This week The Sentinel Issue 4 landed on my doorstep and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable of the retro inspired comics out this week. It truly is a format that can capture any genre.

Ed Doyle and Neil Sims are on cover duties. Neil’s getting a reputation for producing striking covers and this is no exception.

Inside Alan Holloway, who has a great ear for comic dialogue, captures the tone of girls comics with this. Shades of Tammy, Misty and Spellbound are all in there with moving home, a new school, bullying and a mystery all in the mix. The language and graphic violence isn’t OTT but isn’t quite what you would have expected in your comics of yesterday. However the psychological torture between the characters remains, which may be considered much worse.

Ian Beadle is on art duties inside and captures the story well with some outstanding work. Ian has a thin line that is picked up quite nicely due to the quality of print here, so you don’t miss anything.

The format allows for large pictures but this would equate to a ten page short story. It’s incredibly difficult to write a comic story and capture characters you need to get to know quickly, grow to care about or have an affinity with particularly if they find themselves in an awkward, difficult or dangerous situation. Alan and Ian manage to do that with Misty Moore and should be applauded for that.

We give this the thumbs up and if you haven’t discovered The Sentinel yet then get down to GetMyComics.com and pick them up. They just keep getting better and better!