Age of the Sentry #1 by Me and Thom

[Dave Wallace]

I think that Thom's critique of this issue (particularly the artwork) was probably more accurate and informed than mine. It was certainly more in-depth.

However, I still enjoyed the issue - even if I still don't really know why the decision was taken to write and draw the entire issue in a style that's a pastiche of 1960s comics, other than because that was supposed to be the era of the Sentry's original appearances in continuity.

Originally Posted by Thom

I recommend passing up The Age of the Sentry in favor of hitting the back-issue bins or eBay in search of Alan Moore's 1963 miniseries from Image Comics that is a true homage to the Marvel Comics of that year.

I've always meant to read 1963, but I never got round to it. I don't believe that there's a collected edition available, so I might try and track down the individual issues.

Was it ever finished, or was it left incomplete?

[vark]

Originally Posted by Dave Wallace

I think that Thom's critique of this issue (particularly the artwork) was probably more accurate and informed than mine. It was certainly more in-depth.

Yes it was, Dave. What's up with that? Huh?

I was surprised that you let the book off so lightly. When I raised a hand to look at it, only half in jest, I expected... well, I didn't know what to expect, that's sort of the point. I sure didn't expect this mess. For that matter I think that Thom might have been overly charitable with his rating, though I suppose his marginal support for the back-up story gave it a small bump.

However, I still enjoyed the issue - even if I still don't really know why the decision was taken to write and draw the entire issue in a style that's a pastiche of 1960s comics, other than because that was supposed to be the era of the Sentry's original appearances in continuity.

"I still enjoyed the issue"... You're too nice a guy to let this quote come back and bite you in the rump, five years from now. Set weapons to Edit!

I've always meant to read 1963, but I never got round to it. I don't believe that there's a collected edition available, so I might try and track down the individual issues.

Was it ever finished, or was it left incomplete?

I've never even seen it, except for a panel here and there online. It was released when I was away from comics. I don't lurv every single thing Moore has done, but the concept intrigued me (and as a 1963'er, has some special relevance). Some day I will have my own collection. Some day...

[Dave Wallace]

Originally Posted by vark

Yes it was, Dave. What's up with that? Huh?

I was surprised that you let the book off so lightly. When I raised a hand to look at it, only half in jest, I expected... well, I didn't know what to expect, that's sort of the point. I sure didn't expect this mess. For that matter I think that Thom might have been overly charitable with his rating, though I suppose his marginal support for the back-up story gave it a small bump.

I think that calling it a mess is a little unfair. It's a very straightforward issue, in fact - it's just very retro and deliberately old-fashioned.

I'm still not sure exactly why this approach was taken, as I say, but I don't think it's a mess of an issue.

Originally Posted by vark

"I still enjoyed the issue"... You're too nice a guy to let this quote come back and bite you in the rump, five years from now. Set weapons to Edit!

No, I stand by that. I enjoyed it a fair bit. There was a certain charm to it. And this is exactly the kind of Silver Age silliness that I imagine the Sentry got up to before the darkness descended and he realised that he was the Void.

[seric26]

Originally Posted by Dave Wallace

I've always meant to read 1963, but I never got round to it. I don't believe that there's a collected edition available, so I might try and track down the individual issues.

Was it ever finished, or was it left incomplete?

I don't recall it being incomplete, but then as a pastiche of other eras I wasn't looking for in-story completion so much as a consistent tone in whatever was published. The six (?) or so issues I have are some of my favorite Alan Moore works.



The individual issues are super cheap on milehighcomics.com right now (under $2) each, and milehigh also sells through ebay.

[seric26]

Originally Posted by Dave Wallace

However, I still enjoyed the issue - even if I still don't really know why the decision was taken to write and draw the entire issue in a style that's a pastiche of 1960s comics, other than because that was supposed to be the era of the Sentry's original appearances in continuity.

Is more reason needed? Sentry is a pastiche sort of character, and so his old stories are told in pastiche style. We also have the Buscema variant cover of one his focal issues in New Avengers, and the mixup of art styles used as emphasis points in the original series.

Also, I think Nick Dragotta (one of Mike Allred's collaborators) is always looking around for stories that suit his retro style, and this one obviously became available to him. He's also worked on X-Statix and Catwoman, I believe.

[Thom Young]

Originally Posted by Dave Wallace

I've always meant to read 1963, but I never got round to it. I don't believe that there's a collected edition available, so I might try and track down the individual issues.

Was it ever finished, or was it left incomplete?

Sort of, but not exactly.

The six issues were each of a different title, but they had a loose connection. It was supposed to wrap up with a Giant-Size Special in which all the characters teamed up and they saw how their respective stories (which were otherwise complete) overlapped.

The special never came out for reasons I've never been able to learn.

[vark]

Originally Posted by Dave Wallace

I think that calling it a mess is a little unfair. It's a very straightforward issue, in fact - it's just very retro and deliberately old-fashioned.

I'm still not sure exactly why this approach was taken, as I say, but I don't think it's a mess of an issue.




No, I stand by that. I enjoyed it a fair bit. There was a certain charm to it. And this is exactly the kind of Silver Age silliness that I imagine the Sentry got up to before the darkness descended and he realised that he was the Void.

Me, too, I stand by (it)! Having done my best to purge it from memory, you guys assisted in reminding me what was really wrong. I may have a lingering fondness for an old Mort Weisinger Superman book, or a Sekowsky story or the like, but examining them critically now, I can't bring myself to enjoy them in the same way that I did when I was ten (or five or even fifteen). Not always - but occasionally... no, more than occasionally, but less than frequently... Regularly. Regularly published stories that relied on bizarre fantasy elements shoehorned into the narrative more likely to solve a deadline problem (or an ennui problem) than to realistically solve a story problem. The "Oh! I just remembered that Time Machine I keep on the closet shelf... try not to change the past, kids! Ha-ha-ha!" school of storytelling. It's irksome. Adding ugly, ugly art heaped insult upon injury (specifically in the present context; it really seemed as though the artist(s) were aiming for deliberately bad). True, the second feature suffered less, or I did, but not sufficiently so to make me happy about the waste of natural resources and human effort in producing the book.

Now, I could, and still can, love some really loopy old Don Heck Iron Man stories, because the creators always seemed to try to play by the rules they made for themselves, even if those rules weren't always clear to the reader. I can even appreciate Heck's art - and I know full well that can be a thorny position - because of his skill as a sequential artist in terms of structure and pacing, and his ability to keep the pages fluid. Everyone was always in motion to an almost visceral degree. I find none of that (okay, very, very little of that) in the Sentry book.

I think that's deuce; you want to keep playing for the tie break?

[Thom Young]

Originally Posted by vark

I can even appreciate Heck's art - and I know full well that can be a thorny position - because of his skill as a sequential artist in terms of structure and pacing, and his ability to keep the pages fluid.

Keeping in mind, though, that Heck was really very good in the 1950s before whatever personal tragedy struck his life and affected his abilities.

And see, that cover is from 1959--so why was Dragotta shooting for inclusion on The Generic Amateur Hour?

[Thom Young]

Though that cover may have been inked by Al Williamson.

Heck, for all I know, it might have been drawn by Williamson and incorrectly attributed to Heck.

[vark]

Originally Posted by Thom Young

Though that cover may have been inked by Al Williamson.

Heck, for all I know, it might have been drawn by Williamson and incorrectly attributed to Heck.

Hee. Hee. Heck! (ghost penciller of Major Wonder... Collected in Visionaries: Not Brand Heck )

I'm guessing that you grabbed it from the GCDB, which is one of my favourite reference tools. Of course it's possible that the credit is wrong or incomplete, but without seeing a side by side by side comparison of similar drawings (a Heck, a Williamson, and a Heck/Williamson), we're left to hope that the citation is correct.

For the benefit of anyone coming into this discussion late, Thom and I have previously discussed Heck's early work and unfortunate downturn.

But, yeah, that's a lovely cover. Even if it's only 50% Heck, it's a perfect example of typical mainstream period cover work, when "average" artists produced material that qualifies the Sentry "pastiche" stuff as discount-brand toilet paper. There should be a bullpen full of red faces at Marvel for having allowed it to go to print.