Frank Miller: Ranking His Comics From Worst To Best

9. Elektra: Assassin (1986-87)

The art of Bill Sienkiewicz is a sight to behold. Like the moody paintings of Dave McKean, Sienkiewicz's illustrations put an extreme focus on the abstract, highlighting characters and actions in a sea of color. There's a controlled fury to books like Elektra: Assassin, and the story compliments the art perfectly. Miller too is at his most abstract here. Called a "tone poem" by those who think it's great and a frustrating mess by those who don't, Assassin is a clear demonstration of Miller's passion for his femme fatale. Above all, the chameleonic ability of Miller to adapt to different artists - or seek out artists to match a particular writing style - is laudable in its own right. Elektra: Assassin works because of the seamless pairing of Miller and Sienkiewicz, as if Klaus Janson or Miller himself had illustrated Assassin it wouldn't have become nearly as respected.