Issue(s): Elektra: Root of Evil #1, Elektra: Root of Evil #2, Elektra: Root of Evil #3, Elektra: Root of Evil #4
Cover Date: Mar-Jun 95
Title: "The force of the killer" /"Murderer's bible" / "Hour of the wolf" / "She who slays"
Credits:
D.G. Chichester - Writer
Scott McDaniel - Penciler
Hector Collazo / Hector Collazo & Nando Prud - Inker
Matt Idelson - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This prestige format ($2.95) mini is the first Elektra series not written by Frank Miller (and it's her second or third (non-reprint) series overall, depending on how you count Elektra Lives).

The story is nothing too interesting, but it's competently done at a time when that was a rarity. The main plot comes out of Daito, one of the Snakeroot ninjas from the Daredevil: Fall From Grace storyline, killing himself because he's sad (or dishonored) due to the death of the Elektra lookalike Erynys. He uses a magical sword important to the Snakeroot, called Sakki, to kill himself, and that causes the blade to become impure (gotta love how in comics, ninjas dress in supervillain colors).

So the remaining Snakeroot people have to use the blade to kill three people (specific, but unimportant NPCs) in order to purify the blade. Elektra tries to stop them. She fails to save the first two but wipes out the Snakeroot when they go after the third.

There's a cameo by Daredevil in issue #1 where he stops Elektra from killing some random mercenaries that came after her (hired by families of unspecified previous victims of hers) .

There's also a Nick Fury cameo.

The Fury cameo is part of a subplot that the most (unintentionally) amusing thing about this series. Elektra wants to form her own Ryu, which is basically a ninja team, like the Chaste. A lot of time is spent building up the idea: Stone of the Chaste tries to convince her not to do it, she goes to Nick Fury to get intel on possible recruits, we get a recruitment scene and then the obligatory list of names and abilities...

But then they are immediately wiped out by the Snakeroot in their first outing! Just unceremoniously slaughtered. It's like X-Force in the second Deadpool movie, except they get even less screentime.

Just sad.

Via flashbacks, we also learn that Elektra has a much-older brother named Orestez.

He got mad when his mom was seemingly cheating on his dad and got pregnant with Elektra, so he killed her while she was pregnant. It later turned out that Elektra was indeed his father's daughter.

The Orestez flashbacks don't seem to have anything to do with the main plot. I originally assumed Orestez would turn out to be one of the Snakeroot or something, but there's nothing like that. My mind might have wondered during some minor thematic tie-in, but he definitely doesn't appear in the present day.

Other flashbacks reveal that Elektra was a member of the Snakeroot, and a lover to the main Snakeroot guy, Tekagi.

There's also a scene where Elektra gets new sais forged by a woman named Omikami. They're soaked in a poison that Elektra uses to kill Tekagi.

A decent read. Nothing special, but may be of interest to fans of Elektra looking for a solo story.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - events in Elektra's history revealed (incl. first Orestez)

Chronological Placement Considerations: Daredevil wearing his safety armor; the MCP have him here between Daredevil #337-338. Nick Fury is alive.

References:

• Events here - the introduction of the Snakeroot, death of Erynys - stem from Daredevil #319-325.
  
• Scenes in flashbacks obliquely reference previous Elektra flashbacks and events from Bizarre Adventures #28 (Elektra seeking the Chaste) and Daredevil #168-182 (death of her father, Bullseye killing her).

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A