Frank Miller’s Elektra Omnibus

Before I got out of comics around 1990, one of the last things I bought was the Elektra Lives Again graphic novel.  I ended up selling it during high school to a fellow classmate and using the money to buy my first distortion pedal – a Pro Co Rat 2.  Crusing on ebay I came across a good deal on the Elektra Omnibus and did a low bid, and ended up winning.  I was mainly interested because it reprints the Elektra Lives Again graphic novel, along with the Assassin miniseries by Frank Miller and a couple other pieces, a What If and a black and white Marvel magazine piece.

As far as Elektra Lives Again, it has held up.  The art feels a bit blah at times, but the layouts were terrific.  I remembered vividly some scenes, such as the snow covered graveyard fight.  I had forgotten just how short the story is, but how much happens in it.  I had never read the Assassin story before, and I was surprised why I had never read it once I did.  It is a great piece, though the shifting narration voices make it difficult to follow at times.  I know the word balloons are color coded depending on how is speaking/thinking, but it isn’t layed out straight.  You have to work for it, and I kinda like that.  The art on this story is also very unusual.  Painted, multi-media, collage and magic marker, definatly unique in style and approach.  I can see why this was such a big deal when it came out.  This is not what anyone would expect or even had seen before.

All in all it is a very good collection, but nothing revolutionary.  I like the fact these two main pieces, Elektra Lives Again and Assassin are packaged together.  It is a little pricey though.  I don’t think it is worth 75 dollars.  I paid 30 for it and I think that is fair, but it should be around 50 dollars list price.