Elektra, the Greek ninja anti-hero best known for her connection to Daredevil. Doesn’t mean that she can’t strike out on her own and establish her character. Writers like her creator Frank Miller show Elektra at her strongest when her assassin ways clash with a personal moral code. No one else seems to notice that though. Greg Rucka, best known for his depictions of flawed characters on the edge took the reins of her in 2002. I myself came across the Elektra: Greg Rucka Ultimate Collection on Comixology’s Best Marvel Collections. Unfortunately, I found Rucka’s run to be anything but the best. Welcome to What Went Wrong to discuss how it all came down.
A Promising Start
Elektra Natchios unlike her on-and-off fling Matt Murdock uses her skills to kill targets as an international assassin. Elektra’s moral code aims at people who deserve to die. However, she has no pleasure in killing or subduing her targets; it’s just her job. In Rucka’s first arc with Elektra, Hubris; the assassin kills and/or captures men who sexually assaulted her client. But her client was unable to kill the last one, begging Elektra to do it for her; only for Elektra to refuse.
The Fall of Elektra
However, this part of Elektra’s character seems to go out the window with the next arc. She is confronted by Jeremy Locke, a paraplegic lawyer whose fiancé was killed by Elektra as collateral damage. Using a cabal he set up; Locke froze all of Elektra’s assets and future employments causing her to go through a breakdown. After being shown the horrors she helped create, Elektra even contemplates suicide. This was played off as being addicted to violence rather than the more likely PTSD, subverting the previous Hubris arc.
Furthering Mediocrity
Just having Locke out for revenge would’ve made things a lot easier. But by the next chapter, it was shown that Locke is instead a stand-in for Matt Murdock; an idealistic yet handicapped lawyer who believes in the good of Elektra. However, this clashed with his cabal’s vengeful intentions. The writing and execution is so bad that Elektra killing the cabal seems more like erasing a bad link. When Elektra almost kills Locke and his bodyguard Philip Collins while considering death again, they bring her to Drake.
Was There Ever Any Hope?
Drake much like Elektra was associated with Stick’s Chaste and the Hand and felt as lost as her. Drake has Elektra reexamine herself and even gives her a new white costume. She actually seemed like a good fit; offering an insight to how Stick handled things and how Elektra might’ve had a better chance had things gone differently.
Not at the End…
As if just to play up the drama, the Hand show up and capture Locke. Elektra along with Drake and Collins fight off the Hand; but both Drake and Collins end up dead. Elektra is locked in combat with the Hand mystic holding Locke hostage. As the Hand taunts her to finish him and save Locke, Elektra ends up killing them both. So much for enlightenment on no collateral damage. The white costume just seems ready to become red with the blood of her enemies and victims.
Greg Rucka is without a doubt a good writer. But seeing that he was working on several projects like Detective Comics and Wolverine at the same time; it’s likely he was putting all of his energy into the other series and just threw together Elektra’s other arcs without much thought. Combine this writing style with the regularly changing artists; we get a sloppily made story that is not only redundant but half-baked.
Status Report on Elektra
The Hubris storyline gets an 8/10; showing off Elektra’s skills as an assassin and her work ethic with some great artwork to boot. The rest of Rucka’s run however gets a 4/10. Although the audience is glued for the entire storyline, it came at the cost of some of Elektra’s character. The supporting characters were just big messes in plot as much as the changing artists; and the themes of both the previous and latter arc became subverted.
Better Elektra Stories
Or if you want a Greg Rucka story that doesn’t go into the above mess, check out Elektra & Wolverine: The Redeemer. The artwork by the legendary Yoshitaka Amano is a sight to behold. Especially since it tells a better story on avoiding unnecessary bloodshed.
Thanks for coming to the end; remember to like, share, comment, and above all else look between the panels.
