Comic Book Review - Sentinel Issue #15: Wolfriders

The team over at Sentinel celebrate another milestone with their 15th issue, but does Wolfriders fit in with the pack?

Fifteen issues in and Alan Holloway shows no signs of slowing down as he brings another done-in-one tale to Sentinels growing library. This time the veteran writer has been joined by relative newcomer, Jack Parsons whose artistic talent has given a manger-esque feel to this fantasy adventure. With the full narrative needing to fit into just 64 pages (not including covers and introduction), how does ‘Wolfriders’ fare? We’ll come with me as I find out.

Moving away from the sci-fi comedy that made up Sentinel Issue 14, Holloway turns his steely towards the world of Elves and Goblins. Our central character in this story is Anna, a young Elf who finds herself thrown into a world of mysticism as an age old prophecy threatens to come true. With the help of two elvish wolfriders, Anna will soon have to face her sheltered upbringing, whilst questioning her role in things to come.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a fantasy outing from Alan Holloway, and with Wolfriders it’s a welcome change from cosmic hijinks, and brooding military heroes. Story wise and Wolfriders is very much an action adventure that reads very much like Willow with a sprinkling of The Hobbit. At its heart it’s an old fashioned tale of a big evil who wants to end the world, while a seemingly ordinary protagonist rises to oppose them. Even if the narrative is a little cliched in parts, Holloway does bring some new ideas to the fantasy table. World building comes in the form of a prophecy that revolves around why wolves howl at the moon. It’s an interesting idea that can certainly be expanded upon if Wolfriders merits a sequel. Likewise, the age old battle between the nature loving Wood Elves, and their dark magic cousins the Dark Elves is also briefly touched upon with plenty of room to expand if Holloway wishes to do so.

Two unseen characters watch the main character Anna from the darkness of a bush

With our central focal point being on young Anna, it’s her two companions who remain the more mysterious of the group. Much like the world building these two fellow elves have a lot of mysticism around them. While their journey with discovering Anna, to then battling the antagonist is clear, their own abilities of communication with wolves, and who set them on their task is never discovered. Even though it doesn’t necessarily mean that Wolfriders’ narrative suffers as a result, it would have shed light on this fantasy realm.

Sadly this lack of exposition isn’t a new topic with both Sentinel and its Starblazer forbearer. With the mini-digest format being a complete story in ‘x’ amount of pages, there are some sacrifices that do need to be made. And while Alan Holloway does a bloody good job in crafting a tale with a clear beginning, middle, and end, sometimes I’m left asking for “a few more pages”.

Keeping up with Sentinel traditions and Wolfriders sees the debut of Jack Parsons on art duties. From the get go it’s obvious that Parsons has a passion for anime. Each scene is a wash with detail that helps to bring each location to life which is then backed up by some superb character design. Action is where Parsons style really shines with the artist using various viewpoints and those harsh Manga-esque lines to highlight the ferocity of the fight.

Main characters riding their wolves with a terrified Anna

All in all and Sentinel: Wolfriders is a stylish action adventure set against that age old fantasy backdrop. Holloway and Parsons work well together to fuse classic storytelling with a stylish Manga art style that allows each scene to effortlessly flow across the page. With the foundations set to this new world, Wolfriders gives Alan Holloway a solid starting point if he wishes to visit Anna again in the future. As for Jack Parsons, I’m looking forward to seeing what Sentinel realm he tackles next.

And of course let’s not forget Ed Doyle whose lettering brings everything together!

Rating: 8/10

There’s still time to back Sentinel Issue #15: Wolfriders with the Kickstarter running until April 3rd, 2024. You can check out the campaign page by clicking here.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on X/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews, and BlueSky @geekculturereviews.bsky.social

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