“Age of Sentry #1”

Jeff Parker fills in readers on the backstory of the Sentry character in the first issue of a promising new on-going series. The Sentry, originally introduced in Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee’s 2000 mini-series, began as a hoax by Marvel Comics promising readers a brand new comic featuring a newly uncovered silver-age character created by legendary writer Stan Lee. Lee was said to have created the character before the Fantastic Four.

This hoax played into the story of the mini-series, in which the formerly all-powerful Sentry’s alter-ego, Robert Reynolds, discovers that his mind was erased by other superheroes due to his immeasurable power combined with his uncontrollable schizophrenia, which caused him to unconsciously act as his own supervillain.

Since regaining his memory, the Sentry has been featured in Brian Michael Bendis’ “New Avengers” and “Mighty Avengers” as well as in his own series written by creator Paul Jenkins, but neither has delivered the intensity of the original mini-series. Look for “X-Men: First Class” author Jeff Parker to fill in Sentry’s backstory with his trademark silver-age style and finally deliver a different type of Sentry story: a fun one.

“The Astounding Wolf-Man #8”

“Astounding Wolf-Man” follows Gary Hampton, a millionaire CEO who is bitten by a werewolf and decides, with the help of his mysterious vampire mentor, to use his new werewolf abilities to become a superhero. In the first six issues, author Robert Kirkman slowly built the story and established several vivid characters.

However, in the letter pages of the sixth issue, Kirkman promised that the series was due for one of his trademark shake-ups, comparing Wolf-Man to his popular “Invincible” series, which began to gain major traction among readers after Kirkman revealed the hero’s father was a murderous alien with plans to take over Earth.

Issue seven of Wolf-Man delivered, shaking the series to its foundations and leaving the protagonist a lone vigilante on a quest for vengeance. Jason Howard’s cartoony art and bright colors draw attention by starkly contrasting with the dark tone of the story.

“All Star Superman #12”

Grant Morrison, author of the classic Batman comic “Arkham Asylum,” ends his 12-issue run with artist Frank Quietly having now made his definitive statement on the Man of Steel.

While other popular Superman collections such as Mark Waid’s “Superman Birthright” or Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s “Superman For All Seasons” focus on modernizing the Superman origin, Morrison instead fully embraces Superman’s golden-age tradition, bringing in ray guns, robots, a super-powered Lois and maintaining a Superman with majestic qualities despite his small-town personality. Fns may be disappointed to see Morrison and Quietly depart from the book, but the collections are sure to be fan favorites for years to come.

— Tim Bennett is a professional writing senior.