Jupiter’s Circle #1 Looks Back at Golden Age of Heroes

Mark Millar’s follow up prequel to Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, reads like a love letter to the Golden Age of comic books.

The debut issue of the series, set before the events of Legacy, shows the world’s greatest heroes in their primes. The Utopian and Lady Liberty take centre stage on the cover, but the spotlight shines fully on team member Blue Bolt, who we learn is hiding a secret from the rest of his team.

There are plenty of hat tips to the golden age in this debut issue: the headquarters looks remarkably like a certain Hall of Justice, Swan’s Diner is an obvious homage to legendary Superman artist Curt Swan, and then there’s the galactic squid that bears a striking resemblance to Starro. Wilfredo Torres’s art captures the feel of the time period perfectly, evoking thoughts of Darwyn Cooke’s New Frontier series.

Fans of Jupiter’s Legacy will feel more at home reading this book, as familiarity with the characters is something that would be seriously lacking for new readers. With only Blue Bolt referenced by name, new readers would have no idea who any other member of the team was, and that might be off-putting.

The final two pages made the entire issue for me, as they made me wish the next issue was already in my hands. It’s not a perfect issue, but it’s a great start to what’s sure to a fun year-long ride.

I give Jupiter’s Circle four stars out of five.