Trending
"Jupiter's Legacy" doesn't exactly tread new ground with its premise of superheroes weighed down by the struggles of the real world, but it does explore the topic pretty well.
At least the comics do. We'll be able to judge the streaming series when it arrives Friday on Netflix.
The comic debuted in 2013 as an Image limited series written by Mark Millar and drawn by Frank Quitely. It focuses on the Union, a team of superheroes that's been protecting the planet since before World War II, their children and others they inspired.
But the offspring of the Utopian and Lady Liberty -- think Superman and Wonder Woman, but married -- are struggling in their parents' shadows. Chloe Sampson has used her considerable powers to become a super-influencer, while Brandon Sampson chafes as a hero expected to follow in the footsteps of his iconic father.
Convinced they can make real change through direct intervention in world affairs, rather than swooping in to stop the occasional alien invasion or villainous crime spree, Brandon and his uncle, Union member Brainwave, stage a superhero revolution with brutal results. Chloe is driven underground with her lover, Hutch, who is the son of Skyfox, a Union founder turned villain.
The original five-issue series ends on a cliffhanger after taking nearly two years to publish. But shortly thereafter, Image released "Jupiter's Circle," which jumps back into the heroes' past, starting in the '50s.
First we meet the Union's Blue Bolt, whose secret rendezvous with other men make him a target of blackmail by J. Edgar Hoover. Then there's the Flare, who finds himself bored with family life and drawn to a teenager who likes to dress up in a skimpy superhero costume despite having no powers.
We also see how the Utopian and Lady Liberty wind up together and witness Skyfox's heel turn, prompted as much by losing his girlfriend to Brainwave as his radical political leanings.
In new collected editions, the two volumes of "Jupiter's Circle" are placed before the original series, which makes sense chronologically, although the flashbacks start kind of small by comparison. The first two stories deal with Blue Bolt and the Flare, who definitely take a backseat in the rest of the series.
It all builds to a head in "Jupiter's Legacy 2," a five-issue series that finds Hutch, Chloe and their son seeking unlikely allies to fight back against the "heroes" of the world. The ending left me wondering what came next, and the answer is the recently announced "Jupiter's Legacy: Requiem," a 12-issue series starting in June.
In case it wasn't obvious, none of the "Jupiter's" comics are suitable for younger readers.
If you're not familiar with Millar's name, you probably have seen other versions of his work before. "Jupiter's Legacy" is part of the informal "Millarworld," which includes comics-turned-movies "Wanted" (James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and that whole curving bullets thing), the unfortunately named "Kick-A**" (a tale of real-world vigilantes, at least up until the jet pack) and "Kingsman," a British action franchise I keep meaning to get around to reading or watching at some point.
Millar's also written quite a bit for Marvel and DC. His 21st century reimagining of the Avengers as "The Ultimates" heavily influenced many aspects of the "Avengers" movies.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com
***
Recommended Reading
* "Jupiter's Legacy" - It may not come first chronologically but from a reading perspective, I say start here, where the children of the world's first superheroes rebel against their old-fashioned parents.
* "Jupiter's Circle" - The feet of clay of superheroes are exposed in these flashback stories.
* "Astro City" - Only related thematically, but I always like to suggest reading virtually any volume or issue of Kurt Busiek's masterful mixture of the real and comic book worlds.