Al Harahap
May 10, 2003, 10:45 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Sentinel_2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/0503/Sentinel_2t.jpg" align=left alt="Sentinel #2"></a>Reviewer: Al Harahap, alharahap@xfan.cjb.net
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Salvage (Part 2)
Juston is left alone at home and investigates mysterious lights coming from the junkyard. He has no idea just what he’s about to meet.
Story: Sean McKeever
Pencils and inks: UDON, with Eric Vedder, Joe Vriens, & Scott Hepburn
Colours: UDON
UDON Chief: Erik Ko
Letters: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Andy Schmidt
Editor: Marc Sumerak
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
After an exciting first issue where we are introduced to the whole cast of Sentinel, scribe Sean McKeever decidedly takes a much slower pace. He does so to get into the core of main character, Juston Seyfort, but I’m not sure just how slow you can go in a teen drama series without it making you feel… dragged… along…
Conveniently, Juston is left alone for a day as his father must go out of town on business, and must take his little brother, Chris, because he’s not old enough to be left at home. This does allow the issue’s attention to focus more on Juston, because last issue, there were just too many characters to follow so early in a series. Without continuity obligations to interact with his family, the Juston character is free to interact with others McKeever wants to develop.
In the first half of the issue, Juston feels an overwhelming draw to find Jessie. But the scenes are wrought with convenience and inconsistency. For instance, why is it in last issue, Juston is established as being a shy introvert who runs away from the senior class bullies (which is characterisation that makes sense), but suddenly now, only one issue away, he finds the audacity to strut through Senior Hall in search of Jessie? And when caught by regular bullies, Josh and company, fights back. It just feels like a total 180 from last issue’s Juston. It could be justified with the confusion and erratic behaviour to which adolescents are prone. And perhaps McKeever does try to do that through best friend, Alex, who addresses Juston’s weird behaviour. But it doesn’t come through on the page more than a passing oddity.
Udon’s art shines again. Here, in the Senior Hall scene, especially in the colouring that gives low contrast that’s almost monotone to show Juston’s perception of the terror that is the senior class student body. And also on the wordless page (I do hope we get one of these in every issue!), where Juston’s emptiness can only be portrayed by imagery without any sort of verbal narration, monologue, or dialogue. The character’s emotions really do flow off the page to the reader.
However, I wasn’t too keen on the convenience of Juston’s friends being able to escape facing the bullies just because they could take another school bus at a different location. Still, the scenes with Jessie save this first half of the issue. Her entrance onto the page from out of nowhere, when Juston is down and out, does correspond accordingly with Juston’s perception of her as some sort of “angel.” Even the small talk back at Juston’s house is poignant because many of us can relate to having unrequited love – or at least crush, as in this case. McKeever’s movement of time is also great in this scene. No matter how long they really were talking, having it start when the sun is still up, and having it end after it has set, brings forth a sense of a long time passing, and that the two felt engaged in each other’s presence. Again, with the help of Udon’s art in conveying setting and mood.
The second half of the issue, however, feels even more dragged than the first half. The buildup leading to Juston’s encounter with the Sentinel is great. All the little details in Udon’s pictures – the mysterious lights from far away, the trenched tracks of the Sentinel in the ground, and Juston’s reactions to each – were functional in building some suspense. And the splash page where the two finally meet is enjoyably climactic. But what comes after feels stretched. Half of a whole issue for Juston and the Sentinel to just meet and spend a little time for inter-discovery feels a little too much.
Juston discovers himself through two major interactions in this issue – that with love interest, Jessie, and the other with the mysterious broken Sentinel in his family business junkyard. Interestingly, the two do seem to be connected on some underlying level. The setting of time in the two, from day-to-night and night-to-day, also signifies a yin-yang of sorts. It seems more and more evident that Juston will find the confidence and fervour he lacks in his quasi-relationship with Jessie from his relationship with the Sentinel.
Udon’s art overall is a little different to last issue. The biggest discrepancy I saw was the difference between Juston and little brother, Chris. Last issue, they were much more set apart in size. But here, they're almost the same. There is much more consistency from page to page. And I’m noticing that there’s more difference between the characters’ faces. Now African American best friend, Alex, isn’t just simply a darker-skinned Juston. But aside from the opening scene, where a squirrel faces the Sentinel, and the aforementioned Senior Hall scene, it feels like this issue is missing the dynamic scenes, and use of creative angles and perspectives, in which Udon is usually so proficient.
With this issue, McKeever does flesh out his main character even more than last issue. But my realisation that the only noteworthy event in this issue is Juston’s first meeting with the Sentinel, and not far at that, makes me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Hopefully, this doesn’t have anything to do with Marvel editorial’s request for writers to “pad” their stories and stretch them out into more issues. If it does, I think it’s hampering McKeever’s obvious potential at great characterisation.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senhalf.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senhalf.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=584&cat=SENTINEL)
Quick Rating: Above Average
Story Title: Salvage (Part 2)
Juston is left alone at home and investigates mysterious lights coming from the junkyard. He has no idea just what he’s about to meet.
Story: Sean McKeever
Pencils and inks: UDON, with Eric Vedder, Joe Vriens, & Scott Hepburn
Colours: UDON
UDON Chief: Erik Ko
Letters: Cory Petit
Assistant Editor: Andy Schmidt
Editor: Marc Sumerak
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
After an exciting first issue where we are introduced to the whole cast of Sentinel, scribe Sean McKeever decidedly takes a much slower pace. He does so to get into the core of main character, Juston Seyfort, but I’m not sure just how slow you can go in a teen drama series without it making you feel… dragged… along…
Conveniently, Juston is left alone for a day as his father must go out of town on business, and must take his little brother, Chris, because he’s not old enough to be left at home. This does allow the issue’s attention to focus more on Juston, because last issue, there were just too many characters to follow so early in a series. Without continuity obligations to interact with his family, the Juston character is free to interact with others McKeever wants to develop.
In the first half of the issue, Juston feels an overwhelming draw to find Jessie. But the scenes are wrought with convenience and inconsistency. For instance, why is it in last issue, Juston is established as being a shy introvert who runs away from the senior class bullies (which is characterisation that makes sense), but suddenly now, only one issue away, he finds the audacity to strut through Senior Hall in search of Jessie? And when caught by regular bullies, Josh and company, fights back. It just feels like a total 180 from last issue’s Juston. It could be justified with the confusion and erratic behaviour to which adolescents are prone. And perhaps McKeever does try to do that through best friend, Alex, who addresses Juston’s weird behaviour. But it doesn’t come through on the page more than a passing oddity.
Udon’s art shines again. Here, in the Senior Hall scene, especially in the colouring that gives low contrast that’s almost monotone to show Juston’s perception of the terror that is the senior class student body. And also on the wordless page (I do hope we get one of these in every issue!), where Juston’s emptiness can only be portrayed by imagery without any sort of verbal narration, monologue, or dialogue. The character’s emotions really do flow off the page to the reader.
However, I wasn’t too keen on the convenience of Juston’s friends being able to escape facing the bullies just because they could take another school bus at a different location. Still, the scenes with Jessie save this first half of the issue. Her entrance onto the page from out of nowhere, when Juston is down and out, does correspond accordingly with Juston’s perception of her as some sort of “angel.” Even the small talk back at Juston’s house is poignant because many of us can relate to having unrequited love – or at least crush, as in this case. McKeever’s movement of time is also great in this scene. No matter how long they really were talking, having it start when the sun is still up, and having it end after it has set, brings forth a sense of a long time passing, and that the two felt engaged in each other’s presence. Again, with the help of Udon’s art in conveying setting and mood.
The second half of the issue, however, feels even more dragged than the first half. The buildup leading to Juston’s encounter with the Sentinel is great. All the little details in Udon’s pictures – the mysterious lights from far away, the trenched tracks of the Sentinel in the ground, and Juston’s reactions to each – were functional in building some suspense. And the splash page where the two finally meet is enjoyably climactic. But what comes after feels stretched. Half of a whole issue for Juston and the Sentinel to just meet and spend a little time for inter-discovery feels a little too much.
Juston discovers himself through two major interactions in this issue – that with love interest, Jessie, and the other with the mysterious broken Sentinel in his family business junkyard. Interestingly, the two do seem to be connected on some underlying level. The setting of time in the two, from day-to-night and night-to-day, also signifies a yin-yang of sorts. It seems more and more evident that Juston will find the confidence and fervour he lacks in his quasi-relationship with Jessie from his relationship with the Sentinel.
Udon’s art overall is a little different to last issue. The biggest discrepancy I saw was the difference between Juston and little brother, Chris. Last issue, they were much more set apart in size. But here, they're almost the same. There is much more consistency from page to page. And I’m noticing that there’s more difference between the characters’ faces. Now African American best friend, Alex, isn’t just simply a darker-skinned Juston. But aside from the opening scene, where a squirrel faces the Sentinel, and the aforementioned Senior Hall scene, it feels like this issue is missing the dynamic scenes, and use of creative angles and perspectives, in which Udon is usually so proficient.
With this issue, McKeever does flesh out his main character even more than last issue. But my realisation that the only noteworthy event in this issue is Juston’s first meeting with the Sentinel, and not far at that, makes me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. Hopefully, this doesn’t have anything to do with Marvel editorial’s request for writers to “pad” their stories and stretch them out into more issues. If it does, I think it’s hampering McKeever’s obvious potential at great characterisation.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senhalf.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senhalf.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/senfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/sennone.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=584&cat=SENTINEL)