Credits: (issues 6-9)
Writer: Peter Milligan (all)
Pencils: Mike Deodato, Jr. (all)
Inker: Deodato Studios (all)
Letterer: Jack Morelli (all)
Colorist: Christine Scheele (all)
Color Separations: Digital Chameleon (all)
Assistant Editor: Polly Watson (all)
Editor: Bobbie Chase (All)
Editor in Chief: Bob Harras (all)
Issue #6: Fury
Story: Elektra finally comes to a rehearsal, and she’s stinking drunk. Naturally Konrad’s not too happy about this, and he becomes even less happy when Elektra changes the script around. Elektra starts to go home when she realizes she doesn’t want Mac to see her drunk. So she goes to the apartment of Detective Morrisey, who tells her where Killer Shrike is recovering from his injuries. Elektra goes to Shrike, who reluctantly tells her that he was told to go to an apartment on the lower east side when he had defeated Shatterhead. Elektra goes to that place to find Razorfist there. After a short fight Elektra defeats Razorfist, hurting him but not killing him.
Meanwhile in India, the Architect abandons his old. worn out body in favor of a new one - a woman named Judith, who coincidentally is also in the same dance troupe that Elektra is in. Later back in New York Blacklash calls his wife to tell him how he’s doing, and not to worry. Elektra then takes Nina out for a run, where Nina touches a sensitive nerve; she wanted to know who Elektra was still in love with (that of course being Daredevil.) Across town Judith cuts her vacation short and returns to New York suddenly. Judith puts her lover, Gregg to sleep when he gets to nosy about why she wanted to return so fast.
Tonight is the opening night of Greek, the dancing play that Elektra will star in. Nina tells Mac that Elektra likes him. Behind them, Judith watches and waits... Elektra is calm and cool before the show, in contrast to Konrad’s nervousness. The show begins and Elektra dances her heart out. The audience is enraptured by this, possibly in part due to the interference of the Architect. After the show, Elektra is handed a bouquet of flowers with a card that reads “Now it begins.” She then finds that she’s cut herself on the flowers. Later that evening Elektra goes out into the night.
My take on this: Advancing the Architect plot further (and I’ll explain in the issue #8 review why I don’t like it) this issue puts some of the bad guys out of the picture. Elektra realizes that she’s being manipulated, and that her joining the dance company was the work of the Architect. But like the Elektra of old, she can’t escape the furies forever...
Rating:
Issue #7: “Out of the Night”
Story: Elektra’s having a bad day (and that’s pretty common in the Marvel Universe.) She’s got numerous scratches, cuts, bruises, and the like when she comes home. She went to a show earlier that day in a nice green dress only to find Bushwhacker, Boomerang, Zaran, the Taskmaster and several other mercenaries and villains there. She does very well until she meets with the Taskmaster, who defeats her using Daredevil’s fighting style. She comes out to see Stick there. He then tells her that it’s impossible to have a normal life, and she reluctantly agrees. Elektra comes home, washes her wounds, and goes to bed. Next morning we see Konrad talking on the phone. We find out he has a clubfoot, which prevents him from dancing normally. Konrad then sees Judith there, who fixes his club foot and tells him the condition would be permanent if he did her one favor - let her play Clymesntra in Elektra’s play.
Later Elektra goes to the hospital to find out Rat was taken off life support - he’s now dead. Later again Blacklash’s wife, Trudi, goes to the hotel where Blacklash was staying to find his costume. She runs into Shatterhead, who kills her. Blacklash, now free from the hospital, goes to his wife to see her dead and Bullet standing over her. This makes him snap. He strikes Bullet with his whip and sends him down. Meanwhile, somewhere in the city, the final battle is taking place - and Elektra’s got her hands full with Zaran, the Taskmaster, and Fatale. The Taskmaster takes care of Zaran, then fatale stops another merc. Unfortunately, this time, Elektra is ready for the Taskmaster using Daredevil’s style, and prepares for it. Next the Taskmaster is down. Shatterhead suddenly returns and psi-blasts Elektra. She “becomes” the pain, but then Blacklash downs Shatterhead with his whip. Blacklash then realizes what he’s doing is wrong, and cries. Elektra comforts him. Back at the dance studio, Konrad accepts the Architect’s offer to make him normal...
My take on this: Elektra vs. a bunch of bozos would have been a better title. This issue is similar to Sensational She-Hulk #59, where a bunch of lame-o villains gather because one of them sued the Tinkerer. Present in that issue as well were the Taskmaster and Boomerang. Some things that don’t make sense: Elektra getting psi blasted (since Wolverine #101 told us she’s resistant to psychic attacks because of her training) and Elektra healing so quickly. Konrad’s clubfoot also doesn’t make sense, since he’s the head of a dance theater. Most of the time these people were dancers at one time or another. Zaran the weapons master was treated horribly (then again, he is kinda lame) and Fatale was portrayed in a very degrading manner.
Rating: 
Issue #8: “Child of Darkness”
Story: Dr. Strange tells us the time is near for the Architect’s death and rebirth. He decides to astrally visit Elektra, who is in the shower at the time (nice bit of blatant sales boosting here.) Strange tells Elektra to meet him at his place. Back at the dance studio, Konrad lets the woman playing Clyemnestra be Judith, who is the Architect. They visit a Mr. and Ms. Mason, whose daughter, Mary is pregnant. She will give birth to the Architect’s new host. Strange takes some samples from Mary and then leaves. He’s cooking something up in his lab.
That evening Elektra gets ready for the play, she tells Mac that she likes him too. During the play Judith makes her move, and she wants Elektra to kill her. Meanwhile Dr. Strange notices what’s going on, and tries to intervene. However, the Architect stops him from acting at a distance. Strange runs to the theater, hoping to stop the Architect. Konrad, realizing what he’s done is wrong, warns Elektra that the sword is real and she’s about to kill a woman. He jumps out and stops Elektra from killing Judith, who retaliates by killing another dancer. The crowd panics and vanishes. Elektra is about to kill Judith when she tells her to stop - it seems that the Architect switched bodies with her and Konrad. Meanwhile Mary Mason is going into labor. Elektra then strikes Konrad’s body (which now houses the Architect) and the Architect is freed from his mortal shell. Just then Dr. Strange appears with a monster in a fishbowl, recites a spell, and sucks the Architect into the monster in the fishbowl. Strange then seals the bowl, trapping the Architect forever in the body of an undeveloped monster. Back at the hospital, Mary’s child is stillborn.
Later Elektra visits Konrad (now in Judith’s body) in the hospital. She tells Konrad that her dancing career is over. Going out, Elektra runs into Stick. He tells her not to take up killing again, and she says she hasn’t. He tells her it’s only a matter of time before she does...
My take on this: Here’s my big gripe for this whole Architect plot: it doesn’t make sense. Why would an ancient being in a densely populated country like India want to go all the way to the United States to be born again? He could have just picked out any Hindu woman and gotten into her fetus.... Well, as for this issue, gripes abound again. Elektra sure acts very cavalier for someone who gets caught showering by someone else. She didn’t react that way in Root of Evil. This end to this plotline is mighty convoluted, and I had to read it about 3 times before I could understand it. Also, Strange seems to cover a lot of ground in a very short time (going from his sanctum on Bleeker street to the theater in Greenwich village) by running.
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Issue #-1 (flashback issue): Love is Blind
Story: Taking place in the past, this story recounts a lot of Elektra’s known history. The story opens just after the death of Elektra’s father, Hugo. She’s angry at the world, and wants to find the killers. The man known as Stick approaches her for the first time, and tells her that her rage and anger will get her killed. She runs away from him. Elektra then arms herself and goes after the men who killed her father. She runs into them at a church, and fights them. Not being proficient in fighting, she makes several mistakes, but manages to kill one of them when his gun is out of ammo. However, one of the other men manages to get her down, but before he can kill her, a sai comes from nowhere and kills him. She turns to see Stick there, and believes he killed the man. However, he didn’t. Elektra leaves before we see the real killer; an agent of the Hand.
The last two pages are a fashion cutout doll and an eveningwear-modeling page reminiscent of Patsy Walker and Millie the Model.
My take on this: Truth hurts sometimes, and denial makes it worse. Elektra is upset at the world for killing her father, and vents her anger on the men who killed him. My big gripe with this issue is this: Elektra knew martial arts from the time she was 12 (as shown in Root of Evil) but here she doesn’t apply any of that training. The fashion pages were somewhat inappropriate (Elektra’s supposed to be the dark woman on the edge, not some fashion plate.) One last comment: The hair in the face thing has already been done before, but the She-Hulk (and alas, that series suffered the same fate.)
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Issue #9: Four Strong Winds
Story: Michael Morrisey calls Elektra in to help him with a case. There are some ninjas calling themselves the Four Winds after a man he needs to protect. It seems that one of them, the leader known as Timothy Lee, has killed a prostitute. The witness, a scum named Pig Malone is hiding from the Four Winds. Elektra crashes in on Pig as North, one of the winds, is about to kill Pig. Elektra kills North, who scratches her in the process. They don’t call him Pig for nothing. He’s sexist to the core, causing Elektra to slap him, and knock him out. The other Winds enter as the two of them exit. Meanwhile, Malone’s boss talks to some corrupt cops about Malone, and they tell him that he’s wanted by the Four Winds because Malone saw the killing.
Back with Elektra, She’s near the point of tearing out Malone’s heart because of his attitude toward her. The Four Winds have been tracking her by the scratch North left on her. They tell her she is protected by the Hand, otherwise she would be dead. South, the power of the fire then attacks. East, the lightning attacks as well, throwing lightning bolt shaped shurikens at Elektra, who deflects them into South. West, Lee himself, blows in “Clouds of confusion.” However, Elektra drops to the floor, and grabs her sais, stabbing them into Lee’s feet. She then kicks East in the throat, killing him. After Elektra and Pig leave, someone looks over the scene; East tells him that Elektra is still under the protection of the Hand. Returning to a nicer place, Pig gives Elektra more of his sexist attitude. Elektra then tells Morrisey that she thinks she’s been set up. In the end Elektra kills Pig Malone in the presence of a hooker. Elektra then tells the hooker that she should get off the streets, and hands her $10,000 to do so. After telling Morrisey that Pig is dead, Elektra leaves. However, there is a figure standing where Pig fell. That is Shang-Chi, the master of Kung Fu. We are also told the D.A. who was supposed to be protecting Malone was found dead as well.
My take on this: Getting back to the good stuff, Elektra’s saddled with Pig, something of the antithesis of her lover, MacKinley and Matt Murdock. Pig can’t understand what’s going on around him, and he cowers in fear of what he can’t understand. In the end, things are set up for down the road...
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