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Jupiter's Circle #1

(Jupiter's Circle #1)

Mark Millar (Goodreads Author) (Writer),

Wilfredo Torres (Artist)

3.59 · Rating details · 92 ratings · 9 reviews

The most celebrated superheroes in mid-century America seem to have it all— fame, riches, adoration—but tensions simmer beneath the glossy surface, threatening to crack open the secrets behind their public AND private exploits. Before the family dynasty in JUPITER’S LEGACY began, there was JUPITER’S CIRCLE—a story about a team whose personal dramas collide with super-power ...more

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Paperback, 30 pages

Published April 8th 2015 by Image

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Apr 08, 2015 Sam Quixote rated it did not like it

Mark Millar said that Jupiter’s Legacy was inspired, at least in part, by Carrie Fisher’s memoirs of growing up in the shadow of two famous parents; I’m guessing that for Jupiter’s Circle, a spinoff and prequel to Legacy, he read Full Service by Scotty Bowers, a memoir of a man described as a “sex fixer” to the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Bowers was a gas station attendant as well as a gigolo who catered to stars who had to be discreet about their liaisons, like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Mark Millar said that Jupiter’s Legacy was inspired, at least in part, by Carrie Fisher’s memoirs of growing up in the shadow of two famous parents; I’m guessing that for Jupiter’s Circle, a spinoff and prequel to Legacy, he read Full Service by Scotty Bowers, a memoir of a man described as a “sex fixer” to the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Bowers was a gas station attendant as well as a gigolo who catered to stars who had to be discreet about their liaisons, like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, who were rumoured to be in a sham marriage to throw people off of their true, homosexual natures. (Hepburn makes a cameo in this comic as the host of a Hollywood sex party)

A similar character appears in Jupiter’s Circle, which is set in the late 1950s and takes a look at the cast back when they were young. A superhero called Blue-Bolt saves the world alongside his fellow heroes by day and embraces his gay sexuality by night. Also in this issue is an alien squid which attacks a North American city out of the blue. Doesn’t all of this sound like a less interesting and shallow re-tread of parts of Watchmen?

The first volume of Jupiter’s Legacy may not have been a great book but it was still Millar’s foremost work in recent years and the best part, besides Frank Quitely’s contributions, was seeing the characters first get their superpowers and what happened next, which was left blank - that area had enormous potential. And instead Millar’s squandered it on some gossipy nonsense about a superhero trapped in the closet.

Who is Blue-Bolt anyway? Of the superheroes we saw in Legacy, I don’t remember him and he doesn’t seem like the obvious choice for a prequel. Why not focus on Walter, or Sheldon, or Grace - characters who we actually know a bit about and would be a more logical choice to star in a prequel?

Speaking of Quitely, he provides the cover to the issue but nothing else besides. Artist of Dynamite’s The Shadow, Wilfredo Torres, draws the interior art though, while not bad, it unfortunately isn’t nearly as breathtaking as Quitely’s work in Legacy. It’s a much more generic look that matches Millar’s lacklustre script.

Jupiter’s Circle #1 describes itself as an “epic” prequel though, going by this first issue, it’s anything but. Underwhelming, pedestrian superhero comics - don’t bother. ...more

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Aug 13, 2017 Christine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: comic-books, kindle-freebie, lgbt

Interesting take on what a gay superhero would have to deal with in the 1950s.

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Jun 06, 2015 Carol rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone who enjoyed Jupiter's Legacy

Shelves: graphic-novels, millar

I didn't realise that there was a prequel to Jupiter's Legacy in the works so imagine my surprise when I took one of my rare trips to the nearest comic book store, Forbidden Planet (which is about a 2 hour drive from my home), and spot issue 3 on the shelf. First I was excited and then dissapointed (I assumed I'd missed the first 2 and would have to wait for an omnibus) and then excited again as they had copies of issue 1 and 2! Joy!! And even better, issue 1 has multiple covers (I bought the pr ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Sai Rahul Poruri rated it liked it

I am mildly interested in continuing this series. The art is beautiful and i have a lot of respect for Mark Miller. Not eager, just interested.

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Jun 20, 2017 I DRM Free rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 23, 2021 Rebecca Crunden rated it really liked it

Shelves: comics, historical-fiction, lgbt-fiction

An LGBT centric superhero tale set in the McCarthy/Lavender Scare era when persecution was well under way. Curious to see how this unfolds, but I'm nervous it's gonna be super depressing :'( ...more

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Nov 06, 2016 C. Varn rated it really liked it

This is a deconstruction of the Justice League, a la the Watchman, but Millar is not nearly as cynical as Moore, and the setting of the 1950s instead of an alternate universe 1980s also helps. The characters are portrayed as humans, with affairs and smoking cigarettes like one is watching Madman. Millar delivers though because while it is complicated and their sex scandals and heartbreak, there are truly moral pillars in the comic and it does not feel entirely cynical or edgy. The art is great a ...more

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Jun 08, 2015 Kamal rated it it was amazing

What if Mad Men and Super Friends had a baby. Well, Mark Millar has shown us what that kid would be like. With all the hype that the Superhero genre is getting these days, this very enjoyable series may get short shrift, but I think that it should be on all comicbook aficionado's reading lists. ...more

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May 15, 2015 Whitney Maas rated it liked it

Shelves: adorable, action-violence, fiction, graphic-novel, illustrated, sci-fi

Very old timey and cute.

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About Mark Millar

Mark Millar

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Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupit ...more