Comic Related - If It's Comic Related, You'll Find It Here!

Bill Gladman on the issue

I have been reading and collecting comics for a very long time. Longer than I care to recall if you really want to know the truth. And my relationship with comics, like any long term relationship, has had its fair share of ups and downs. I love collecting comics. I love reading them but there are times when I think to myself, am I still in love with comics?

Once again the easiest way to answer this question, just like any long term relationship, is to be reminded why you fell in love in the first place. And most of the times when this happens it really catches you by surprise.

Dark Avengers #13 really, really caught me by surprise.

I mean here's a book which focuses on a character that I really don't like. The Sentry. Written by a writer who is far from one of my favorite writers, that Bendis guy. But knowing this already something about this book still compelled me to make it the very first book I read after getting home from the comic shop with my stack of new comics and settled in on this icy January evening.

For months now I've been crying "foul" as the Sentry was killed and came back to life and killed again and brought back to live again without an explanation at all. For months now (since Marvel acquired the absolute legal rights to Marvel Man/Miracle Man) I have harbored serious thoughts that Marvel was going to reveal that these two characters were indeed one and the same. Well Dark Avengers #13 cleared all that up.

Press releases have promised we would get the true origin on the Sentry in this book. But I didn't really believe that. I mean how many times have we heard that line before? But this time what we were promised is exactly what we got.

And I couldn't have been further off the mark. I NEVER expected what I got when I started to read this thing! I got my explanation about the multiple deaths (and the status of the Sentry's wife). What I have been ranting about as "bad editing" turns out to have been very good and carefully layered story telling.

To quote Jim Nabors "Surprise, surprise"...or even "Shazam!"

Speaking of Shazam, my theories about Marvel Man/Miracle Man were tossed out the window of Avengers Tower along with EVERYTHING else I knew about the character known as the Sentry. We also learn how Osborn has been controlling Bob Reynolds, and from exactly what point in time. All that plus we also discover who Osborn's "secret right hind man" is.

All in all...by far the best book I read this week. In a week that everything I read was really good (except one book and I'll get into that later and elsewhere). Great story, great art...even great EDITING reminds me (to borrow a copyrighted phrase from some guy I know) Why I Love Comics!

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mike Deodato
Cover: Mike Deodato
Published by: Marvel Comics

SIEGE BLOCKBUSTER TIE-IN!! After years of mystery, the secrets of the Sentry are revealed! How deep is his madness and who is really in control of him? What is the limit of his power, if any? And what deadly mystery surrounds him causing mortals and gods to tremble in fear? Rated T

PRICE: $3.99
IN STORES: January 20, 2010