Jupiter's Legacy: Requiem #5
Things get very complicated for the Hutchence-Samson family in Jupiter's Legacy: Requiem #5, by writer Mark Millar, artist Matthew Dow Smith, colorist Giovanna Niro, and letterer John Workman. Millar expertly combines emotion and action in this one, and it works brilliantly.
This issue definitely feels like the calm before the storm, as the Hutchence-Samsons confront Hutch about his last chapter, something that brings everyone closer together, except for Chloe and Hutch. Meanwhile, Utopian's wife has sex with the Paloraxian prince again, and her daughter Maisie can hear the whole thing. Things move quickly after that, as long-planned plots are put into motion.
There's something about the journey that Millar takes the characters and readers on in this issue that makes it so unique. The beginning seems like it's going to be the whole family reading the riot act to Hutch, especially when Lady Liberty shows up, but it's actually the opposite; Hutch still loves Lady Liberty and wants to tell everyone the real reason he left, but Chloe won't let him. Sophie hears the whole exchange, and it changes the way she looks at her mother. Otto is back with everyone. Things are looking okay.
Until they aren't. It all starts with Utopian's wife and Maisie's reaction to the whole thing and just goes from there. All of the good feelings that Millar built in the first half of the story slowly but surely vanish, and everything takes a terrible turn, one that's eerily reminiscent of Jupiter's Legacy past. Millar busts the whole story open at this point, and readers see what's been developing behind the scenes. This issue shows a level of artistry that most people mistakenly think Millar is incapable of, and it almost feels like he's trying to remind people just how good he can be with this issue in particular and this book in general.
Matthew Dow Smith is on art instead of Tommy Lee Edwards. They have similar styles, so there's still an artistic continuity. There are a lot of great panels in this issue, from Sophie realizing the truth about her parents so Maisie's emotional completely justified breakdown because she knows what her mother to doing to a spread of the heroes ready to go to Palorax in front of the Statue of Liberty. While Edwards is missed, Smith does a good job in his stead.
Jupiter's Legacy: Requiem #5 is a magnificent piece of writing. There's a reason that this book is month in and month out one of the best superhero books on the market, and this issue is a perfect indication of why. Millar builds the reader up, only to tear it all down and leave it all up in the air for the next issue. Smith takes over for Edwards and does a great job. All in all, another stellar issue.
