Mark Millar Goes To Jupiter...And Back

by Vince Brusio

Intense superhero action that never lets you break for the bathroom or answer your cel phone. That’s the best way of describing what it’s like to read a superhero book from writer Mark Millar. Don't expect it to change anytime soon. With the launch of Jupiter’s Circle #1 (FEB150472), the intensity factor gets turned up to “11,” past becomes prelude, and in this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview the man in charge of Millarworld explains the hurricanes headed for your home have long been planned for perfect execution.

Jupiter's Circle (FEB150472) is in comic shops April 8.

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PREVIEWSworld: Mark, can you explain for us what’s happened creatively between Jupiter’s Legacy and Jupiter’s Circle? Wasn’t’ Jupiter’s Legacy originally planned as a 12-issue series?

Mark Millar: I don't think it was ever twelve. Getting ten of out Frank has been hard enough. I think I promised him FOUR to begin with. But this was always ten issues with double-sized finales. I like to tell a story as quickly as possible and with the least amount of fat.

PREVIEWSworld: What is the focus of Jupiter’s Circle? Where will you be pointing the telescope?

Mark Millar: Jupiter's Legacy is about the children of the world's greatest heroes and their worry that they can never fill the shoes of their incredible parents. Jupiter's Circle is set a generation before, in the Mad Men era, and tells a huge story set when the parents were all young. It's another big event book, but a vast prequel that will be an identical size. Jupiter's Circle is two five-issue volumes just like Jupiter's Legacy, and the idea is — much like the Corleones and the Skywalkers — to explore the lives of a father and son across two generations. The idea behind Jupiter's Circle is that even our parents were young once and we've loved crafting a very different kind of superhero tale, the stuff that goes on in the background of those old comics and cartoon shows we loved as kids. This is about their private lives and their worries and their mistakes. It's a very unusual comic, small and epic at the same time.

PREVIEWSworld: Will readers need previous knowledge of the “Legacy” series in order to put “Circle” into perspective? Or will you be addressing that issue in this new launch?

Mark Millar: No, the series stands alone as a companion series. It begins a lot like the Super-Friends cartoon where we have this voice-over talking about these legendary heroes and where they came from and then it's straight into the adventure, no further explanation required. The opening is actually in the Grand Superhero Graveyard, which looks like the Necropolis in Glasgow if you care to have a Google. This vast area of land way in the future where generations of superheroes from across the universe have been buried in this vast mountain. It starts there and cuts back. The series, like I said, is very self-contained but lots of moments carry on into the Legacy book. We find out about Hutch's father, for example, and his split away from the superheroes. We see Chloe and Brandon's parents getting together. This is very much the other half of the story, but can still be enjoyed in their right.

PREVIEWSworld: How do you feel about this series now that Millarworld is underway with several new titles?

Mark Millar: I love it. I’m just finishing up book two of Jupiter's Legacy and putting the finishing touches to book one of Jupiter's Circle. I'll write the second volume of this book around the time the series launches and then the whole thing is written. I tend to work around a year ahead of publication now so I can get the artists to stockpile. I finished Chrononauts last autumn, for example, and Sean Gordon Murphy will have all bar the final issue in the can before the first issue even gets published. It's an expensive way of working as the artists on these books earn much more than Marvel or DC guys but I love that it means monthly as of 2015. That's a fantastic feeling. Also, all of my books are limited runs and special projects so it's not hard to do. You're never going to see issue 50 of one of my runs.

PREVIEWSworld: Is there anything in particular you want to tease about the upcoming Jupiter’s Circle? If you had some free minutes to blog about a particular scene that tickles your inner geek, what would that scene be?

Mark Millar: I'm going to say two things... the Bill Sienkiewicz variant cover and the Goran Parlov variant cover. If you want to talk about pushing comic fan buttons, this is literally as good as it gets.