Image Comics Jupiter's Legacy, Volume 1 (NETFLIX Edition)

This volume is Jupiter's Circle's first half compendium. If you are looking for the real "Jupiter's Legacy" story, go for volumes 3 and 4.I haven't been much of a comic book collector in the recent years but the Jupiter's Legacy series on Netflix caught my attention and haunted me long after I was done watching it, and since I've learned it was cancelled ( why? ) I felt compelled to buy the comic books to discover what would happen to The Utopian, Brainwave, Skyfox and the others.First of all, this is a prequel to the series and explores the early days of the group's superheroic tales. It's a very interesting tribute to the classic comic books from the 50's and 60's where villains would rob banks instead of murdering people. The difference with those and Jupiter's is that the characters in this comic book are facing real life issues that the comic books of the old days didn't dare to explore yet. Homosexuality ( which was very taboo back then ), cheating, jealousy and treachery amongst heroes were quite unheard of in the early days of Detective Comics. That's a dark side Mark Millar, along with other great artists, decided to explore.For old comic book fans like me, it's overall quite refreshing and got me back into comics after a solid 20 years hiatus. I quit collecting because the business had become a cash grabbing world with issues made solely for commercial purposes, disregarding the art in comic books. There is definitely art in this series however, from the rich, adult story to the retro visuals. The art style mimics the golden age comics appropriately. Even the early challenges they face reflect that era, with simplistic, almost illogical solutions to beat their enemies. It reflects that era of innocence really well. The hardest obstacles that come in the heroes' way are not supervillains but rather inner conflicts, moral dilemmas, blackmail and envy. So it's not that much about superheroes and more about humans with superpowers.Even in 2021, I would say it explores homosexuality in a rather controversial manner, not because of the character Blue Bolt being gay but more about the fact that every panel seems to have him involved in sex-related stuff and nothing else. It would've been interesting to see why exactly Blue Bolt is swapping partners like this, but the books fail to explore his personality and instead has him chasing men around and getting in trouble for it. I think it's a shame, but then again Blue Bolt is depicted as a "carpe diem" kind of guy. Much like Skyfox, he lives in the present tense and doesn't think of the future and what his actions could get him into in the long term.Lady Liberty suffers even more from a lack of exposure. I understand you can't explain everyone's backstory but it would've been good to know a bit more about the only female superheroine of the group.There's also a story involving Fitz AKA The Flare. It's interesting but lingers on a bit too much, in my opinion. Could've been shortened down to a few less panels and it would've been just fine.However, it's clear that Millar wanted to focus on Skyfox, Brainwave and The Utopian. It's a complex relationship that these three have, and I find the panels that involve them to be the most interesting. Ultimately, The Utopian's lack of response to their increasing rivalry proves to be the catalyst for what happens in future issues. The Utopian is the most fascinating character of all; did he let them go on because he didn't want to take sides between his best friend or brother, was it because he wanted to preserve his image as "The Utopian" - a symbol of perfection - or is it because he IS The Utopian and simply can't see the grey side of the world like the rest of us do?Adding cameos of celebrities and politicians to the story was a nice touch. It adds a "what if?" element to the story and draws the heroes closer to our own reality.What makes this comic book a bit weaker compared to the real series ( which starts with Vol. 3 and 4 ) is its pacing. Sometimes the story lingers on just a bit too long. It wouldn't be an issue if not for Vol 3+4 that not only have different, more detailed visuals, but a more compelling story with intense scenes and striking, sometimes disturbing events.Overall, I think it's a good read, but not as good as Jupiter's Legacy. I would recommend that you buy Volume 1 and 2 only if you are a big fan of the series and want to know exactly how the rivalry between Skyfox and Brainwave began and who exactly were Blue Bolt and The Flare (Fitz).

I'm sure the title itself is good but the book came damaged. Seems to have been soaked through prior to shipping...

Honestly, the worst I,ve read in a long time.

Great story but Amazon needs to learn to pack its books better. It arrived with bent pages and corners.

Great loved the Netflix series