Sentry Appreciation 2024 - The Man with the Power of a Million Exploding Suns

[MasterDebater1]

Sadly, Jed can't write everything -- but I've told him I want to see him take on Sentry on social media at least once. xD

The one time he decided to write Sentry for a bit during his Strange run, and everyone already liked it.

It does suck that him or Hickman just either don't have the interest or time to write the Sentry

[ENTRYS]

Did I miss something?

Jed MacKay who wrote a bald, salivating zombie Sentry and mentioned how Sentry was powerful and that he deserved more than being a manipulated corpse?

Even if you want to read something meta into it: as Jed implying the mistreatment of the Sentry in the last few years prior to that... that's still not enough. There is nothing there to go off of.

I don't know who the perfect writer for the Sentry would be. IMO maybe Alan Moore if you begged him to not forget about the superhero aspects of the Sentry. When Paul Jenkins wrote Sentry VOL 1 he was already heavily inspired by Alan Moores work in Miracleman. Rightfully so. Alan Moore is a genius who thrives when it comes to complex characters and he also happens to love Lovecraft, where I personally see the Sentry.

If you want someone who actually likes the Sentry you get Donnie Cates. He would be able to put Sentry into interesting (visual and thematical) situations for sure and push him as a character. But at the same time you have to ask him to dial back on the "cutsieness" he used on Cosmic Ghost Rider and at times even Venom.

I think Al Ewing did a great job on Immortal Hulk. Or at least early on.

I've made the argument... and I'm willing to die on that hill and take that argument to the grave: I've made the argument that when it comes to lesser known / popular superheroes you absolutely, positiviely need a strong and distinct sub-genre to attract an audience. Superman, Spider-Man and Batman can be just superheroes. Their name sells. Hulk sells as well but even Immortal Hulk was superhero + horror and I would argue that it was better because of it.

What would Sentry be? Superhero + ??? And is Jed MacKay the writer who can pull off an effective sub-genre? I don't know.

[Wildling]

It might be a low bar to clear but Jed's treatment of Sentry should have a better reception right now because unlike Thunderbolts and The Sentry Vol 4 Bob was said not to deserve the, well, blasphemy. It wasn't just him, Clea felt bad about what happened to Thunderstrike despite her being somebody pretty ruthless, being from the Dark Dimension. I wouldn't mind a proper Sentry guest appearance if he was still writing Strange.

I've wondered what Ewing would do with the character after Contest of Champions and Defenders, but he is busy with high-profile titles and might be more interested in the concept or alternate versions, not the main continuity Bob and his 20 years baggage.

[Tendrin]

Ewing's on record as preferring the AoS Sentry, but I think he could do a good job with the 616 one.

McKay's treatment of Sentry was good in the context of what he had to work with and it's more that he's an excellent author and capable of handling mental issues better than, say, Loo or Bendis did.

One thing that bugs me is that the current Roxon stuff with Thor rewriting Thor's stories could've easily been a fantastic Sentry story.

[MasterDebater1]

Ewing's on record as preferring the AoS Sentry, but I think he could do a good job with the 616 one.

McKay's treatment of Sentry was good in the context of what he had to work with and it's more that he's an excellent author and capable of handling mental issues better than, say, Loo or Bendis did.

One thing that bugs me is that the current Roxon stuff with Thor rewriting Thor's stories could've easily been a fantastic Sentry story.

At this point, any storyline that brings a net positive to Sentry would be a fantastic Sentry story

Oh, how I wish Sentry was created by someone in Image or even Valiant, he would be far better off in the hands of indie comic writers and companies than he is in Marvel

right now, whether we like it or not, Sentry is seen as some mantally ill Superman ripoff Mary Sue insert by everyone, and it doesnt help our case that Marvel continues to put out that impression in comics involving Sentry today, he needs something to show that he's not even a Superman ripoff

[JudicatorPrime]

... he needs something to show that he's not even a Superman ripoff

I'm not sure that is possible at this point. And should Sentry appear in a movie, I think that will forever cement him as a Superman pastiche to the general public, since pretty much every article out there quadruples down on that very interpretation. Nuance be damned.

The really odd part is that very few people see Shazam/Captain Marvel as a Superman pastiche, no matter what the claims may have been in the DC Comics v. Fawcett lawsuit. To my mind, Sentry and Void have more common elements with Shazam/Captain Marvel and Black Adam than with Superman. I suspect the creator, the editor or the publicists screwed up somewhere by drawing a parallel between Sentry and Superman, and there was no corralling that brumby without deliberate and precise characterization to rein in the misconceptions.

[Wildling]

I'm not sure that is possible at this point. And should Sentry appear in a movie, I think that will forever cement him as a Superman pastiche to the general public, since pretty much every article out there quadruples down on that very interpretation. Nuance be damned.

The really odd part is that very few people see Shazam/Captain Marvel as a Superman pastiche, no matter what the claims may have been in the DC Comics v. Fawcett lawsuit. To my mind, Sentry and Void have more common elements with Shazam/Captain Marvel and Black Adam than with Superman. I suspect the creator, the editor or the publicists screwed up somewhere by drawing a parallel between Sentry and Superman, and there was no corralling that brumby without deliberate and precise characterization to rein in the misconceptions.

Sentry comics used Superman tropes at times like the caped costume with a big S on it in general, briefly trying to use glasses to hide his identity, and you could even add by now Mallory being a journalist. But peeking under the hood he was more of a Miracleman before Marvel got those rights, and the range of his powers are more in line with a powerful Power Ring/Power Cosmic user, if not a modern Molecule Man as I've seen him described.

Not that I'd expect the clickbait media industry to not churn out endless Superman/Sentry/Homelander articles when the Thunderbolts marketing kicks in, especially when the actual Superman movie from James Gunn to relaunch DC movies also comes out in the same year.

[ENTRYS]

Y'all being way too negative.

The worst thing that can happen to any entertainment medium is fan apathy. Not hate but apathy. I didn't watch Kamala Kahn or Hawkeye or Echo. Not because I dislike any of the characters or themes but simply because I didn't care then and still don't care. Even if you told me it was good I wouldn't have cared.

I don't think that any person frequenting this thread will ever be apathetic towards the Sentry. Or even random shitty ass bland milquetoast characters stealing his powers. I hate-read Jason Loos Sentrypeople comic. And I'd do it again. Although I do hope that the next time we see blue and yellow and an S it's Robert Reynolds. Somehow I don't see them pushing Mallory Sue. She has probably performed so poorly that not even they can double-down on it. But we will see.

Anyone here played Battlefield?
People didn't like Battlefield 5 and stopped playing because they became apathetic towards it. Then the Battlefield 2042 trailer dropped and everyone got excited. But the game was even worse so people stopped playing it again. But I already know when the trailer for the next Battlefield game comes out everyone will once again get hyped for it. The prior two bad games are immediately forgotten about.
And I expect the same when we see Sentry again. The interesting thing is that there is always a buzz when Sentry returns. I might very well biased here but I feel like Sentry received massive coverage when he returned in Doctor Strange. Same when he appeared in Black Panther and the Agents of Wacanada.

To me the most important thing is to have Robert Reynolds be put into prolonged situations. And when it comes to the Sentry that only happens in Sentry comics or maybe few individual issues in other comics. I don't even care if it's good or bad as long as it's not overtly political or completely turns the Sentry into a character he is not - like at all.
The second most important thing to use a writer whose style fits the character. I think Alan Moore is a genius but I wouldn't want him to write Squirrel Girl. The same way Jason Loo was the worst person imaginable to write ANYTHING Sentry-related.

[JudicatorPrime]

But peeking under the hood he was more of a Miracleman before Marvel got those rights...

All great points, but isn't Miracleman also widely considered to be a pastiche of Shazam/Captain Marvel? Don't get me wrong, I'm totally ok with that as I grew up watching the old Captain Marvel series. Loved it! Along with Space Ghost and Green Lantern, Shazam was probably my most favored non-Marvel superhero as a kid.

[JudicatorPrime]

It's always fun to read the first and last sentences of a post.

Your first sentence:

Y'all being way too negative.

Your last sentence:

The same way Jason Loo was the worst person imaginable to write ANYTHING Sentry-related.

Nope, no negativity here.

I agree, we probably need to brighten up this appreciation thread. It's not all gloom and doom.

Bob will be back, because he has too many fans in the professional comics community not to return.

As for Mallory, I think her story is just beginning as a member of the Sentry family. I think that's probably where she'll make her mark, just as pretty much every major character has someone in their "family" that eventually earns a following in that way, whether we're talking about Supergirl, Nightwing, Batgirl, Black Adam or any of the various Flash family characters that seem to pop up every year. I frankly thought they screwed up by naming her anything other than Sentress, but who knows, maybe the name will catch fire? (Then again, I also still think they should have picked an existing hero to receive the Sentry powers -- someone like, I don't know, Firestar maybe? But whatevs.)

In any event, just count the days, folks. Bob will be back and likely featured in a main event ... as Marvel really can't help itself when it comes to characters like the Sentry. They know where their bread is buttered.

[Wildling]

You know what I just learned Marvel's new crossover event this year, Blood Hunt, is about vampires blocking out the Sun, like a superhero 30 Days of Night. And it's written by... Jed MacKay.

You'd think a character called SOLARUS would fit such a story.

[Tendrin]

You know what I just learned Marvel's new crossover event this year, Blood Hunt, is about vampires blocking out the Sun, like a superhero 30 Days of Night. And it's written by... Jed MacKay.

You'd think a character called SOLARUS would fit such a story.

I mean, if they do, it'll be a surprise 'oh hey look it's the new sentry I guess' moment.

[JudicatorPrime]

You know what I just learned Marvel's new crossover event this year, Blood Hunt, is about vampires blocking out the Sun, like a superhero 30 Days of Night. And it's written by... Jed MacKay.

You'd think a character called SOLARUS would fit such a story.

I'm sure they'll come up with some magical reason as to why every hero capable of generating sunlight -- or really any kind of light -- is unable to affect the event. I mean all they'd really need is Monica Rambeau at her current power levels flooding the Earth with photons. It only takes her 0.13 seconds for her to circle the entire planet at light speed, and given that she's also intangible, she could fly into every nook, cranny and coffin and destroy every single vampire ever created in under a New York minute.

That said, it's really too bad that the Montessi Formula stopped working. I really hoped that we'd finally moved beyond the vampire craze in pop culture. They ruined a good thing with so many entertainment platforms having their own version of a bloodsucker apocalypse.

[Wildling]

I'm sure they'll come up with some magical reason as to why every hero capable of generating sunlight -- or really any kind of light -- is unable to affect the event. I mean all they'd really need is Monica Rambeau at her current power levels flooding the Earth with photons. It only takes her 0.13 seconds for her to circle the entire planet at light speed, and given that she's also intangible, she could fly into every nook, cranny and coffin and destroy every single vampire ever created in under a New York minute.

That said, it's really too bad that the Montessi Formula stopped working. I really hoped that we'd finally moved beyond the vampire craze in pop culture. They ruined a good thing with so many entertainment platforms having their own version of a bloodsucker apocalypse.

They are using Darkforce power to pull this off. You'd think this would be a good setup for a writer to make someone with Sentry's powers identifying herself with the Sun to also reminisce, or be contacted, by the Void.

As an aside I also brought up 30 Days of Night because I thought the movie was mostly a better adaptation of the source material. Redoing something can turn out marvelous.

[Wildling]

By the way I wondered if the halo energies around Revenants like Sentry were inspired by Blue Archive characters.