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Jupiter's Legacy #4
Jupiter's Circle, Vol. 2
In mid-century America, the world's greatest superheroes triumph in their public battles, while struggling with private ones. Social and political unrest take a personal toll as suspicion and betrayal cast a shadow over the most trusted friendships.
Collects JUPITER'S CIRCLE VOL. 2 #1-6
Collects JUPITER'S CIRCLE VOL. 2 #1-6
152 pages, Paperback
First published June 29, 2016
16 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Mark Millar
1,512 books2,564 followersMark 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, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
December 7, 2025
(B+) 79% | Good
Notes: Philosophy/pathology, on private pain withstood, human flaws, what irks and gnaws, what's right: the greater good.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1–2 ◦ Issues #3–4 ◦ Issues #5–6
Notes: Philosophy/pathology, on private pain withstood, human flaws, what irks and gnaws, what's right: the greater good.
*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1–2 ◦ Issues #3–4 ◦ Issues #5–6
May 6, 2021
2021
I'm re-reading in preparation for the tv show. Still really enjoyed this, and would recommend it to someone looking for something a bit outside of the Marvel or DC heroes.
I can also totally understand why this has been relabeled Jupiter's Legacy Vol. 2 Netflix Edition. It makes more sense if you're trying to figure out what to read first.
2018
After this is over you head to Jupiter's Legacy.
The backstory of Hutch's father, George, is done quite well in this. You really get a better feel for him and what he was trying to accomplish in this volume. And, of course, you get the confirmation that Walter was always a slimy snake in the grass.
The biggest surprise (for me) came with the revelation that Grace and Sheldon weren't always a couple, though.
I thought it was fairly clever the way Millar had them end up together . It was interesting to see Grace struggle to attract men even though she had it all, and it was equally interesting to see George's romance with a Lois Lane-type.
I still wish we had found out more about how and why the aliens gave them their powers, but perhaps Millar will come back to this title someday.
Recommended for fans of superhero stories.
I'm re-reading in preparation for the tv show. Still really enjoyed this, and would recommend it to someone looking for something a bit outside of the Marvel or DC heroes.
I can also totally understand why this has been relabeled Jupiter's Legacy Vol. 2 Netflix Edition. It makes more sense if you're trying to figure out what to read first.
2018
After this is over you head to Jupiter's Legacy.
The backstory of Hutch's father, George, is done quite well in this. You really get a better feel for him and what he was trying to accomplish in this volume. And, of course, you get the confirmation that Walter was always a slimy snake in the grass.
The biggest surprise (for me) came with the revelation that Grace and Sheldon weren't always a couple, though.
I thought it was fairly clever the way Millar had them end up together . It was interesting to see Grace struggle to attract men even though she had it all, and it was equally interesting to see George's romance with a Lois Lane-type.
I still wish we had found out more about how and why the aliens gave them their powers, but perhaps Millar will come back to this title someday.
Recommended for fans of superhero stories.
April 27, 2024
The story of the past of this costumed super hero reality continues in this second volume, in which we get the full story of the fall of one of the founder members and the darkness and schism that were forming in the heart of the team that led to the events of Jupiter's Legacy volume one. This volume probably has more story than the previous volumes, but it works well, as characterisation is still shown and developed, and fundamental parts of the mythos are further established. The creative continues to somehow carve out such a detailed and well thought our reality across so few volumes. 8 out of 12, Four Star read.
October 18, 2021
Further backstory of the Utopian and his team in the 60's.
The Good: I found the takes on The Utopian and SkyFox interesting and the rest boring as hell.
The Bad: SkyFox and his experiences with 60's counterculture should have been further explored. In fact, I would have rather seen the book explore just that and left the rest behind. Instead, it's really only touched on in one issue.
The Ugly: Felt like a cash grab to me. There's not much of substance here.
The Good: I found the takes on The Utopian and SkyFox interesting and the rest boring as hell.
The Bad: SkyFox and his experiences with 60's counterculture should have been further explored. In fact, I would have rather seen the book explore just that and left the rest behind. Instead, it's really only touched on in one issue.
The Ugly: Felt like a cash grab to me. There's not much of substance here.
May 22, 2021
İlk cilde oranla çok daha iyi, ancak halen hem dünyanın durumu hem de kahramanların sahip olduğu güçlerin net bir şekilde verilmemiş olması biraz can sıkıcı. Yine de karakterlerin hikayelerin ayrık değil de bütün bölümlere yayılmış olmasını sevdim. Okumaya devam edeceğim.
October 15, 2016
Just like volume 1, it's okay...
Like I want to love it, but I don't. I don't hate it though, just comes off very filler. So we have a story that's more focused this time. See the fall of it all, how friends break apart, how heroes stay heroes, and how villains grow behind the scenes. It just feels all neat...rushed at the same time...I dunno something about these two volumes just doesn't capture the same "OMG" feel that Legacy did. I still can't wait for Legacy volume 2 but these I could have lived without....but still somewhat enjoyable.
SO a 2.5/5.
Like I want to love it, but I don't. I don't hate it though, just comes off very filler. So we have a story that's more focused this time. See the fall of it all, how friends break apart, how heroes stay heroes, and how villains grow behind the scenes. It just feels all neat...rushed at the same time...I dunno something about these two volumes just doesn't capture the same "OMG" feel that Legacy did. I still can't wait for Legacy volume 2 but these I could have lived without....but still somewhat enjoyable.
SO a 2.5/5.
September 25, 2021
Ekipteki ihanet şüphesi olayları çok ilginç noktalara taşıyor. Devamında neler olacak merak ettim. İlk ciltten daha derli topluydu
April 15, 2021
This was a great book as we have the focus on Sheldon and his wife Jane and their perfect relationship and then a story with George on his own fighting for the common man, being a liberal and all that and that kind of brings the political questions with the superheroes, are they just tools of the govt and the other one is a story about how he finally joins the team again only to find what Walter did with Sunny and the big fight and his crescendo into becoming a villain and then a story about the breakup of Jane and Sheldon because weird reasons and coming full circle with the prelude, its an alright volume and like just fills up the gap of Jupiter's legacy. While I liked the first volume this one was meh and poor and had just characters acting out wonkily just because plot demanded it and Skyfox was not wrong tbh and it also brings some flaws of The Utopian into the forefront, also the art felt a bit rushed and not that good.
October 29, 2016
Bullet Review:
I almost find this more enjoyable and tolerable than vol 1. Sure it's nothing new but eh, it was a fun hour on the elliptical.
I almost find this more enjoyable and tolerable than vol 1. Sure it's nothing new but eh, it was a fun hour on the elliptical.
March 5, 2018
While I'm giving this the same rating as volume 1, I think the story gets better in this volume. In this volume we begin to get some characterization, and for me it is the portrayals of Sheldon and George, with Grace being close behind them that makes this a better read.
And, that is not meant as a slight to Grace. Her character is given fewer pages than Sheldon and George, and unfortunately I think the aspects of her character that were beginning to be developed, her loneliness, was just being explored.
George goes from drunken playboy lout of the 1950s to a a 1960s radical. While his actions might not fit the definition of super hero for some, George sees himself as doing the right thing, and asking a question that all super heroes should ask-is beating up super villains treating the symptoms and not the real problems of society?
While Sheldon takes a different journey to reach the same conclusion as George, Sheldon remains a more likable person. He may be TOO perfect, but I really come away feeling that his heart is always in the right place.
Millar even tosses in a easter egg of sort to his and Morrison's work on Aztek.
While Jupiter's Legacy might have been published first, I think, like the Vorkosigan Saga, this series is going to play out better in read within the series' chronological hiostory.
And, that is not meant as a slight to Grace. Her character is given fewer pages than Sheldon and George, and unfortunately I think the aspects of her character that were beginning to be developed, her loneliness, was just being explored.
George goes from drunken playboy lout of the 1950s to a a 1960s radical. While his actions might not fit the definition of super hero for some, George sees himself as doing the right thing, and asking a question that all super heroes should ask-is beating up super villains treating the symptoms and not the real problems of society?
While Sheldon takes a different journey to reach the same conclusion as George, Sheldon remains a more likable person. He may be TOO perfect, but I really come away feeling that his heart is always in the right place.
Millar even tosses in a easter egg of sort to his and Morrison's work on Aztek.
While Jupiter's Legacy might have been published first, I think, like the Vorkosigan Saga, this series is going to play out better in read within the series' chronological hiostory.
completed-series
February 11, 2017Mr. Millar continues to ask the hard questions about our superheroes: What happens when good superheros aren't good enough for the powers they acquire? Can humanity survive even the best of superhumans?
June 6, 2021
İyi ki Watchmen yapılmış yoksa bu kadar türev nasıl çıkacaktı? Sanırım artık bu tip süper kahraman çizgi romanlarına -dalga geçse, eleştirse bile- tahamülüm kalmamış. Burda bırakmak sanıyorum en doğrusu. Alternatif çizgi roman her zaman çok ama çok daha iyi bir seçenek.
April 2, 2018
A mishmash of quality artists improve the look of this second volume slightly, but the story remains a pale reflection of the superhero soap opera Jay Faerber pulled off much better in his Noble Causes series.
Oh, and why would anyone want to do a tribute to Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor? I'm still trying to forget that performance myself.
Oh, and why would anyone want to do a tribute to Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor? I'm still trying to forget that performance myself.
December 21, 2016
Now we are cookin'! (story-wise)
though (art-wise) we still miss, ... Frank Q. :(
though (art-wise) we still miss, ... Frank Q. :(
June 22, 2017
Completely dull, inessential, unnecessary, etc.
December 11, 2023
Jupiter's Cirle Vol. 2 or Jupiter's Legacy Vol. 2 Netflix Edition is continuing the story of the Union, the group of the greatest heroes of Mark Millar's Universe.
In this volume we get to know more about the Utopian and Skyfox and you really get to understand why and how some things happened. I liked how every character is written here because it feels very real and grounded even if we're talking about heroes obviously mirroring DC's Justice League.
The art here is by a lot of different artists but it remains consistent and good enough for the story. But it's nothing special.
In conclusion I really enjoyed Jupiter's Circle and I only wish it was longer.
Recommended.
In this volume we get to know more about the Utopian and Skyfox and you really get to understand why and how some things happened. I liked how every character is written here because it feels very real and grounded even if we're talking about heroes obviously mirroring DC's Justice League.
The art here is by a lot of different artists but it remains consistent and good enough for the story. But it's nothing special.
In conclusion I really enjoyed Jupiter's Circle and I only wish it was longer.
Recommended.
September 25, 2023
After recently finishing the two volumes of Jupiter’s Legacy, I was intrigued to read the two prequels which detailed the six heroes' early days. While Mark Millar remained the author, the artist switched to Wilfredo Torres, with the two covers by original artist Frank Quitely.
There is a true shocker in this book, as it is revealed that The Utopian, married his fiancé upon first returning when you assumed he and Lady Liberty had married immediately.
The rest of this second book deals with the fallout of Skyfox leaving the team because of his broken heart, and how he gets mixed up with some Vietnam War and Civil Rights protestors. He briefly reunites with the team, just for a final confrontation with Brainwave. Skyfox is then cast out, becoming a villain.
Because of the recent Netflix series (which was very uneven), these four books have been repackaged online on Hoopla as Jupiter’s Legacy Book One and Two, with the original two as Books Three and Four. While I understand the reasoning for doing so, reading it in that order does a disservice to the series, for these prequels are rather trite and soapy, so if you read them first you might not want to continue to the next better two. Miller is planning a sequel, Jupiter’s Requiem, which I’d be curious to read and hope that the entire series as a whole lives up to the promise of how it began.
This review (plus V1) can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/05/2...
There is a true shocker in this book, as it is revealed that The Utopian, married his fiancé upon first returning when you assumed he and Lady Liberty had married immediately.
The rest of this second book deals with the fallout of Skyfox leaving the team because of his broken heart, and how he gets mixed up with some Vietnam War and Civil Rights protestors. He briefly reunites with the team, just for a final confrontation with Brainwave. Skyfox is then cast out, becoming a villain.
Because of the recent Netflix series (which was very uneven), these four books have been repackaged online on Hoopla as Jupiter’s Legacy Book One and Two, with the original two as Books Three and Four. While I understand the reasoning for doing so, reading it in that order does a disservice to the series, for these prequels are rather trite and soapy, so if you read them first you might not want to continue to the next better two. Miller is planning a sequel, Jupiter’s Requiem, which I’d be curious to read and hope that the entire series as a whole lives up to the promise of how it began.
This review (plus V1) can be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/05/2...
July 26, 2022
(Zero spoiler review) 2.75/5
Yeah, so didn't dig this one as much as the first volume. Despite its first and last issue being the strongest collected here, the points I praised volume one for took a back seat, and the things I didn't like called shotgun and rode up front, then turned to me in the back, poked its tongue out and blew raspberries in my face. Of course I'm talking about This book ramping up the generic superhero angle. An angle which, due to Millar's very sparse writing style (again something I complimented in the first book), takes the weakest element in the story, then waters it down even more. If you can actually feel immersed during the two issues of flat, tepid superhero antics, you're a far more forgiving reader than I am. There's that, and then there is Millar ramping up his political views even more so here. Maybe he got them out of the way early in volume one, so he had four solid issues to wipe the taste of it from my mouth, but its smack bang in the middle here, and there was too much average-ness going on around it to pull it from the mire. Not to mention we got one of the most unearned, ridiculous 180 character turns in this book. I like what it set up, but its hard to get invested in the outcome when the incident itself was so monumentally ridiculous and poorly executed. Go on, see if you can guess which one. I'm sure it will stand out like a sore thumb for you too. Hope volume three picks up the slack. 2.75/5
OmniBen.
Yeah, so didn't dig this one as much as the first volume. Despite its first and last issue being the strongest collected here, the points I praised volume one for took a back seat, and the things I didn't like called shotgun and rode up front, then turned to me in the back, poked its tongue out and blew raspberries in my face. Of course I'm talking about This book ramping up the generic superhero angle. An angle which, due to Millar's very sparse writing style (again something I complimented in the first book), takes the weakest element in the story, then waters it down even more. If you can actually feel immersed during the two issues of flat, tepid superhero antics, you're a far more forgiving reader than I am. There's that, and then there is Millar ramping up his political views even more so here. Maybe he got them out of the way early in volume one, so he had four solid issues to wipe the taste of it from my mouth, but its smack bang in the middle here, and there was too much average-ness going on around it to pull it from the mire. Not to mention we got one of the most unearned, ridiculous 180 character turns in this book. I like what it set up, but its hard to get invested in the outcome when the incident itself was so monumentally ridiculous and poorly executed. Go on, see if you can guess which one. I'm sure it will stand out like a sore thumb for you too. Hope volume three picks up the slack. 2.75/5
OmniBen.
February 28, 2017
(3.5) But i rounded up because i like the series. I barely remember vol.1 having read it over 1 year ago but i like this series even if it directly resembles watchmen its just easier to digest. Vol.2 focuses on Skyfox, Lady Liberty, and Utopian. Skyfox ends up kidnapping the vice president in return he wants the US to leave Vietnam. Lady Liberty struggles with her personal loneliness and the Utopian deals with his crumbling marriage. Millar really focuses on the personal lives of all these supers and in the back ground a mystery slowly boils about the source and subject of their powers. We know how brainwave betrays them all but its all about the middle and how things got so bad. The device Utopian finds on the jupiter moon is a nice detail considering the name of the series but he don't get much to chomp on. I will say the art its that spectacular, I wish Frank Quitely did the whole book.
September 25, 2023
A sequel to a prequel that explores these superheroes' decision to take a stance in human politics and dilemma while fighting off extinction-level threats. A heavier focus is put on Utopian's own plight as the perfect hero and how far he'd go to create a utopia.
April 18, 2021
More of the same from Volume one. Unfortunately.
My review from Jupiter's Legacy, Volume 1 pretty much sums up my thoughts about Volume 2.
My review from Jupiter's Legacy, Volume 1 pretty much sums up my thoughts about Volume 2.
May 29, 2021
After watching the Netflix take on this I had to go back and remind myself of the original.
It holds up and for different reasons I do prefer this and The Boys as subversive super heroes...rather than the more revered Watchmenn..
We get a view of flawed supers here...and the super villains tend to be secondary characters here..that's just fine.
It holds up and for different reasons I do prefer this and The Boys as subversive super heroes...rather than the more revered Watchmenn..
We get a view of flawed supers here...and the super villains tend to be secondary characters here..that's just fine.
October 18, 2021
This one is more focused than the previous volume, with a larger focus on Skyfox and why he was alienated from the group. Utopian’s story with his wife was also great. Provides some good backstory to the characters from Jupiter’s Legacy, and I enjoyed it.
September 7, 2023
Interestingly enough, I’ve swapped how I felt about this volume with how I felt about the last volume. I cared a bit more about these characters, but much less about where this story is going. Curious how I would’ve benefitted if I didn’t read these “prequel” books first.
March 16, 2021
"What are we?
Who made us?
Why do we love our children so much?"
Who made us?
Why do we love our children so much?"
May 11, 2021
ideas that start but - since you know where the story is going since it's a prequel - don't end. useless.
June 4, 2021
Very good indeed! Mostly all the same comment as the previous volume. Love the style and I'm very curious to see how the switch in time/era will effect the storytelling! Let's find out!
June 3, 2021
ÜTOPYACI!!!! Sonunda bağlandığım ve yüksek duygular yaşamamı sağlayan bir karakter. <3 Devamını çok merak ettim. Göktilkisi seni sonsuz destekliyorum.
September 28, 2017
The story of the every day struggles of superheroes' personal lives continues in Volume 2 of Jupiter's Circle. While I do feel you need to know the characters from Legacy and the first volume, the characterization and scandal explored in this volume only raised the bar of the quality of the writing.
July 26, 2016
The first volume of Jupiter's Circle was largely a character piece, focusing on three of the heroes with a strong spotlight on the '50s. This one is much more a plotted story that acts as a prelude to events in Jupiter's Legacy — focusing on the attitudes of certain heroes and the general roles of heroes in society. It's also got a bit of focus on the '60s, mainly through the attitudes of George, but that's not as important as the '50s of volume 1. Overall, this volume is not quite as strong as its predecessor, but it's a nice stepping stone that increasingly illuminates what's going on in the modern day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews