REVIEW: Marvel’s Fear Itself #1

We’re a bit behind in our discussion of Marvel’s Summer event book, Fear Itself, but with issue #3 shipping this Wednesday it’s time we caught up. With Thor and Captain America movies in theaters this Summer, it makes sense that Marvel would try to capitalize with a story focusing on those characters. It’s tough to say whether teaming up their villains is working just yet, but it’s a pretty interesting take on things. It’s also worth noting that DC Comics’ launched their latest event book, Flashpoint, earlier in May with issue #2 due in stores tomorrow as well. Comparisons may arise as these series go on with both companies centering their publishing lines on the events.

Spoilers for the issue and series to follow.

PTB: This book was a great introductory issue to this series. It establishes the current state of the Marvel Universe and the threat it’s about to face nicely.

KevinMLD: It may have set up the Marvel status quo nicely, but I really disliked the opening riot scene. It’s one of those ripped from the headlines type moments, but with the intensity amped up so much it feels dishonest.

PTB: That scene is intense, but it didn’t hurt the story for me. What I appreciated most about it was that the preview pages we saw before issue #1 shipped weren’t the opening pages of the book.

The artwork is fantastic and I hope that Stuart Immonen is able to produce this caliber of work on a timely schedule throughout the series.

KevinMLD: The art is fantastic. I really like the scene with the dragons. Is Immonen known for not keeping a deadline?

PTB: No, he’s not an artist that has a history of being late, but these event books do. It really is beautiful stuff and the image of the assembled Avengers announcing the rebuilding effort has been a desktop image since the first previews for the book.

KevinMLD: Why would Earthlings be in charge of rebuilding Asgard anyway? How does that make sense? These gods can’t generate a new place to live? No wonder no one worships them anymore.

PTB: That’s a point I agree on. I’m not sure when Odin came back, but rebuilding isn’t something beyond his power. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that Stark got this idea in his head because it wasn’t rebuilt for so long, or for some reason it couldn’t be magicked back together on Earth.

I don’t know that the Norse God of Fear has been seen in the Marvel Universe before this series, but I’ve been meaning to look him up.

KevinMLD: It definitely reads like he’s a new character; which either means he is or it’s a tribute to Matt Fraction’s ability to make this story approachable to someone not well versed in Thor minutiae.

PTB: His resemblance to Odin is intriguing as is the way Sin/Skadi calls him the Allfather, a title always used in connection to Odin as the father of the pantheon of Norse gods.

KevinMLD: It certainly seems like he believes himself to be the original All-Father and that Odin is a usurper.

PTB: Odin’s reaction to the return of “the Serpent” is extremely disconcerting. He’s immensely powerful and seeing the fear creep into his every act establishes the nature of the threat nicely for me.

KevinMLD: Odin comes across like a bully and a coward in this series to date. The fact that the other Asgardians follow him makes them all seem pathetic.

PTB: I haven’t read a lot of stories featuring Odin, but I get the impression his actions are out of character here to show his fear of The Serpent.

I’m familiar with Sin from Ed Brubaker’s Captain America, and it’s interesting to see her taking center stage as a threat to the Marvel Universe in Fear Itself. You’ve read far more about the character than I, is this a good direction for her development as a villain?

KevinMLD: I personally find tossing the universes of Captain America and Thor together the way they have here feels really strange. It really seems like the only reason these villains are interacting is that their enemies both have major motion pictures in theaters this summer.

However, once Sin is merged with the Norse God, she definitely took a back seat in the story and it becomes primarily a Thor story anyway.

PTB: That’s absolutely true, and she’s not entirely herself which just adds to seeing her as a crony. Is she wearing a skull mask? Last I saw her she was running around with her real face on.

KevinMLD: She was burned in an explosion at the end of Captain America: Reborn.

PTB: I read that book and have no recollection of it. I don’t think that will be the case for Fear Itself though. The book is off to a strong start. Even if the synthesis of Captain America and Thor villains and histories is to capitalize on the release of the movies, it was at least done in an interesting way.

Read more about Marvel’s Fear Itself on MyLatestDistraction,
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Fear Itself previews / Fear Itself #2