Enigma (DC Comics Vertigo) [Paperback]

Peter Milligan (Author), Duncan Fegredo (Illustrator), Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh (Colorist)

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563891921
• ISBN-13: 978-1563891922
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #602,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Twisting, June 19, 2001

By 

Jonathan Schaper (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Enigma (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

It is impossible to really review this book's plot very well without giving away surprises, but the surface plot is about a man encountering characters straight out of the pages of his favourite, although shortlived, comic book series he read in the early 1970s while growing up called "Enigma". The comic book itself was the very surreal creation of a comic artist who was clearly the product of the late 1960s counter-culture. The first villian to appear is called "The Truth", and his power consists of driving people insane by telling them some hidden truth (geared towards each individual). Other villians include a group of men dressed up as clowns who break into peoples' homes and drive people into committing suicide through some sort of reverse feng-shui (they rearrange their victim's furniture in such a manner to create a suicidal mind-state). The hero of the series teams up with the comic book's creator, who has an unwanted cult following (literally) now that his creations are coming to life, and the two of them also track down the Enigma to learn his secret.

The whole series deals with such concepts as "reality" and responsibility and other issues I can't really give away without ruining part of the plot. As one reviewer's title notes, it could be described as post-modern existentialism. This is a brilliantly written, beautifully drawn mind-expanding piece of work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A post-modernist existential pop narrative, August 16, 1999

By 

J. Young - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enigma (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

The things that impress most about Milligan's tale are its ironic narrative and fully-developed characters. Packed with wit, but never too impressed with itself, Enigma is a must read for anyone whose idea of modern sequential art is stuck either with Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" or Art Spiegleman's "Maus". Enigma is Milligan's smartest work to date, an idiosyncratic masterpiece of absurdity, super-heroics and the quest for identity.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third try's a charm!, October 6, 2007

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Enigma (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

I attempted to read Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo's ENIGMA series back in 1993 and gave up about halfway through it, seeing it as an indulgent mess that would leave me with no explanations as to what was going on. When the trade was released in 1995, I read the whole thing and was annoyed that a story with so many angles would seemingly just boil down to an issue of the main character's sexuality. Forward to 2007: I pick up the trade during a rebirth of my interest in Vertigo books, read it in one day, and am amazed. I finally got it. Yes, ENIGMA does place a heavy emphasis on sexual preference, but it's so much more.

Michael Smith's routine life is shattered by the arrival of the Enigma, a superhero from his childhood. Battling such bizarre foes as the Head, the Truth, Envelope Girl, and the Interior League (my personal favorites, like something from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol), it is apparent to Michael that the lines between fantasy and reality are blurring, and clues lead him to believe that he is somehow responsible. Michael tracks down the comic's creator, Titus Bird, and the two of them work to reveal the Enigma's identity and how he came to be. In turn, the Enigma helps Michael to discover quite a number of things about himself, but ultimately, this is a story postulating how four-color superheroes could exist in the "real world". Let's face it... if real people had superpowers, they likely wouldn't dress in garish costumes and speak in purple prose, so how could this happen? Your answer is here.

Milligan's story is excellent, now that I finally got my head around it (gee, it only took me 14 years). There's not one boring bit in the entire book, and the narration is excellent, providing just the right amount of "gotcha" at the conclusion. Fegredo's art is spectacular, as always, with every person and object carefully rendered. A perfect team for a perfect book!