Jeff Lemire Shares Secrets About Marvel's New Sentry Comic

The Sentry wields the “Power of a Thousand Exploding Sons” so he's easily one of the most powerful heroes in the entire Marvel Universe. For a time he was also one of the most unstable and dangerous hereos as well because he was at war with his malevolent dark half: The Void -- a being that could take control of the hero's body at any moment, and turn it into a rampaging force of destruction.

The Void had done just that a number of times in the past, but thanks to some arcane psychic surgery courtesy of Doctor Strange that's not an issue anymore. The Void is now imprisoned in the Sorcerer Supreme's Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Sentry is free to get back to battling super crime... or is he?

The Sentry's consciousness may be free of the Void, but does that mean the entity is done with the Avenger? And what kind of relationship does the Sentry have with his human alter ego, Bob Reynolds? And do the Sentry's fellow heroes, like Iron Man and Misty Knight, trust him -- or are they just waiting for him to lose control all over again? Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Kim Jacinto will begin to answer all these questions and more this week when they kick off a new ongoing Sentry series, and before the first issue hits stands, CBR spoke with Lemire about his plans for the book.

Art from Sentry #2 by Kim Jacinto and colorist Rain Beredo

CBR: The Sentry is a very interesting character with a complex psyche and history. His recent reappearance in Doctor Strange suggests that Stephen Strange helped him with some of his mental health issues by separating the Void persona from him. But is that necessarily the case? What's your sense of the Sentry's psyche when you pick up with him? Which aspects of the character are you especially interested in exploring?

Jeff Lemire: That's a hard one to answer fully without spoiling what we set up in Issue 1, but in general, it is Sentry's fractured nature that made him so attractive to me. I would argue he is actually three different people: Sentry, Void and Bob Reynolds. And Bob Reynolds is very very important to what we do in the first arc.

So the Sentry and Bob are two different beings? How would you describe their initial dynamic in your series?

They are definitely different beings in my run. Two very different people, with very different lives.

When we last saw the Void it was being reimprisoned in Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. What does that mean for the character's role in your initial narrative? As the Sentry's dark half, is the Void always sort of there even though he may be locked away?

The Void will play a part, but he is not the main antagonist of the series. We jump forward a bit from where we last saw the character and there is a new status quo set up in issue 1 that the reader slowly unlocks as they read.

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Now I understand when Sentry#1 begins the character will have reintegrated himself back into the sort of larger fabric of the Marvel Universe. Can you talk about how he's initially viewed by the heroic community and the general public? Has he been welcomed back with open arms? Or are people skeptical and wary of him?

He has not been welcomed back with open arms at all. In fact, his past causes the rest of the Marvel U to keep a very very close eye on Bob.

What can you tell us about your initial supporting cast in Sentry? Has your protagonist allowed anyone back into his life when your story begins? And if so, what kind of relationship does he have with them?

As we open the series, Bob has allowed a few old allies back into his life. In particular his old sidekick, Scout plays a huge role, and Misty Knight and Tony Stark play a big role in Arc 1, as well.

I understand the Sentry's adventures in your series will unfold in both the Marvel Universe and another reality. What can you tell us about this other world and its role in your larger narrative?

I can't say anything. That would really spoil things. But you are correct, just like Sentry's mind is divided, so will the setting of the book. I will say that Bob has set up a very fragile situation for himself as the series starts, and it is going to be a struggle for him to maintain it and live anything resembling a normal life.

Helping you bring to life both worlds is artist Kim Jacinto. During his time at Marvel, Kim has drawn powerful characters, characters with tortured psyches, and strange worlds. So he seems like a great fit for this series.

Kim has terrific energy and emotion in his work. When Tom Breevort suggested him, it was a no-brainer. Kim really excels at the high stakes of the story.

Finally, it looks your initial arc pits the Sentry against a villain named Cranio. What can you tell us about your antagonist?

Cranio was created by another Jeff, Jeff Parker, in his Sentry series. He was sort of a classic silver-aged, Brainiac-type villain whom we have taken and reinvented a bit here. He is a lot of fun.