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Elektra by Frank Miller #2
Elektra: Assassin
Elektra Natchios, usually referred to only by her first name Elektra, is a fictional character in publications from Marvel Comics. She is a kunoichi - female ninja assassin - of Greek descent. She wields a pair of bladed sai as her trademark weapon. She is a love interest of the superhero Daredevil, but her violent nature and mercenary lifestyle divide the two. She is one of Frank Miller's best-loved creations, and subsequent writers' use of her is controversial as Marvel had originally promised to not resurrect the character without Miller's permission. She has also appeared as a supporting character of the X-Men's Wolverine. According to Marvel Comics, Elektra is the world's most lethal woman and one of Marvel's most cold-blooded characters. She has killed more men than just about any other Marvel character while remaining one of the most popular heroines in the Marvel Universe.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Frank Miller
1,287 books5,005 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
October 18, 2014
This was a big steaming pile of buttjuice.
I get what Miller was trying to do.
It's a glimpse into the crazy assassin's head...
Enter If You DAAAAARE!
What. Ever.
If your main character isn't going to have even ONE lucid thought, then you need to create some sort of reliable narrator to help the reader wade through her delusional thought process.
Someone who knows fact from fantasy. Instead, we are given a skeevy S.H.I.E.L.D agent whose mind is under Elektra's control.
And I'm still not sure how the fuck she managed to do that?! But I decided to roll with the psychic ninja shit, because I know very little about Elektra.
Which is why I was reading this in the first place...for all the good it did me.
The first few chapters are nothing more than psychotic ramblings from inside Elektra's mind.
*I see men with lights...
The lion is old and sick...
I drive away in a truck, my hands coated in blood...
The cat rides with me...
I laugh...
The fuck?!
Except I guess she's not really there in the jungle anymore. She's locked up in some facility. Sort of. 'Cause she gets locked up more than once. But you're not sure where the hell she is, or even when the hell she is most of the time.
She's so whacked out of her mind that nothing makes any sense.
Ok. Fine. At least we can figure out what's going on from Garrett (aka the grody agent), right?
Yeah. No.
He's just as freakin' crazy as she is!
Most of the time he makes even less sense than Elektra does.
*Crazy bitch...too many muscles..
Gonna kill her..
Oooh, baby...
I need her...
Oh, baby, no...
Oh, baby, yes...
He's a fucktard with bad hair. Really bad hair. Swear to God, it takes on a life of it's own by the end of the book.
*shudder*
And the villain? The Beast!
Wanna know how he gets people to jump on his antichrist bandwagon?
Wait for it...wait for it...
He makes them drink sour milk.
That's right. Milk.
Also, Elektra and Garrett can tell when he possesses someone.
Because they have mad psychic ninja skills?
Not hardly. Evidently, the devil smells like rotten mayo.
And thou shalt know the Beast by his scent! And the Beast shall smell like rancid Hellman's!
If you loved this. Bully for you! For me it was like trying to watch Pink Floyd's The Wall...sober. And, yeah. I did that shit on a dare when I was younger. Guess what? Unless you're baked, it's just a really stupid-looking cartoon.
And this is the literary equivalent of that.
*Those are not quotes, just examples. I'm not opening that book up again. Ever.
I get what Miller was trying to do.
It's a glimpse into the crazy assassin's head...
Enter If You DAAAAARE!
What. Ever.
If your main character isn't going to have even ONE lucid thought, then you need to create some sort of reliable narrator to help the reader wade through her delusional thought process.
Someone who knows fact from fantasy. Instead, we are given a skeevy S.H.I.E.L.D agent whose mind is under Elektra's control.
And I'm still not sure how the fuck she managed to do that?! But I decided to roll with the psychic ninja shit, because I know very little about Elektra.
Which is why I was reading this in the first place...for all the good it did me.
The first few chapters are nothing more than psychotic ramblings from inside Elektra's mind.
*I see men with lights...
The lion is old and sick...
I drive away in a truck, my hands coated in blood...
The cat rides with me...
I laugh...
The fuck?!
Except I guess she's not really there in the jungle anymore. She's locked up in some facility. Sort of. 'Cause she gets locked up more than once. But you're not sure where the hell she is, or even when the hell she is most of the time.
She's so whacked out of her mind that nothing makes any sense.
Ok. Fine. At least we can figure out what's going on from Garrett (aka the grody agent), right?
Yeah. No.
He's just as freakin' crazy as she is!
Most of the time he makes even less sense than Elektra does.
*Crazy bitch...too many muscles..
Gonna kill her..
Oooh, baby...
I need her...
Oh, baby, no...
Oh, baby, yes...
He's a fucktard with bad hair. Really bad hair. Swear to God, it takes on a life of it's own by the end of the book.
*shudder*
And the villain? The Beast!
Wanna know how he gets people to jump on his antichrist bandwagon?
Wait for it...wait for it...
He makes them drink sour milk.
That's right. Milk.
Also, Elektra and Garrett can tell when he possesses someone.
Because they have mad psychic ninja skills?
Not hardly. Evidently, the devil smells like rotten mayo.
And thou shalt know the Beast by his scent! And the Beast shall smell like rancid Hellman's!
If you loved this. Bully for you! For me it was like trying to watch Pink Floyd's The Wall...sober. And, yeah. I did that shit on a dare when I was younger. Guess what? Unless you're baked, it's just a really stupid-looking cartoon.
And this is the literary equivalent of that.
*Those are not quotes, just examples. I'm not opening that book up again. Ever.
September 3, 2020
I bought my copy as a birthday gift ,to myself, on my twentieth birthday. It was Friday February 3, 1988. It cost me $12.95 (USD) which was a real chunk of change for a college sophomore back then. But I had to buy it. I had discovered Frank Miller the year before with his fantastic series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as well as his 1983 series Ronin and I was in awe of the man. Basically I was a nerd.
It took me two readings to figure out what was going on. It's a surrealistic, action-filled, violent, satirical, suspenseful, phantasmagoric, science-fiction, martial arts tale with Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D., Ronald Nixon and J.F.K. thrown in for good measure. Did you get all that? No?
Well then you're going to have to go and buy a copy for yourself. Oh and contrary to what some might tell you it helps to be stone cold sober when reading it.
Bill Sienkiewicz's mind-blowing artwork needs to be appreciated by one when clear headed. Otherwise it's just the stuff of dreams and drug addled imaginings. Actually it sort of is anyway, but if you're sober you'll be able to follow Frank Miller's story which helps put everything in it's place.
By now it should be obvious that this is a graphic novel that I have fond memories of. I bought it in college, when all seemed right with the world. I had a full head of hair, I was thin, I didn't appreciate money ( meaning I spent it freely and with no guilt. Very fun.) and approximately three weeks after buying my copy I met my future wife (we're still together thirty-two years later (Updated 2020)). So it's associated with an eventful time in my life. That gives this graphic novel some real muscle. Nostalgia is a potent ingrediant.
However it does have some problems. Like many stories of this type it tries to be all things to all people. This tends to make the story a bit of a helter-skelter roller coaster ride. It's fun, but after awhile you're ready for things to level out - if only for awhile. The artwork is fascinating, but it can detract. Sometimes you find yourself wishing for something a little more mainstream.
Nevertheless this is both a fun and thought provoking read. Though somewhat dated in 2011 (a large part of the plot revolves around the Cold War and the nuclear arsenals of the two super powers) it's still a great story. In my opinion one of Mr. Miller's best works.
It took me two readings to figure out what was going on. It's a surrealistic, action-filled, violent, satirical, suspenseful, phantasmagoric, science-fiction, martial arts tale with Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D., Ronald Nixon and J.F.K. thrown in for good measure. Did you get all that? No?
Well then you're going to have to go and buy a copy for yourself. Oh and contrary to what some might tell you it helps to be stone cold sober when reading it.
Bill Sienkiewicz's mind-blowing artwork needs to be appreciated by one when clear headed. Otherwise it's just the stuff of dreams and drug addled imaginings. Actually it sort of is anyway, but if you're sober you'll be able to follow Frank Miller's story which helps put everything in it's place.
By now it should be obvious that this is a graphic novel that I have fond memories of. I bought it in college, when all seemed right with the world. I had a full head of hair, I was thin, I didn't appreciate money ( meaning I spent it freely and with no guilt. Very fun.) and approximately three weeks after buying my copy I met my future wife (we're still together thirty-two years later (Updated 2020)). So it's associated with an eventful time in my life. That gives this graphic novel some real muscle. Nostalgia is a potent ingrediant.
However it does have some problems. Like many stories of this type it tries to be all things to all people. This tends to make the story a bit of a helter-skelter roller coaster ride. It's fun, but after awhile you're ready for things to level out - if only for awhile. The artwork is fascinating, but it can detract. Sometimes you find yourself wishing for something a little more mainstream.
Nevertheless this is both a fun and thought provoking read. Though somewhat dated in 2011 (a large part of the plot revolves around the Cold War and the nuclear arsenals of the two super powers) it's still a great story. In my opinion one of Mr. Miller's best works.
January 9, 2019
i would bet money the current ongoing deadpool assassin mock storyline is better than this.
does anyone know what actually happened in this book? like for real, if you do let me know. i checked the reviews on this earlier to see if i could pull SOME kind of plot because my comic friends know what they’re talking about and someone MUST have put a better description of this on here other than all the information my one brain cell could process about this online. it’s like NO ONE knows what the fuck happened in this but we all read it because frank miller wrote it. i saw this was one of the most “ ambitious action filled “ series a character was in from the 60s - late 90s. but i just what to know HOW??? you can pick up any issue of your favorite classic character from any of those years and be more entertained and know what’s going on. i found myself drifting off so much in this and realized “ wow maybe i missed out on a couple big plot points “ before remembering there is NO plot.
god this was a let down. from the moment i read maybe 10 pages i knew i’d hate this. actually, the majority of issue one isn’t bad and is probably what people read this to know — where elektra came from. well, read that issue and be done. i almost dnf’d this , and i never do that to comic books.
thinking about opening this after june 22 when i read the first 3 issues was dreadful. i only read the other majority yesterday and today because i couldn’t bear the weight on my shoulders of seeing it in my goodreads currently reading.
okay, onto the review. first, i don’t know if i’ll be giving spoilers because i have no coherent thought about this. elektra is supposed to kill the president elect and somehow gets involved with a weird, gross, sadistic man (i guess you can say the same about elektra though) and they .... team up??? i think??? she has him “mind controlled”.
who the fuck is sandy anyway??? it’s like that was such a major point in some issue that is never mentioned again and we can all just skip right over those pages because they don’t matter. none of this matters until maybe the end but is that even happening or is it in some sociopaths head? i just want to know WHO the president is and how he correlates with that man elektra “ mind controlled “ considering they seem to be the same character by the last page.
i wish i could get the one brain cell i have left after reading this energy back from trying to connect the dots ... only to think there are no dots to connect and this is a huge piece of nothingness. there’s also a beast conflict but i’m starting to think it’s in one of their heads too.
overall , i understand unreliable narrators are cool sometimes and we don’t always get these style stories in comics. but this is not good and is the perfect example of how unreliable narrator(S!) can go wrong. there was not one point in this i thought “oh , that’s why this comic HAD to be written” because to me, all comic books and novels serve a purpose in the realm of things. this had literally no reason to be written.
the art was nothing special and made my eyes hurt as well i think miller and sienkiewicz watched too many ID channel shows before this and thought to combine them all into one big sociopathic tendency plot with an unexplained “twist” because there IS NO RELIABLE NARRATOR!!!!
does anyone know what actually happened in this book? like for real, if you do let me know. i checked the reviews on this earlier to see if i could pull SOME kind of plot because my comic friends know what they’re talking about and someone MUST have put a better description of this on here other than all the information my one brain cell could process about this online. it’s like NO ONE knows what the fuck happened in this but we all read it because frank miller wrote it. i saw this was one of the most “ ambitious action filled “ series a character was in from the 60s - late 90s. but i just what to know HOW??? you can pick up any issue of your favorite classic character from any of those years and be more entertained and know what’s going on. i found myself drifting off so much in this and realized “ wow maybe i missed out on a couple big plot points “ before remembering there is NO plot.
god this was a let down. from the moment i read maybe 10 pages i knew i’d hate this. actually, the majority of issue one isn’t bad and is probably what people read this to know — where elektra came from. well, read that issue and be done. i almost dnf’d this , and i never do that to comic books.
thinking about opening this after june 22 when i read the first 3 issues was dreadful. i only read the other majority yesterday and today because i couldn’t bear the weight on my shoulders of seeing it in my goodreads currently reading.
okay, onto the review. first, i don’t know if i’ll be giving spoilers because i have no coherent thought about this. elektra is supposed to kill the president elect and somehow gets involved with a weird, gross, sadistic man (i guess you can say the same about elektra though) and they .... team up??? i think??? she has him “mind controlled”.
who the fuck is sandy anyway??? it’s like that was such a major point in some issue that is never mentioned again and we can all just skip right over those pages because they don’t matter. none of this matters until maybe the end but is that even happening or is it in some sociopaths head? i just want to know WHO the president is and how he correlates with that man elektra “ mind controlled “ considering they seem to be the same character by the last page.
i wish i could get the one brain cell i have left after reading this energy back from trying to connect the dots ... only to think there are no dots to connect and this is a huge piece of nothingness. there’s also a beast conflict but i’m starting to think it’s in one of their heads too.
overall , i understand unreliable narrators are cool sometimes and we don’t always get these style stories in comics. but this is not good and is the perfect example of how unreliable narrator(S!) can go wrong. there was not one point in this i thought “oh , that’s why this comic HAD to be written” because to me, all comic books and novels serve a purpose in the realm of things. this had literally no reason to be written.
the art was nothing special and made my eyes hurt as well i think miller and sienkiewicz watched too many ID channel shows before this and thought to combine them all into one big sociopathic tendency plot with an unexplained “twist” because there IS NO RELIABLE NARRATOR!!!!
January 12, 2020
I wanted to like this but couldn’t find a care. Great art, though.
September 2, 2020
Hmm wow. Not in a good way. This collects the "Elektra Assassin" series written by Frank Miller and illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz. Back when this GN came out- Frank and Bill were pretty hot shit. Frank had written the great "Dark Knight Returns" and Bill had illustrated the good "Daredevil Love and War" GN. So they teamed up to do Elektra. Bad idea.
First the gist:
A SHIELD operative is tasked with tracking down and taking out Elektra, a mysteriously elite assassin. As he travels down the rabbit hole of Elektra, The Hand, Demons, Ninjas, CIA etc. he finds that Elektra is trying to stop the Beast (an Anti-Christ like figure and patron "diety" of the Hand) from becoming US President.
The story is an absolutely bizarre romp through this scenario. Miller's writing is all over the place and the strongest character, Elektra, has little to say. Rather, this story is told from the perspective of the SHIELD agent. I didn't care for it, nor his confusion with the events. The story is overly ambitious with the various themes miller is spouting and might have been better served to focus on Elektra and her methods. There is some of that, but it is lost under the deluge of liberal angst and conspiracy theories manifesting as jibber-jabber masquerading as prose. It acts as white noise from the whole "mysterious ninja assassin" concept. That's also a shame since that's the really cool part about Elektra. The stuff about the Hand and even the Beast? Pretty cool. The rest? A bit too much. This could have been good if it was told from Elektra's perspective fighting the Hand and the Beast. Ditch the SHIELD aspect.
The worst part is the art. It's not good. At all. Out of 300 pages and countless panels, only a handful stand out. Bill Sienkiewicz hit his high point with the Daredevil GN. This thing was terrible. I dislike art which makes the story hard to understand, as comics are a VISUAL medium. Duh.
So? A 2 star rating. I didn't like it. The Elektra parts were rather cool, but the rest? Meh.
First the gist:
A SHIELD operative is tasked with tracking down and taking out Elektra, a mysteriously elite assassin. As he travels down the rabbit hole of Elektra, The Hand, Demons, Ninjas, CIA etc. he finds that Elektra is trying to stop the Beast (an Anti-Christ like figure and patron "diety" of the Hand) from becoming US President.
The story is an absolutely bizarre romp through this scenario. Miller's writing is all over the place and the strongest character, Elektra, has little to say. Rather, this story is told from the perspective of the SHIELD agent. I didn't care for it, nor his confusion with the events. The story is overly ambitious with the various themes miller is spouting and might have been better served to focus on Elektra and her methods. There is some of that, but it is lost under the deluge of liberal angst and conspiracy theories manifesting as jibber-jabber masquerading as prose. It acts as white noise from the whole "mysterious ninja assassin" concept. That's also a shame since that's the really cool part about Elektra. The stuff about the Hand and even the Beast? Pretty cool. The rest? A bit too much. This could have been good if it was told from Elektra's perspective fighting the Hand and the Beast. Ditch the SHIELD aspect.
The worst part is the art. It's not good. At all. Out of 300 pages and countless panels, only a handful stand out. Bill Sienkiewicz hit his high point with the Daredevil GN. This thing was terrible. I dislike art which makes the story hard to understand, as comics are a VISUAL medium. Duh.
So? A 2 star rating. I didn't like it. The Elektra parts were rather cool, but the rest? Meh.
January 9, 2022
The art in this book is absolutely brilliant kudos for Bill Sienkiewicz. Frank Millers tale is absolutely bewildering I have absolutely no bleeding clue what or where this story went.
One reviewer called it butjuice which was kinda hilarious I would call it an absolute amazing 8 comic run with a tale that is beautifull visually but makes very little sense story wise.
Perhaps one should read it more often to which I say no way Jose the are many more books to read.
Frank Miller disappointed me with this one. The points are for the art mostly.
One reviewer called it butjuice which was kinda hilarious I would call it an absolute amazing 8 comic run with a tale that is beautifull visually but makes very little sense story wise.
Perhaps one should read it more often to which I say no way Jose the are many more books to read.
Frank Miller disappointed me with this one. The points are for the art mostly.
July 9, 2013
Was thrilled to see this on the shelf at my library, since I've been wanting to read it for a while. Mostly enjoyed it, although there were some unpalatable aspects. A good dose of sex and violence cocktail. I am not a big fan of that combo. You may say a duh to that, since Elektra is a sexy assassin. I think it's all in the execution.
Elektra was depicted as a whole lot of crazy in this book. It occurs after her death and is about her resurrection by the Hand. She becomes a killer designated in service of the Hand, indirectly the Beast (yeah that one). However, she slowly becomes aware of a conspiracy of the Beast to end the world through the use of political puppets and dedicates her exceedingly expert kills in the art of death-bringing to eliminate all involved. She leaves quite a body trail behind her.
The artwork is innovative and very stylish, with a use of multiple media to convey the visual message of and along with the narrative in this book. Elektra doesn't speak much. She retains this mystique that adds to her allure. Most of her narrative was thought processes conveyed on the page. Honestly, I found her psychopathic in some ways. I wasn't quite sure if what she was experiencing wasn't a psychopathic break, and didn't get clarity until the end.
I wasn't quite in love with the storyline. It was way more political than I would have liked. I think I would have preferred a more intimate storyline. I certainly didn't like some of the venues and the secondary players in this novel. Wasn't that in love with Garrett's character or his ex-partner who turns out to be all kinds of icktastic.
Would you like this one? It depends. If you like Sin City (by the same writer), then probably. If you find some aspects of Sin City repellent, you might be like me, where I do like some aspects and others not so much. Yes, you know you're in for violence and lots of it with Elektra. I think I was hoping for something a little different in the execution. However, I can't give it less than four stars, because it's quite a work of art overall, the parts that were a turnoff, not withstanding.
At the end of the day, I am still a big fan of Elektra. A guilty pleasure of mine (since at heart I am not a fan of unnecessary or gratuitous violence). Yes on one level, I know that's probably wrong of me, but she's a bad@$$ female Ninja assassin who knows her way around a katana and sais (any edged weapon although her whole body is lethal), and can wreak all kinds of havoc in unimaginable ways. And I have to love her for that!
Elektra was depicted as a whole lot of crazy in this book. It occurs after her death and is about her resurrection by the Hand. She becomes a killer designated in service of the Hand, indirectly the Beast (yeah that one). However, she slowly becomes aware of a conspiracy of the Beast to end the world through the use of political puppets and dedicates her exceedingly expert kills in the art of death-bringing to eliminate all involved. She leaves quite a body trail behind her.
The artwork is innovative and very stylish, with a use of multiple media to convey the visual message of and along with the narrative in this book. Elektra doesn't speak much. She retains this mystique that adds to her allure. Most of her narrative was thought processes conveyed on the page. Honestly, I found her psychopathic in some ways. I wasn't quite sure if what she was experiencing wasn't a psychopathic break, and didn't get clarity until the end.
I wasn't quite in love with the storyline. It was way more political than I would have liked. I think I would have preferred a more intimate storyline. I certainly didn't like some of the venues and the secondary players in this novel. Wasn't that in love with Garrett's character or his ex-partner who turns out to be all kinds of icktastic.
Would you like this one? It depends. If you like Sin City (by the same writer), then probably. If you find some aspects of Sin City repellent, you might be like me, where I do like some aspects and others not so much. Yes, you know you're in for violence and lots of it with Elektra. I think I was hoping for something a little different in the execution. However, I can't give it less than four stars, because it's quite a work of art overall, the parts that were a turnoff, not withstanding.
At the end of the day, I am still a big fan of Elektra. A guilty pleasure of mine (since at heart I am not a fan of unnecessary or gratuitous violence). Yes on one level, I know that's probably wrong of me, but she's a bad@$$ female Ninja assassin who knows her way around a katana and sais (any edged weapon although her whole body is lethal), and can wreak all kinds of havoc in unimaginable ways. And I have to love her for that!
June 2, 2020
The most positive thing about this book is the art, it might not be everyones cup of tea but I loved it especially the coloring.
But in terms of substance.. its over the top and sooo far out there... this is one of the most ridiculous stories I've read in quite some time. You can't take it too serious otherwise you will be fuming at the end. The story went extremly of the rails, you kinda know miller was on drugs writing this.
Very hard to recommend.
3.0 stars out of 5.0
But in terms of substance.. its over the top and sooo far out there... this is one of the most ridiculous stories I've read in quite some time. You can't take it too serious otherwise you will be fuming at the end. The story went extremly of the rails, you kinda know miller was on drugs writing this.
Very hard to recommend.
3.0 stars out of 5.0
November 12, 2011
Re-reading this after many years, it's interesting to notice how influential this bizarre story became, with its overlapping narrators, nearly abstract art, and hardcore language. Miller's political assassination plotline has become somewhat dated, but the borderline insanity of nearly every character keeps it an entertaining read. Miller is probably the best writer for Elektra, a character that has been diminished substantially over the years. Here she is an inscrutable force, though not entirely humorless, controlling a bumbling SHIELD agent with her mind for most of the story. The art is even more insane than the plot, in a good way. Well worth revisiting, this story reflects a peak for Miller, whose writing has since become cliched and tiresome.
August 16, 2015
This "graphic novel" was originally an eight issue mini-series published by Epic (Marvel's mature reader imprint) back in 1986. At the time I thought it was merely "good" but on later re-readings I think it is revolutionary in terms of the artwork of Bill Sienkiewicz. Sienkiewicz started his career as one of many artists imitating Neal Adams art style and evolved into a truly unique artist doing comics in an impressionistic style. This series was his breakout for that style.
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Elecktra was introduced in Frank Miller's Daredevil run. When this series was announced, we were all excited to see what would happen to her after Miller left the series - she was in particularly strange state. As the series got closer to release, we discovered this story would take place in the past, before Elektra re-entered Daredevil's life. How strange! But it was actually much more interesting without being tied down to Matt Murdock.
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The first issue is very hallucinogenic, where Elektra is trapped inside a mental hospital. I found this very confusing the first time, on subsequent re-reads it was more clear how she came to be there. It is unique in that the entire narration in this issue is from Elektra herself. In issue 2, this continues until the best supporting character ever comes, along, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett, who is the Six Million Dollar Man times 100 with an addiction to alcohol. Then after issue 2, the point of view is entirely Garrett. As if to say that Elektra is such a superhuman force of nature, she's best seen through the eyes of someone else.
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You get a lot more insight into Elektra in this series. I do think it pays off better if you re-read Miller's Daredevil run beforehand. We figure out more of the timeline in her early training, how that happened before college, and how she got to the Hand after her father's death. She has many more ninja powers than she ever displayed in Daredevil: killing with her voice, catching bullets, and mind control. You have to wonder how Bullseye ever got the better of her in Daredevil #181, or how Daredevil himself lasted more than a minute.
The first half of the story takes place in a fictional South American country where Elektra has been dispatched to kill a politician. In doing so she runs across the Beast, yep, a biblical reference there, but someone from the Hand as well. The Beast can jump between bodies so he's hard to kill, and he wants nothing less than to trigger a nuclear apocalypse. Garrett becomes Elektra's pawn in helping to stop him. One of my favorite action sequences involves an underwater fight between Elektra/Garrett and a squad of ninjas and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The second half of the story shifts to the United States where we get some cameo appearances from Nick Fury.
Having re-read this again I know why no one has been able to write a good Elektra series since 1986. Nobody can write like Frank Miller, period, but also no one can do a Tour de Force art job like Sienkiewicz.
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">Elecktra was introduced in Frank Miller's Daredevil run. When this series was announced, we were all excited to see what would happen to her after Miller left the series - she was in particularly strange state. As the series got closer to release, we discovered this story would take place in the past, before Elektra re-entered Daredevil's life. How strange! But it was actually much more interesting without being tied down to Matt Murdock.
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">The first issue is very hallucinogenic, where Elektra is trapped inside a mental hospital. I found this very confusing the first time, on subsequent re-reads it was more clear how she came to be there. It is unique in that the entire narration in this issue is from Elektra herself. In issue 2, this continues until the best supporting character ever comes, along, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett, who is the Six Million Dollar Man times 100 with an addiction to alcohol. Then after issue 2, the point of view is entirely Garrett. As if to say that Elektra is such a superhuman force of nature, she's best seen through the eyes of someone else.
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"> You get a lot more insight into Elektra in this series. I do think it pays off better if you re-read Miller's Daredevil run beforehand. We figure out more of the timeline in her early training, how that happened before college, and how she got to the Hand after her father's death. She has many more ninja powers than she ever displayed in Daredevil: killing with her voice, catching bullets, and mind control. You have to wonder how Bullseye ever got the better of her in Daredevil #181, or how Daredevil himself lasted more than a minute.
The first half of the story takes place in a fictional South American country where Elektra has been dispatched to kill a politician. In doing so she runs across the Beast, yep, a biblical reference there, but someone from the Hand as well. The Beast can jump between bodies so he's hard to kill, and he wants nothing less than to trigger a nuclear apocalypse. Garrett becomes Elektra's pawn in helping to stop him. One of my favorite action sequences involves an underwater fight between Elektra/Garrett and a squad of ninjas and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. The second half of the story shifts to the United States where we get some cameo appearances from Nick Fury.
Having re-read this again I know why no one has been able to write a good Elektra series since 1986. Nobody can write like Frank Miller, period, but also no one can do a Tour de Force art job like Sienkiewicz.
November 30, 2015
"It could be my way out of this nightmare of a life. It could pay a fortune. It could get me killed"
Increíble.
No sé exactamente como describir esta novela gráfica. Primero que nada hay que destacar el arte de Sienkiewicz. A lo largo de toda la historia se hacían cada vez mejor sus ilustraciones, había una que otra que me puso la piel de gallina de solo verlas. I m p r e s i o n a n t e.
La historia es bastante rara, abstracta, desconcertante pero sobre todo retorcida.
Me encantó. Nunca había leído algo así y tengo que decir que se convirtió
July 21, 2023
Far and away the best comic book I've ever read, this limited series pulls off a series of incredibly neat tricks in a package that's smart and deep without having any of the usual foibles of self-importance and grimness that so many serious comic books fall into. In part, this is accomplished through a slow burn of a tonal change, to the point where the tone at the end is 180 degrees from the tone at the beginning - from a dark, sad story filled with real human brokenness to a joyful and anarchic romp. The way that it all comes together still feels sort of impossible to me now; I grinned like an idiot the first time I ever finished it. But none of it would land with nearly as much force without Bill Sicnkiewicz's hypnotic, pulsating art, every frame of which contains complexities that you can dive into. All of Frank Miller's strengths are present with none of his usual bizarre hangups and obsessions. A true triumph and something any reader should consider picking up.
April 25, 2016
This book is a hot indecipherable mess.
Miller's penchant for bad political satire is given full reign here. Miller's run on Daredevil was and is a classic. Which, along with Dark Knight Return's success, is the only thing that explains the latitude given to him here.
For a great story well told, see those earlier stories.
The thing that elevates this book to likeable and worth a read is the incomparable artistry of Bill Sienkiewicz. This is an artist at the top of his game and in the process of transforming the visual language of how superhero comics are told. The art itself, but the use of panels and layouts, too.
So, let your eye glide past most of the story and dialogue. It has something to do with black ops, assassinations, and SHIELD. Focus instead on that artwork. Glorious!
Miller's penchant for bad political satire is given full reign here. Miller's run on Daredevil was and is a classic. Which, along with Dark Knight Return's success, is the only thing that explains the latitude given to him here.
For a great story well told, see those earlier stories.
The thing that elevates this book to likeable and worth a read is the incomparable artistry of Bill Sienkiewicz. This is an artist at the top of his game and in the process of transforming the visual language of how superhero comics are told. The art itself, but the use of panels and layouts, too.
So, let your eye glide past most of the story and dialogue. It has something to do with black ops, assassinations, and SHIELD. Focus instead on that artwork. Glorious!
January 25, 2016
Yes, Frank Miller went insane years ago--- see his whole set of right-wing rants, see the way "300" ruined the tale of Thermopylae. But once upon a time...once upon a time...Frank Miller did some of the greatest work of the 80s graphic novel renaissance. "Ronin", "The Dark Knight Returns", and "Elektra: Assassin" are all classics. "Elektra: Assassin" is eerie, shattering, surreal. Miller's story pairs brilliantly with Bill Sienkiewicz's haunting artwork in a tale of revenge and rebirth. The story drifts between dream and nightmare, and it's far, far more than just a "Daredevil" spin-off. Read it--- read it and lose yourself in a terrifying world.
March 13, 2015
So did anyone ever tell you comics were supposed to be weird? Political satire, sexy ninjas with awesome mind control powers and mental health issues, ultra-violence, secret intelligence agencies, cyborgs, and wet looking art.
Elektra: Assassin was published by Epic, in the improbably distant time between August 1986 and March 1987. Written by the industrious awesomeness that is Frank Miller and illustrated by the dripping tendrils of Bill Sienkiewicz, Elektra: Assassin was an eight-issue limited series fueled with sex and violence and the smell of rancid mayonnaise that changed my world.
Elektra: Assassin was published by Epic, in the improbably distant time between August 1986 and March 1987. Written by the industrious awesomeness that is Frank Miller and illustrated by the dripping tendrils of Bill Sienkiewicz, Elektra: Assassin was an eight-issue limited series fueled with sex and violence and the smell of rancid mayonnaise that changed my world.
February 14, 2023
This was really bad
September 27, 2015
Uh, ovo je bilo naporno!
Cijeli strip je kao jedan, ili čak nekoliko psihodeličnih tripova ispričanih u isto vrijeme, tako da je poprilično težak za čitati. Hrpa toga je tu nabacano, ali i bolje da je tako, jer sama priča da je ispričana na klasičan način ne bi ni bila zanimljiva.
Početak stripa, odnosno prvo poglavlje je i najbolje, odlično uhvaćeno ludilo i poremećenost jednog uma, uz par pamtljivih rečenica ("Pronašla sam što da osjećam. I sjam od toga"). Naracija je isprekidana i preklapa se, tako odlično simulirajući nekontrolirani tijek misli. Zanimljiv je bio i dio kada je Elektra, svojim ninđa supermoćima kontrole uma, počela opsjedati jednog agenta S.H.I.E.L.D.-a (karikirane CIA-e) i prikaz kako on polako ludi, koji evocira legendarnog Hunter S. Thompsona. Osnovna priča je samo pozadina, Miller je htio istražiti poremećeni um Elektre i kako bi to izgledalo viđeno njezinim očima. I dosta je dobro to odradio, ali problem je što se nakon nekog vremena počinje ponavljati i onda postane naporno, pogotovu pred kraj kada sam samo čekao da strip završi.
Crtež mi se jako svidio, Bill Sienkiewicz ima taj svoj prepoznatljivi stil, i on je i glavni razlog zašto sam i uzeo pročitati ovaj strip. Ovdje je bio na vrhuncu svoje kreativnosti, i on definitvno podiže ovaj strip na višu umjetničku razinu.
Sviđa mi se i kako je usput karikirana tadašnja politička scena.
Demokrat je prikazan s nemijenjajućim nasmješenim licem, koji se prodaje kao da je kul, kao bivši hipi, a republikanc kao ružna spodoba iz nočnih mora, sa konstantnim grčem na ljutom, namrštenom licu - očita referenca na Richarda Nixona - sa nosom i stasom Pinokija, koji stalno drži prst na prekidaču za aktivaciju nuklearnog oružja i kojeg njegova groteskno velika žena mora tješti i smirivati poput djeteta.
Pa karikiranje i kritika (tadašnje) agresivne američke vanjske politike u Južnoj Americi, hladnoratovske napetosti i CIA-e.
Sve u svemu možda je najveća mana ovog stripa što je predug, i što se teme i motivi ponavljaju toliko dok ne počnu iritirati, tako da mu ne mogu dati veću ocjenu od trojke.
Cijeli strip je kao jedan, ili čak nekoliko psihodeličnih tripova ispričanih u isto vrijeme, tako da je poprilično težak za čitati. Hrpa toga je tu nabacano, ali i bolje da je tako, jer sama priča da je ispričana na klasičan način ne bi ni bila zanimljiva.
Početak stripa, odnosno prvo poglavlje je i najbolje, odlično uhvaćeno ludilo i poremećenost jednog uma, uz par pamtljivih rečenica ("Pronašla sam što da osjećam. I sjam od toga"). Naracija je isprekidana i preklapa se, tako odlično simulirajući nekontrolirani tijek misli. Zanimljiv je bio i dio kada je Elektra, svojim ninđa supermoćima kontrole uma, počela opsjedati jednog agenta S.H.I.E.L.D.-a (karikirane CIA-e) i prikaz kako on polako ludi, koji evocira legendarnog Hunter S. Thompsona. Osnovna priča je samo pozadina, Miller je htio istražiti poremećeni um Elektre i kako bi to izgledalo viđeno njezinim očima. I dosta je dobro to odradio, ali problem je što se nakon nekog vremena počinje ponavljati i onda postane naporno, pogotovu pred kraj kada sam samo čekao da strip završi.
Crtež mi se jako svidio, Bill Sienkiewicz ima taj svoj prepoznatljivi stil, i on je i glavni razlog zašto sam i uzeo pročitati ovaj strip. Ovdje je bio na vrhuncu svoje kreativnosti, i on definitvno podiže ovaj strip na višu umjetničku razinu.
Sviđa mi se i kako je usput karikirana tadašnja politička scena.
Demokrat je prikazan s nemijenjajućim nasmješenim licem, koji se prodaje kao da je kul, kao bivši hipi, a republikanc kao ružna spodoba iz nočnih mora, sa konstantnim grčem na ljutom, namrštenom licu - očita referenca na Richarda Nixona - sa nosom i stasom Pinokija, koji stalno drži prst na prekidaču za aktivaciju nuklearnog oružja i kojeg njegova groteskno velika žena mora tješti i smirivati poput djeteta.
Pa karikiranje i kritika (tadašnje) agresivne američke vanjske politike u Južnoj Americi, hladnoratovske napetosti i CIA-e.
Sve u svemu možda je najveća mana ovog stripa što je predug, i što se teme i motivi ponavljaju toliko dok ne počnu iritirati, tako da mu ne mogu dati veću ocjenu od trojke.
November 12, 2012
When I read these old Frank Miller books, it saddens me to think they were the face of 'modern comics' at the time. They're not bad, certainly, but if Miller's work was as far as comics were to advance in the 80s, there would have never been the creative renaissance there was in the medium.
Like Dark Knight Returns, Year One, and most of Miller's other work of the time, Elektra: Assassin is basically just a more adult (i.e., gorier and nuder) superhero comic. It would never have changed the face of comics, or their acceptance to a broader audience, but surely would make grown people feel perhaps a little less ridiculous for reading the adventures of a female super-ninja and her mind-controlled cyborg federal agent pawn.
There's pretty much only one reason I ever owned this book to begin with: Bill Sienkiewicz. His art at this time was at its peak, and this book is a beautiful testament to his talent. Unfortunately, like Miller (in comparison to someone like Grant Morrison or Alan Moore), he never developed much past doing nice superbooks (in comparison to, say, stylistically similar Dave McKean). Of course, his rumoured personal behaviour probably didn't help his professional career, either. Whatever the case, books like this and Stray Toasters are prime examples of Sienkiewicz doing his finest, even if they are topically bereft.
I can't say how this book reads from a superfan perspective, but as an adult reader of comics it comes across as...pretty silly. Pretty, but silly.
Like Dark Knight Returns, Year One, and most of Miller's other work of the time, Elektra: Assassin is basically just a more adult (i.e., gorier and nuder) superhero comic. It would never have changed the face of comics, or their acceptance to a broader audience, but surely would make grown people feel perhaps a little less ridiculous for reading the adventures of a female super-ninja and her mind-controlled cyborg federal agent pawn.
There's pretty much only one reason I ever owned this book to begin with: Bill Sienkiewicz. His art at this time was at its peak, and this book is a beautiful testament to his talent. Unfortunately, like Miller (in comparison to someone like Grant Morrison or Alan Moore), he never developed much past doing nice superbooks (in comparison to, say, stylistically similar Dave McKean). Of course, his rumoured personal behaviour probably didn't help his professional career, either. Whatever the case, books like this and Stray Toasters are prime examples of Sienkiewicz doing his finest, even if they are topically bereft.
I can't say how this book reads from a superfan perspective, but as an adult reader of comics it comes across as...pretty silly. Pretty, but silly.
January 11, 2009
As everyone comments, this is Frank Miller at the top of his game, and working with one of the greatest comic artists of the late 20th century, Bill Seinkewicz. The art is frenetic and fragmented and incorporates just about every medium you can imagine - pen and ink, watercolor, crayon, pencil, collage - whatever Seinkewicz thought would work for a given panel. And it does work, incredibly.
As Miller and his work have literally gone to Hollywood, his obsessions have gotten more pronounced. They're present in Elekra: Assassin, but more toned down. The government agent who pursues Elektra now looks like a sort of stand-in for the author, but with a degree of self-awareness that's entirely absent from any character in Sin City or the Dark Knight stories. He's a bit of a badass, but quite a bit of a buffoon. Elektra evades, eludes, and outwits him at many turns until finally she's caught - and then she manages to work her mojo on him yet again. Miller wrote this one before he reached the "whoreswhoreswhoreswhores" stage, and the work is much better for it.
As Miller and his work have literally gone to Hollywood, his obsessions have gotten more pronounced. They're present in Elekra: Assassin, but more toned down. The government agent who pursues Elektra now looks like a sort of stand-in for the author, but with a degree of self-awareness that's entirely absent from any character in Sin City or the Dark Knight stories. He's a bit of a badass, but quite a bit of a buffoon. Elektra evades, eludes, and outwits him at many turns until finally she's caught - and then she manages to work her mojo on him yet again. Miller wrote this one before he reached the "whoreswhoreswhoreswhores" stage, and the work is much better for it.
April 4, 2019
It's called "Elektra: Assassin" but it SHOULD be called "All The Creepy Men Who Call Elektra a Whore While They Perv on Her". The art style is really cool but the writing is off the rails in the worst way possible. This isn't really about Elektra. It's about the men around her and what they want to do to her - from the Beast/Anti-Christ/President to the pervert she possesses and turns into her minion, to Nick Fury. It's all white men talking and Elektra is sort of there, sort of not, sort of intangible, sort of in her own head.
Look. Just don't read it. It's a complete waste of time. You won't really learn anything about Elektra or see her in action in an empowering way. You won't be impressed by anything she does. You'll just be confused and disappointed and bored and angry. I'm upset that I paid money for this.
Look. Just don't read it. It's a complete waste of time. You won't really learn anything about Elektra or see her in action in an empowering way. You won't be impressed by anything she does. You'll just be confused and disappointed and bored and angry. I'm upset that I paid money for this.
April 9, 2018
Quite possibly the best comic book of the 80's. Entirely overshadowed by Watchmen and The Dark Knight returns-this is Art-House comics at it's absolute best. Bill Sienkiewicz art is a transcendent exploration all the styles and forms that can exist within a comic book format. It's all at once thrilling, sexy, post modern, nauseating and raw. Legend has it that Sienkiewicz re-drew (painted, collaged, experimented) many large sections of the book to create a greater impact.
Elektra, back from the dead, hunts a demon who is running for president. That's all you need to know and the story is going to do some double back flips, tail spins and general WTF moments several times before you get near the end of this bad girl. Truly a masterwork of comics art and storytelling.
Elektra, back from the dead, hunts a demon who is running for president. That's all you need to know and the story is going to do some double back flips, tail spins and general WTF moments several times before you get near the end of this bad girl. Truly a masterwork of comics art and storytelling.
July 7, 2018
When you get a legendary writer like Miller you have to pair him with an artist that goes beyond the plaebian notion that comics should look good. I suppose it's a match for the sketchy style of the story and the occasional lack of punctuation. Too bad the story has long-winded interruptions, but they do offer depth for the characters. One thing the author got right is the internal monologues for the two main characters. They feel genuinely different and do a good job of revealing the first character's single-mindedness and the second's obsession to stop the first. The bad guy turns out to be a third character, the one the author pulled out of his ass. He sucks as much as his origins.
The psychotic story follows Elektra since right before being born, onto her molestation by her drunkard foster father, her ninja training and her eventual escape from the asylum. She becomes a skilled assassin, but her mind is still broken with past memories haunting her and a creature she calls the Beast. Her mission will be to stop the destruction of the world by a group led by the apparently very real Beast.
The psychotic story follows Elektra since right before being born, onto her molestation by her drunkard foster father, her ninja training and her eventual escape from the asylum. She becomes a skilled assassin, but her mind is still broken with past memories haunting her and a creature she calls the Beast. Her mission will be to stop the destruction of the world by a group led by the apparently very real Beast.
October 20, 2019
It seems that my memory of this book was better than I find it now. When I first read it, it changed my perception of what could be done with comics, in particular the stunning artwork. I still like it, but now I see the flaws a little more, for example Miller's disjointed writing style, with lots of fragments of thoughts scattered together, which can be effective for conveying disjointed states of mind, but becomes annoying when used excessively. I also didn't remember that the Beast controlled people by making them drink its milk, which just seems more dumb the more I think about it. For a while I thought maybe the milk was actually a metaphor for something else, but no, apparently not. On the plus side, the story has a surrealist quality to it, and of course Sienkiewicz's artwork is wildly creative and beautiful.
October 22, 2015
Your ability to separate Frank Miller the person from Frank Miller the artist (or, in this case, writer, as Bill Sienkiewicz's lovely watercolors comprise the art) will quite likely affect how much you will agree with my four star rating. The recurring theme of your worth being mainly defined by how much of a badass you are, along with the portrayal of liberals as at best feckless airheads and at worst the actual Antichrist, may not sit well with some.
To me, however, this wasn't really a problem. Ol' Lanky Frank isn't exactly subtle about bringing his views across, so it's not like he's going to poison any minds with surreptitious snuck-in messages. In the meantime, Sienkiewicz and he deliver a balls-to-the-wall action epic full of spies, ninja, cyborgs, demons, flying dwarves and weirdly conical helicopters almost reminiscent of the absurd superstructures in a Beksinski painting.
It's a fun, fast-paced, over the top book that sometimes feels like it doesn't quite know what it would like to do in terms of R-rated content (Epic Comics was a Marvel imprint designed to deliver creator-owned books, but due to faltering sales, Miller and Sienkiewicz were commissioned to do a miniseries about a relatively popular Marvel-owned character).
I knocked the one star off for the really dumb humor that occasionally pops up ("Soviet ambassador Jakkoff", really?). Frank Miller is at his funniest when he's being dead serious!
To me, however, this wasn't really a problem. Ol' Lanky Frank isn't exactly subtle about bringing his views across, so it's not like he's going to poison any minds with surreptitious snuck-in messages. In the meantime, Sienkiewicz and he deliver a balls-to-the-wall action epic full of spies, ninja, cyborgs, demons, flying dwarves and weirdly conical helicopters almost reminiscent of the absurd superstructures in a Beksinski painting.
It's a fun, fast-paced, over the top book that sometimes feels like it doesn't quite know what it would like to do in terms of R-rated content (Epic Comics was a Marvel imprint designed to deliver creator-owned books, but due to faltering sales, Miller and Sienkiewicz were commissioned to do a miniseries about a relatively popular Marvel-owned character).
I knocked the one star off for the really dumb humor that occasionally pops up ("Soviet ambassador Jakkoff", really?). Frank Miller is at his funniest when he's being dead serious!
November 23, 2013
I'm placing this ahead of the two masterworks- "Watchmen" and ""The Dark Knight Returns"; as my favourite comic book story. It has a very risky first part, going inside the damaged mind of an already deranged character. It has incredible mood swings between black humour, espionage and the greatest action sequences. It's an unholy union of Miller's direction of swords, guns, ninja assassins and high tech; and Sienkiewicz's unbounded penmanship and imagination. Both writer and artist can represent horror, action and humour in their work and sometimes what you see in the words and what is depicted hum and clash against each other. Almost a battle of wills. It's very edgy, very dirty. 90% of the risks pay off. The assassination of the American ambassador, the Potomac underwater sequence, and the struggle for the mind of the intern, Sandy are stand-out, brilliant moments. The panels where the Beast clutches at Garrett's heart and finds only a lump of plastic, and the funny look put on the face of evil incarnate; sublime.
September 24, 2012
This is the definitive Elektra story folks. I don't think anyone else has done her similar justice. You learn a lot of things about our favorite ninja assassiness that you may have previously not known, at least in terms of the sheer amount of things she can do besides be a good ninja. I think the only thing I would've liked better about this book is that it had less to do with SHIELD and the douche agent Garrett and more to do with Elektra but I suppose the SHIELD/Garrett aspect was necessary just to exemplify how powerful Elektra's misdirection and psychic abilities are. Sinkiewicz's art is great, this is my first exposue to him, and I have to say I'm a fan. I'm hoping I can get a hand on his Black Widow works now. I hope they give Elektra another solo run at sometime in the future and that whoever is writing does her a good turn. I have no hope for Way's Thunderbolts but I may read one issue just to see how he uses her.
October 21, 2018
this book is very hard to rate. i absolutely adore the art. it's a beautiful abstract water color fever dream that conveys strong emotion and does a better job with symbolism and metaphor than the prose does. which brings me to the weakness of the book. it is above all else, confusing. the plot is as fractured as the stream of consciousness writing style that pops in and out of the heads of multiple characters without warning. the points i will give for originality and daring do not cover the points i want to take away for the heavy handed cliches that are supposed to represent deeper meaning but fail. the book as a whole is beautiful but pointless. it does not expand on elektra's character in any meaningful way and dehumanizers her to a sexualized animal craving flesh and blood. she is given no personality and is even largely ignored for a more dominant male character who is more machine than man. flip through it to appreciate the paintings but don't bother to read the words.
December 31, 2016
I've heard many, many times that this is the best Elektra story ever told. Sadly, I can't agree with that. Yes, it is a good story, a great story, even. But it's not an Elektra story. She is the main character in the first issue and it's beautiful and daunting and wonderful, but after that this stops being her story. It's a story about a man who meets her and interacts with her, but Elektra remains a mystery and we are only seeing bits and pieces of her through that man's eyes. And I don't find it THAT amazing.
Otherwise, this is a really great story. Complicated and twisted and kinda surreal. It's definitely worth reading.
Otherwise, this is a really great story. Complicated and twisted and kinda surreal. It's definitely worth reading.
March 9, 2008
Frank Miller was on, what they call, the top of his game when he collaborated with often misunderstood artist extraordinaire Bill Sienkiewicz to bring us this 24 carat model of graphic novel perfection which rivals, if not exceeds, Miller's deservedly ubiquitous The Dark Knight Returns in every important sense. I may as well assure you that after approaching the book's conclusion under the mistaken impression that there will be no satisfactory resolution you will turn the penultimate page and be flat-out stunned.
June 10, 2016
perfect art and just a fun story !!!!!
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