If you thought the six month wait for the latest issue of “Jupiter’s Legacy” was rough, just be glad you haven’t spent the last nine years under despotic superhuman rule. That’s where we find our heroes in “Jupiter’s Legacy” #4, and things aren’t pretty.
Written by Mark Millar
Illustrated by Frank QuitelyBrandon and his Uncle Walter have instigated the superhero revolution, but there are those who would still stand against them. On the other side of the world, Chloe and Hutch are hiding with their enormous secret and hoping to evade the man charged with hunting renegade superhumans.
I’ll go ahead and say this up-front, I’m a sucker for a good time jump. I love when storytellers drop a huge bomb on a story and then fast forward to show the long term consequences. “Jupiter’s Legacy” #3 certainly dropped a bomb, killing off several lead characters, rearranging the balance of power, and sending Chloe, Hutch, and their unborn child into hiding. “Jupiter’s Legacy” #4 gets into the consequences, but heavy exposition and very on the nose dialogue robs the wind from issue #3’s sails.
The world has moved on over the past nine years, falling further into a state of fear, dissatisfaction, and decay. However, that same forward progression can’t be applied to all the series’ characters. If it weren’t for the 8-9 year old child of Hutch and Chloe, it would be hard to tell much time had passed at all. Chloe has settled down considerably, but Brandon is the same foolish, selfish lug. In a scene with Walter, his uncle, surrogate father, and co-conspirator, he speaks of the problems facing their government coup as if it had only been months in the making. Likewise, the way he nonchalantly references Chloe’s disappearance feels odd considering she’s been missing for nine years. Of course, this is all done for the sake of recapping events and refreshing the minds of readers, but it’s still handled rather poorly.
The issue does have some stronger points, particularly the Hutch and Chloe family dynamic. Jason is precocious little child brimming with power, forced to hide who he really his. The result feels very much like a young Clark Kent in Smallville, throwing sporting events and flying (or not) under the radar. The scenes in which Chloe and Hutch are confronted by Jason’s perceived inadequacies are quite humorous in their absurdity.
Also, this issue takes a deeper look into the series’ mysterious island, the source of the heroes’ powers. This is very much the island of LOST, filled with mechanical wonders and doors that lead to rooms that are bigger on the inside. Wait, that’s something else, right? The very “Promethian” origin of the heroes powers is still left with a fair bit of mystery. It’s unclear just how far Millar is prepared to tread down this path, and just how far he goes will play a major part in just what kind of book “Jupiter’s Legacy” will become. The book’s title can certainly be viewed in a potentially different light at this point.
It should come as no surprise that the Frank Quitely continues to kill it. It’s hard not to compare his work here to “All-Star Superman,” arguably the artist’s most prominent superhero work. The artist employs a few tricks seen in that story, particularly showing a character’s movement through multiple images across the panel. Said scene, where Jason flies into action to stop a raging fire, is an absolutely stunning sequence. It may sound strange, but Frank Quitely really knows how to draw clouds. The sequence also features a fantastic, blink and you’ll miss it sight gag, a testament to Quitely’s attention to detail. Appropriate to the new status quo, Peter Doherty deals with a considerably darker and more subdued color palette than is often associated with Quitely’s work. However, there’s still plenty of stunning technicolor, particular in the scenes on the island and Jason’s heroic rescue.
“Jupiter’s Legacy” #4 isn’t quite the rip-roaring return that one would hope for after the climatic events of last issue. Commendably, Millar has shifted the focus of the book considerably, but the groove just isn’t there yet. However, seeds are certainly sown for some potentially fantastic stories down the line. Besides, the book continues to be worth the asking price for Quitely’s art on its own.
Final Verdict: 7.4 – Buy/Browse.
