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ELEKTRA AND WOLVERINE: THE REDEEMER #2
(Best of the Week!)
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Yoshitaka Amano
Editors: Axel Alonso & Jennifer Lee
Price: $5.95 US/$9.00 CAN |
Though Marvel
did no one any favors by breaking this story up into three chunks (not least of
which the readers who had to wait two months between installments), these two
master creators have superseded the packaging to create an intense thriller with
solid characterization and beautiful imagery. Given that both title characters
have been badly written far more than they have been well written, it's
impressive that Rucka and Amano give both of them equal time and equally
interesting roles in the book, and that they have time to introduce some other
important, even pivotal, supporting characters and antagonists as well. This is
Marvel's first foray into illustrated prose... if this is an indication of what
we might get, I hope it's not their last.
In his novels, Greg Rucka most often uses a first-person point-of-view, and that style of writing tends to make it very easy to connect with his characters. For Elektra & Wolverine, he has chosen instead to use a rotating third person
point-of-view, but the focus of the writing is still on letting us into the
characters' heads. We mostly see the story from inside the thoughts of Elektra
and Wolverine, and their very unique perspectives inform the events.
I can see a lot of what I find
attractive about the Atticus Kodiak novels in this work. The concentration on
details of what it means to work in the dangerous fields of bodyguarding and
assassination (opposite sides of the same coin), the young and rebellious teen
who becomes the focus of the story or the feeling of real human emotion behind
the outrageously high action content all make this an easy story to relate to.
Despite its basis in unusual situations, the basic feelings and thoughts of the
characters are familiar and accessible.
There are also a few surprises
to be found in the plot. Elektra's motivation behind kidnapping Avery, and in
fact the revelations about Avery, were not something I saw coming, but they make
for an interesting twist that should change the relationship between Elektra and
Wolverine in the final issue.
Rucka is an accomplished
writer, and he doesn't need art to convey the images he has in mind. However,
Amano's artwork is stunning, depicting the mixture of mystery, danger and exotic
beauty that defines the atmosphere of the story. His work sets the mood, with
mostly figure illustrations and costumes rather than action poses or
storytelling sequences making up his work. The art is a series of snapshots,
giving us a visual to hold onto while Rucka takes these settings and characters
and brings them to life.
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