Johnsenclan

Book seven of 52 books in 52 days

Elektra Assassin has the funkiest art of any book I think I’ve read. The famous author Frank Miller (the same guy that wrote Sin City and a couple of the most famous Batman stories) wrote it, But Bill Sienkiewicz really is the stand-out on the book.

At times the book looks like something a ten-year-old drew after a horible nightmare, but then you start to notice the small details that make it really pop. I looked forward to the next page of art as much as I did the continuing story. It’s very jarring, and sometimes startling to look at.

Now Elektra is probably most well-known as a horrible movie starring Jennifer Garner a few years ago, but she used to pop up in many different books, mostly Daredevil. She’s an assassin trained by seven ninjas and is hired to kill an ambassador in a South American country. When shes caught she is sent to a mental asyum and tortured. The story follows the interactions between Elektra and a U.S. agent Garrett that may or may not be under her control.

The story moves fast with interesting flashback to her childhood and how she became the assassin she is now. It follows her as she tries to uncover a plot against a U.S. Presidential candidate, and she is forced to decide whether he is who she thinks he is, and forcing Garrett to help her kill this politician.

Garret is a great character. He’s over-the-top like Rambo or Bruce Willis, but at the same time starts to figure out the plot against him pretty quickly. The president is a buffoon, a great caricature of Reagan, and the Presidential candidate is a smooth talker that easily falls under the spell of the enemy. The storyline is very emotional with each character dealing with heavy issues throughout.

Rating B

My other 52 book reviews are here.

Other people’s reviews this week.

• Diane reviews These is My Words byNancy E. Turner
• Jamie reviews Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman
• Heliologue reviews Our Dumb World by the staff of The Onion, Monkey Girl by Edward Humes, and Jesus Freaks by Don Lattin
• Natasha reviews The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson, and Jasmine by Bharati Murkherjee
• Kevin reviewed Farthing by Jo Walton (last week, actually)
• Deadlock isn’t doing the 52-in-52 thing, but he reviewed The Road by Comrack McCarthy anyway