Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer [Hardcover]

Greg Rucka (Author), Yoshitaka Amano (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (May 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785109110
• ISBN-13: 978-0785109112
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Yoshitaka Amano, (born July 28, 1952) is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D, Shinjuku, and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix (formerly Square). His influences include Western comic books, art nouveau, and Japanese woodblock prints. He has won awards for his work, including the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for his collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Sandman: The Dream Hunters. In early 2010, he established Studio Devaloka, a film production company.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace vs. Power, August 31, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer (Hardcover)

I have to wonder how many readers were attracted to this graphic novel by Greg Rucka's story about Elektra and Wolverine, and how many found it while looking for the works of Yoshitaka Amano, the remarkable Japanese Illustrator who has fascinated a generation. I am one of the latter. I discovered Amano's work, mostly through manga and the anime that he has inspired, and have been a follower ever since. Even a short search reveals that Amano is an artist who can shift from medium to medium, across many genres.

While not unknown in the U.S., Amano is under represented here, and his work is a rare treat. When I discovered the availability of this book, I quickly acquired it. And was promptly delighted. The artist's sensual elegance is a perfect match for Elektra Natchios, giving the beautiful assassin an eerie, deadly sexuality. For Logan, the Wolverine, Amana uses a slightly different style that makes him a menacing study in contrast with the more formal structure of the woman ninja. This is a worthwhile sampling of Yoshitaka Amano's work.

The book opens with an assassination gone wrong. Elektra carries out the job, but the killing is witnessed by the victim's young daughter. Elektra manages a spectacular escape, but knows that the girl, Avery, represents a risk to her own safety that must be remedied. Torn by this problem, she sets about the task of kidnapping the daughter, still not sure of what she must do. Logan, on retreat from civilization, is pressured into protecting Avery, bringing him into direct conflict with the deadly ninja. But much more is at stake than the life of the girl. Logan and Elektra find the sides are not as sharply drawn as they first appear.

This is a complex story of shifting allegiances, betrayal, and hidden agendas. While not very long, it brings out facets of both Elektra's and Wolverine's character than are less visible in their comic book origins. The tale is a haunting backdrop to Amano's illustration, which focuses on the interior isolation of both these characters. They can only partially cross their personal boundaries, displacing any feelings for each other into a growing connection to Avery. This drives both the story and the fine artwork. Hopefully, this is a promise of things to come.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elektra & Wolverine Redeemer, March 12, 2010

By 

Gabriel A. Caldwell "Austin" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer (Hardcover)

This is not your typical comic style book with it being more on the novel side with pictures on every few pages. The art however is fantastic and the story itself is one of the better ones I've read in a while. I definitely recommend this book if you find it for a good price.

4.0 out of 5 stars Story/art not a good match, November 29, 2011

By 

silverthorne "PDA" (NOLA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer (Hardcover)

The story, centering on assassin Elektra's bonding with a young girl she's kidnapped after the girl witnessed her murdering the girl's father, and Wolverine's interaction with the girl's mother and Elektra while on the hunt for the elusive pair, are at the heart of this Greg Rucka story. Oddly enough, the girl wants to be like Elektra, and Elektra recognizes her young self in the girl. Wolverine wants to be left alone, but is forced into acting as a bodyguard by a man who claims to know about his past which Logan, of course, cannot remember. Do the mother and the murdered father figure in that past in some way? Will Elektra take on the girl as a protégé? I found the story very entertaining, and am glad I bought this in the hardcover edition.

While the artist is certainly acclaimed and the art is by turns ethereal and eye-popping, I did not feel that his work here worked well with the story. However, his work reminds me of a favorite illustrator I enjoyed in my childhood - Louis Slobodkin - in its sometimes delicate, watercolor palette. The artist clearly enjoys depicting Elektra in lots of dramatic poses, but Wolverine is usually only a dark blob - a street thug with messy hair. In many of Wolverine's pictures here, the artist didn't even bother to include the character's signature muttonchops. Also, other than their clothing, the three main female characters - Elektra, the girl, and the girl's mother - all look alike. It would be interesting to see how another artist such as Kent Williams or Gabriel Dell'Otto might have handled this assignment.