Why's Enigma so extremely underrated? Warning: spoilers

[sunsetdayglo]

I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this...
But, was Enigma sooo underrated because the usual underwear-on-the-outside comics fan freak out when homosexuality is mentioned?

I'd have to think the series freaked out a lot of x-men fans.

Kind of funny when you consider how homoerotic superheroes are!

[FanboyStranger]

Anyone I've ever talked to about Enigma seems to love it. However, it is a pretty complicated twisted tale that raises a lot of questions, not just about sexuality but identity and existence as well, and quite frankly, I think a lot of readers don't want something so thought-provoking out of what they feel is a source of entertainment. I mean, if they did, wouldn't most Vertigo books have outsold the X-franchise during the piss-poor '90s? Plus, no Wolverine.

[Brad Curran]

I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this...
But, was Enigma sooo underrated because the usual underwear-on-the-outside comics fan freak out when homosexuality is mentioned?

I'd have to think the series freaked out a lot of x-men fans.

Kind of funny when you consider how homoerotic superheroes are!

That might have something to do with it, but I think the fact that a lot of people probably have never read it or even heard of it is pretty important too. At least I assume it isn't widely read, because I haven't read much discussion about in the same way that people talk about Vertigo's more popular serieses, like Preacher or Sandman. I have had the same experience as FanboyStranger, though, in that everyone who's speaks fondly of it. You can say the same thing for a lot of Milligan's stuff, though, from Minx to Shade to Skreemer, my personal favorite work of his.

An aside: I "discovered" Milligan via X-Force/X-Statix, but Enigma didn't freak me out. Well, at least not for the homosexual content.

[Hellpop]

Yes, I think Enigma's underration has more to do with it's relative obcurity than anything. The big problem is that Pete Milligan remains underrated himself, probably because most of his mainstream work isn't very good. I think he's more ecclectic than Ennis or Ellis, so he doesn't draw as wide a base. Therefor, there's not as big an audience discovering how great his work is, and wanting to get all his stuff. What he needs is a big, popular display of his talents, like Morrison had with JLA. Remember, Animal Man and Doom Patrol weren't in print before that.

[Ryan K]

I'd have to think the series freaked out a lot of x-men fans.

Huh?!? :confused:

[atoningunifex]

Huh?!? :confused:

I think he means X-men fans who went out and picked it up after reading Milligan's work on X-Statix and X-Men.

I read Enigma ages and ages ago. I liked it, but didn't love it. I think it tried way too hard in places. I did like the murkiness of the ending though.

[dancj]

I think the main thing is that there's no obvious hook or anything that makes the book stand out. A casual flick through makes it look like a typical 90's mature superheroes book. Those who actually read it realise how great it is

Dan

[MarkSullivan]

I've never thought of Enigma as underrated; it's frequently mentioned as a favorite in the endless "favorite Vertigo" threads. I thought it was very good, but wouldn't call it excellent. I think the main thing that keeps it below the radar is the fact that it was a miniseries rather than an extended ongoing title. Very few miniseries have the kind of prominence in most peoples minds that the ongoings have. I'd also agree that Milligan has never had a breakout mainstream hit that would raise his profile to the level of Morrison, Ennis, Gaiman, et al.

[ratzo]

X-Force/X-Statix is probably the closest Milligan has come to real star status (remember when he got name-dropped in Entertainment Weekly for it?) with Human Target a close second. Enigma was one of the very first Vertigo books I read and it remains one of my all-time favorites, partially because it came for me at a time when I was just getting back into comics. It was so unlike anything I'd ever read before to that point; it helped me realize that comics could be about more than just good guy-bad guy stuff. It'll always be special to me, but I could see how it may not be for everyone at the same time.

[Ryan K]

I think he means X-men fans who went out and picked it up after reading Milligan's work on X-Statix and X-Men.

. . . but X-Statix had like . . . 30 gay characters.

[atoningunifex]

. . . but X-Statix had like . . . 30 gay characters.

Yes, but there were 30 gay characters in a book that, for all its "cutting edgne-ness" was basically the same as every other super hero book. Enigma is a lot more "out there" and wonky.

Imagine, say, fishtaco picking up Enigma and trying to figure it out.

[Cayman]

I loved Enigma. I think it's a true masterpiece.

Cay

[Ryan K]

Yes, but there were 30 gay characters in a book that, for all its "cutting edgne-ness" was basically the same as every other super hero book. Enigma is a lot more "out there" and wonky.

Imagine, say, fishtaco picking up Enigma and trying to figure it out.

OK, but he said the homosexuality would freak out the X-fans not the story structure.

Like I said X-statix featured quite a few gay characters, and X-Men is basically a book about a struggling minority. I fail sto see how we x-fans are going to "freak out". Seems unfair to single us out.

I'm being touchy huh?

[slam]

I picked up Enigma based on the chatter of this forum. I liked it, though it's not one of my all time favorites. I love the ending, with the reveal of the narrator. I have to say the art is so stylized it takes some getting used to. In fact the whole story is slow to get rolling, though the payoff is worth it at the end. If I hadn't heard good things about it going in, I might not have stayed with it to the end.

[king mob]

X-Force/X-Statix is probably the closest Milligan has come to real star status


Depends what you mean by "star".Milligan did come up with the basic idea of Knightfall even though he had left the Batman titles by the time that started.

Enigma is one of the best books Vertigo and DC have done, mainly because it's well written, well drawn and is what Vertigo should be about-"cutting edge", intelligent comic books rather than the Generic Goth Comics it eventually decended into for much of the 90s.

Also worth searching out is The Extremist miniseries he did with Ted McKeever, another lost Vertigo classic.

[FanboyStranger]

.

Also worth searching out is The Extremist miniseries he did with Ted McKeever, another lost Vertigo classic.

Definite second on that one. The Extremist is one of the few comic books that really creeped me out, and it's not a horror book, proving yet again that people are scarier than monsters. I run hot and cold on McKeever, but his art really works here.

[JLarson]

Enigma is one of my all time fave comic stories. Love it.

[The Grey Man]

I actually borrowed Enigma from my local public library and I must admit I was a little put off at first about the Homosexual aspects, not cos I'm against that sort of stuff just that it was such an over-used comparison at the time that it annoyed me a bit. It seemed like it was the in-thing to equate comic-heroes & fans with homosexuality and it irked me somewhat. Once you read the whole story tho u realise how intrinsic it is to the plot & it makes a lot of sense.

Overall I loved this book & eventually bought my own copy. Loved the narrator at the end.

[sunsetdayglo]

OK, but he said the homosexuality would freak out the X-fans not the story structure.

Like I said X-statix featured quite a few gay characters, and X-Men is basically a book about a struggling minority. I fail sto see how we x-fans are going to "freak out". Seems unfair to single us out.

I'm being touchy huh?

Sorry, I really didn't mean to offend anyone. But I think we can agree that books like X-Force/X-statics, and New X-Men are certainly a major anomaly in the X-franchises history. And it looks like the X-men have already turned back to their drab history as just another slam-bang superhero book.

Listen I started as an X-fan, and I know the theme of discrimintaion is what the books are built around. However, the average x-men fans that I meant probably wouldn't accept a story about a character's evolving acceptance of his own homosexuality (unless, of course he was a she and she's a lesbian.)

I really wasn't making the point to rag on individual x-fans, which I could probably include myself in at some level, so reread the post and insert Superman or Batman and try to understand what I was saying.

[tangentman]

The way I see it, the X-fan who truly understands and agrees with the metaphors of that franchise's premise wouldn't have any problem with homosexuality in ENIGMA. OTOH, an obscure and pretentious story might alienate those fans. Now, the fanboys who picks up X-Men "cuz Wolverine's kewl" might freak out at Milligan's themes!

BTW, if you want shits and giggles, forget fishtaco--see how Fabian (part of the Comm board "Clique") reacts to ENIGMA! :evilsmile

[Fabian]

BTW, if you want shits and giggles, forget fishtaco--see how Fabian (part of the Comm board "Clique") reacts to ENIGMA! :evilsmile
How exactly would I react to it?

I'm in the Clique? Wooooo!