Sentry #1: Consequences of Power

Sentry #1 serves as a sequel/reintroduction to the previous Sentry tale which saw Bob perish at the hands of Knull, God of the Symbiotes. Being one of the most powerful forces within the entire Marvel universe, everyone has been wondering where or when Bob would return. Well, look no further than Sentry #1 which sees the Sentry’s power awaken within various individuals, who start seeing visions of events within Bob’s tenure as the hero. Leading this adventure is the private investigator and wife of Mayor Luke Cage, Jessica Jones; as well as Misty Knight. In a part action, part mystery based introduction, Sentry #1 sees the introduction of new characters and villains who will need to fight to share or take control of the Sentry’s powers.

Writer Jason Loo does a great job in using the Sentry as a focal point of the narrative, laying seeds for long time fans to guess what is going to happen next. The Sentry is one part of the hero, with The Void being the evil counterpart that laid dormant within Bob’s subconscious. While The Void was sometimes depicted as its own destructive being, there was always a sense of The Void only existing due to Bob’s deteriorating mental condition. Regardless of what approach this story takes, there is a fun exploration of what power can do when the unassuming come in contact with it. Some may take the approach of pursuing heroics whereas others go down a darker past and become villains. Sentry #1 takes that initial connotation of The Sentry VS The Void and flips it on its head by saying that the situation doesn’t need to be black and white. Power can create fear, causing people to recoil. Alternatively, people can decide to do nothing with the power. This outside of the box approach creates an authentic and new way of approaching this subject matter.

Artist Luigi Zagaria and colorist Arthur Hesli do a great job of mixing the mystery aspects with the action. The issue starts with Jessica Jones and her interactions with the world of New York with her husband as mayor and superheroes being outlawed. Zagaria does a great job in grounding this world before Misty Knight comes in to introduce the science fiction aspects that come with the destructive powers of The Sentry.  This slow build that transitions into an all out Sentry story works very well in terms of pacing and buildup, allowing the art to transition over to all out action in an organic way. This helps heighten the tension of the mystery and allows the narrative to kick-off in a very concise manner. The issue feels very packed with content and will be worth the while for anyone interested in getting a full look into the current Marvel world.

Letterer Joe Caramagna does a great job of working with the art team to capture that mix of action and detective work, making the book read in a seamless manner despite the multiple genres it explores. This also ties into the full feeling of the issue, creating a seamless read that is jam packed full of content to make readers want to come back for more.