Publisher: Image Comics
Author: Mark Millar
Artist: Frank Quitely
Release Date: 29th June 2016

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It’s been a long wait (fortunately we have had Jupiter’s Circle to keep us occupied) but finally the second arc of Legacy is with us. And, I am pleased to report that it most definitely doesn’t disappoint.

The first arc of Legacy is a masterclass in brilliant storytelling from Millar accompanied by some truly stellar art work from Quitely, the latter providing two of the most harrowing death scenes I’ve ever seen in a comic. The children of the superheroes (from Circle) don’t want to be like their parents. They want wealth and popularity and to save the world in ways far removed from the original superheroes. A coup is staged and they take over America forcing their ideas upon a nation that never wanted them. Things begin to deteriorate pretty quickly and the effects are felt around the world.

One superhero has escaped, though. Chloe is the daughter of the murdered Utopian and along with her boyfriend Hutch and eight year old son Jason, she isn’t about to go quietly into the night. Hell no! Instead, they are going to seek out all the Super criminals and join forces against the Superheroes.

Legacy 2 opens with a throwback scene to 1991 showing us how Hutch came to own his power rod. It’s a really touching scene where he meets his father, Skyfox, a member of the old guard. Hutch doesn’t have any of his father’s superpowers yet, but in an excellent McGyver-type moment, Skyfox makes him a power rod just like his favourite superhero, Blue Bolt (I love that his own father isn’t even his favourite superhero). Skip forward to the year 2020 and we find Chloe, Hutch and Jason chasing down Super criminals around the world and convincing them to join their group against the Superheroes.

On the other side of the coin is Chloe’s arrogant and foolish brother Brandon who is being used as the face of the new government by Walter, brother of the fallen Utopian and all round giant asshole. I don’t know about you but I can’t wait until Walter gets his (for want of a better phrase) boot in the balls. Standing in a Supermax prison for so-called super criminals, they don’t seem quite as confident as they did in Legacy 1 when they discover Chloe’s plan.

Legacy 2 seamlessly picks up from the end of the first arc, and also manages to thread in Circle. It is an amazing feat by Millar. The story hasn’t lost any of it’s momentum, and you feel instantly invested in these characters and really find yourself rooting for them. It’s a proper bad guys versus good guys story, and I absolutely love it. It probably goes without saying at this point, but Quitely’s artwork is truly outstanding as usual.  There’s definitely a reason that he’s frequently in the discussion of the all-time greatest comic artists.

Millar and Quitely are obviously an excellent team and the synergy between them shines through in this comic. Sometimes when a series starts a new arc there can be a worry that it might have lost some of the magic that kept you interested in the first place. Not so with Legacy 2. It’s simply a great story, well told.

Rating: A hands down 5/5.

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Interview by: Cat McGlinn
Cat Tweets from @LibraryCat10.

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