Review: 'Fear Itself’ #1

By Don M. Ventura

Fear Itself #1

Marvel Comics

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Has Matt Fraction committed heresy in the first issue of Fear Itself? I got to the last page—and there are forty of them—and our heroes still don’t know what they’re up against. Where’s the big explosion? Where’s the reveal of the villain? Where are the heroes, clenching their gloved fists, ready to jump into action?

All good things come to those who wait.

Whether it’s the explosion in Stamford that set off the events in Civil War or the murder of Sue Dibny that rocked the DCU in Identity Crisis, readers have become used to having the first issue of the event book include that “big” moments where all of the heroes know that some serious bad stuff is about to go down.

Fraction goes against the grain in Fear Itself #1. Instead the writer covers a lot of ground by establishing the mood of the book and, more importantly, putting all the pieces in place. Rather than have the heroes ready for action at the conclusion of the issue, the heroes are looking up at the departing Asgardians and wondering what is going on.

The heroes are left unsettled and, while they don’t understand why, they certainly have reason to be. Sin, daughter of the Red Skull, has unleashed a powerful force by continuing the plans her father failed to finish decades prior. She has become an avatar for Skadi, the child of the Serpent god and supposed true all-father. His rising causes Odin to depart Earth with all of his people and Thor in tow.

I like the way that Fraction is setting up the story. By the last third of the book, there is a sense of dread that begins to permeate through the book. It begins with Odin, then with a father who comforts his son on their porch as the Serpent’s hammers fall to Earth, and finally with the befuddled heroes.

Stuart Immonen joins Fraction to bring a cinematic feel to the book and the artist does not fumble. Not in the slightest. From Superman: Secret Identity, to The Incredible Hulk, to his most recent work on New Avengers, Immonen has proven time and again that he is one of the most capable artists working today. His pages are flat out gorgeous.

Just look at the faces and actions of all the characters in the first two page spread during the riot scene. It’s pure comic book composition, but his expressions and body language are all wonderfully authentic. There’s much to enjoy in Immonen’s fine penciling on Fear Itself: the Avengers standing atop Avengers Tower looking over Manhattan, the Red Skull traveling through the Pacific Ocean to get to the Serpent god, Thor charging at Odin with Mjolnir—this is a stunning looking book.

Of course it doesn’t hurt to have Laura Martin coloring each panel beautifully. In terms of art, there are virtually no misfires (except for a very small mis-coloring of Red Hulk).

Fraction has set up his pieces nicely in Fear Itself #1. Now let’s see how the rest of the game plays out.

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