2024 re-read edit: fuck it, I fold and bump this sucker up from four stars to the five stars it deserves. 4.8/5
This is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. The artwork and the writing practically define the term 'experimental.' Its surreal artwork both attracts and revolts--half the time you can't quite process what you're seeing at first glance because it's so freaking weird and dream-like. Every panel has the potential to be nightmare fuel, and rightfully so, since we're diving straight into Elektra's head.
We've also got some weird plot going with a demonic presence trying to obliterate all life on the planet, and genetically enhanced assassins, and S.H.I.E.L.D., and a rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who's both obsessed with and controlled by her (yeah, she apparently has mind control powers now, or something). Whether this whole thing is one big delusion or not doesn't really matter, because either way, we're coming along for the ride.
The story is peppered with satirical politics and some funny (unintentional or otherwise) lines from the politicians themselves (my favourite being the recurring line: "I'm the President! I've got the box!"). It's violent and unsettling, but in a really strange way, it's a masterpiece that deserves to be read. Even the most childish artwork has a disturbing feel to it, and the ending, which I won't spoil, is priceless.
2024: after my third or fourth reread, I've picked up on a lot of stuff I somehow missed the first few times. Everything comes together so nicely, and since I've become much more accustomed to the artwork, I could actually understand what was going on with greater clarity. This book is among those that made comics into a fine art. Is it trashy and puerile and offensive and graphically violent and disturbing? Oh, yes. But it's damn smart, and cleverly written by Miller who was at the top of his game. Miller and Sienkiewicz were truly firing on all cylinders here, and in spite of my initial four-star review, this was the one I kept coming back to. The book that I couldn't stop thinking about. Is this my favourite graphic novel in Miller's catalogue? I'm not too sure. That's a very difficult decision to make when you have Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: Year One, Hard Boiled, and Sin City to compare it to. But it's definitely in the top three of my personal list, switching places with the other two depending on my mood and preferences at any given time.
Goddamn, what a story.