Ever been out of work? And you just know that you're qualified, your skills are good, but you just cannot catch a break and get even an interview? Sure, I think most of us have been there. Ever been a ninja assassin in that situation? Probably not, but Rucka makes the latter feel as easy to relate to as the former, and this new story arc is another example of Rucka making the usually enigmatic Elektra into a more human, if still unusual, character. The new art team of Pagulayan and Miki is solid, if not exceptional, and overall Elektra is shaping up to be a stronger book than it has been previously.
Elektra's plight, a drought of work, doesn't seem as dramatic as being surrounded by ninja assassins or hunted down by international espionage agencies, but it's surprisingly effective as Rucka writes it. The scenes of Elektra checking her email, waiting impatiently for any signs of life and having her hopes dashed by a piece of spam, is such a universal experience that it immediately makes her more sympathetic to the reader. Seeing her practice with her sai or take on fights with strangers may not be as universal, but the basic theme of trying to keep skills in practice, or going to ever more desperate extremes as work continues to avoid her, are easy to understand and enjoy.
For the most part, Elektra has always been a somewhat damaged woman whose life has been defined by the loss of her father, but in general this aspect of her personality has fallen by the wayside, replaced by a cold and emotionless killer. Pagulayan & Miki have given her a look that brings some of that lost girl feel to her while keeping the enigmatic assassin facade as well. I did think at times that her girlish face looked a little too young, but in general I found their take on the character to be very intriguing. In addition, the detail on the backgrounds and the storytelling is impressive.
Another interesting aspect of Elektra as shown in this issue is how she lives outside of society for the most part, but she still needs to interact with humanity to do her job. Her interaction is dysfunctional, whether it's starting fights or talking to her sources, but she can't simply sit in a room and let the jobs roll in, and the toll that takes on her is pretty interesting. Rucka walks a fine line, almost making her pathetic and deranged, but keeping her just on the right side of sympathetic.
For the most part, the stories in Elektra have focused on what she is doing to other people. This arc seems to look at what happens when someone comes after her instead, and it's an unusual and entertaining flipside to the usual Elektra story.
