The idea of an ongoing Elektra series might be a little hard to accept. Haden Blackman shows that it is something that could indeed work. It's never easy to relate to a character that will kill without remorse but Blackman shows there are layers to Elektra that can be explored. Michael Del Mundo's art is killer (no pun intended). We get a nice and deep story with gorgeous art. Marvel has another hit on their hands. Read Full Review

All in all, this is a fantastic debut from a powerhouse creative team, and promises to be one of the most talked about #1"s of the season. Jump on this title immediately, and see what all the hype is about. It's all true. Read Full Review

Just buy Elektra, I'm dead serious just go buy this book. Elektra is off into a good direction and Blackman and Del Mundo are a great team to start this amazing ride. The final page alone had me jazzed about the future of this comic. This is how you get readers to invest in a character, you take her to back to basics and push her into bold new worlds. I'm excited to see what this team has in store for us next. Read Full Review

This is an exceptional comic book that sets the tone masterfully. It looks amazing and sets up Monster Island in a very mythic and interesting way. Read Full Review

Elektra #1 is an absolute must read for any one. Those like me, who has been a fan of Elektra for years can rest easy. With Blackman and Del Mundo on this book she's in great hands. I'm already counting down the days until issue #2. Read Full Review

The story stood out for me because Blackman didn't fall back on a standard plot like a ninja attack followed by a simplistic mission of revenge or assassination. Instead he concentrates on a mission I could get behind that included introducing a new ally for Elektra, the Matchmaker; as well as a fascinating new bad guy, Cape Crow. It's not stated in words, but look at the art and look at who Cape Crow is mopping the floor with in the flashback sequence that introduces the character. Will he be a challenge for Elektra? You bet! Add in the location Elektra's mission leads her to as stop number one on the agenda and I'm counting the days until issue number 2 hits the stands. Complete success as a #1, and another book added to my pull list. Read Full Review

Blackman and Del Mundos vision of Elektra is remarkably beautiful, set against a strange and dirty pastel-colored world where time and space are soft and undefined. This world is a violent one, as Del Mundo brings Blackmans brutal story to the page through dramatic two-page spreads and fluid design, where memory and fable, past and present all run together. The complex and often insecure nature of identity, as Elektra herself has often encountered over the years, is exquisitely illustrated in the juxtaposition of Elektra with the character Bloody Lips, making for compelling narrative symmetry. Blackmans scripting is air-tight, setting the stage for unfamiliar readers while still offering a fitting reintroduction for this character. From top to bottom, this is an excellent start to this series. Read Full Review

In cutting all the chaff away from the character and giving us the basis of a solid adventure story, Blackman and Del Mundo finally create a reason to get excited to follow Elektra month in and month out. Read Full Review

Overall this is a very impressive start to Elekra's third ongoing series. The creative team have put together a great setup, interesting characters over some of the best artwork I've seen in a very long time. If you've been on the fence with picking this up, then advise getting off before you get splinters and giving the Greek assassin a shot! Read Full Review

Overall this is a strong issue with a stellar opening. For new readers you can jumping and after 5 pages feel completely at home with our red attired assassin. The art though is the highlight of the issue and is well worth the price of admission by itself. Read Full Review

Still, the most important thing I can say about "Elektra" #1 is this: if you were on the fence when you first heard about the series, go pick up Issue #1. I don't think you'll be on the fence any more. Read Full Review

Elektra #1 is being released during a boom of strong female-led books including Ms. Marvel and Rat Queens, and it fits in nicely with them. It looks to be the start of something special with a large-scale, yet personal story, and mouth-watering art. This book has just jumped towards the top of my list in terms of most anticipated come next month. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go read this again. Read Full Review

As good of a beginning as you can get, with just the right amounts of appealing character work and intriguing plotting, rendered in a unique, attractive visual style. Read Full Review

If there's one real flaw in Elektra, it's that not enough focus is paid to the title character. In exploring the minds and voices of her rotating narrators, Blackman leaves Elektra exactly where she started at the story's beginning, a cipher almost as unknown to herself as she is to the reader. While the opening scroll showcased the big moments in Elektra's history, little effort is made to truly codify her as more than the various, self-described roles she has played. On the other hand, Elektra #1 represents the start of a journey by the title character to discover exactly those things, so there is time yet for Blackman to provide something more to grasp onto than a compelling aesthetic and well-appointed script. Read Full Review

Overall, a very satisfying issue that puts Elektra right up there in the big leagues. Read Full Review

Not only does Blackman take dramatic steps to change this perception of Elektra through an unusual story, but del Mundo and D'Alfonso create breath-taking artwork that looks like it would be more at home in a gallery than traditionally seen on a comic page. Read Full Review

Del Mundo's art is fast, sharp, and violent but rendered in an inventively beautiful style that makes this the most visually distinct "Elektra" series yet. And maybe with even a little more time, it'll become the most distinct "Elektra" series period. Read Full Review

Del Mundo and D'Alfonso tackle the artistic half of this story. Their product is beautiful and dreamlike, and yet the layouts are clear and easy to follow. It's surreal and somehow classic, and it fits right in with the rest of Marvel's vast and varied landscape. Read Full Review

Overall, Blackman and del Mundo craft a brilliant work that visually tells the backstory while the dialogue sets up the future. From the first frame to the last, this series looks like could have the balls necessary to pump some life back into this character. Read Full Review

This is in an intriguing beginning. But it's easy for me, as I have a soft spot for female characters who have a penchant for violence. Though I think, it will be difficult to give a character like Elektra a voice of her own, without her veering off into becoming a banal anti-hero. But I look forward to seeing how it goes. Read Full Review

Elektra #1 is a strong start, one that will clearly be based more on the dazzlingly artistic showcase than on story. W. Haden Blackman writes a solid enough opening chapter, with interesting new characters and the potential for exciting adventure, but the main character seems a little basic so far. Fortunately, it's possible that Elektra has never looked better thanks to the gorgeous art of Michael del Mundo and Marco D'Alfonso. Read Full Review

With its promise of death, S.H.I.E.L.D involvement, an intriguing new villain and more, Elektra #1 is definitely a book I'm very much excited about. Read Full Review

Fresh off the visually arresting but narratively anemic Batwoman, W. Haden Blackman is... on another artistically astonishing book that needs to step up its story game if it wants to really be a hit. Read Full Review

Elektra is a tough character to get behind. In some ways she is too much like Wolverine, she is too many things and master of none, but a really cool character nonetheless. This issue has the right idea for the first three quarters of the book. It provides a clunky, but effective information dump of the character's background. Then, it launches into a plot while providing motivation and an intriguing mystery. But then the book falls into an odd transition to another character that doesn't quite flow with the rest of the issue. The artwork is pitch perfect that is the big plus. If you aren't a fan of the character there probably isn't much in here to rope you into the series. However, it does read fairly well overall. Read Full Review

The art is bloody gorgeous (see what I did there?) but the story didn't grab me; way too much inner monologue. Too bad Zeb Wells didn't write it, oooh!

Pretty terrible #1 issue. The art was great, but took too much away from the story. Read all my thoughts here: http://cobyscomics.blogspot.com/2014/05/elektra-1.html