- Sentries #3
- Valor Printing LLC
- Created by the Jacobsen Brothers
- Written by Trevor Sanders
- Illustrated by Rodney Jacobsen
- Letters by Brian DeMille
- Edited by Amber DeMill
While politicians debate the pros & cons of regulating/imprisoning supers (Alphan-Omegans) in the wake of a tragedy that left a city in ruins, there are forces at play to disrupt such control. The rogue known as Black Wolf interrupts a government sanctioned transaction in which agents are attempting to sell a captive super to a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, the titular Sentries– Hector, Bastian, & Bailey- tackle a group of armored mercenaries in the act of a high tech theft.
Violence of the highest quality ensues.
I recently caught on to the indie talents at Valor (check out our reviews of KOGS right over here), and what I’ve seen so far has been impressive. Where KOGs was a great example of military action with a dark supernatural spin, Sentries takes a stab at super heroes from a different angle. There’s nothing new about the concept of supers being imprisoned, persecuted, & weaponized, Trevor Sanders & the Brothers Jacobsen have hit on just the right approach to give their story something special.
While the concept of combat effectiveness might be the most common super power the the world of Sentries, as even new kid on the block Bailey throws down with the best of them, Trevor Sanders makes it work. It took me a minute to put together what really made this title stand out, but I really think it came down to the personality he’s invested in the characters. Sure, there are the standard bad-guy-for-money types, and the requisite slimy political talking heads, but the main characters just kinda stuck out and gave me something to work with. The real surprise was the deft touch Sanders has with his dialogue, and especially in his sly doses of humor.
After getting a look at the above pages from the very high quality print copies (important to note that Valor offers various printing services on top of their publishing business), it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the artwork on Sentries was one of the book’s biggest selling points for me. Call me crazy, but there’s something about Rodney Jacobsen’s larger than life character designs that makes this a fantastic super hero comic. No lie, these people are freakin’ HUGE and not a one of them has ever skipped a leg day. Jacobsen’s talent doesn’t stop at just making everyone look like chiseled hunks of granite that sit immobile on the page. The action in his work has a great sense of dynamic motion and doesn’t give the impression of being too dependent on figures for reference.
One of the coolest parts about thePullbox’s focus on small press comics and independent publishers is when we run across a title that easily stands up to the quality of the Big Two. Sentries not only holds up, but also comes from people who give every impression of loving what they’re doing. Available in both print from Valor’s website & digital format from ComiXology, people who love reading comics about titanic heroes and wicked villains will find a lot to love here.
Final Score: 11/13
