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"Episode 5: Lizards and Ghosts": Titus Bird returns to the apartment that he shares with Michael Smith in Pacific City. He is thoroughly inebriated, but feels no better than he did before he went out. He still blames himself for accidentally

Quote1 I've found, during my long and not utterly uneventful life, that in times of great emotional upset and trauma, one can find some solace in the furry arms of absolute ineabriation. Quote2
Titus Bird

Enigma #5 is an issue of the series Enigma (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1993.

Synopsis for "Episode 5: Lizards and Ghosts"

Titus Bird returns to the apartment that he shares with Michael Smith in Pacific City. He is thoroughly inebriated, but feels no better than he did before he went out. He still blames himself for accidentally inspiring the fans of his old Enigma comic book series to take their own lives in a mass suicide pact. Michael reassures Titus that he is not to blame, and Titus accuses him of actually enjoying all of the chaos that has been thrown into their lives. Michael admits that he does find all of the mysteriousness surrounding the Enigma to be exciting.

Later, Michael makes arrangements to meet with Barney Cliff, the brother of Roger Cliff who became the serial killer known as the Head. He wants to find out as much as he can about Roger, but Barney is demanding five-thousand dollars in exchange for the information. They drive out to Barney's home and the older man tells him about the lizard that had been recovered from one of the Head's crime scenes. Roger had found the dead animal when he visited a murder scene at an Arizona ranch more than twenty-five years ago and kept it as a memento. This information provides Michael and Titus very little insight into how and why Roger Cliff became the head.

As they are leaving, Titus is struck by an oncoming vehicle. The driver doesn't stop and speeds off down the road. They later learn that the driver was the grieving father of one of the Enigmatics who had killed themselves in Bird's name.

The Enigma meanwhile, tracks down the three members of the Interior League, identified as Wall-Eye, Carpet Man and Pretty-as-a-Picture. He finds them as they are in the process of a home invasion and mercilessly executes them.

Meanwhile, a deranged woman sits inside of the padded cell of an asylum. She awakens with a start and undergoes a dramatic mutation that turns her into a lumbering, monstrous creature.

Titus is taken to a hospital where he suffers from a concussion, several contusions, a broken arm and a broken leg. Michael shows him a newspaper article about the Interior League and how their mangled bodies were discovered. Oddly, they accurately resemble the artist's interpretation that Michael had seen at Titus' place just the day before.

That evening, Michael has a dream about Envelope Girl. In the dream, he finds her at the Pacific Folk Museum. Michael awakens and something urges him to drive down to the museum and check it out. When he arrives, he finds Envelope Girl waiting for him. He tries remind Envelope Girl of when she was just normal fashion model Victoria Yes, but Envelope Girl uses her powers and teleports him away.

Michael comes to inside of a shipping box in the middle of Arizona. He is actually at the ranch where the murders that Barney Cliff described took place. Michael meets the current owner who tells him that he is the cousin of Jimmy Collins, the murder victim from twenty-five years ago. He reveals that his wife, Ellen, shot Jimmy in the face. Ever since then, the ranch has been allegedly haunted. The man describes that he once saw a flying lizard outside the house. As the men continue to talk, Michael watches him as he fixes up the inside of the house. Staring at the wallpaper triggers something in Michael's memory – something that directly relates to the Interior League. Turning about, he marches off stating that he is "going home".

Appearing in "Episode 5: Lizards and Ghosts"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Enigmatics (Final appearance)
  • Roger Cliff (Flashback only)
  • Barney Cliff (Single appearance)
  • Collins cousin (First appearance)

Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:



Notes

  • This issue is reprinted in the Enigma trade paperback.
  • Issue shipped on May 27th, 1993.
  • The Arizona flashbacks from this issue coincide with the opening scenes from Enigma #1.



See Also

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