Sentinel #3

Archive

Story Title: Damaged
Reviewer: Paul Sebert

Writer: Sean McKeever
Pencils: Joe Vriens
Inks: Scott Hepburn
Colors: Kevin Yan
Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editors: Mouy Lazer, Marc Sumerak, and Joe Quesada
Publisher: The House of Ideas

It is heavy metal mayhem time as Juston’s Sentinel faces off in it’s first skirmish against the government’s state of the art new Stealth Super Sentinel prototype which is all kinds of deadly. It’s so shiny and purple that I can’t wait for the Marvel Legends version. But just who would have the gall to unleash a weapon of mass destruction against a boy and his robot?

Well it seems that Juston’s giant mechanical friend has a dark, dark past and Senator Jeff Knudsen (R-Wis) and Army Colonel Archibald Hunt will stop at nothing to keep it a secret. Yes it seems that Washington’s got more than enough scandals on its hands without having to worry about Robo-Gate!

Meanwhile Juston Seyfert’s still dealing with the fallout of a damaged family, his father Pete has to confront Juston’s manipulative Aunt Ginny. It appears Pete knows a lot more about the disappearance of Juston’s mother than he’s letting on. Also in the wake of Juston’s disappearance a media storm has started brewing, and it looks like someone’s not going to be able to keep their secrets for much longer.

For what upon first glance appears to be a younger reader’s title this book has a surprising amount of plot going on and writer Sean McKeever does an excellent job of keeping things at a brisk pace. The characters are well thought out, and no one comes across as 2-dimensional. Juston’s a tragic, sometimes self-serving hero while the political figures masterminding against him hold some reservations about the evil that they do.

The works Udon studios seem to become more strikingly beautiful with each release and Joe Vriens pencils are no exception. Gary Yeung’s inks meanwhile lend the backgrounds a more detailed, realistic look than we’re used to. At fist it’s a little jarring at first glance when juxtaposed with the somewhat cartoonish features of the characters, but ultimately the combination works well.

All in all this Sentinel revival is actually better than the original ongoing series, which if you’ve followed my reviews is one of my all-time favorite books. Easily accessible, well written, beautifully drawn, and acceptable for readers of all ages, we need more titles like this on the market.