Review- JUPITER'S CIRCLE VOL. 1

JUPITER'S CIRCLE VOL. 1 (Image, First Printing, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Jupiter's Circle #1-6 (cover dates April- September, 2015)

Writer: Mark Millar

Artists: Wilfredo Torres, Davide Gianfelice, and Francesco Mortarino

Colorist: Ive Svorcina

Everything is not what it seems to be, and heroes aren't always perfect people. That is the takeaway from the second arc in Mark Millar's Jupiter universe. Read on its own and taken at face value, this is some entertaining stuff. Compare and contrast with every other post-superhero, post-deconstructionist property. I can see both sides of this argument (all heroes should be heroic versus not all heroes are heroic) but enjoy this series for what it is: An exercise on the motivations of superheroes in “the real world”.

The backdrop of the series is the early Silver Age (1959-1960). Instead of the Justice League Of America battling Starro the Starfish you have this team dealing with J Edgar Hoover trying to expose their dirty little secrets. Like Astro City, their battles are largely left offscreen.

I really enjoyed issues three and four, where we see The Flare make a selfish decision that impacts his family and his teammates. Brainwave (Walter) tips his hand in #5 and 6 and shows what a piece of garbage he is. Anyone who read the first series already knows that, but it is now apparent that he was the snake in the grass from the word go.

The artwork has that Darwin Cooke kind of faux Silver Age feel to it. It's inconsistent compared to the first arc in this series, but I believe that this was the intention. Millar wanted this to look like something out of the past that couldn't possibly be misconstrued for the present. The coloring is largely flat, also an artistic choice done to emulate the Silver Age.

I am intrigued enough to continue reading and am looking forward to see what happens next.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.25 out of 5.

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Paper stock: Medium weight coated stock with a slight sheen, closer to glossy paper than matte.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.