Daredevil-Woman Without Fear #3 // Review
Elektra is an assassin. An assassin is a hunter. Now she's being hunted. Who's hunting her? Kraven. (He's a hunter.) She's a ninja. No problem there. The only question? What's the REAL reason that he's being sent out after her? Writer Chip Zdarsky continues his exploration of killer-turned-hero in Daredevil's third and final issue of Woman Without Fear. Artist Rafael de la Torre mixes action with stoic drama in a compelling conclusion to a three-part series leading to the fifth part of the Devil's Reign crossover event next month. It's a satisfying conclusion, but more Elektra-as-Daredevil would be great fun to explore.
The Hand has sent Kraven the Hunter after Elektra. He's there because the mayor of New York has sent him to kill her. (He's a former crime boss, so that's kind of his thing.) Killing is Kraven's thing, so he's typically wouldn't have too much difficulty doing his job. Still, Elektra is a Daredevil trained as a ninja, so she's considerably better equipped to handle the conflict than he is once she gets her head screwed on for the fight. He doesn't stand a chance if she can get him into the right position.
Zdarsky cleverly executes the battle between Elektra and Kraven. It's way too easy for any writer to square hero against villain and let the rest fall into place from there. Zdarsky has a keen perspective on two different fighting styles and the way that they would engage in an open fight...and he manages to make it conceptually interesting, which is rarely the case with most combat in action fiction. The overall composition and pacing of the issue is well-thought-out. A brief intro and closing scene flank 9 pages of action that slide gracefully through a couple of different locations.
There's a hell of a lot going on in and within the fight. A less inspired artist could have staged the combat to be 9 pages of lifeless slug and slash fest, but de la Torre keeps every slice, slash, kick and punch feeling fresh and interesting. There may not be much of a feel for the two locations that Zdarsky has staged for the fight, but the center of the action keeps the two combatants well-centered. There is the brightly-lit outside. There is the dimly-lit outside. Two people dance around action that feels way more deadly than a couple of blades and fists might normally feel on a comics page.
It's too bad this is it for Daredevil Elektra. Zdarsky has shown some appealing character development for the Woman Without Fear that feels like a compelling contrast to the blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen. Elektra was interesting as an assassin in all of her incarnations. Still, Zdarsky makes a compelling case for her as a lone hero in her own book. Three issues are simply not enough. It remains to be seen how things will develop in the remainder of Devil's Reign, but it would be nice to see Elektra under the horns again.
