The Sentry #1

I was introduced to The Sentry back when he was part of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avenger. He was a fascinating hero because of how incredibly flawed he was. Imagine a character like Superman, a hero with nearly limitless power, and now imagine a character like Doomsday, a villain so evil and nearly unstoppable. One saves, one destroys. Now imagine if Superman and Doomsday were one person. One person torn between having the power to save every person on earth but also having the power to destroy them. Within The Sentry lies the Void. A nearly indestructible force that can be unleashed at any moment. The void can take over at practically any moment destroying everything.

The last time I have seen the Sentry was back in 2010 during the Marvel’s Siege event. He single handedly ripped apart the God of War Ares and destroyed Asgard. Now jump 8 years and The Sentry stars in a new ongoing comic by author Jeff Lemire and artist Kim Jacinto. But this is a very different Sentry than I remember. With the help of Doctor Strange Bob Reynolds was able to isolate his altered ego’s The Sentry and the Void in something called a Conflucter, a device that can trap the two beings in a sort of dream like imaginary world. The catch is that every 24 hours’ bob must enter the Conflucter and defeat the Void so that it can never escape. Outside of the Conflucter Bob is a the complete opposite, living a quiet and lonely life working as a fry cook.

Author Jeff Lamire does an excellent job conveying the loneliness and sorrow of Bob as well as the strength and power of the Sentry. Bob seems as though he is constantly on the brink of destruction. You can really tell Bob misses and loves being a hero but is so scared of what may happen if he releases the Sentry. It creates this really awesome struggle between living in reality and being a hero in his fantasy. Early on in the comic we get to see the power of the Sentry in the Conflucter and it is absolutely bad ass. The action is intense and has a really good sense of scale. The art is also beautiful and clean with excellently realized panels that never seem too cramped and convoluted. The scenes are never confusing and you always know what is going on, even when the action is at its most hectic.

The Sentry is a nearly perfect comic in my eyes. The art is beautiful, the story is engaging, the action is awesome, and most of all the author does a great job making The Sentry relatable and sympathetic. This is an excellent jumping on point for any new comers and I can’t recommend it enough.