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Thursday, May 6, 2021

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com ARTS

Super strength. Lightning speed. 

Telepathy. These are just a few of the 
superpowers the heroes of Netflix’s 
new series “Jupiter’s Legacy” unleash 
on their enemies. But after a century 
of putting criminals behind bars, 
these superheroes’ efforts to restore 
justice 
have 
become 
increasingly 

controversial. 

The series is based on Mark 

Millar’s comic of the same name. 
The Millarworld production focuses 
on the lives of those working for the 
Union, a group of superheroes who 
achieved their powers during the Great 
Depression of the 1930s. Ever since, 
they have been led by The Utopian 
(Josh 
Duhamel, 
“Safe 
Haven”), 

husband to Lady Liberty (Leslie Bibb, 
“The Lost Husband”) and father of 
two 
young 
heroes. 
Unfortunately, 

the standards he sets for his children 
are practically impossible to reach, 
creating a complicated and toxic family 
dynamic.

Times have changed, though, and 

the corruption of the 21st century far 

surpasses that of previous decades. 
As society changes, the original code 
set by The Utopian — to never kill — 
is being called into question by both 
civilians and Union members alike. 
With a new generation of heroes and 
a different set of problems, the values 
once upheld are becoming outdated. 
And so, even when the superhero suits 
come off and the crime-fighting ceases 
for the day, the drama continues.

At 
a 
recent 
roundtable 
with 

members of the cast, Andrew Horton, 
who plays The Utopian’s son, Brandon 
Sampson, noted that the show differs 
from other superhero stories. He 

stated that, unlike Marvel and DC 
productions, “Jupiter’s Legacy” is more 
of a “human story … it’s almost more 
of a drama than a superhero, action-
packed show.” This is because the 
plot doesn’t just consist of repetitive 
fight scenes between good guys and 
bad guys. Rather, it focuses on the 
underlying character relationships: a 
mother and daughter; a father and son; 
a sister and brother. In fact, it’s with 
the exploration of these dynamics that 
Millar’s comic series combats this idea 
of good versus evil altogether.

Matt Lanter (“90210”), who plays 

villain George Hutch, discussed this 
aspect of the show. Specifically, he 
spoke about the misconception that the 
world is either black or white, moral or 
immoral, which occurs throughout the 
show and creates many rifts amongst 
the characters. Yet, as Lanter stated 
and the show aims to prove, “there’re 
shades of grey everywhere,” and that 
underneath the masks and without the 
capes, these superheroes are humans 
living in an imperfect world. 

“Jupiter’s Legacy” is not like the 

average Superman or Batman movie. 
This doesn’t mean it lacks the action and 
entertainment these other productions 

provide audiences with; there is just 
a greater reflection on real-life issues. 
Horton spoke about how this factor of 
the show made it that much easier for 
him to relate to a character that he is, in 
actuality, very different from. He stated 
that he “couldn’t necessarily connect 
with super speed, super strength, and 
the ability to fly, but coming back to 
the human characteristics is what 
makes the show so interesting … so 
much more than your run-of-the-mill 
superhero show.” This sentiment was 
echoed by other members of the cast.

One paragraph into P. Djèlí 

Clark’s “A Master of Djinn,” 
the 
chronically 
truant 
self-

preservation muscle in my brain 
jerked to life and hit pause. The 
novel is too well crafted, too 
interesting, too readable. It’s a 
magical detective story set in 
pre-World War I Cairo narrated 
by no-nonsense special agent 
Fatma 
el-Sha’arawi 
and 
her 

plucky, 
paperwork-loving, 

hijab-wearing 
junior, 
Hadia 

Abdel Hafez. It is set in the 
same world as other books 
from the same author but is 
a 
stand-alone 
story. 
From 

its 
base 
components 
alone, 

mathematically 
speaking, 

“A Master of Djinn” almost 
overwhelmed me (and my exam 
study schedule).

Once started, “A Master of 

Djinn” is a fast read. Clark 
creates a compelling fantasy 
setting full of representation. 
Despite 
being 
marketed 
as 

steampunk, 
the 
novel 
is 
a 

detective, police procedural at 
its core. When twenty members 
of a secret society are brutally 
murdered, special agent Fatma 
and her new partner Hadia are 
tasked with locating the killer. 
Together, they unravel a larger 
magical 
plot 
within 
their 

Egyptian home city. 

Set before WWI, the novel 

imagines 
a 
world 
before 

American 
hegemony 
and 

nuclear 
power. 
In 
Fatma’s 

metropolitan Cairo, the local 
zeitgeist is one of possibility, 
with 
energy 
wild 
and 

unpredictable. The world is less 
surveilled, less formed at the 
turn of the century. But Clark 
does not settle for easy first 
impressions of a halcyon past. 
Considering the many social 
identities 
of 
the 
characters, 

the novel would be incomplete 
without 
a 
consideration 

of 
power 
structures 
and 

imperialism. 
Clark 
mindfully 

engages with the past, forcing 
his characters to move through 
a world recognizable in its 
colonialism, 
colorism 
and 

religion. Fatma’s friend Benny, 
a 
Jim 
Crow-era 
American 

ex-pat, 
helps 
contextualize 

and ground Clark’s expansive 

world. 
Perhaps, 
instead 
of 

the 
Djinns 
and 
Priestesses, 

the 
most 
fantastical 
aspect 

of Clark’s novel is its ability 
to recall a tantalizingly vast, 
flawed and cautiously hopeful 
world.

“A Master of Djinn” is an 

amazingly 
consistent 
read. 

Clark is a competent storyteller 
and a master of unobtrusive 
style. 
While 
the 
ultimate 

mystery is not hard to puzzle 
out 
three-quarters 
in, 
the 

characters are vibrant and the 
plot is sound. Some writers have 
stylistic ticks that require more 
deliberate 
reading; 
fantasy 

writers, in particular, have an 
unfortunate tendency to “info-
dump,” 
front-loading 
their 

worldbuilding and characters. 
Most fantasy classics require 
some measure of indelicate, 
brute mental force to break into 
the center of the novel. Clark 
breaks that mold, presenting 
a digestible and compelling 
fantasy landscape. His writing 
exemplifies how such a novel 
should be paced, most notably 
in 
how 
he 
distributes 
and 

buffers 
the 
customary 
info-

dump hurdles. 

Clark introduces the main 

character, 
Fatma, 
over 
the 

course 
of 
one 
chapter. 
It’s 

with a deft, careful hand that 
Clark contours and colors this 
LGBTQ+, 
suit-wearing, 
cane-

sword-wielding, 
overworked 

government 
agent. 
Clark 

approaches 
each 
character 

with 
care, 
depicting 
them 

as 
dynamic, 
multifaceted 

characters that are informed, 

rather than defined by their 
social 
identities. 
They 
feel 

authentic. Clark is cheeky with 
his characters. Fatma’s junior 
agent endearingly sports a fun, 
modern bright blue headscarf 
as a display of her progressive 
values.

Because the novel follows 

the 
detective-novel, 
CSI-

esque 
structure, 
one 
might 

misread it as an entertaining 
but 
run-of-the-mill 
iteration 

— not quite radical but also 
not 
derivative. 
However, 

Clark’s 
characterizations 
and 

attention to detail positions “A 
Master of Djinn” solidly above 
its contemporaries. The only 
downfall of his attention to 
character and storytelling is 
how unsustainable producing 
ten more similar novels would 
be. Ideally, there would be 
as many “A Master of Djinn” 
entries as there are “Dresden 
Files” novels. Alas, the rich 
world 
and 
characters 
leave 

room only for a sequel or so. 

Clark’s 
novel 
is 
a 
prime 

fantasy book complete with 
a 
unique 
comprehension 
of 

identity 
and 
personhood. 

While reading “A Master of 
Djinn,” 
time 
flows 
eagerly 

past, 
weaving 
through 

bustling, 
magical 
Cairo 

streets. The novel’s concept is 
uncomplicated 
and 
naturally 

integrates 
Arabic 
mythology 

with 
historical, 
fantasy 

settings. 
Clark’s 
dynamic 

characters 
and 
consideration 

of historical power imbalances, 
class and racism are a balm to 
the tired fantasy reader.

Cast members on new 
series ‘Jupiter Legacy’

‘A Master of Djinn’ Combines Cairo, Magic 
and CSI

MOLLY HIRSCH 
Daily Arts Writer

ELIZABETH YOON

Daily Books Beat Editor

Read more at michigandaily.com

Courtesy of Julian Wray

Netflix 

