Elektra: Glimpse and Echo, Doomsday Clock, Silver Surfer

Elektra: Glimpse and Echo 1-4

Scott Morse, randomly enough, writes and paints this four-issue mini-series.  Elektra deals with ghosts, cats, and The Hand, and Morse’s children-storybook painted style works well with the ethereal subject matters.  I wouldn’t like to see it all over the place, but it’s beautiful when applied to the proper projects.  

Again, Elektra’s actions are reactionary, dictated by outside forces and rarely proactive; A ninja tells her to meet a guy, who tells her to kill another guy.  A cat leads her to a ghost, who tells her to kill his son.  She goes along with the flow, doing what she’s told.  The only time she acts on her own is to kill the original hit contractors when she decided she didn’t like the hit.  Of course, she decides this after carrying out the assassination.  Couldn’t be bothered beforehand, I guess.  

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Doomsday Clock 3

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue their quest to mirror Moore/Gibbons to the best of their abilities.  They succeed pretty darn well.  Are the old black and white movies going to play the same role as Tales of the Black Freighter?

Even though the new Rorschach, Mime, and Marionette weren’t in the original Watchmen, they really read as if they come from that world, and I’m fascinated by all of them.  Mime’s schtick is enthralling, and I just want to see more of him.  Can’t wait to see him and Marionette meet the Joker.  Batman’s handling of Rorschach is completely in character and well handled.  Enjoying the heck out of this.  

Silver Surfer 13, 14

One of the local comic shops in my area is closing in a couple of days, and I picked these up on sale.  I had read them as part of the Silver Surfer trade the last time I was at Barnes and Noble, which I liked well enough, but not enough to buy trade full price.  These two issues, the last of the Slott/Allred run, were the highlights, so the opportunity to buy them at half price was too good.  

This is a time travel love story, and it’s beautifully told.  It hits the science fiction and romance elements perfectly, and the string of reveals that come at the end are hugely heartwarming, with only the slightest tinge of sadness.  I’m tempted to buy the whole run in trade, but I suspect that having read a bunch of the issues already, these are the only ones that I’d re-read.  They’ll go on the shelf, and I’ll see how I feel when I get back to them.