposition captions, we cut away to a separate page and bear witness to those resources in action w/r/t Lady Bullseye. Showing, not just telling. Top marks there. The chatter is a lot less dry than in past issues as well, what with Elektra having a possé following at her heels; Matchmaker's obviously the spark but I like what Blackman's doing with Cape Crow, subtly showing how he's forcing himself to be humble and subservient in the name of honouring his deal, but he's uncomfortable with that position.

Sanchez' art is different enough to Del Mundo's that I'm hesitant to compare them; this is a much more 'traditional' superheroic style but it's well done, with character expressions and fight scenes in particular being clear and attractive. The one critique I'd make is for the double-page splash/collage of Lady Bullseye in the Guild's surgical bay; this is very much the kind of trick that Del Mundo pulled off in his issues with aplomb, hiding multiple panels inside a single big image (see Elektra's dance through memory in #1 or Bloody Lips on the cliff in #5), but unfortunately Sanchez doesn't seem as comfortable with the concept. There's no rhyme or reason to the ordering and pattern of the individual pics here, they're just splotches placed kinda haphazardly across the page. I get that they're splat-shaped to reference fallen drops of blood to denote wounds (probably?) but it's just not as well done as before and feels like a waste of space that could be better used. It might seem heretical or counter-productive but I'd rather Sanchez stuck to more traditional panel layouts - or if he's gonna do splashes, just fill the whole page like he does earlier in the issue with the multi-assassin pileup splash.

Still a good issue. Interested to see if they'll just leave Lady Bullseye for dead again at the end of #7.

[scouse mouse]

I thought the exact same thing about the Lady Bullseye splash page-that it was such a Del Mundo sort of thing to do ha ha! I agree with you that the dialogue seemed a bit sharper now that Elektra is having actual conversations with people, though I have always liked her inner dialogue under Blackman. I was actually a little bit surprised that she swore at them, I smiled at that bit as well.

[Nyssane]

To be fair...it's the Serpent Society. And without Viper giving the orders they're kinda all jabronis, as proven here.

Uh, you must've missed the 80's where they were one of the only successful criminal organizations.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Uh, you must've missed the 80's where they were one of the only successful criminal organizations.

Yeah, but they have a silly name and that's all that matters

*cough*

[CraigTheCylon]

Uh, you must've missed the 80's where they were one of the only successful criminal organizations.

Well, I was born in '88, so, cut me some slack, sir? And I stand by the observation given that I'm pretty well-informed about the last 8-10 years of Marvel and don't recall the Society being a big deal over that time...

And honestly, it's not the name that bothers me. Snake names are awesome. But these guys haven't registered high on the threat index in ages (which is why they can all get stabbed here, I guess).

[Nyssane]

I didn't like Mamba getting her nose bitten off, she and Anaconda are definitely two of the most powerful Serpent Society members. Anaconda is basically an underwater Wolverine with stretchy limbs and Colossus-level strength. Plus Death Adder has been dead for a few years and Sidewinder left the Society after he was betrayed and eventually retired from villainy.

But seriously, go read some 80's Gruenwald Cap. They were one of the best aspects and it's a shame they haven't been used to that quality since then.

[tsaimelemoni]

Elektra biting into Mamba's nose did make me wince. And then Matchmaker punched her square in her no-nose