“The ’77” contributors Alan Holloway and Ed Doyle project “The Sentinel”, is now Kickstarting issue 2. A series of one off science fiction, fantasy and horror stories in a “Starblazer” stylee. Inspired by the work in the “’77” Luke takes a look.
Sentinel 2 : Scales of Justice
By Alan Holloway and Ed Doyle
Review by Luke Williams
Allan and Ed recently contributed to the rip roaring success that is the “’77”, the anthology of science fiction, fantasy and horror strips. This however is their regular beat. “Sentinel” is their homage to the lamented DC Thomson published, “Starblazer”, the monthly Commando-sized comic with a complete story in every issue.
Issue 1 was a sci fi yarn, whereas issue 2 has more of an historical fantasy bent. “Scales of Justice” is set on a world where human sized, intelligent and speaking dragons exist.
Humans have the upper hand over their reptilian counterparts, keeping them in place by drugging them with a plant called Dragon’s Blood.
The subjugated dragons are bred as slaves or sent to the arena, set against each other in fights to the death as entertainment for the humans. All the while they dream of being freed but they are kept for sport whilst they await the arrival of their saviours, dragons descended from a lost female who had escaped the enslavement.
Our hero, Varcus has been sent to the arena as punishment for killing a human, saved from execution by his master. However, just to be sure he buys the farm, he is to go into the arena unprepared and untrained.
However revolution is fomenting, the other dragon gladiators look to overthrow their human oppressors and return to the land of their birth.
Bold, thick, inky but detailed art , good page composition, storytelling and quite bloody in places. The plot can be summarised as “Spartacus with scales”, but that is unfairly reductive and glib, and the plot crackles along. The creators of comics of this quality need to be encouraged. Give them your money and your time.
https://getmycomics.com/Sentinel
Issue 1 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/sentinel-the-new-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-digest
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