Weekly Collection Reviews Part 3

[Diamond]

[Victor is taking a break this time. This means I'm doing this week's review.]

Older reviews: part 1 part 2

I first intended to review an indie comic, something unique or obscure, but I rapidly changed my mind. My first review is going to be of a Marvel comic. A comic that should be considered a milestone, but somehow doesn't get the love and praise it deserves.

I'm talking about Elektra: Assassin.



Frank Miller at the height of his career. Bill Sienkiewicz at his prime. Elektra, ninjas, a grumpy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, a psychotic cyborg, a mad politician, mindswipes and a demon who desires a nuclear apocalypse. Do I need to say more? In a perfect world not, but we don't live in such a place.

I don't wan't to spoil much more, so I'll quote the books description by saying that this book is a "psychological excursion through the mind, body and soul of the world's most dangerous woman". It's true, indeed. Elektra has had good writers like Greg Rucka, Zeb Wells and currently Haden Blackman, but none of them have written the character as good as Miller did. It might be a little unfair because Miller is after all Elektra's creator, but it's undeniable.

However, Elektra is not the sole protagonist. The spotlight is shared with agent John Garret, who you may know from Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors. He's a charachter obsessed with our lady in red that plays a crucial role in the story. And he's also even more "charming" than he was in Secret Warriors.

But this book wouldn't be the same without Bill Sienkiewicz. I could write for hours how he elevates the story, how he experiments with his style and how well his art meshes with Miller's writing, but you can only appreciate his work after you see it. Elektra: Assassin might be the work of his life when it comes to comics.

Regarding the collected edition, there is a paperback and hardcover edition. I personally recommend the hardcover edition even if it's more expensive; the book deserves to be read in this format. In fact, my only complaint is that there is no OHC available.

To sum up, put off any future purchase until you buy this comic.

P.S. Sorry for posting the review so late. I had to deal with an unexpected problem at home and then fight against my web browser.

[NZ_InFerno]

Elektra Assassin is in OHC, in the Elektra Omnibus. It's OOP, but I'm sure it's still available at a reasonable price.

I met Bill Sienkiewicz last weekend, he's an awesome guy and very friendly.

[Henrik K. Kristensen]

Thank you for the review.
I've been wanting to read this for a long time, but Sienkiewicz art isn't to my taste.