Why am I reviewing two issue of Sentinel at once?  Quite simple: I didn't even realise issue #8 had come out until I got home and started reading issue #9.  At which point I was intrigued to note that none of the events of issue #8 seemed to merit a mention in issue #9's recap page.  Not entirely helpful.

You'll also probably have guessed that this is not a title which figures very highly in my e-mail.  Considering that I still get protests when I skip doing a capsule review of Runaways, I must admit to being a little surprised that nobody pointed out that I'd missed an entire issue of one of the regular monthly titles.  I know it's a low-selling book, but do people really care that little?  Dear me.

Anyway.  These are the concluding parts of the three-parter "No Hero".  Since the first storyline ended with everyone believing Juston to be a hero when he wasn't, this arc tries to balance that out by letting him do something heroic and unappreciated.

Supervillains wouldn't really fit with the tone of the book, so instead we get a disaster story.  A plane crashes in the swamp, and Juston goes to help out with his giant killer robot.  Meanwhile, to provide some action, the Commission on Superhuman Activities come by to interfere.

It's not an entirely successful affair.  Mainly that's because the plot drags the book away from the school and the supporting cast, and that's where most of the interest lies in this book.  Instead we get the crash survivors delivering the sort of dialogue about turning points in their lives which you'd expect from disaster movies; it feels a bit contrived, and none of the victims ever really come to life as characters.

Still, Juston does get to do his hero bit, which was essential in order for him to keep the audience's sympathy.  And there's a nicely developing storyline of Juston coming to realise that the Sentinel's got all sorts of strange programming lurking inside which means it can't be relied on to do as it's told.  The next arc seems to be taking us back towards the supporting cast, so hopefully we'll be back on form with the title playing to its strengths again.

Rating: B-

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