The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1078: Elektra #2, July 2014

Another spectacularly beautiful issue. If they just published a series of stories about the monsters on Monster Island illustrated by Mike Del Mundo, it would be just the most lovely thing. The jungle setting of this issue is reminiscent (or pre-miniscent?) of the Weirdworld books, though the palette's a little more conservative.

We've also got an assassin in this issue who literally gains peoples' abilities when he consumes a part of their bodies. So that's pretty awesome and gross all at once.

If there's one criticism I'd make about this comic, and it's endemic of comics more broadly in the last few years, it's that the 6-issue story arc has become the standard format. I know that, from a publishing viewpoint, this is because 6 issues seems to be the standard size of a trade paperback, and if you can sell a substantial book with a complete story in it, so much the better. But I think I'm of a mind, these days at least, that a comic should be able to tell you a good, solid story in only one or two issues, at least to begin with. Introduce the character and the setting, set the atmosphere, tell a short story that's indicative of the longer one's to come. The creative team behind Elektra instead chose the 6-issue route (or longer than 2, anyway), which, unfortunately, leaves us having to stop mid-story. As I said yesterday, I'll be tracking these down eventually, but wouldn't it be nice to have had a complete story. I think expecting a reader to stick with you for six months on an untested title is a bit much to expect. Build a readership and then tell longer stories.

Well, that's how I'd do it, anyway.

To be continued.

The 40 Years of Comics Project - Day 1077: Elektra #1, June 2014

I picked this up a few weeks back as part of a bundle of 15 comics for $5, and it demonstrates one of the reasons that my project is very likely going to take the full 40 years, if not longer. There are 11 issues of this series, I've got 3 of them, and I'm going to have to track down the rest. The reason is the art of Michael Del Mundo, who illustrated, and illuminated, the amazing Weirdworld series that came out of "Secret Wars."

I talked a few weeks back about Michael Turner's art being very fluid, much in keeping with the subject matter of his Fathom series. Mr. Del Mundo certainly has a similar fluid quality, but his use of colour, mostly painted, I think, gives the entire environment, organics and inorganics, a feel of constant motion. And this is especially well-used in today's comic. Elektra, though an assassin, moves quite often like a dancer (there's a moment where she talks about studying ballet), and the grace of this movement is reflected in the beautiful visuals.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Blackman has crafted a story that's actually made me interested in Elektra, a character I've had little to no interest in over the course of my comics obsession. And I kind of hope the Matchmaker shows up throughout the series, because she's a fascinating character.

One more issue tomorrow, as Elektra braves Monster Island, and then I'm off to hunt the rest of the issues down.

To be continued.

(more tomorrow. very painful wrists the last little while.)