The story continues...but why?
Ultimate Elektra # 1
W: Mike Carey
P: Salvador Larroca
I: Crimelab Studios
C: Liquid's Aron Lusen
What Has Gone Before:
In the Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra mini-series, we were
introduced to Matt Murdock, blind college student with preternaturally
keen senses even for a blind man, his best friend Foggy Nelson, and the
alluring yet elusive Elektra Natchios, martial arts whiz and daughter
to an immigrant father, who owns a dry cleaning store. As a
result of her efforts to defend a girlfriend against a rich and
arrogant student who had sexually assaulted her, Elektra's father's
store was burned out and thus Elektra no longer had the funds to
continue her education.
What Happens Now:
As this mini-series opens, we find Elektra's father reluctantly
agreeing to make two of his cousins part owners in his shop in exchange
for the money to rebuild. Elektra has her misgivings, but between
the cousins' cajoling and her father�s wounded pride, the deal is
struck. Meanwhile, Matt continues in school, but he's still
carrying an obvious torch for Elektra. Foggy has managed to get
them both internships at a prestigious law firm. Matt will work
directly for the firm�s principle criminal attorney, who, amoung other
cases, is working out a plea agreement for an accountant. He'll
turn state's evidence on Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, which the DA is more
than happy to oblige. The Kingpin has other plans, naturally, and
is going to use Elektra's cousins to effect them, for they are deep in
Fisk's organization and have plans to use the re-built dry cleaners to
launder more than just clothes.
Hearing about her continued plight, Matt makes a late-night visit in
his not-quite-Daredevil garb to Elektra to offer his help. She
fights him off, literally, but he still offers his help if she wants
it. She is sufficiently suspicious and determined to remove her
cousins from her father's business, though, that she goes to them the
next day to offer to buy them out herself. She picks the least
opportune day, for the cousins are monitoring the efforts of hitmen
they've hired to take out the Kingpin's accountant and secure his
incriminating ledger. The hit will be made at the offices of the
accountant's lawyer, where Matt and Foggy arrive to begin the first day
of their internships. Just as Elektra is proving to the cousins
(by beating up their goon) that she will not be deterred in her
efforts, the Kingpin shows up to check up personally on the hit.
The hit begins as planned: a bomb blows a hole in the side of the
building, knocking out Matt just seconds after his uncanny senses
detected something amiss.
THIS is Ultimate Elektra?
The good news is that for fans of the Ultimate Daredevil &
Elektra mini-series, issue 1 of this five-issue arc is pretty much
the same thing as what you read before. The art is pretty good,
though the colors are uninspired. The narrative moves along well
and there is good attention paid to the characters and their
relationships. The bad news is that I think everyone 20 years old
and over has been here before and with more snap in other venues.
The college thing, the star-crossed lover thing, the
mob-taking-over-the-small-business thing, etc. Hell, the
accountant-takes-down-the-mob-boss thing is straight out of Brian
DePalma�s excellent The Untouchables movie of 17 years ago (Christ,
time DOES fly, don't it?)! Mr. Carey does a serviceable job, and
at least they're not asking you to fork over $2.99 for it, but there
are FAR better books in which to invest your precious time and
money. If you loved Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra,
pick it up and go with God. Otherwise�
Recommendation: Leave it.