Elektra: Assassin (Marvel's Finest) [Paperback]

Frank Miller (Author), Bill Sienkiewicz (Illustrator), Jim Novak (Illustrator), Gaspar Saladino (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2000

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871353091
• ISBN-13: 978-0871353092
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #439,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every Bit As Awesome As The Dark Knight!, April 25, 2000

By 

kris darlington - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elektra: Assassin (Marvel's Finest) (Paperback)

It's simply astounding that this book is out of print! This amazing collaboration between Frank Miller and Bill Sinckweicz (I know that isn't even close on the spelling) is simply one of the most amazing peices of literature I've ever read, let alone a "really cool comic book". Hear we have one of Miller's most conceptualy challenge stories, about one of his most beloved creations. That alone should keep comic fans drooling, but THE ART! My gods, it is truly surrealistic master work, combined with a truly distinct, and daring "montage" of different kinds of images, raw, polished, stylized, and pyschotic images collide to dizzying effect. I'm sorry this book makes me talk like a third year art student, but it is so complex and stunning, on so many levels, both visually and narratively, that I really couldn't sum it up in a mere thousand words. If you love Frank Miller and Bill Sinckweicz's work, there is no way this could ever disappoint you, unless you really just don't get it! I'm simply floored this is out of print, pardon my drama!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Embrace innovative art in comics!, June 16, 2006

By 

Krista K (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elektra: Assassin (Marvel's Finest) (Paperback)

The 80s saw comics take a turn for the better - stories improved and became darker and more adult; real artists brought innovative styles to bear on a medium long held back by stereotypical drawing (both penciling and inking) and coloring.

Sienkiewicz won a Kirby Award for his work on 'Electra Assassin,' but his art is fairly avant garde for the comic scene. He actually does the covers as oil paintings instead of drawings to be filled in by a colorist, and you'd swear many of the panels on the inside are also painted. And his art is amazing - it runs the gamut from psychotic and blood splattered to portraiture perfection with lots of interesting stops in between.

Of course, Frank Miller's story is no slouch either, with corruption, conspiracy, insanity, etc. It's also a bit postmodern in narrative form, so, if you feel confused at times, keep reading - most knots untangle by the end, and those that don't? - well, they weren't supposed to. His work typically reaches above that of a medium too long constrained to tepid super-hero triumphs (he did, after all, bring us 'The Dark Knight' and 'Ronin').

In 'Electra,' art and story come together in a potent combination that makes a great comic. Forget the movie and read this instead!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of the Medium, May 22, 2001

By 

Jonathan Schaper (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elektra: Assassin (Marvel's Finest) (Paperback)

Elektra is a character originating from the Daredevil comic series who has been killed off and resurrected several times, and the government agency S.H.E.I.L.D. also has a long history in Marvel, but don't let this discourage you. Fortunately this series stands on its own and all you need to know is in this collection, so if you generally dislike Marvel comics this is not an issue. This was published during Epic comics' woefully short height when they truly published comics for adults instead of just more violent Marvel comics.

I must admit that the plot of this story is not exactly one of great literature. A popular politician running for President is possessed by the antichrist who wants to destroy the world with nuclear anihilation and only Elektra who is out to assassinate him knows this and she has just escaped from an insane asylum. Meanwhile, ultra-advanced government agencies as well as the minions of the antichrist are out to stop her. But Miller and Sienkiewicz elevate the work over its pulp plot.

The painted artwork by Sienkiewicz is simply stunning and, other than Stray Toasters, is his largest and most self-contained work (Big Numbers having been aborted, and his work on the New Mutants, etc, being only partial stories). For this alone, the collection is worthwhile. However, it is also a masterpiece of the graphic novel genre. The artwork meshes perfectly with the writing creating an experience unique to comics as opposed to an illustrated novel. The artwork helps create a psychological depth and abstractions not possible in the narrative alone in a vocabulary unique to comics and not as possible in movies or books. Thus, just as it is impossible to fully recreate the experience of music in the written word, Elektra cannot be accurately translated to any other medium.

While there have been better comics, few match Elektra: Assassin in its ability to explore the storytelling potential of the graphic novel and still maintain a story that is more than mere surrealism (Sienkiewicz's Stray Toasters, which also accomplishes this is superior, but less available). More work like Elektra is needed as an injection to wake up a medium that is now largely dominated by movies set to paper (e.g. Ennis' Preacher).