comicn00b's Jupiter's Legacy #1 - Book One review

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    An amazing read that's worth every penny...

    WARNING: This review may contain spoilers!

    When finishing my purchases this past Wednesday, I hit my first moment of weakness concerning my limits on purchasing comics. The guy behind the counter, who knows I'm new to comics, suggested that I try out Jupiter's Legacy. He said that, given what I'm buying and the few conversations we've had, I would probably go bonkers for this series. Now, at first, I'm skeptical. Not because I think this guy is trying to rip me out of $10, but because I don't really get into some things that others do. However, the Counter Master (as I'm wont to call him) assured me that if this trade doesn't knock my socks off, I could return and exchange it for another. Well... here I sit, barefooted and extremely satisfied, as this surprise purchase turns out to be the best damn thing I bought last week.

    Art

    At face value, the art comes across as crisp and clear, but the characters faces strike me as... odd. This is simply nitpicking, but Quietly has a way of putting too many lines on a characters face, making them look wrinkled or scarred. Although, I will admit this works wonderfully on the older characters. Secondly, the eyes on everyone's faces look a little too high up or too close together or too far back, so that everyone comes across as looking slightly alien or otherworldly. However, when you delve into the book you notice these things less and less, and end up praising the art for its clarity. All of the colors help to make the images pop and the scenes are laid out with perfection. I was never trying to "peek around the edges" like I feel the need to with some other books.

    Chapter I

    Here we are introduced to our characters, each in turn with the proper attention given to each. I will say the very beginning "flashback" section didn't grab me and I found it rather a dull way to start a series. However, we quickly switch it up to present day and are introduced to our main cast. You have your classic "rebel kids, traditional parents" dynamic going on here, but these kids ain't no Damian Wayne.

    Miller's portrayal of these super-humans is very down-to-earth. The rebel super-kids just want to party and have a good time with drugs, sex, alcohol and rock-n-roll. Treating them as celebrities further grounds this book in a realistic setting. Probably the best example of this down-to-earth storytelling style is when a character, whom I can only identify as "barely clothed Lady-Flash girl" due to her revealing red costume, meets Jules (another super-kid) at the Blackstar fight. It's revealed that a large (probably too large) group of super-humans are fighting an villain called Blackstar somewhere overhead, and Jules and "Lady-Flash" are simply trying to stay out of the way while having a smoke and chatting it up.

    The Blackstar fight comes to a close when Walter traps him in a psychic painting, and the rest of the super-group pummel his mindless body. Let me just say right now that Walter's ability to trap foes' minds in a psychic painting while other heroes pummel the victim's body is probably the most amazing power ever imagined. The implications are endless and the all-too-graphic results are jaw-dropping. Now, I can see this ability being overpowered in normal brawler type comics. (Superman: Doomed would have turned out a lot differently if Brainiac had this power and had teamed up with Doomsday from the beginning. #GameOverSupes) However, this is thankfully not your everyday comic.

    After Blackstar's spine is snapped, we finally come to our "meat-n-potatoes" of the book when Walter and "the Utopian" get into a fight. This is how super-heroes become super-villains: when super-humans disagree. While these two characters share a lot of views and were certainly friends at one point, certain differences are pushing a wedge between them. This sets up the theme and plot for the rest of the book, and it is beautifully executed. Quick spoiler: the sassy one in an argument is always the villain. It actually reminds me a lot of Pixar's The Incredibles' story, where the villain is all but created by the arrogance of the hero.

    Chapter II

    Rebel super-kids of the Utopian, Chloe and Brandon, at first come of to of one and the same mind, but this chapter makes us see differently. Whereas Brandon's "assistance" of an ocean liner, levitating it across town while drunk, reveals his true color of open defiance of his father; Chloe's overdose and "bad-boy" dating preference come across as more of a rebellion of her straight-edge up bringing, rather than in defiance of her parents themselves. Brandon broods in his hatred of his father at a bar, while Chloe's reaction to finding out that she's pregnant appears to imply that she regrets letting down her parents. The simple fact that she's keeping her boyfriend, Hutch, a secret is a stark contrast to Brandon's open defiance.These differences in character is what brings their uncle Walter to Brandon rather than Chloe.

    Walter, already shown in chapter one to have a major disagreement with the Utopian's mode of thinking, is here shown to be, similar to Brandon, in open defiance of the Utopian. When the Utopian confronts Walter on this, he even treats Walter like he does his son. The character parallel couldn't be made more clear. All this purposeful character building comes together when, after both have been berated by the Utopian, Walter meets Brandon at a bar to discuss usurping his dad.

    Finally, I have to say my favorite part of chapter two is the introduction of Hutch, Chloe's "bad-boy" boyfriend. He's a "bad-boy", because he's the son of a former super-villain and sells drugs. After selling drugs on the wrong part of town, he starts getting harassed by two goons sent by a rival drug dealer. This scene could have gone many different ways, but I did not see this coming. When confronted, Hutch simply teleports one of the goons to "shark-infested waters", and we see the goon being torn to shreds. I literally laughed out loud in delight.

    Chapter III

    This is the one. This chapter is when I knew I could no longer back out. This is when I knew I wouldn't be returning this trade to the shelf in exchange for something with a shinier cover. (I honestly hate the cover of this trade.) We have the privilege in this chapter of witnessing an action packed climax to the unrest rising in both Walter and Brandon. And boy, oh boy... It's like a kick in the 'nads from a dominatrix; it's so intensely painful, but you love it. So you flip the page and ask for more.

    I honestly don't want to spoil this too much for anyone who hasn't read it; so I'll only give a few comments. First, we get to see Walter use his psychic painting powers again in what is the best moment in the entire trade. I'm reminded of Lori and Judith in the Walking Dead comic. Second, when Hutch and Chloe are on the run, that guy who flew through his windshield is not ok, and I love the graphic realism of that. Third, the tears in Brandon's eyes as he confronts his father shows such a depth of emotion. It's just wonderful. Last, when Brandon looks to his uncle and asks what to do is just a brilliant moment. It shows how young and naïve Brandon truly is, how lost he is without something to rebel against, and ultimately how he was only a pawn.

    Chapter IV

    The next chapter starts in the flashback sequence with Sheldon (the Utopian), Walter, and the rest of the ship's crew journeying on the island where they got their powers. I thought it extremely fitting to put such a laid back section right after all of the action in the last chapter. Dialing it back gives us a chance to breath while we recuperate, but this section also serves to get us excited for upcoming events. Honestly, nothing big is revealed in this section. Everything is to be expected: mysterious island, a door to a magical area, guardians of a magical obelisk... It's all been done before, but it's done well enough to leave the reader interested in what was initially a boring sequence.

    From here, the book jumps forward several years from when we last saw our cast. After the Utopian and Lady Liberty were removed from the picture, Walter and Brandon rose up to power, leading the world in a very 1984, Big Brother surveillance, dystopian dictatorship. Hiding from these dictators by suppressing their powers are Chloe and Hutch, now refugees living in Australia with their son, Jason.

    On the refugees' side, Chloe is telling Jason bedtime stories about the "good 'ole days" of super-heroes, when the Utopian and crew were in their prime. This turns out to be influencing Jason to take up a super-hero mantel despite the warnings of his parents. Soon, we'll find out why he should have heeded those warnings.

    On the dictators' side, we find that Brandon is having some regrets about his path and is dissatisfied with how things turned out. He's also worried about his sister. Walter, still acting as the devil on Brandon's shoulder, eases his worries and tells Brandon to leave his sister to a professional super-human tracker, introducing our next villain and confrontation.

    Overall, this chapter is nothing but set-up, but it's good set-up. Interesting set-up. Set-up you care about.

    Chapter V

    The final chapter in this book starts with a proper introduction to Major Barnabas Wolfe, the super-human tracker under the employ of Walter and Brandon. The artist does a great job of making Barnabas appear sinister. From the black cloak and thin mustache to his posture and the way he's isolated in the room, Barnabas is given an aura of evil. For those Doctor Who fans out there, I get a real Robert Delgado's Master vibe from this character.

    While Barnabas is capturing another super-hero in hiding, Jason is taking off to the moon to work on a meta-scanner which searches earth for super-humans. I really like this plot dynamic of showing us how Jason and his grandfather are incredibly similar, even though they are a generation apart. It also demonstrates how all children will rebel against what is expected of them in one way or another. In the same way that Brandon and Chloe rebelled against their parents, Jason pushes against what is expected of him. However, the fear of being found has pushed his endeavors towards fighting for justice.Despite his good intentions, Chloe makes her son destroy the scanner, because evil is lurking and will find them should they let their guard down. Well find them it does...

    In an epic encounter, Major Barnabas tricks Jason into coming out, but Chloe and Hutch show up just in time to save their son. I have to say that everything about this short lived battle is awesome. I love how immediately after Barnabas stops Jason, he starts to gloat saying: "Mommy isn't coming . . . She's hardly going to here you all the way out here." Without skipping a beat we see panels of gushing winds and melting rifles of Barnabas' army in the wake of Chloe rushing to protect her son. "Mommy hears everything." A powerful statement on good parenting if I've ever heard one, and one that leaves chills running down the spine. As Chloe begins to pummel Barnabas, Hutch shows up and lays waste to most of Barnabas' forces by teleporting a freight train on top of them. Again, graphic realism is used to beautiful effect here. After Chloe crushes Barnabas, the Hutchenses leave the Major's lifeless body for the colder climate of the north pole, where we find that the family is planning to take down Walter and Brandon.

    Verdict

    What can I say about this trade that I haven't already? No really, I'm coming up dry. At only $10, this book is definitely worth your money. My only complaint is that Vol 2 isn't out yet, and unfortunately it may take a while. Before returning to the present story, we'll be getting 12 issues of Jupiter's Circle, a prequel title. Only after that will new Legacy be coming our way, and from what I hear from Counter Master, Image is taking it's time shipping these issues out. He said that with Vol 1 there were several months in between each issue. Let's hope that with 12 issues of Circle, they can speed that schedule up a bit. Anyway... if you haven't picked up this trade yet. Do it now!

    I'm a comic n00b. Follow me at: http://comicn00b.blogspot.com

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