Dark Reign: Elektra #2 Review

DARK REIGN: ELEKTRA #2
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Clay Mann

Dark Reign: Elektra continues to impress. It's not the deepest comic nor does it explore the character in any way, but it's a fun ride with some very entertaining action sequences that manages to ever so slightly advance the plot just enough to keep me interested.

The best part of the issue comes in the opening sequence. Elektra had escaped her cell last issue and was confronted by a team of HAMMER agents, which was headed by a talented, but over confident 'red shirt'. After ordering one man to shoot Elektra, she literally dodges the bullet. It's actually explained by the squad leader as the agent telegraphing his shot and he proceeds to connect with a flesh wound to the arm on a sneak attack, but the bullet dodging scene was just perfectly executed. You'll definitely see it in the Moments of the Week.

From there, Elektra, as expected, takes out her would-be captors and makes her escape. It's all fairly standard and predictable, but how she takes them down, aided greatly by the talented Clay Mann's excellent art and panel work, make it worth seeing.

We eventually catch up with Elektra at Daredevil's law firm where she is seeking medical aid. Matt wasn't in, but she speaks with Foggy Nelson briefly before passing out. Foggy's reaction is quite entertaining and I loved watching him squirm while trying to rationalize why Elektra was there, if she was after Matt or trying to kill him and so on.

The final part of the issue concluded with Norman Osborn authorizing Bullseye/Hawkeye to "visit" (he wanted to visit and kill her in the first issue) Elektra, who is now considered a threat to national security. One thing that puzzled me was Osborn's reasoning behind it. He believes people view Elektra as the "person most associated with Skrulls" and doesn't want her on the loose, which has me wondering if people in the Marvel Universe even know who Elektra is. She's a top assassin that should be nearly invisible to the world at large and known by only a select few lucky to be alive. Yet, here, Osborn speaks as if the public sees her as a public figure that was replaced by Skrulls, similar to Spider-Woman.

Verdict - Must Read. Other than that little hiccup with Osborn's rationalizing unleashing Bullseye, there was little to complain about with this issue and I absolutely loved the opening fight sequence with the HAMMER cannonfodder. Not the deepest comic you'll ever read, but entertaining nonetheless.

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