I get what Paul Jenkins is trying to accomplish with this character. He's examining the Superman archetype from a more realistic perspective. He delves into how possessing near limitless power would affect a human psyche. It's an interesting experiment, but it doesn't quite succeed. Jenkins emphasizes the superhuman so much that the human side of the story is somewhat lost. This is meant to be a personal, psychological and emotional story, but there's not enough here to allow the reader to relate to the title character. The story never makes a connection with its audience. Still, the coldness of the title character is intriguing and the art is absolutely lovely. How this jibes with New Avengers, I don't know, and trying to reconcile it with the title that sparked this limited series isn't advisable, as it will only lead to frustration.
The Sentry is back, and he's fighting evil and averting catastrophe alongside the New Avengers... at least, that was supposed to be how it worked. The Sentry's immense power allows him to tackle any problem on the planet on his own, and the computer running his Watchtower, called CLOC, keeps him informed as to every situation demanding his attention. The problem is that not even the Sentry can be everywhere at once, forcing him to prioritize and for lives to be lost, and it's beginning to exact a psychological toll. Meanwhile, the Void returns, threatening to consume the world the Sentry is sworn to protect.
Romita Jr.'s gritty style certainly reinforces the dark mood that looms over the title character. The Void doesn't seem as menacing as what's called for, but I did enjoy how the penciller conveys the "villain's" always-morphing appearance. A particularly effective visual component of the book is the look of CLOC's dialogue. The lettering boasts a clearly cold and detached quality, and the title character's almost blind obedience to that voice allows that coldness to transfer to him.
This title spins off directly from the most recent story arc in New Avengers... at least, that's what I thought was going to happen. It's difficult to resolve the events of "The Sentry" storya rc in that team title with what we see in this first issue of this solo limited series. The whole reason the Sentry is with the New Avengers is that they need to watch over him, make sure he's in control of himself. There's no hint of that here or any real concern on the other heroes' part. The confused, frightened man from New Avengers isn't to be found here, and that vulerable personality in a powerful shell was an interesting concept.
Though I find it difficult to connect with the main character, the cold, detached way in which he must measure human lives against one another does interest me. It's almost as though the immensity of his responsibilities and power have transformed him into a machine, into an extension of the CLOC. I get the distinct impression that the real antagonist of the story is the CLOC, and I'll be interested to see how the conflicts, internal and external, resolve. 6/10
