by Randy Lander

ELEKTRA AND WOLVERINE: THE REDEEMER #3 Highly Recommended (9/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Yoshitaka Amano Editors: Axel Alonso & Jennifer Lee Price: $5.95 US/$9.50 CAN This book was a big chance to take, for Marvel, for retailers and for fans. Illustrated prose is a dicey game, especially for a super-hero publisher, even when the writer is as accomplished as Greg Rucka and the artist as accomplished as Yoshitaka Amano. Fortunately, the gamble has paid off with a fantastic story of government conspiracies, assassins and the bond that develops between a young girl and her mothers, both adoptive and biological. This last chapter is more action-packed than the first two, and suffers a little in that the action would have been stronger depicted in comic-book form, but it's a solid ending to a tale well-told. The popularity that surrounds Wolverine and Elektra has too often focused on the more fanboyish attractions of the characters, namely a willingness and ability to kill and, in the latter case, her sex appeal. As a result, I've found myself disenchanted by the characters, but all it takes is a good writer to remind me of the solid premise at the core of each character. Wolverine in this story is ruthless and professional, but he's also plagued by doubts and driven by a code of morality that most of the characters can't claim. On the flipside, Elektra comes across as deadly and efficient, but her personality is one of a wounded daughter, and it's nice to see that softer side along with the dangerous and professional killer aspect of her personality. Marvel has shown a willingness, perhaps even an eagerness, to abandon continuity of late, and in general I think it's a good thing. For example, throughout the mid-90s (or as I like to call them, the dark times) Wolverine and Elektra were good friends, maybe more. However, Rucka has taken the approach that neither character really knows each other that well, and it adds an important element of tension and anxiety to their relationship. While the reader knows the honorable core of each character, neither of the characters actually knows the truth. Rucka has always put as much development into his supporting cast and villains as his heroes, and he does the same thing here. Kiefer is a delightfully wicked and smart bad guy, and there was a cathartic sense of joy in the fate that he suffers. I also enjoyed the development of Avery Connor and her mother, who are really the focus of what the story is about. Amano's artwork is not always to my taste, and I worried that his somewhat androgynous depiction of characters might grate on me here. However, his depiction of Elektra and Wolverine is incredible, showing them as inhuman, almost mystical creatures, and it helps to emphasize the skills and powers that both of them have. And while I think that some of the action sequences would have been more exciting with sequential storytelling, Amano's "snapshots" definitely capture the feeling that Rucka is going for. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.