Whilst 2020 was a bit of a crappy year for a lot of things, it was a great time for indie comics funded via the Kickstarter platform, as many people unable to visit comic shops took their first plunge into that pool of creative talent.

Sentinel, whilst not selling hundreds of copies, managed to get five issues out in 2020, and looks like doing the same in 2021, all successfully funded through Kickstarter. Although started by Artist Ed Doyle and writer Alan Holloway, they took on several new artists such as Paul Spence, Ian Beadle (whose cover to issue 7 is above) and Morgan Gleave, with issue 8, “To Be A Hero”, featuring the Sentinel debut of Andrew Richmond, a well known artist in the indie scene.

The current issue going through Kickstarter is “Hell On Harry Howson”. It’s the first issue to feature returning characters, in the shape of human courier Doyle Braddock and his alien partner RHLSTP (named after a popular podcast) from issue 1. This time round, the guys have got their customer rating up to four stars – life is sweet! A simple job on Harry Howson’s World turns out to be anything but, though. When their ship is swallowed by the planet (hey, these things happen!) they have to venture into the underworld (sounds safe, huh?) and battle all sorts of monsters from Greek legend before the utterly brilliant final act that we won’t spoil here.

The issue came about due to writer Alan and Artist Ed’s mutual admiration for the work of Ray Harryhausen, the undisputed king of stop motion in films like “Sinbad & The Eye Of The Tiger” and “Clash Of The Titans” amongst many others. Originally, it featured Ray’s monster designs, such as the gorgon, cyclops and even the kraken, but whilst they remain in the story they had to be slightly altered physically to avoid any copyright hassles. Fans of Harryhausen’s work will still have a ball, though, as the comic described as a mix of ‘Jason & The Argonauts’, ‘Westworld’ and ‘Spaceballs’ is a riot through and through.

For those who haven’t read the now sold out Issue 1, teh good news is it’s being reprinted as part of this campaign, so newcomers can buy it as well as the new issue.

Whilst the Kickstarter was funded within a couple of days, it runs until early May, so there’s plenty of time to pledge and get your copy for as little as £2.00. Commissions by Ed proved quite a draw at £30 each, and have all sold out, but two more slots have been added as I type this, so get in there if you want a picture from this popular artist.

http://kck.st/39FXklH Cut and paste for Kickstarter page