Elektra #1, part of Marvel’s new Running With the Devil series, came out last week, and our girl had an adventure! Elektra Natchios left New York and Matt Murdock to “hide in plain sight” in Las Vegas. Of course she finds trouble in the form of Arcade, a deadly trickster.

Geeks of Doom got the chance to interview writer Matt Owens (of Luke Cage fame), on what’s in store for the stealthy assassin, his comic-writing wish list, and more!

Check out the interview below.

Geeks of Doom: Why did you choose Vegas as the setting? 

Matt Owens: Well Axel and Mark knew they wanted Elektra out of New York and somewhere new. Vegas immediately jumped out at me. It’s fun and sexy and dangerous in ways that New York is not.

Geeks of Doom: If you can reveal this, what are some of the specific Vegas places we can expect Elektra’s scenes to take place?

Matt Owens: You’re going to catch glimpses of some Vegas staples. Keep your eyes peeled for New York, New York (cause how could I not) and the Luxor.

Geeks of Doom: What drives Elektra to Vegas, and what sends her back?

Matt Owens: Elektra is in Vegas to hide in plain sight. She is running from recent Daredevil and Hand related events and she’s just tired of it at this point. So she goes to spend all of her money away not really thinking about her next move. That’s where she gets wrapped up in something she wasn’t expecting.

Geeks of Doom: What can we expect from the battle between Arcade & Elektra?

Matt Owens: Arcade is a master gamesman and strategist. Elektra is one of the greatest killers in the Marvel universe. Both of them will have to utilize skills outside of their norms when they come face to face. Both of them end up getting more than they bargained for.

Geeks of Doom: You’ve mentioned before that she is headed back to New York, but I think we know that she and Matt Murdock cannot occupy the same city for long. Are there plans for Vegas to be her home base?

Matt Owens: Ah… Elektra and Matt. Two forces constantly pulling one another close and then pushing the other violently away. The latter is how we first find her. I won’t say the former is what drives her back to New York but something certainly will. Vegas won’t be a permanent home for her. Just where we find her on her wandering journey.

Geeks of Doom: How is your writing process different when writing books than when writing for television?

Matt Owens: The best part is I don’t have to worry about budgets haha. I can really do whatever I want so long as my editors mark and Christina say it’s ok.That kind of freedom makes comic writing very fun. That and character usage. I can ask if someone is available and it’s not a matter of “No they’re shooting a movie right now.” Voiceover is also a great tool in comics that is hard to implement well in TV. Some shows do it to great success. The ability to live in a character’s head and hear their thought process is invaluable.

Geeks of Doom: Any plans for more after this series? A Luke Cage comic perhaps?

Matt Owens: Oh man. As long as Marvel is happy with me I will do whatever they want me to do. I adore Elektra and I would love to continue telling the story we are starting here. 

Geeks of Doom: When writing, it usually seems as if the authors wear their characters. What drives Elektra for you? 

Matt Owens: It may be a messy one and it may only make sense to her, but Elektra does have a code. For someone who claims to be very closed off a lot of the time, she really does care for others. Whether she will admit it or not. I think that is ultimately what drives her. She, like all of us, is searching for belonging. For a place of zero judgement. She is a person who dislikes parts of herself and I find that to be a very real and relatable struggle.

Geeks of Doom: Besides Elektra, what character would be a dream come true for you to pen a comic for? Why?

Matt Owens: Spider-Man. That’s where all of this started for me. There are also a lot of younger characters in the universe who I love right now that I would jump at the chance to tell stories with. Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Gwen, Nova. Any X-Men team.

Geeks of Doom: Lastly, how fun was this to do? I imagine it would have my inner 12-year old doing cartwheels.

Matt Owens: I have been very lucky to have the career that I do telling kickass stories with very talented people. It all stemmed from reading comics as a kid. To now come full circle and be writing my first comic is literally a dream come true.

Elektra #1 is on sale now. Elektra #2 will be released on March 22nd, 2017.

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