Elektra #7 Review

Elektra’s mission to protect Cape Crow brings her up against a horde of enhanced assassins in Elektra #7, the conclusion of the Double Tap storyline from Blackman and Sanchez. Serving a segue between arcs, this two-parter offers some solid action sequences as Elektra battles her way through the streets of New Orleans to stop the Guild. While not as strong as the title’s inaugural arc, Blackman and Sanchez deliver an interesting two-part adventure, with help from the muted palettes of colorist Esther Sanz and the impeccable lettering of Clayton Cowles.

As Matchmaker lays dying, Elektra squares off with Lady Bullseye in her new intangible state. The killer’s ghostly new enhancements allow Elektra to inhale her smoke-like form, wounding Lady Bullseye long enough to strike. With the immediate threat disposed of, Elektra has little time to mourn Matchmaker’s death, donning Cape Crow’s life-saving armor and forcing Sidewinder to take her to the Guild. They step through the rift onto the streets of New Orleans at the height of Mardi Gras. Immediately Elektra’s recent Guild antagonists leap out to ambush her, their bodies augmented by the same implants and experimentation as Lady Bullseye.

The real highlight of this issue is the Elektra/Lady Bullseye fight, its tone set by Sanchez’s hauntingly beautiful opening triptych. Lady Bullseye’s gaseous form loops and curls in full, billowing lines, detailed by fine pencil strokes and heavy splatter. Blackman’s timeless, almost otherworldly aesthetic for this title is further developed in Elektra’s jaunt across New Orleans. The Mardi Gras that Elektra encounters is far tamer affair than it has been in recent decades, a decidedly more conservative event with traditional dress and costumes. It appears to be set in another time altogether, raising intriguing questions about when this story takes place, and giving nothing away. This lingering sense of mystery continues to serve Elektra well, making for another enjoyable and visually engaging issue.

Get the full review from Nerds Unchained here