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The Sentry is one of Marvel’s most overpowered characters, and this has led to basically everyone but Jenkins (and Jeff Lemire) to misuse him. Even his most ardent fans have given up to an extent, but Jenkins has returned to the character for an all-new story. This book is straight up amazing, a perfect reintroduction to the character that drops the baggage and concentrates on the character and story to give readers one of the best Marvel comics in ages.
Rating: 5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Jenkins ignores anything confusing about the character to tell an amazing story that plays to the hero’s strengths | |
| Christian Rosado’s art is perfectly atmospheric and moody, really nailing the tone and emotion of this fantastic comic | |
| A wonderfully paced story that perfectly combines action, character, and plot |
Jenkins Reminds Readers Just What a Sentry Story Can Be
To say that the Sentry has been misused over the years is an understatement. His tenure in New Avengers/The Mighty Avengers/Dark Avengers made him into more of a boogeyman than a character, and that became a huge problem over the years. The hero works best with a more introspective, psychological style, one that is able to balance the big superhero action with the complexity of the character’s psyche. Jenkins has always been the best at this, and he shows that off right away. This issue is full of the kind of storytelling that really works for the character, something darker, something more cerebral, something that is, at its core, tragic yet ominous.
Too many writers get all tied up in explaining too much about the character, but let’s be real — so many of the changes made by others have hurt him. Jenkins just sort of moves past that and gets to the meat of the story. It’s the best way to pick up the character, and it does a great job of giving readers everything they need to enjoy this story. That’s the key to it; the Sentry is a hard character to get into if you drop all of his weird lore on people, but Jenkins is able to give readers a story that works for both old and new readers. This is an exciting story, but it’s also a heady story. It balances both sides of itself wonderfully. We don’t often get comics like this anymore, and it is a joy to read something this good.
