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Dark Reign: Elektra #1-5
Dark Reign Electra
She's the deadliest woman in the world... and she's never been in worse shape. Broken, beaten, and tortured by alien scientists, Elektra stumbles to freedom in the aftermath of the Skrull invasion. Now she struggles and fights to stay barely alive, and to clear her name for atrocities committed by an impostor. A lot of people want Elektra killed... and in her state, that shouldn't be too difficult! By Zeb Wells (Amazing Spider-Man) and Clay Mann (Daredevil)! Collects Dark Elektra #1-5.
122 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2009
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78 people want to read
About the author
Zeb Wells
708 books72 followersZeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 5, 2014
What happens when a pair of no-name, low calibre wannabe-assassins target world-renowned, unkillable assassin Elektra? Yeah, they don’t have a chance - and yet they try because there are five issues to fill dammit!
Set in the wake of the failed Skrull invasion a few years ago, Elektra is freed from their jail and discovers that her Skrull double did some bad things (one of them Wolverine) while she was locked up. So now she’s gotta pay as a couple people with guns and camo clothes (in an urban setting!) come after her, as well as Bullseye (when he was briefly cosplaying as classic Hawkeye).
Most of the book is about as straightforward and uninteresting a story as anyone could think up for Elektra. What do we know about her? She’s a tough cookie, so let’s have her fight lots of people, all of whom she’ll defeat really easily - won’t that be exciting for the reader?! Nope. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn continues to be written as a red-headed Lex Luthor.
All of which is pretty turrible - including Clay Mann’s art which is as bland as Zeb Wells’ script - but the real fuck you is saved for the end. I won’t go into specifics but the “mystery” at the centre of this book is that Elektra doesn’t understand why her would-be assassins are trying to kill her. A phrase nags at her - if only she could remember!
Then it’s revealed she has a special ninja mind trick that allows her to wipe her mind of memories she doesn’t want to remember like an etch-a-sketch, as well as instantly recall memories she’s previously wiped with perfect clarity. She conveniently does this in the last issue, after being prompted by Osborn, and remembers everything, answering all of her own questions at once.
Um - if she had this ability all along, why didn’t she immediately do this when she needed answers?! Oh that’s right, because then Marvel couldn’t string out this pitiful “story” over five issues and make even more money off of Secret Invasion. Gotta wring a buck outta all the Marvel characters, y’know, this is a business!
Some of the fight scenes were fun and it’s a smooth, swift read but it’s definitely not one to rec, even if you’re an Elektra fan. Because what do we learn about Elektra from this book? She’s a fighter and she does evil things - so the same-old, same-old! Like the corny amnesia storyline this comic’s hanged upon, Dark Reign: Elektra is damn forgettable.
Set in the wake of the failed Skrull invasion a few years ago, Elektra is freed from their jail and discovers that her Skrull double did some bad things (one of them Wolverine) while she was locked up. So now she’s gotta pay as a couple people with guns and camo clothes (in an urban setting!) come after her, as well as Bullseye (when he was briefly cosplaying as classic Hawkeye).
Most of the book is about as straightforward and uninteresting a story as anyone could think up for Elektra. What do we know about her? She’s a tough cookie, so let’s have her fight lots of people, all of whom she’ll defeat really easily - won’t that be exciting for the reader?! Nope. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn continues to be written as a red-headed Lex Luthor.
All of which is pretty turrible - including Clay Mann’s art which is as bland as Zeb Wells’ script - but the real fuck you is saved for the end. I won’t go into specifics but the “mystery” at the centre of this book is that Elektra doesn’t understand why her would-be assassins are trying to kill her. A phrase nags at her - if only she could remember!
Then it’s revealed she has a special ninja mind trick that allows her to wipe her mind of memories she doesn’t want to remember like an etch-a-sketch, as well as instantly recall memories she’s previously wiped with perfect clarity. She conveniently does this in the last issue, after being prompted by Osborn, and remembers everything, answering all of her own questions at once.
Um - if she had this ability all along, why didn’t she immediately do this when she needed answers?! Oh that’s right, because then Marvel couldn’t string out this pitiful “story” over five issues and make even more money off of Secret Invasion. Gotta wring a buck outta all the Marvel characters, y’know, this is a business!
Some of the fight scenes were fun and it’s a smooth, swift read but it’s definitely not one to rec, even if you’re an Elektra fan. Because what do we learn about Elektra from this book? She’s a fighter and she does evil things - so the same-old, same-old! Like the corny amnesia storyline this comic’s hanged upon, Dark Reign: Elektra is damn forgettable.
March 29, 2010
Wow. This is either a one-hit wonder or a writer to watch. Thus is a great story with some very compelling art to complement this well-paced narrative. I'm now going to scour the stacks to see what else Zeb Wells has been up to. This story stands alongside the Diggle, Ellis and Vendis as great examples to illustrate the eminently hateable Osborn character of the modern era, and play up the mythos of Elektra. Damned good read.
December 5, 2024
3.5 Stars
The Dark Reign event took place right after Secret Invasion, when we learned that some heroes had been replaced by skrulls. Elektra was the first one replaced, so this was one of the more relevant stories. We get Elektra Vs. Bullseye (when he was pretending to be Hawkeye) and even Wolverine makes a cameo.
Not a bad series, and really this is classic Elektra.
The Dark Reign event took place right after Secret Invasion, when we learned that some heroes had been replaced by skrulls. Elektra was the first one replaced, so this was one of the more relevant stories. We get Elektra Vs. Bullseye (when he was pretending to be Hawkeye) and even Wolverine makes a cameo.
Not a bad series, and really this is classic Elektra.
April 25, 2018
If it wasn't for the treasure trove of content that is Marvel Unlimited, I wouldn't have bothered reading this one. And that would've been a damn shame.
Elektra is fresh out of Skrull captivity and she's fighting for her life against the combined firepower of S.H.I.E.L.D., H.A.M.M.E.R, and the human liquidation industry. I've never been a big Elektra fan (or even an average-sized one, for that matter) but this story won me over, hard. There were just so many moments of fist-pumping badassery! I don't know whether to seek out more Elektra or more Zeb Wells. I'll probably just play it safe and do both.
Elektra is fresh out of Skrull captivity and she's fighting for her life against the combined firepower of S.H.I.E.L.D., H.A.M.M.E.R, and the human liquidation industry. I've never been a big Elektra fan (or even an average-sized one, for that matter) but this story won me over, hard. There were just so many moments of fist-pumping badassery! I don't know whether to seek out more Elektra or more Zeb Wells. I'll probably just play it safe and do both.
October 18, 2015
This was a fun book. Electra was replaced on Earth with a Skrull. Norman Osborn, as the new leader of America's espionage agencies and the organization replacing Shield, wants to know why the Skrulls picked her and why they experimented on her in ways other captured people were not subjected too. And someone else wants her dead and is offering millions to make it happen. All while Electra is already suffering from injuries from her Skrull captors. Well paced with plenty of action and some surprising twists.
September 13, 2020
At the core this is Elektra: Die Hard. Trying to survive when she's not 100%, and still being a bad ass. I see now why Clay Mann gets some praise now in days. This stuff is amazing. Add that on to a good script..
This is a pretty good and essential Secret Invasion aftermath book. Plus suplots from Wolverine: Enemy of the State.
This is a pretty good and essential Secret Invasion aftermath book. Plus suplots from Wolverine: Enemy of the State.
May 9, 2023
This was kick ass. Clay Mann’s art is so clean and so cool, and Zeb Wells knocks it out of the park with a lean, tight script that feels cinematic in all the best ways. This one surprised me with how damn good it was. I loved it.
August 4, 2024
Kind of a nothing burger? Starts out pretty well with Elektra as enigmatic as can be but then fizzles out into… a mess.
At least we got an all timer line (“I am Elektra Natchios. Not even the stars are safe in the sky”) from it
At least we got an all timer line (“I am Elektra Natchios. Not even the stars are safe in the sky”) from it
May 27, 2019
This was a bit of a mess but enjoyable
March 27, 2017
I have been reading a nice amount of comics this month. I have just been in a normal book slump. Elektra is my favorite marvel character. I loved this story, it was right after the skrull invasion which is a huge story line. She was one of the first people replaced and the only one experimented on. This story follows right after the big fight, with Elektra badly wounded and taken prisoner by H.A.M.M.E.R. They want to know why she was so important to the skrull. Meanwhile there is a 82 million dollar bounty on her head and she doesn't know why. I don't want to go into it much more then that for spoiler reasons. It is fast paced and action packed like any good Elektra story is. The artwork in this is a masterpiece I adore it. The ending in my opinion was perfect
August 8, 2016
Zeb Wells is not a wunderkind. Mike is full of malarkey.
Sam isn't far off. Elektra is mildly sympathetic, but by the end, it's like...oh, right. THAT ELEKTRA!
No Matt Murdock?
Bullseye yes, Logan yes, even Night Nurse.
2.25 stars. Less than 50% but not by much.
So thin on anything. Sad part is, this could've been great in the right hands...
Sam isn't far off. Elektra is mildly sympathetic, but by the end, it's like...oh, right. THAT ELEKTRA!
No Matt Murdock?
Bullseye yes, Logan yes, even Night Nurse.
2.25 stars. Less than 50% but not by much.
So thin on anything. Sad part is, this could've been great in the right hands...
May 2, 2021
After the events of Secret Invasion it was revealed that the Elektra that had been running around the Marvel universe for the past couple of years was secretly a Skrull. And now here Elektra is, back on Earth, the real her. And people are after her! Why did the Skrulls choose her as such a prominent figure to impersonate? When was she abducted and replaced? Which events of her past is she personally responsible for, and which were done by the Skrull? This mini tackles a lot of those questions and tries to reframe Elektra back into Earth with her own direction, tying up some would-be loose ends.
It's alright! You know that these random hired assassins aren't going to kill her because come on, she's Elektra and these are no-name randoms. But as the series goes on and she comes face to face with Bullseye, who very much has killed her before and now has the full authority of Norman Osborn as the new "Hawkeye" of the Dark Avengers, the stakes keep going up. I like that Elektra has always had a questionable morality and the mystery behind how much of that was because she was a Skrull looms heavily over the plot. Maybe she's actually a better person than her continuity has lead us to believe, and we can blame a lot of her evil deeds on a Skrull? But she's still a killer, and you can't ignore all the claims of violence raised against her. It makes for a good plot hook, at least.
It's alright! You know that these random hired assassins aren't going to kill her because come on, she's Elektra and these are no-name randoms. But as the series goes on and she comes face to face with Bullseye, who very much has killed her before and now has the full authority of Norman Osborn as the new "Hawkeye" of the Dark Avengers, the stakes keep going up. I like that Elektra has always had a questionable morality and the mystery behind how much of that was because she was a Skrull looms heavily over the plot. Maybe she's actually a better person than her continuity has lead us to believe, and we can blame a lot of her evil deeds on a Skrull? But she's still a killer, and you can't ignore all the claims of violence raised against her. It makes for a good plot hook, at least.
June 1, 2019
Elektra is a tough character to properly capture.
Don't believe me?
Ask two the writers of two failed films, and just take a gander at how dull the characterization was in the Netflix series.
She has had multiple Marvel runs, all of them, ultimately, petering out after the initial glitz of the new beginning.
This character has brand appeal, obviously. And then so, why can we not get a decent story with her?
Wells found a way.
Make her vicious. Make her terse. And best still, ground her in reality and make her story gritty and genuine.
Every issue crackles, and the villains are absolutely amazing. The pencils are crisp, and the staging for the action set pieces are genuinely some of the best I've read this year. These two gentlemen deserve an ongoing series, be it with Elektra or anyone else.
Don't believe me?
Ask two the writers of two failed films, and just take a gander at how dull the characterization was in the Netflix series.
She has had multiple Marvel runs, all of them, ultimately, petering out after the initial glitz of the new beginning.
This character has brand appeal, obviously. And then so, why can we not get a decent story with her?
Wells found a way.
Make her vicious. Make her terse. And best still, ground her in reality and make her story gritty and genuine.
Every issue crackles, and the villains are absolutely amazing. The pencils are crisp, and the staging for the action set pieces are genuinely some of the best I've read this year. These two gentlemen deserve an ongoing series, be it with Elektra or anyone else.
November 16, 2018
This is such a important book to epilogue the Secret Invasion storyline. Zeb Wells is less funny here than some of his other work but he does really well. The sadistic nature of Norman Osborn is on full display and the story makes perfect sense. Clay Mann's art really showcased Elektra's killer moves. Overall, a very good book that was much better than I expected.
March 27, 2023
3.5 stars for art but story needed some background so rating was helped by skimming the main Elektra Wikipedia article about replacement by Skrulls. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektra... )
June 18, 2025
Is there any good Elektra stories after the Rucker/Rodi 2001-2004 run? So far I read ultimate elektra, which was garbage, and this Dark Reign series follows suit. Even more garbage. The character deserves better.
May 27, 2017
Dark Reign: Elektra is a series of five comics that is a part of the Dark Reign series of Marvel comics that deals with the Secret Invasion, an invasion by an alien race known as the Skrulls who are masterminds of infiltration due to their ability to shapeshift. The Dark Reign: Elektra story follows the immediate aftermath of the Secret Invasion, after the Skrulls have been successfully defeated. Elektra, having been switched with one primarily so that the Skrulls could learn more about her having cheated death, has escaped from the Skrulls and is now on the run after escaping experimentation and torture at the command of Norman Osborn. She now has a very pricey hit on her head due to the fact that she is believed to be responsible for a massacre that killed hundreds of government agents, including the brother of the woman hired to kill her, Nico; Elektra, however, must try to clear her name, as she knows that it was the Skrull who had replaced her that was responsible for the massacre, not her. Dark Reign: Elektra gives Elektra fans like myself very little about which to complain. The story is very fast-paced and exciting and keeps readers intrigued. The artwork and the writing are both excellent and brilliantly executed, and Elektra is just as fierce and hardcore as ever, showing very little mercy to those whom she feels have legitimately wronged her. It is a great deal of fun to read the confrontation between Elektra and Bullseye (as the Dark Avenger Hawkeye), since he is obviously who killed her prior to her resurrection, and the Wolverine appearance was very satisfying to read, as well, for multiple reasons. There is also a surprise twist at the end of the story that came pretty close to usurping my breath away from me, as I had not seen it coming from a mile away. Elektra has been my favorite Marvel character for years, and I have been an Elektra fan since having seen her portrayed by Jennifer Garner in the films Daredevil (2003) and Elektra (2005), and I can tell you with the utmost honesty that this series does not disappoint Elektra fans; it does not disappoint me, at least, and it makes me feel wholeheartedly motivated to read more of the Dark Reign comic series, especially to learn more about the Secret Invasion.
December 4, 2015
"I am Elektra Natchios. Not even the stars are safe in the sky"
April 15, 2010
Decent twist at the end, but otherwise not worth a read.
May 29, 2011
Very good. Elektra has to find out what happened when she was replaed by a skrull. Quite dark, and a twist ending.
September 22, 2013
Assassins hunt Elektra for a crime that was committed by someone impersonating Elektra--except Elektra really did it, and she could've figured that out at any time.
Cool story, bro.
Cool story, bro.
July 4, 2014
I have only vague knowledge of what Dark Reign was all about, but even that won't spoil the sheer pleasure of reading this. This was just plain and simple good with stunning art.
January 21, 2018
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
May 1, 2016
3.5 really
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews