That late 90s Sentry logo looks pretty dated on these 2005 covers. A lot has changed in a little time. This one opens with a fun surprise:
They lured Sal out of penciling retirement to give the book a retro vibe! Its not actually Pual Jenkins writing according to the later recap page, but it’s Sal on pencils and inks. This is pretty superfluous, but on a Spider-Man blog, seeing Sal back in action is enough to run the whole bit.
It’s worth mentioning that, after we stopped looking at Ultimate X-Men, the rest of the Bendis/Finch year was called “The New Mutants,” and featured several shorts introducing, well, new mutants. One was a standalone where Wolverine went to visit a kid hiding in a cave. The kid’s mutant power had manifested, and was essentially nerve gas, killing everyone in his town. Wolverine could heal through it, and went to talk to the kid bring him some beer, and then kill him, because there was no saving him from his own power. It was a pretty remarkable comic. And this whole thing with the Sentry hiding in a cave, by the same writer & artist, even, looks a whole lot like it. From there, we flashback to a week ago (Not yesterday?) and an extended sequence when Tony was trying to convince Wolverine to join the Avengers on the helicarrier. He mentioned the Mark Millar/John Romita, Jr. Wolverine run, where Logan was made a brainwashed Hydra assassin, and pointed out that being an Avenger could help repair his name, and that standing next to Captain America inspires you to do better. Logan wasn’t fully convinced, but eventually, said “yes,” obviously, since he’s now being smashed by the Wrecker.
By the Quinjet, Spider-Woman is still just talking to Wrecker, who is ready to take her head off. Then we’re back to the desert.
Bob reiterates that the last time he saw Lindy, she was dead at “his” hands, and beings white hot and disappears. He appears in their home, shorthaired and clean shaven, in normal clothes, to start watching TV with his dog. Back on Long Island, Spider-Woman talks Wrecker down, asking if anyone’s ever asked him what he really wants, if he never dreamed of something bigger than this, referencing his defeat in the Runaways comic recently, and once his guard is down…
The sheer number of panels looking up at Spider-Woman’s butt in the last 2 issues is truly insane. I’ve been avoiding them on purpose. Well, Bob is in Connecticut.
Prince Namor! The New Avengers! The Astonishing X-Men! The Fantastic Four! Dr. Strange! Even the Uncanny Inhumans! A lotta folks turning up for this one.