A review by drtlovesbooks
Jupiter's Circle, Vol. 2, by Mark Millar
4.0
What it's about: This next volume continues the story of the original superheroes, exploring how their lives and relationships are impacted by what they do - and what they're capable of doing.
This book brings betrayals and brotherhood, the end of eras and the beginning of new ways of seeing the world.
Why I rated it like I did: This book continues to build on the realism-within-a-superhero-world Millar loves. And it evolves in an interesting way. Some of the characters start to question whether what they are doing is actually helping the world, or whether they're just preserving an unequal and racist system. This is an interesting spin on heroism, one that harkens back to some of the "Hard Travelling Heroes" stories DC did in the 70s with Green Arrow and Green Lantern. These types of examinations of what it might mean to have superpowers in the real world feels particularly relevant in the modern age, when the issue of systemic racism and classism are growing in the public consciousness.
One thing I realized while reading this book is that it's EXTREMELY white. The main cast is all white, and many of the side characters are white. Until the book specifically moves into considering the Civil Rights movement, there's not a non-white character to be found.
Part of this would probably be explained by the fact that the group of friends is American and from the early part of the 20th century - some might say this provides cover for the group to be so white, because that's "how it would have been". And yet, Millar managed to get a girl into the group of otherwise-male characters in what seems a bit of an out-of-historical-context decision. So...
This book brings betrayals and brotherhood, the end of eras and the beginning of new ways of seeing the world.
Why I rated it like I did: This book continues to build on the realism-within-a-superhero-world Millar loves. And it evolves in an interesting way. Some of the characters start to question whether what they are doing is actually helping the world, or whether they're just preserving an unequal and racist system. This is an interesting spin on heroism, one that harkens back to some of the "Hard Travelling Heroes" stories DC did in the 70s with Green Arrow and Green Lantern. These types of examinations of what it might mean to have superpowers in the real world feels particularly relevant in the modern age, when the issue of systemic racism and classism are growing in the public consciousness.
One thing I realized while reading this book is that it's EXTREMELY white. The main cast is all white, and many of the side characters are white. Until the book specifically moves into considering the Civil Rights movement, there's not a non-white character to be found.
Part of this would probably be explained by the fact that the group of friends is American and from the early part of the 20th century - some might say this provides cover for the group to be so white, because that's "how it would have been". And yet, Millar managed to get a girl into the group of otherwise-male characters in what seems a bit of an out-of-historical-context decision. So...