I'll admit, when I went and saw the "Fear Itself" panel at the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), I geeked out pretty hard. I mean, come on: a massive crossover event that has far reaching implications for not only every present Marvel character, but for the future of the universe as a whole that wouldn't be lessened by a dependence on reading all the tie-ins? It sounded perfect. Granted, many of the circumstances surrounding that panel probably affected my preconceptions, chief among them being Matt Fraction's witty (and definitely sarcastic) repartee with the various members of the audience that stepped up to the microphone to ask inane, presumptuous questions. It was also my first comic convention, which made everything seem to glow with the collective optimism of a crowd of diehard fans. Whatever it was that made me anticipate "Fear Itself" with such fan-boyish enthusiasm, I absolutely needed issue number one the second it came out.
Imagine my disappointment, then, when it turned out to be an only marginally interesting story that seemed to presume too much significance, to rely on too small a cadre of characters, and to jump around to seemingly unrelated events. Then there was the fact that the Worthy spoke only in strange symbols, which felt more like a dialog dodge than a cool characteristic.
Don't misunderstand; I wanted to LOVE this event, and I felt hurt when it wasn't what I expected. I don't fault anyone for this disappointment but myself, but it was there nonetheless. Then issue #5 came out. And let me tell you, it has changed my mind. Fraction has reminded me of the talent I saw through other books of his that I love (the Casanova series is spectacular). The art, which has admittedly been top-notch the whole time, brings with it a sense of the scope of the depicted events, and it finally feels as large-scale as it should. Everything feels massive and important and beautiful in a world that is rapidly becoming a desolate wasteland.
So much is happening in book #5 that has direct relevance and humanity, and it continues the trend of focusing chiefly on Cap, Thor and Iron Man. While this has been a detraction in previous issues, at least in my opinion, it makes so much more sense after this issue. It's hard to choose among the trio as to which story was the most interesting, and harder still to explain the choice without ruining this issue (which I would feel terrible about), but it would have to be Iron Man. At the end of issue #4, Tony Stark takes a pretty nasty fall from the wagon, and it is the continuation of his desperation that breathes the most new life into this series. Normally, at least for me, it's difficult to worry about comic characters. Any character in danger can be easily deus-exed to safety. "But wait," you might say, "characters die all the time." And then they are brought back to life or retconned to have never been in danger in the first place. For the first time in a long time, a comic book has me worried about not only the super-powered characters, but about a whole earth full of people. This book does a fantastic job establishing the ominous inevitability, the sheer gravity of coming times. I find myself actively rooting for the heroes of the Marvel Universe as I read, something that hasn't happened in ages.
My feelings on the series as a whole to this point merited explanation, which may have made the beginning of this review seem a little negative, but it should be noted that, after issue #5, my doubts have been effectively assuaged. For those waiting on the fence, afraid of getting suckered into a convoluted crossover story that serves just to get the Hulk, Ben Grimm and Thor to kick each other around, I can tell you it's safe. There are no tricks here, no bill of goods being sold. To put it simply, you have nothing to fear from "Fear Itself."
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