Jupiter's Legacy (comic)

Jupiter's Legacy
Cover to issue #1 by Frank Quitely
Publication information
Publisher	Image Comics
Schedule	Irregular
Format	Limited series
Genre	Superhero
Publication date	(vol. 1) April 2013 – June 2016 (vol. 2) June 2016 – July 2017
No. of issues	(vol. 1) 10 (#1–10) (vol. 2) 5 (#1–5)
Creative team
Written by	Mark Millar
Artist(s)	Frank Quitely, Wilfredo Torres, Davide Gianfelice, Chris Sprouse, Tommy Lee Edwards, Ty Templeton
Letterer(s)	Peter Doherty
Colorist(s)	Peter Doherty

Jupiter's Legacy is an American superhero comic book series, first published in 2013, written by Mark Millar, drawn by Frank Quitely, colored and lettered by Peter Doherty and published by Image Comics. Published as a series of eponymous limited series and interstitial prequel miniseries, it is to date the longest series that Millar had published as part of his Millarworld line of creator-owned comics, spanning an issue run three times as long as his then-most recent series, Supercrooks and Nemesis.^[1] It was also the first collaboration between Millar and Quitely since their work on The Authority in 2001,^[2][3] and Quitely's first long-form work with a writer other than Grant Morrison.^[3]

The story, which is influenced by Star Wars, King Kong, Roman mythology and origin stories from the Golden Age of Comics, was written as Millar's treatise on superheroes' connection to the American ideal. The first few issues of the opening story arc explore the generational conflict between a group of aging superheroes known as the Union, who used the powers they gained in 1932 for the betterment of mankind, in particular their leader, Sheldon Sampson (also known as the Utopian), and their children, who are daunted by the prospect of living up to their parents' legacy. Other conflicts and themes in the book include sociopolitical and economic differences among the older heroes and the end of capitalism, in the form of Sheldon's differences with his brother, Walter, which were inspired by Millar's reaction to the Great Recession.^[4]

The series received generally positive reviews,^[5] with praise given to Millar's writing, Quitely's art and Peter Doherty's colors, though more than one reviewer regarded the series' take on realistic superheroes as derivative.^{[3][6][7][8][9]}

The series' storyline is further explored in the spinoff series Jupiter's Circle, which depicts the lives of the six founding members of the Union in the 1950s and 1960s. The first volume of the spinoff debuted in 2015, and the second in November 2015.^[10] The sequel series Jupiter's Legacy: Requiem, which continues the storyline decades after the end of the original series, debuted in June 2021, also yielding positive critical reception.^[11]

In April 2015, it was announced that Millar had partnered with film producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to adapt Jupiter's Legacy into feature films.^[12] In 2018, it was announced that Netflix, which acquired Millarworld the previous year, was developing a television adaptation of the comic series, with Steven S. DeKnight hired as showrunner and one of the executive producers.^[13] The series lasted one season.^[14]