Enigma Cipher #1
Writers: Andrew Cosby
Michael Alan Nelson
Artist: Greg Scott
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Colors: Imaginary Friends Studio
Cover: Jeff Johnson
Boom! Studios
Enigma Cipher is about a college professor who randomly discovers an old Nazi enigma code inside some books he purchased from an estate sale. He hands over the code to the government and a copy to four of his star pupils to see if they are able to decipher the code thinking it was nothing of importance much less something that would threaten their very lives. Soon all those who know of its existence find themselves the targets of an attempt to cover up the discovery. The main character being Casey a very intelligent computer wizard who finds herself wanted by the government and running for her life while trying to figure out why she is being hunted in the first place as one of the four students who were given the code.
Picture Enemy of The State meets Sneakers and you will have a pretty accurate image of what you are in store with if you decide to pick up a copy of Enigma Cipher a beautifully crafted action packed cat and mouse tale that will securely place a smile across any fan of conspiracies or politically charged stories. The writing is very high quality and is comparable to a Tom Clancy novel with its clever and always enthralling story that is filled with enough suspense, drama, and action to captivate even the most stubborn non-reader.
The art style reminds me heavily of A Scanner Darkly and instantly grabbed my attention I really dig this style of art and think it is perfect for this sort of story. Visually Enigma Cipher is gorgeous and successfully remains a somber and high-tension atmosphere that is required to pull off such an epic story arc. I also highly appreciated the ingenious use of text sound effect used throughout the issue such as Toonk Toonk or Fupt when a silence handgun is fired. It gave me flashbacks of classic Batman and action comics in general from when I was a very young kid not to mention really added a perfect amount of ambiance to various panels.
I unconditionally love this comic as a huge fan of stories that revolve around technology, cyber culture, hacking, and Cryptanalysis this story was right up my alley and I knew right away I was in store for a very memorable reading experience. One of my all time favorite novels is a cryptanalysis / programming heavy story called Wyrm by Mark Fabi a book I have read well over fifteen times at this juncture in my life and Enigma Cipher is the closest as I have ever came to rekindling the experience I had the first time I stumbled upon Wyrm and instantly fell in love with it.
If you consider yourself a tech junkie, code addict, or are a big fan of conspiracy stories laced with real world truths be sure to pick up a copy of Enigma Cipher and be prepared to be blown away with the quality of writing and presentation created by this unforgettable comic that I will be proudly adding to my personal favorites.
Related articles
- Logans Run Last Day Number 5 (comicsforge.com)
- Logans Run Last Day Number 6 (comicsforge.com)
- A brief history of codebreaking: the answers (newscientist.com)
- The Machines That Sparked the Beginning of the Computer Age (tech.slashdot.org)
