The Sentry #3 Review - Marvel Monday

Freaky Everyday

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Aaron Kim Jacinto, Joshua Cassara
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: August 22, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99


With the Sentry loose in our reality and Bob Reynolds stuck in the alternate dimension of the confluctor thanks to the machinations of the Sentry’s former sidekick Billy,.everything is set up for another action-packed installment of The Sentry.


Unfortunately, what we’re given is an entire issue dedicated to backstory and motivation. We flash back to six weeks ago and we begin the process of Billy recruiting Cranio to his scheme to replace Bob as the Sentry. The backstory isn’t always bad, in fact in many instances this kind of interlude to clarify the current plot is welcome and can provide the reader with additional insight into the how’s and why’s of the plan. The problem with this issue is that by the end of it the reader is given such little new information that the entire exercise has felt like a waste. Twenty pages where the plot has stalled and the title character of the book is relegated to cameo appearances.

We already know from the first two issues that Billy is bitter and jealous, his understanding of Bob’s condition warped by a nostalgic view of their time fighting super villains, the confluctor to Bob is medication, a tool needed to prevent the Sentry, and by extension the Void, from putting the world in danger. Billy sees it as a way out of the life he’s been made to live since he was lost his arm, he wants those glory days of his youth back.

And so an entire issue dedicated to Billy ranting about how unfair his new life is and watching Cranio skulk around a makeshift lab attempting to recreate the Sentry serum after being bullied into joining Billy’s plan adds little to either story or motivation. By the end of the issue, we wind up right back where we were at the end of issue two.

Given both writer and artist have announced their departure after issue five, and no announcement of replacements so far, there is little room for mistakes in this series and unfortunately, this issue felt like a big one.

Bits and Pieces:

A disappointment, killing the momentum of the story to dedicated this chapter backstory and motivation that was already well inferred from the excellent first two issues was unnecessary. If you need to save a couple dollars this week to pick up another book you can safely skip this one and come straight back in with issue four.

5.5/10