Elektra: Assassin
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2018) |
Elektra: Assassin | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | Limited series |
Genre | |
Publication date | August 1986 – March 1987 |
No. of issues | 8 |
Main character(s) | ISBN 0-7851-2777-1 |
Elektra: Assassin is an eight-issue limited series published by Epic Comics, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, between August 1986 and March 1987. Written by Frank Miller and illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz, Elektra: Assassin satirizes ultra-violence, politics, comic book clichés like ninjas and cyborgs, and the portrayal of women.[1]
Creation
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2023) |
As with
Plot
The story starts out with
Elektra uses her psychic powers to escape, running afoul of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent John Garrett. Garrett, an alcoholic, feels ashamed and becomes obsessed with Elektra, but she manages to stay one step ahead of him. She traps him in a building which is blown up, and most of his body is destroyed. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s experimental cybernetics division builds him a robotic body and attaches his head. His psychic bond with Elektra continues to grow, and he eventually realizes he is powerless against her. She sets out to stop the Beast, killing various subordinates and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the process. In response, Nick Fury sends Chastity McBryde, a strictly by-the-book mercenary. Perry, a sociopath who was Garret's former partner, has now also been turned into a cyborg. Chastity learns of Perry's suppressed sociopathic criminal history, and informs Fury, but Perry manages to escape before S.H.I.E.L.D can deactivate him. Perry is extremely dangerous and eventually comes under the service of The Beast.
The Beast manages to get Wind elected president, but Elektra thwarts the plan with her psychic powers and ninja skills. In a final confrontation, Elektra manages to injure The Beast, terminate Perry, and transfer the mind of Garrett into Ken Wind and vice versa before she and Garrett are captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. As Chastity is giving her final report to the President about what happened, it is realized that in the end, Garrett, in the body of Wind, is the President. Elektra, using her psychic powers yet again, manages to escape S.H.I.E.L.D after she has recovered, by placing her mind in one of the blue helper dwarfs, knocking out Chastity and then releasing her own body.
Reception
Comics writer Garth Ennis is a fan of the series, describing it as "superb" and has stated that Miller's portrayal of Nick Fury in the series inspired his own writing of the character, which he used mainly in his comic Fury: My War Gone By.[4]
Collected editions
The series has been collected in numerous trade paperbacks and hardcover editions:
- Elektra: Assassin (268 pages, Marvel, 1989, ISBN 1904159893)
New trade paperback editions were also released in 2000, 2012, and 2019.
It was first released as a Limited Signed Edition hardcover in early 1987, signed & numbered by both Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz, was limited to 2,000 copies, with a cover price of $39.95 US.
It was also included in the 2008 hardcover Elektra by Frank Miller Omnibus (
It was released as part of the Marvel Premiere Classic hardcovers line in March 2012.
Awards
- 1988: Nominated for "Best Finite Series" Eisner Award[5]
References
- ^ Burgas, Greg (January 21, 2007). "Comics You Should Own - Elektra: Assassin". Comics Should Be Good. Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
- Fictioneer Books. p. 39.
- ^ Mithra, Kuljit. Interview with Bill Sienkiewicz, Daredevil: ManWithoutFear.com (January 2000).
- ^ Ching, Albert (May 1, 2012). "Ennis Returns to FURY MAX for 'Cold War Greatest Hits'". COMICS. Newsarama. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
- ^ 1988 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners, Comic Book Awards Almanac
External links
- Elektra: Assassin at the Grand Comics Database
- Elektra: Assassin at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)