By Jim Beard
There exists a secret history of the "Golden
Guardian of Good," the
Sentry. Lost to the world, the amazing adventures of the man with the "power of a million exploding suns" tell the tale of one of the greatest super heroes of the Silver Age of comics. Yet, no one remembers them.
Until now.
Marvel Comics is proud to unlock THE AGE OF THE SENTRY, a limited series which details the Silver Age exploits of perhaps the most enigmatic Marvel hero of all.
Editor Mark Paniccia, a great fan of the Sentry, reveals the secret origin of this most secret of tomes.
"At an editorial brainstorming session, Assistant Editor Jordan White brought up doing an ESSENTIAL SENTRY," explains Paniccia. "I was recently inspired by Alan Moore's run on Supreme and we thought it would be worth a shot pitching a limited series of Sentry set in the Silver Age."
The Sentry's background sets him as a hero who enjoyed popularity in a younger Marvel Universe, one that roughly corresponds to the 1960s Silver Age. Stymied at defeating a villainous aspect of himself called the Void, the Sentry erased all memories of his heroic career from the people of Earth. In THE AGE OF THE SENTRY that career finally sees the light of day.
Currently, the Sentry suffers from egregious mental and emotional disabilities that hamper his actions and partnerships, but in his Silver Age heyday he enjoyed the company of Marvel's biggest superstars. Many of his early missions played out alongside the likes of
Spider-Man, the
Fantastic Four, the
X-Men and the
Hulk.
THE AGE OF THE SENTRY limited series also features a cornucopia of talent producing a vareity of stories.
"The book will feature two stories of equal length for the first five issues, then a full-length story for issue #6," says Paniccia. "[Writer] Jeff Parker and [artist] Nick Dragotta are working on all six issues. Paul Tobin is writing the second stories in issues #1 thru #5, with a variety of artists."
Desiring to capture the feel and charm of the nascent days of the Marvel Universe, Paniccia reports of artistic success among his creative teams.
"Both Jeff and Paul have an amazing respect and understanding of the magic of the Silver Age, and the approach of entertaining and inspiring readers by pushing the limits of the imagination," he notes.
"And Nick Dragotta's got the [Silver Age] style down pat!" continues Paniccia. "He's energized about the project and there's nothing better than getting artwork from an enthused artist of his caliber."
Tune back into Marvel.com, True Believers and Face-Fronters, for more information on THE AGE OF THE SENTRY limited series and further announcements of artists and release dates! And head to Marvel.com's Wizard World Philadelphia hub for more buzz from the City of Brotherly Love!
 "Sentry designs by Nick Dragotta")
