Ultimate Elektra: Devil’s Due

Ultimate Elektra collects Ultimate Elektra #1-5.

Written by Mike Carey with art by Salvador Larroca.

I did not like Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra. I think that’s pretty obvious. It was a fine tale and it was entertaining, but not up to standard. It wasn’t a good origin tale, it didn’t give us a fresh take on the characters, and it didn’t have any other connections to the Ultimate Universe, and although these aren’t needed for a comic to be good, they were needed in this instance. However, a sequel was in order and here it is, aptly-titled Ultimate Elektra. Unlike the prequel, this volume does not tempt and tease you by pretending that it’s going to be a story about Matt Murdock: it is very much a story about Elektra.

After the destruction of their house and business, the Natchios’ are homeless and jobless. Elektra’s father turns to his nephews for money. The nephews in question aren’t exactly on the right side of the law and plan to use the Natchios laundromat as a front to launder more than their dirty sheets. Add a certain New York Kingpin who has lost a portfolio detailing his criminal investments into the mix along with an assassin who has a target tattooed over his forehead and heart and you have the makings of quite an interesting story.

You might notice that Greg Rucka wasn’t brought back to write this series and is, instead, replaced by Mike Carey, who also wrote Ultimate Vision and some issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four. I don’t know the ins and outs of why Rucka was replaced, but replaced he was, and it’s interesting to see whether he was the weak link in the chain. To begin with, Carey does a fine job of the writing, again, it’s standard fare, with few laughs, but a solid plot. There are a lot of twists and turns through it, with Elektra quickly bouncing from working against her cousins to working for them and back again. There are also a few scenes where two different storylines work parallel to each other, and this is pulled off effectively.

The emotional point of the story is, of course, Elektra and her father. After the events of Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra, we see them attempting to scrape back an existence, only to have Lady Luck spit in their faces. We want them to catch a break, and we accept anything Elektra does to make that happen, even (and occasionally, especially) if it is illegal. However, when Matt turns up in his Daredevil gear and tries to talk some sense into Elektra, we see the two sides of the law that were shown before and are caught between justice and revenge.

The other storyline involves The Kingpin attempting to get his stolen portfolio back. If the evidence contained therein is released, he will be put away for the rest of his life, so it’s obvious that he’s going to retrieve it by any means necessary, which is where Bullseye comes in. With Hawkeye in The Ultimates having the can-turn-any-object-household-or-otherwise-into-a-dangerous-weapon power, I was interested to see what abilities Bullseye would have. As mentioned, he has a tattoo of a target over his forehead and heart and, despite these glaringly obvious identifying features, he effectively uses disguises to his advantage, sneak into areas and assassinate targets, all whilst firing off witty quips. These two plots come to a head when Elektra’s father is blamed for a murder her cousins’ commit and she decides to bring the portfolio to The Kingpin herself and pray that he decides to reward her.

Salvador Larroca returns with the art, which is much of the same dull colours and realistic imagery, but this time it is like a jigsaw piece that’s been spun around: it fits, although it’s not perfect. Perhaps it’s the writing of the scenes or the fact that there is more of an emphasis on action this time around, but the art, although it still doesn’t necessarily meld in with the story or the Ultimate Universe as a whole, it works better.

There is a slight conflict in terms of the continuity, however: Elektra meets The Kingpin and they have a little chat, but later in Ultimate Spider-Man, The Kingpin doesn’t know who she is and she is referred to as a “freelancer”. I understand that the Kingpin is a very busy crime boss, what with the murdering and extorting and so on, but even he would remember someone called “Elektra” who runs about in red and carries two sai. Surely. (Although The Kingpin does hang about with chaps who can shoot electricity and eccentrics who carry bullwhips, so maybe another freak in the circus doesn’t faze him.)

As an aside before the conclusion, I found Carey’s version of The Kingpin to be superior to Brian Michael Bendis’ version that appears in Ultimate Spider-Man. Carey’s Kingpin is a businessman who happens to deal in lives, that’s all. He’s not the Kingpin of New York because he’s stupid or reckless. Carey shows this excellently through the dialogue, Larroca shows this through the action and it is as close to a true interpretation of the character as I have yet to see.

BREAKDOWN:

Plot: Better, warmer, faster and now entirely focussed on Elektra. 8/10

Writing: Mostly exposition, but entertaining exposition. 7/10

Art: Still not amazing, but better. 7/10

Continuity: The Kingpin-not-knowing-Elektra bit was weird, but not plot-destroying. 7/10

Enjoyment: Good entertainment. 7/10

Total: 36/50

Verdict:

Three Klondike bars out of Five.

I would trade this TPB for three Klondike bars. Minimum.

Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra

Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra collects Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra #1-4.

Written by Greg Rucka with art by Salvador Larroca.

I never much liked Daredevil as a comic book character. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t capture my attention that much. Perhaps it’s because he doesn’t have powers as much as he just deals with a disability really well. Perhaps it’s because if I was blind, I’d stay in the house and wouldn’t go looking for trouble regardless of my hearing ability. Perhaps it’s because of Ben Affleck. Either way, the Man Without Fear is incredibly popular and, along with others such as Echo and Professor X, ensures that Marvel at least gets a tax deduction for including people with disabilities in their roster and it was only a matter of time before he got the Ultimate treatment.

Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra follows the story of Elektra Natchios as she begins her first semester at Columbia University. There, she meets a blind gymnast named Matt Murdock and she asks him out in a very feminist way: by giving him flowers. Shortly afterwards, Elektra’s friend, Mel, is raped by the university jerk, Calvin Langstrom the Third (whom everyone calls Trey). Elektra, infuriated by the crime, is further incensed by the fact that Trey gets off with the crime without so much as a slap on the wrist. He is seemingly well-connected. Elektra then decides to take the law into her own hands.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that the title of the series and trade paperback is not called Ultimate Daredevil, but Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra. You’ll also notice that there are only four issues collected and the trade paperback is optimistically numbered as Volume One, despite the fact that there was no sequel to the series as the storyline is continued in Ultimate Elektra. This is called foreshadowing.

Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra is not very good. “But sir,” I hear you bellow over your high blood pressure, “how can you say such a thing? You have never had a comic published! You are in no position to criticise.” A fine point, student, but I am a critic and I am here to critique and I repeat: Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra is not very good. To begin, the title: Daredevil doesn’t really turn up that much, either as Matt or in costume as a crime fighter. He kind of mopes in the background as the story focuses on Elektra as she comes to terms with the tragic miscarriage of justice that her friend is subject to. She, as mentioned, takes the law into her own hands and breaks into Trey’s apartment to threaten him and brings her traumatised friend to learn self-defence with her old sensei. A suspicious attack on Elektra’s father’s business leaves them homeless and Daredevil decides to take a leaf from her book, and, instead of threatening Trey, use his detective skills to figure out who was responsible for the arson.

Greg Rucka is the writer of this unflavoured piece and, to his credit, we’re treated to the two opposing sides of the story. Elektra, fuelled by reckless emotion, acts before thinking and instinctively plots and executes her plans for revenge against Trey, whom she believes must pay for his crimes even if the law can’t touch him. Daredevil, however, as a lawyer in training, believes that the judicial system must punish Trey and that Elektra’s violent rage is unjust. Normally, I’d agree with him simply because it is the Lawful Good way to do things, but in Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra, so much time is dedicated to Elektra that by the end of it, we want Trey to die, one way or another. Rucka even attempts to show us some of Trey’s homelife – an overbearing, abusive father, too much money and not enough morals – to allow us to see his motivation and empathise with him, but the background actually damages his image further, reducing him to a cowardly, spoilt shell of a person. Although you know, in the back of your head, that he should be dragged to the police station, you can’t help but wish that his body turns up in several pieces.

I reiterate: Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra is not very good. The writing and plot and art are fine, but that’s all they are, just fine, they never move beyond that. It is certainly not a bad comic, and I don’t regret reading it, I just think that it’s incredibly disappointing. It could have shown us how awesome an Ultimate version of Daredevil and Elektra could have been. They have the spotlight and it’s sad to say that they’re both portrayed better during their cameos in Ultimate Spider-Man. There is no mention of how Matt gained the ability to see without seeing, and besides a short scene where he sits on a roof and hears hundreds of conversations throughout New York, a new reader would be led to believe that he’s not really blind or has some sort of magical power. Elektra swiftly moves from college student with extensive martial arts training to professional criminal in a few short panels. There is little character development as the attention is on the exposition.

The art is… different. It’s not bad art, it’s just out of place when compared to the rest of the Ultimate Universe. Perhaps there is a reason for its lack of colour or blandness, but I didn’t like it too much. “Sir!” you pipe up, gritting your teeth, tasting the bitter tang of ground molars, “I must protest! You find it difficult to draw stick men and you have the audacity to spit such vitriolic nonsense about Salvador Larroca?!” I know, dear friend, such statements are abhorrent, however, to paraphrase Twain, I may not know much about art, but I know what I like and I do not particularly like the art in Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra. However, as mentioned, I am a critic and this, as such, is just an opinion, regardless of how many people disagree.

BREAKDOWN:

Plot: It kind of plods, or merely exists. Although it shows all sides and ticks the boxes, it isn’t executing particularly well. 6/10

Writing: Nothing to write home about and I don’t remember laughing or feeling any emotion other than boredom. 5/10

Art: Bland. 5/10

Continuity: Doesn’t connect to any other series in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, thus, no complaints. 10/10

Enjoyment: Not bad, but certainly not good. 5/10

Total: 31/50

Verdict: Is destined to be forgotten, so that when the zombie apocalypse comes, instead of being used as tinder for my fires or preserved for future generations, I’ll just forget about it and it will sit there, alone and friendless, covered in the brains of my former loved ones.