Well it's been way too long since I sat down and wrote anything, even a review piece. The work/life rollercoaster, especially life with a toddler, has been a crazy one since before Christmas. However, I was recently kindly sent a preview of the new issue of Sentinel so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts on it here as the Kickstarter campaign is currently underway.
Issue 11 is called Dark Matter, written by regular Sentinel Scribe Alan Holloway and drawn by artist Ian Beedle. Alan has given us a good old school all action sci-fi story, revolving around a team of mercenaries who, along with badass combat skills, have individual psi abilities. The team are on a mission, working for a large corporation, to liberate top secret Intel.
I last saw Ian's work on the Sentinel title Misty Moore back in September 2020 (see previous review) and at the time I said I felt that "some aspects of his art need a little honing". Well consider those aspects well and truly honed. It's clear to see the hard work Ian has put in on this one with some lovely black and white images. I really enjoyed the look of the team of characters Ian brought to life, along with a side character who bears a striking resemblance to a certain 80s rock and film star.
The story is definitely a throw back to the early days of 2000AD, with a battle hardened crew of mercs whose character traits would sit comfortably in a title like Battle or Action. There's a nice dynamic and banter between the characters that keeps the story moving along.
In the year we are celebrating 45 years since those early issues of the galaxies greatest hit the newsagents shelves, I was happy to enjoy a story with a retro feel. This has certainly been my favourite issue of Sentinel for a while.
If you want to back the Kickstarter campaign yourself here's the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/sentinel-comic-issue-11-dark-matter?ref=project_link
The Kickstarter ends in about a week and already has reached more than double its target, look out for the limited edition cover by 2000ADs Patrick Goddard too.
