This is volume 2 of Dark Horse’s new library edition of Mark Millar’s acclaimed Jupiter’s Legacy comic series. It’s actually volume 1 of the story, though. Or, more accurately, it’s volumes 1 and 2 of the story, whereas volume 1 of the library edition – which was published a few months ago – encompassed volumes 3 and 4 of the story. Confused? So was I, when I read volume 1 of the library edition, then found it bore absolutely no resemblance to the plot synopsis on Wikipedia for Jupiter’s Legacy.
I could easily spend the whole review trying to untangle the threads of what part of the story is supposed to go where. But here’s the short version: The original Jupiter’s Legacy comic was published in 2013. Then in 2015 came Jupiter’s Circle, which is a prequel to the events of Jupiter’s Legacy. The library editions collect them all together in two (thus far) volumes, but it’s doing it in the story’s chronological order, rather than in publication order, and calling it all Jupiter’s Legacy. Also, the official plot synopsis for volume 2 says that it collects volumes 1 and 2 of Jupiter’s Circle, even though it’s actually the original Jupiter’s Legacy.
So, with that out of the way, we can get to what the comic is actually about and if it’s worth reading. You probably already have at least a vague idea about it. It’s a fairly popular comic, and there was even a Netflix series of it a couple of years ago, though that came and went pretty quickly.
In the 1930s, a group of friends hoping to save the world from the Great Depression journeyed to a mysterious island, where they were endowed with superpowers and formed a super team. Now, 80 years later, they’re still going strong—but there are also hundreds of other superheroes out there, including the original team’s children. Unfortunately, they still haven’t actually saved the world. There’s still crime, economic instability, and general hardship, pretty much everywhere.
Also, the children of the original team members are finding it hard to live up to their parents’ legacy—especially Brandon and Chloe, the children of the two most powerful heroes who ever lived, Utopian and Lady Liberty. Are Brandon and Chloe spoiled and narcissistic, or are their parents setting an impossible standard for them to live up to? Probably a bit of both. The main issue is, while Utopian and Lady Liberty see themselves as public servants, their children act more like celebrities—including corporate endorsements, posing for pictures, sleeping with fans, and staggering amounts of drugs and alcohol.
Then, a couple of chapters in, there’s a massive tonal shift. To talk about it feels like a spoiler, but it’s also kind of hard not to, since most of the story takes place in its aftermath. Brandon is convinced by his uncle Walter (a.k.a. Brainwave, Utopian’s brother), to stage a coup, murdering his parents and taking over the country. Chloe resists the change, and she and her supervillain boyfriend go on the run, to escape death themselves.
Fast forward a few years. Brandon is President of the United States, Uncle Walter is his advisor, superheroes run the country, and everything is terrible. There’s still crime, poverty, and all the rest, plus some very tense relations with most of the other nations on Earth.
Any powered individuals who aren’t part of the new regime are hunted down and jailed or killed. Chloe, her boyfriend, and their young son have been hiding out in Australia and trying to stay off the radar. But if they can get a few more superpowered people on their side, they might just be able to take Brandon and Walter down and fix the damage they’ve done to the nation.
I have mixed feelings about this comic. It’s an interesting concept, but it feels uneven and inconsistent in places. It’s also very violent—more than it needs to be, in my opinion. I wonder if I might feel differently about it if I had read this second volume first, as it was originally intended, rather than starting with what turned out to be Jupiter’s Circle.
Jupiter’s Circle takes place in the mid-20th century, showing us Utopian, Lady Liberty, Brainwave, and their other team members, in their prime—set against the backdrop of the historical events of the 1950s and ’60s, from J. Edgar Hoover to the beginnings of the Vietnam War. We see the nuanced arcs of several characters, particularly Utopian, as he wonders whether he’s fighting on the correct side, and if maybe there might be other ways he can put his power and influence to good use—and if maybe there might be a better way than the status quo.
When we catch up to him again in 2013, he’s got a “my way or the highway” attitude, all the patience and understanding he displayed in the ’50s and ’60s has evaporated, and he’s still fighting to preserve the government-led status quo—refusing even to entertain any other options. Then a couple of chapters in, he’s brutally murdered, and we never see him again. A person could get whiplash reading these two volumes back to back.
I wonder what I would have thought of the story as a whole, if I’d read the two arcs in their original publication order. Would Jupiter’s Legacy have skewed my view of Jupiter’s Circle? Would I have more or less sympathy for the characters, knowing what they become and what’s to become of them? I suppose I’ll never know.
While I’m not sure how well the two story arcs work together, taken on its own, Jupiter’s Legacy is a good comic. It’s a little violent for my taste, but it’s an interesting take on superhero lore and worth reading. Wikipedia tells me that there’s still one more volume—Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem—to wrap up all the loose ends from both Legacy and Circle. It also says that it’s a lot shorter than the previous two arcs, so I’m not sure if it will be collected into another library edition or not, but if it does, I will be interested to read it and see how things play out.
Creative Team: Mark Millar (writer, creator), Frank Quitely (artist, creator, cover artist), Pete Doherty (colorist, letterer), Sunny Cho (colorist), Rob Miller (digital art assistant)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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