JUPITER’S LEGACY: FINALE #2, by Dark Horse Comics on 11/20/24, finds the races of three worlds reeling when they learn the true nature of their existence, and it ain’t good.
Credits:
- Writer: Mark Millar
- Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards
- Colorist: Tommy Lee Edwards
- Letterer: John Workman
- Cover Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards
- Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
- Release Date: November 20, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature (for language)
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of JUPITER’S LEGACY: FINALE #2:
First Impressions:
File Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale #2 under “The One Where Mark Millar Explains It All.” The second issue in the acclaimed superhero saga’s final arc is effectively one long exposition dump, but in true Millar fashion, you’ll hang on to every word when you and the main characters realize their situation is magnitudes worse than anyone could have imagined. Welcome to the “All Hope Is Lost” portion of our story.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left the intergalactic invasion in progress in Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale #1, Utopian arrived on Palorax to stop the execution of Lady Liberty and Sophie while smashing the Queen’s army to halt the invasion of Earth. Suddenly, Utopian is crippled by a psychic attack from the army of Shoboth, who also lays claim to Earth. The issue ended with the Shoboth army’s planet enveloped by a blue mist.
In Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale #2, the issue begins with Lord Xanus and his army returning to Shoboth to investigate the mysterious blue covering that enveloped the planet. They’re shocked to find everything and everyone is gone except for the bare soil beneath their feet. When they return to Palorax, the strange alien the Queen has in her prison tells everyone they have the answers they seek.
Mark Millar begins the issue by showing the possibility of galactic Armageddon is not only possible, but it’s on Palorax’s doorstep. The complete elimination of all life on Shoboth sends shockwaves through everyone when they realize the totality and speed with which the extermination took place.
The alien uses a newer version of a universal translator than the one Utopian used to have to set the record straight about humanoid life. In a nutshell, humanoid life is little more than self-sustaining cattle seeded throughout countless worlds by an advanced race of beings. Once a planet’s population reaches a maximum point, the world is harvested, just like Shoboth. The alien urges everyone present to make peace with the fruitlessness of their lives.
Talk about a mind whammy! How would you feel if you were told and shown that everything you knew about life was a lie? What would you say if you were told your internal need to love and protect was no more than a programmed biological imperative to encourage the herd to grow? What if you learned that hope and God were lies?
The issue ends with followers recognizing the futility of a leader and Utopian refusing to go gentle into that good night.
Overall, Jupiter’s Legacy: Finale #2 pulls off a minor miracle by making an issue-long exposition dump gripping. Mark Millar puts Utopian and his family in the worst possible spot with a completely unpredictable path forward.
Artwork and Presentation:
Tommy Lee Edwards has a ball giving readers one montage after another to narrate the alien’s sorry-not-sorry rant about the true nature of humanoid existence in the universe. Edwards’s painterly style gives the story a grounded aesthetic while balancing out realism with beautifully otherworldly vistas.
Art Samples:
Final Thoughts:
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JUPITER’S LEGACY: FINALE #2 pulls off the miraculous by delivering an issue-long exposition dump that lays out the stakes of Utopian’s dilemma that is anything but boring. Mark Millar’s exceptional writing will leave you hanging on every word, and Tommy Lee Edwards’s artwork is a perfect mix of realism and alien fantasy.
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