Customer Reviews

Enigma (DC Comics Vertigo)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Really, I rate this book a 17 on a scale of 1 to 10. This is the perfect introduction to the works of Peter Milligan

Chock full of Milligan's trademark wit and irony, I guarantee that inbetween belly laughs, this masterpiece will have you pondering your own place in the world.

Milligan's style is pefectly complimented by the bold and quirky work of artist Duncan Fegredo.

This mini-series defines postmodernism. Milligan plays with the convention of comics through editor comments and satire toward older styles. The main theme throughout the whole book, although one may not realize until partially through it, is that trying to find the meaning of life is absurd. The question "What's next?" permeates the mystery. And the answer? Nothing. Life is like that.

But that doesn't make the story less interesting. The characters are fascinating, and the art perfect for a postmodern comic. There is just enough detail and shadow for you to figure out what the lines are supposed to represent. Of course, these drawings aren't the real thing. So why try to recreate the thing on paper, if the artist can't help but fail. At best, all you get is a pretty picture.

This is definitely not a comic for younger readers. Postmodernism is very difficult to understand, and I'm still struggling. The point to this story is simply that there is no point. Who is the Enigma? What is the truth? What's next? Do the answers really matter? Postmodernism would say, that the Enigma is a construction of several different things. He is a man that spent most of his young life in a well, he eats lizards, he possesses great mind powers, he loves the lead character (Michael Smith), he based his image on an old comic book character. Have I defined him? Is that who the Enigma is? No! He has so many more definitions, but he is nothing really.

Five stars! Because this is the first time I have read a comic book and actually felt like my mind was challenged. I will offer it to all of my friends who enjoy intellectual reading. I shall read it again and again. I'll never figure out the point completely, but it sure is fun to try!

This needs to be in print. Not only is it perhaps the finest thing any of the creators have been involved with, it may be the greatest comics ever done. The story of families, how they mess us up, and the presumptuous instincts that make us sort the world as if it fundamentally exists to sustain and entertain, to test and torment us. Enigma is so deft in its techniques that it often appears unintentionally beautiful, but there are no idle hands at work here, from Milligan's wonderful turn of phrase to Fegredo's full contact sensuality and van Valkenburgh's ability to maintain consistency while dropping the rainbow-floor out from under a scene into stark vacancies. Filled with tactile and brilliant sensuality, witty and elegant segues, an exceptional range of techniques, emotions, and identity politics, it's a thoroughly beautiful and moving work.

I never knew quite where Engima was going to take me until I was finished with it. At times I was confused -- hell, most of the time I was confused. I worried that it would become too preachy or philosophical to be enjoyable; I worried it would fall into randomness and end without making sense; I worried it would fall victim to awkward stereotypes. It did none of these things.

Enigma is a fantastic story, dark and twisted. The art reflects this well; it may not be the prettiest thing to look at, but it's fitting enough that it shouldn't be a problem for almost anyone once they get into the story.

The characters begin simply, and through the events of the story grow three-dimensional so that you can't help but care for them. The villains are twisted and fantastic: Envelope Girl especially is a favorite of mine, though she overall isn't entirely important as a character.

Michael is a twenty-something nobody whose life continues every week in such a repetitive way that it could only be called obsessive compulsive; he wears his underwear according to the days of the week and only has sex on Tuesdays. His world is shaken when the first villain appears, and soon he realizes that they're from a three-issue comic he loved as a child. Titus is the creator of the comic, an older, gay man who was too stoned while writing it to make sense of it himself, though he's praised as a prophet by a group of youths called the Enigmatics. And there's the Enigma himself, alternately loved and hated by the populace of the city he more or less protects, and properly enigmatic himself. And the narrator -- an omnipresent voice with an all-encompassing knowledge of the story, full of scorn and contempt for those he tells the story and for the characters within, withholding knowledge and becoming, as he does so, a well-developed character himself.

And the ending -- the ending is perfect. You may be unsure of the story all the way until then, but the ending wraps it all together, fits every piece into place without a space between. Fantastic.

I'm an avid reader of both comics and novels, and must say this is definitely one of, if not The best, graphic novels I've read thus far. Although the artwork is a bit scratchy, it quickly fits in with the mood of the story and even adds to the effect. The story itself deals with many interesting psychological and personal topics including homosexuality, responsibility, disillusionment, and the frailty of the human mind. The characters each have their own quirky, unusual backgrounds that will stimulate your brain cells and draw you into the tale, such as the average joe who was tranformed into a mind-devouring monster after a short chat with a dead lizard. And as you can probably tell by now, this book does have its quirks, so be prepared for a truly unique read.

Words can not describe how incredible this comic book is. It really has to be read.

The only people who have given this book ANY remotely negative comments are straight men who are turned off by the homosexuality.

If you can't get your hands on the equally awesome (yet expensive and nearly impossible to find) Flex Mentallo,, a work that is very indebted to Enigma, then make sure to pick Enigma up, it is kind of like an older cousin who came over to visit a lot.

And, other then The Minx, pretty much everything I've read by Peter Milligan has been amazing. He's probably one of the best writers in comics today, I'd rank him right after Grant Morrison (who would either be number one or three, depending on whether Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore counted or if they just had an apotheosis and were so far above other comic writers that they no longer were even on the same scale) and before quite a few writers who sell more books.

But Enigma is probably one of his best titles. It's only eight issues and collected in one place for twenty dollars (or less if you can get it used). You don't have anything to lose.

Since I first read Shade the Changing Man, Peter Milligan has been regarded in my book as one of the best writers. I've been eagerly awaiting to find the Enigma for the past few years, it being regarded as his rare masterpiece. I finally found it at a comic shop for $5, and honestly, that's how much this comic was worth. My preconceived notion of what I thought it would be was nowhere near the simple conclusion at the end, or the story as a whole.

The promise of revelations about the Enigma keep you entrapped for most of the comic, and then around 3/4 the way, the answers come slow and sub-par compared to what happened before. Ads for the book gave intriguing plot-fodder about the Enigma existing and not existing, as well as proclaiming that this is the most important comic about comics since Watchmen. Wow. All that plus Peter Milligan? How could this not be good? I don't know, but I'm still shocked at the disappointment. The actual text writing is pretty clean, and the dingy art completely sucks you into the pages. But the plot fails, and it's full potential is never realized. The twists at the end made me roll my eyes.

Try anything else by Milligan before this. Almost all of it's better.

writing: [6/10]
art: [8/10]

Oh, and one thing. Even though I don't exactly mind this aspect, if you are homophobic or you have a problem with gay people, I wouldn't read this book. You shouldn't judge others by their sexual preferences, but if you do, I guarantee you'll be offended by the Enigma.