This assassin just hit the jackpot.
It's still depressing that Marvel's previous Elektra comic didn't find a wider audience, as it was about as gorgeous a comic as one could find on the stands in 2014. Even with a drastically different stylistic approach in this new series, the art remains the big selling point as Elektra returns to the forefront of the Marvel Universe.
Writer Matt Owens and artist Juan Cabal don't seek to reinvent the wheel with this new series. As is her wont, Elektra is hiding from the demons of her past and seeking some way of helping those who aren't fortunate enough to be deadly ninja assassins. That neverending quest now brings her to Las Vegas, where she catches wind of a mysterious villain allowing high-rollers to toy with human lives. Basically, a lot of bad people need stabbing, and Elektra is just the ninja for the job.
Many writers might choose to take the bombastic, over-the-top approach given that premise, but Owens keeps the book on a pretty even keel. It's actually a fairly somber read, given how much Elektra silently reflects on her past. At times the script actually proves a bit unsettling given its very frank depiction of the violence and humiliation the ultra-rich can inflict on those around them. It's not unlike reading a Punisher comic, except for the fact that Elektra Natchios isn't the single-minded, remorseless killer Frank Castle is.
Thankfully, Owens seems content to sit back and allow Cabal to do the heavy lifting in most cases. This script could easily have been derailed by a heavy-handed internal monologue. But why focus on Elektra's thoughts when a haunting, silent homage to the work of Frank Miller gets the job done so much more quickly and elegantly?
Cabal's style is best described as a fusion of Frank Cho and Jamie McKelvie. Like Cho, Cabal excels at drawing statuesque, beautiful figures. Like McKelvie, there's a clarity to Cabal's line-work and storytelling that makes the issue very easy to follow. And just as McKelvie's work really needs the right colorist to give it depth and texture, Cabal's work is further enhanced by the colors of Antonio Fabela and Marcio Menyz. The colorists take full advantage of the glamorous Vegas setting, contrasting bright, glitzy lighting with dramatic use of shadow and color. The Frank Miller homage simply wouldn't work without the colors giving it that throwback effect.
I do wish the series had stuck to Elektra's traditional costume rather than the MCU-inspired outfit she's suddenly wearing. Elektra stands out as a lithe, graceful fighter, and this dark, drab costume tends to work against that. Nothing about this issue suggests that Elektra cares about being stealthy or secretive when she enters battle. If the intent is to de-sexualize Elektra, the creators might want to focus more on avoiding gratuitious, mid-battle butt shots rather than changing a costume that's worked pretty well for the past 35 years.
The Verdict
Elektra's new solo comic isn't groundbreaking in any way, but it does offer an engaging look at a troubled assassin who can't seem to leave her old life behind. As with the previous volume, the art is really the big selling point. It's clean but stylish and shrouded in gorgeous color work that takes advantage of the glitzy Vegas setting.
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