Published by : Sentinel Publishing
Price £4.00
Guest Reviewer - MelBa
So Sentinel rumbles on, and the fourth issue see it tackle horror for the first time with a tale that take it's inspiration from 70s and 80s comics such as Scream and Misty, not to mention classic girls comics like Bunty and Jinty, which could contain some pretty dark material despite the fluffy covers. It's 64 page digest comic with black and white art, inspired by the old Starblazer comics, which was a sci-fi version of the Commando comics still going today. this allows a different type of storytelling than traditional comics, something they nailed in the first three issues.
Set in 1982, it tells of thirteen year old Misty Moore, who moves with her parents to the quiet Yeotown, where they share a large house with two other families. Along with many others from the village, Misty takes the coach to a nearby comprehensive, determined to enjoy her new start. Naturally, everything goes tits up, and in the classic tradition of teen comics the heroine is bullied and beaten by nasty girls. The thing is, she is contacted by Janet, a girl who used to have her bedroom and committed suicide thirty years ago because of bullying. Janet tells Misty that she can help her get revenge on the bullies (and no doubt a bit of closure for herself), and this has the inevitable bloody consequences.
What impresses about Misty Moore the most is that it's not a straightforward horror story, but an intelligent piece of character development that leads into violence and tragedy. Misty herself is very well fleshed out by writer Alan Holloway, and anyone who has read the old comics (or even Rebellion's recent reprints) will see that this would have slotted into their oeuvre perfectly, with a heroine having all manner of shite flung at her before striking back. Complementing the script perfectly is Ian Beadle's art, which has a just the right style to suit the story, and page layouts that are shocking and hammer home the realism of the story. Considering it's his first full length it's very impressive and well matched to the dark tale.
Sentinel seems to go from strength to strength, and Misty Moore shows that writer Holloway is more than capable of jumping styles and genres without any adverse effects. Beadle is the third artist to join in so far, and it's great that Holloway and co-creator Ed Doyle have been able to give new artists the chance to strut their stuff and do it so well. Misty Moore is a brilliant, dark tale that's the perfect Halloween treat for comic fans, one that will delight anyone with a fondness for the old dramatic comics.
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