Elektra #8 Spoilers

[tsaimelemoni]

Fantastic issue, elevated by Del Mundo's fantastic art.

Elektra's quest to retrieve Bullseye hits a snag, resulting in a surprisingly peaceful interaction with SHIELD and Maria Hill. There is a further snag, however, as the Hand descend and wreak havoc, ultimately absconding with Bullseye.

Under the condition that he's brought back alive, Hill offers to help Elektra get the answers she seeks.

Great issue, looks like this book is going out with a bang!

[Bl00dwerK]

Friday (when I get my comics) can't get here soon enough...

[scouse mouse]

Yeah I really enjoyed this. The action was intense and I liked the humorous touches like Elektra shooting the SHIELD agents with paintballs! I thought I would be a bit disappointed that The Hand and Bullseye were featuring prominently again but the Hand were done well by Blackman and it's good that some have extra powers rather than just basic ninja drones! The dragon looked awesome as well!

[CraigTheCylon]

Just picked this one up today. Probably the best the series has been so far from a narrative perspective, though it's debatable that Del Mundo has drawn better ones. (not that he's exactly slacking here, just that there's nothing that quite compares to, say, Bloody Lips screaming on a cliff made of Elektra's psychological baggage)

A large part of my fondness for it is that, for once, Elektra isn't unstoppable. Blackman's still giving her an incredibly flat, sedate narrative voice that weakens the book (drama demands a protagonist be under stress - yet even mutant Lady Bullseye isn't enough to make Elektra break a sweat, apparently*) but at least this time around, the demands of the plot require her to lose, and that, if nothing else, gets a little more audience sympathy out of me.

Not much more to say about the story here - it's basically 'Elektra finds a thing, then loses it, then ninjas steal it'. But the chase is paced well enough that it doesn't feel slight, and of course it's Del Mundo, so it's all gorgeous. Page 4, with the winding trail of multiple Elektras kicking dudes, is the highlight, though I'm pleased to see he got a little crazy with SHIELD's tech instead of going to the usual Mandroid and Helicarrier combinations. The 'mercury drop' is far weirder, and given how much alien and future gadgets SHIELD must've scrounged over the years, it's the sort of thing we should see more of. And as scouse mouse says, the Hand got a pretty sweet upgrade instead of just being those guys Snake Eyes killed with an avalanche in the second G.I. Joe movie. A couple of them have names! And specific roles! Also, rather than just having the rank-and-file dudes die because they're not ninja enough, they die because they have a kamikaze mindset and were planning on doing just that. It's a major difference that makes them quite frightening.

Also also, dragon, yes, good. Dragons are always good. Del Mundo gives good dragon.


* - Before anyone says it, yes, I know Elektra was wounded in both L.B. fights, but for all the difference it made she might as well have a Logan-esque healing factor...

[Shinglepants]

The page where Elektra has entered the SHIELD facility and fights off the agents on her way to Bullseye, amazing! Del Mundo has such a skill at conveying movement and grace.

[Bl00dwerK]

Today's the day. Just waiting for the UPS lady (who just happens to be pretty hot)...

[scouse mouse]

The page where Elektra has entered the SHIELD facility and fights off the agents on her way to Bullseye, amazing! Del Mundo has such a skill at conveying movement and grace.

I loved those opening pages, the single page panel of her beating the agents was gorgeous!

[Mahes]

Was a fantastic sequence there. Del Mundo does great work. The paintballs part was a nice touch as well. Nice to see the Hand not be so disposable as they usually are depicted.

[tsaimelemoni]

Also, this issue makes me feel bad for Black Widow's finances! She takes jobs from SHIELD which apparently are barely worth the pay, while Elektra gets triple her standard rate (which probably is pretty high) after assaulting a SHIELD outpost. And without having to negotiate!

Granted Nat's expenses, via her 'web' are higher, but still.

[scouse mouse]

Was a fantastic sequence there. Del Mundo does great work. The paintballs part was a nice touch as well. Nice to see the Hand not be so disposable as they usually are depicted.

Yeah I'm glad that The Hand were portrayed as something more of a threat. I hope they give some of the ninjas a bit of personality before they get killed.

[tsaimelemoni]

It was good seeing the Hand coordinate, and pose an actual risk to Elektra. I like how Wells has written her in the past, but when he had them, Elektra cut through them like nothing and that's slightly boring. Kudos Blackman!