Tales from the Lower Shelves... 'Wolverine: Enemy of the State' – Millar, Romita Jr. (Marvel)

This book is probably the main reason why there's a 'Tales from the Lower Shelves' thing going on here. I was looking for a comic to read, that I hadn't read in a while, and remembered that there's a whole shelf of comic books right at the bottom of the big book case. I had a little browse and found 'Enemy of the State' which, conveniently, I hadn't read for at least a couple of years. So I had a read and here we are.

To be honest, I was a little surprised to be reminded that this book was on the shelf at all as I'm not a massive fan of Wolverine. I don't mind him as such, I just feel like there's only so far you can take a character like Wolverine before the constant stream of ex/dead girlfriends and bitter attitude needs a major readjustment, which you can't do because it's Wolverine and that's who he is, don't you dare change him! Which makes it all the more surprising that this book is in my collection at all; I've got vague memories of being led here by a 'What If?' comic that tied into this book but I'm digressing a little...

The bottom line is that having re-read 'Enemy of the State', it's getting moved up a couple of shelves so I'll remember that it's there when I fancy a cool 'Wolverine' book. If that's all you need then you're welcome ;o) If you need a little bit more, stick around and keep reading...

Wolverine has long been the X-Men's most dangerous member - but now, this deadly living weapon has switched sides] Defeated by the Gorgon and brainwashed by Hydra and the Hand, Wolverine has become an agent of the ruthless ninja clan - slicing and dicing his way through S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fantastic Four and the X-Men] And his former friends and teammates will pay a very high price to subdue him. As Hydra picks off superhumans one by one and the X-Men mourn a fallen friend, S.H.I.E.L.D. works feverishly to deprogramme Wolverine. Can he be turned against his former masters in time to prevent worldwide death and destruction? 

On the surface, 'Enemy of the State' looks like a run of the mill 'Wolverine Hack n' Slash' book. It's Wolverine up against three (I think) criminal organisations and he literally 'guts' his way through all of them. And it's not just the criminals either, Wolverine works his way through a couple of superhero teams as well, doing plenty of damage but not really killing anyone important (because even when you're telling the story of perhaps the world's deadliest killer, you still can't upset Marvel continuity... Millar must have loved that) That's all well and good if that's what you're after (Wolverine is the best at what he does after all), Millar gives us plenty of action and Romita Jr. does what he does best when tasked with drawing those kind of scenes. Especially the bit with the Sentinels... Both Millar and Romita Jr. come out of that looking like they are also the best at what they do. For a few panels, they really are, it's just an awesome moment. So loads of great comic book action then but luckily for me (and for you too when you read it), there's a lot more to Millar's story than just the killing.

'Enemy of the State' is just crammed full of people double crossing each other and maneuvering their organisations to take full advantage of the potential power vacuums that keep threatening to pop up. If that wasn't enough for you, it's also full of people setting traps to trap people who are also setting traps to trap the original, erm... Trapper? Trappee? Whatever you want to call it, that's what's happening and it makes for a really engrossing read as the reader is constantly left wondering just what is going on and has to keep reading in order to work it all out. Millar is really good at hiding what is really happening as well; 'Enemy of the State' is one big sleight of hand trick that gives us a great insight into what happens at ground level in the Marvel Universe, away from all the big stuff being fought out by the A-listers. It's gritty and dark down here and you come away with the feeling that it's a tale that only Millar and Romita Jr. could tell. I've briefly mentioned Romita Jr's. artwork, up the page, but it's worth saying again that his art captures that grittiness perfectly. Both Millar and Romita Jr. get not only what Wolverine is all about but who he is at the same time. It may be more of the same Wolverine cutting stuff up and agonising about his life but Millar in particular really shows us what this is doing to Wolverine and that 'human element' is another hook that kept me reading.

That's 'Enemy of the State' then but there's another brilliant story, hiding at the back of the book, that you really should read if you get a chance. Millar's 'Prisoner Number Zero' tells the dark tale of a German Concentration Camp Commandant and a prisoner who just won't die. It looks like Wolverine but is it though...? You never find out (I'd say it isn't but that's just me) but that's almost besides the point as what we're actually reading here is another take on the classic 'man driven mad by haunting' ghost story trope. It's superbly handled by Millar and just as superbly drawn by Kaare Andrews. I would recommend that you track down this story any way you can, it's well worth the effort.

'Enemy of the State' ended up being just the book that I needed to read right now (I'm enjoying my reading but can't move forwards with anything) as it blew out the cobwebs and really demanded my focus. It's also given me a new found appreciation for Wolverine himself. I don't know what it was doing on the lower shelves where I couldn't see it, I'm moving it up so I'll see it, and read it more. It's the least I can do for a great read.