Sentry #1 Review

Written By: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Kim Jacinto
Colors By: Rain Beredo
Letters By: VC’s Travis Lanham
Review by: Simon West

Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee’s The Sentry is one of the finest comics of the 2000s. An incredible tale that managed to rewrite the history of the Marvel universe and introduce one of the most thematically complex heroes ever.


A man so powerful, yet so troubled he literally becomes his own worst enemy. Over the years Sentry has been used as a tool to explore a whole host of mental health issues in superhero comics and while attempts to include him in team books and weave him into the ongoing shared continuity of Marvel ongoing publishing the landscape has been decisive before he remains one of the most intriguing and unique characters in Marvel's stable.



So Jeff Lemire’s task here is manyfold. Define what makes this character special, explain
why a hero of such magnitude is not seen more often and give them a reason to care what
happens going forward.

All of these tasks are executed almost flawlessly.  With this issue, Lemire has laid out the
basic premise of the book going forward. Bob Reynolds is The Sentry, a golden god whose
power is so immense his actions must be balanced by The Void, in order to prevent The
Void from destroying the earth Dr. Strange has gifted Bob with the confluctor, a device that
allows him to travel to a pocket dimension, a safe outlet for The Sentry that also allows him
to demonstrate his power and heroism whilst also containing The Void.

The reality of Bob Reynolds real life, however, is that he is an aging out of shape fry cook
living in a crappy apartment relaying tales of heroism to his slightly bitter former sidekick. All
the while being spied on and harassed by former friends and teammates who are concerned
about the consequences should The Sentry rear his head in our reality again.

Bob Reynolds does not lead a happy life. But as long as he can reach the conductor every
24 hours he can lead a quiet life. So predictably, the issue ends with the confluctor being
stolen. The mystery has been set, the ticking clock has started and the series is off to a great
start.

Bits and Pieces:

Against the odds Jeff Lemire delivers an incredible opening issue, all the groundwork has
been done to prepare this book for a gripping mystery going forwards.

9/10