‘The Sentry’ Returns To Marvel Comics This December — With A Twist!
by Tony Thornley
The Sentry started as a bit of a practical joke. Then he became a central part of the Marvel Universe. Now, the concept is returning in a new limited series — with a twist.
Debuting in the 1990s, the character began his life as a lie or a joke, depending on how you look at it. When Marvel announced his first series, they pretended he was an unknown Stan Lee creation that Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee discovered and were introducing. They even got Stan to say something about it (which was essentially something like “I don’t remember him, but I believe what Paul is telling me”). Then it turned out that the entire concept was created by Jenkins and Lee, with Rick Veitch contributions.
Over the years the character has come in and out of the universe sometimes as a team member — particularly in Brian Michael Bendis’s various Avengers stories — sometimes as a guest star, and often in his own series. In his most recent appearances, he died, and that’s where this new series debuting in December from Jason Loo and Luigi Zagaria picks up.
WHO WILL BE THE NEW SENTRY? The Sentry is dead, but ordinary people all over the world are suddenly manifesting his powers and experiencing snippets of Bob Reynolds’ memories. But not everyone can be trusted with such responsibility, sparking a violent conflict to control the Sentry’s legacy. Will one of them survive long enough to emerge as the new Sentry? Or will their newfound power destroy them? When Misty Knight and Jessica Jones cross paths in search of answers, they open an investigation that will change everything you think you know about the Sentry!
“This new chapter of the Sentry has an intriguing concept: on top of all the responsibilities and struggles a single person has to deal with in their everyday life, can one also handle the power of a MILLION EXPLODING SUNS?” Loo said. “It’s a fun opportunity for me to create new characters that readers can see themselves in and bestow them these earth-shaking powers.”
Loo is an exciting new talent making an impact at Marvel, so this one has us excited to check it out. Seeing Misty Knight and Jessica Jones, two very fun and recently underused heroes, as the leads makes it an even bigger draw for me! No matter what happens, it’s going to be a fascinating read.
Check out the cover to #1 from Ben Harvey and be sure to check out The Sentry #1 from Marvel this December!