Daredevil Message Board

[Mike Murdock]

So what did you guys think of this issue? I have a very particular take on Elektra so I'm always cautious (for example, I don't like her portrayal in either TMWOF or Elektra: Assassin), but I thought this was a solid version. Plus, I'm a huge fan of Arcade. I think Las Vegas is a good fit for him.
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Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

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I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[Sunni]

This wasn’t what I was expecting, in a good way. Quickly the story shows us the sin in Sin City, and with everything going on, it’s a busy place for Elektra try to forget about the everything she’s been through like fighting the Hand, loving Matt, and being stabbed by Bullseye. It must be frustrating for her to remember dying so vividly. Elektra definitely deserves a vacation between her recent job loss (I think she was Coulson’s replacement in S.H.I.E.L.D. for two issues of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during Civil War II before it got cancelled) and having an imaginary daughter (from Daredevil 6-7). IMHO Owens has a good voice for Elektra. I enjoyed the whole red isn’t my color bit, and the chat between Elektra and Lauren is illuminating for both of their characters. While Elektra helping Lauren can be seen as a rote anti-abuse plot, it worked for me because it was nice to see Elektra make a new friend, I cared about Lauren due to their previous conversation, and it was an unexpected way to bring Elektra to Arcade’s attention. I really liked that Elektra was acting heroically to save Lauren and the others. It’s a good contrast to the other two spinoff books. A showman like Arcade is a great villain choice for Las Vegas, and apparently Screwball is from the Spider-man books, so it should be interesting to see them go up against Elektra.

Juann Cabal’s art is incredibly clean and reminds me of what I’d expect to see in a manga. He also gets extra points for the little worldbuilding touches such as the poster advertising that not only was there a Kraven the Musical but he was played by Tom Selleck. That’s hilarious. Antonio Fabela and Marcio Menyz also did a nice job with the bright vivid coloring and details like the blurred background at the bar. I like Elektra’s Netflix costume, so I had no problem with her wearing it in this book for corporate synergy. Finally, Elizabeth Torque’s cover was eyecatching, and I’m glad they chose it for the recap page.

[Dimetre]

I know very little about Arcade. He was in one of the Marvel Alliance video games. That's about all my experience with him. I didn't really get much from him this issue. The reveal on the last page was kind of underwhelming, because all of the previous scenes which showed him from behind were kind of generic criminal mastermind scenes.

Far better were the interactions between Elektra and Lauren. Those scenes let me know exactly who both characters were. I hope Owens keeps Lauren around for a while. I like how Elektra is running from her past.

However, I found Elektra's "What are you even doing here?" line while looking in the mirror kind of at odds with what I know about her. I just assumed that if Elektra was at a casino, that there is either a bounty for her collect there, or a mission that is taking her there. She is always focused on a goal. She always knows why she is anywhere. So that line seemed out of character for me.

I enjoyed Juann Cabal's art, even though it seems that whenever a comic has a female main character, there is always a gratuitous butt shot. I'm okay with the costume, I guess. I'm partial to Elektra's original costume, but I get that the Netflix show is extremely popular, so the comics are going to use it. My only problem with that is that Netflix Elektra would have died fifteen times if it weren't for Matt, and that's what this costume never lets me forget. At least this Elektra seems like someone who can hold her own in a fight.

This is pretty good. I'll get the next issue.

[Dimetre]

[Darkdevil]

This was a good start. I'm not entirely sure why Elektra would be in Vegas but her connection and interactions with Lauren was a good way to ground her character early on and show a different side to her beyond being a super assassin.

I like this costume, somewhat elegant in it's simplicity. It's great seeing Arcade again, Vegas seems like a natural fit for his brand of mayhem and extreme death-traps.

[Sunni]

[Mike Murdock]

Yeah, one of Elektra's defining moments is not killing Foggy when she found out that was her target. She's capable of compassion just like she's capable of cold-blooded murder.
_________________
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother

Not sure what to read next? Check out the Book Club for some ideas!

I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons

[Dimetre]

Has anyone read #2? I thought it was pretty good. Cabal's art is less detailed this issue, but he has a good sense of panel-to-panel flow. I'm not sure what Screwball's powers are, so I don't know what to expect of him as a fighter. Elektra is a formidable force again this issue, and quite ruthless as well. I'm still willing to check out where this story is going, so I'll get the next issue. I don't think this series is as good as Kingpin, but I like it better than Bullseye.

[Sunni]

[Sunni]

I liked the third issue that came out last week, but I have to say, I did not like the inking and coloring in it. IMHO it was too blocky and threw everything off, which was odd considering I thought the previous two really popped.

Seeing as how they all died right away, clearly I expected way too much out of the civilians. After all, it is called Murderworld. But considering their opponents were just rich sadists and not necessarily trained combatants, shouldn’t someone besides Elektra have made it a bit farther? Maybe I’m overthinking this.

It’s always nice to see Matt (interesting that Macau was mentioned), and I appreciate Owens’ take on why Elektra kills better than Rucka’s, Rodi’s, or even Blackman’s. I’m glad she cared about both the past and present victims, and I really, really hope Elektra is able to save Lauren.

[Dimetre]

[Sunni]

I really, really liked issue 4 but with all the gaming and social media references in the issue it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I did find that Cabal’s and Morazzo’s art didn’t mesh completely, but it was close. There was a nice callback to Matt again, and I’m glad Elektra found Lauren. Hopefully they both make it past Arcade here in the finale.

[Sunni]

Enjoyable and fitting finale. Arcade made a good showing, and it really surprised me that Kingpin was behind trying to eliminate Elektra and some of the other heroes. I’m happy that Elektra saw Lauren off at the bus station, and I hope they keep in touch. The last two pages were great and a nice note to end on for both this series and the other two books, working as an ending to the entire Running With The Devil event.

I’m bummed that this series won’t continue. I didn’t think Elektra or Kingpin would run for years, but this is the one I was hoping to get two arcs out of. It did sell better than both Kingpin and Bullseye but not enough to sustain an ongoing. And her last series didn’t do too much better than this one at eleven issues. Unfortunately, I think reader demand has to be rebuilt for Elektra. Her appearances in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Uncanny Avengers were both too short to really do anything with her, and if Blade’s recent appearance is anything to go by, Defenders isn’t the place to build her up either. Now that she’s back in NYC, hopefully we’ll see her in Daredevil again.