Elektra

Elektra 1-4, 7-13

I have a few more Elektra stories to read over the next days, but I’m wondering if Elektra is uncrackable as a protagonist.  If Bendis and Rucka can’t make her interesting, who can?  (Miller’s Elektra: Assassin utilizes her more as a force of nature than a character, if I recall correctly.  I’ll find out soon enough.)  

It would help if someone gave her a personality more than “emotionless ninja assassin.”  Bendis pays two pages of lip service to character development, but even then, Elektra doesn’t do more than acknowledge that she’s an emotionless ninja assassin.  Rucka tries a little bit harder, but goes in a direction that’s so far out of whack that I found myself wishing for the blank cipher again; I don’t buy Elektra psychologically falling apart just because she can’t find a job for a couple of months.  It goes against the mental toughness that she’s displayed time and again.  

The stories themselves were weak as well.  Bendis completely fails for one of the few times in his career.  There’s very little to recommend here; The plot with the Iraqi dictator is boilerplate anti-American rhetoric, and the existential crisis of Stanley the LMD fails to generate any sympathy because he’s such a tool.  I gave up after issue 4.

I stuck around with Rucka for a little longer, but his rape revenge story left me unsatisfied (do the do-nothing bystanders really deserve the same fate as the rapists?).  And as I said earlier, Elektra as unemployed bum is utterly ridiculous.  None of this is sticking around.       

Some comments on the art:

Chuck Austen - Man.  There were moments in the first issue that I actively liked:

Her nonchalance works for me.

But then things just fell apart:

The lettering looks like it's out of a small indie comic.

The proportions.  Even Barbie's got nothing on her.

Bill Sienkiewicz - The guy’s a legend, but come on.  This is a little embarrassing:

Greg Horn - Sigh.  Those covers.  I don’t know how to respond to an image of Elektra coming at me with duct tape, massive boobs, and an enigmatic smile.  Am I supposed to be turned on?  Is she about to kidnap me or do something kinky?  

And this one.  The straitjacket makes some kind of sense in the story, but the addition of popcorn on the cover takes it to uncharted territory for me.  

Milky Dudes?  I’m supposed to want to eat those?

Regret buying? Yes

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Stupid