Assassin

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!

In Elektra: Assasin, the beautiful killing machine known as Elektra has returned from her supposed death and is on a mission to kill Presidential candidate Ken Wind. She's wanted by S.H.E.I.L.D. operatives after she assassinated South American Presidente Carlos Huevos. She dispatches, in rich, bloody detail, many an agent. One of those unfortunates is agent John Garrett, who she shreds nearly to pieces, only to leave him alive for her own amusement. Garrett is revived with a special electronic and pneumatic body. Elektra uses some sort of bizarre Ninja mind control over him to make him do her bidding. Meanwhile, S.H.E.I.L.D. is busy rebuilding Perry, Garrett's partner who also was badly mutilated by Elektra. What they don't know is that Perry has a history of violence and rage, and it's up to Elektra and Garrett to stop him before he gets fully rebuilt. But Garrett's betrayal of S.H.I.E.L.D. (due to Elektra's mind control) has agent Chastity and Colonel Nick Fury on his trail.As you can see from the summary, Elektra: Assasin has a lot of plots and subplots that keep twisting and turning. This was unlike any Frank Miller story I've ever read. Its overall blatant weirdness is unlike Miller's typical realism that was so common in his work on Daredevil. This is not the most gripping or well-written Miller I've ever read, but it still stands taller than most.Bill Sienkiewicz's art is marvelous. It has a lot of symbolism and style ranging from kindergarden drawing to violent realism. Elektra: Assassin reminded me a lot of Grant Morrisson's Arkham Asylum story in the way that its a very offbeat story and the artist's and writer's styles work to perfection. The book isn't without its shortcomings. Miller was attempting a psychodramatic thriller, but Elektra: Assassin comes out as being more of a violent romp than anything else. Still, this is well worth reading, especially if you're a fan of the original Elektra that debuted in the pages of Daredevil in the 1980's. Miller fans may be let down a little, but Sienkiewicz's art more than makes up for it. Primal, eccentric, and bloody, Elektra: Assassin won't dissapoint.

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).

Over the past 3 years or so, Marvel seems have remembered that it has older fans who remember its glory days, when all of their characters got a fair shake. If the racks are going to be flooded with a hundred copies of the "Age of X-ecution X-Tinction" trade paperback, the least Marvel could do is reprint something that appeals to more discriminating readers. This book is a prime example. ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN is one of those wonderful moments in comics where the writer and artist, each being at the top of their game, are also completely in tune with each other. Miller's story is by no means straightforward, and if you can read this once and feel that you "got it", you probably really didn't "get it". With every read, I see new messages hidden in the story, and that, to me, means a worthwhile purchase. His definition of the characters is great, from a boorish Agent Garret to a faker-than-fake presidential candidate. The story features many aspects and abilities of Elektra that hadn't been previously covered in other comics.Sienkiewicz's artwork for this story is amazing. He can render some beautiful and technically accurate human forms, but to do that throughout the whole book wouldn't be any fun. Here, he uses a mixed media showcase, incorporating a variety of styles for his interpretations of characters and their moods: some characters are sharply defined, others are photo or paper paste-ups, some just smears of paint. Seeing as this series was originally released in the mid-80s, it can be seen how this work might have influenced such diverse artists as Dave McKean, Simon Bisley, and yes, even Rob Liefield (check out Nick Fury and his big gun).This story fits in well with the Elektra stories of the past. Ignore her recent revival in Daredevil, and you'll be okay.

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!