Well it’s here people. Fear Itself has arrived on comic book shelves. Did it wow me as much as my hype ridden brain was expecting?
No.
But it wasn’t supposed to I surmise. It wasn’t bad, just a whole lot of needed set up. It set the stage by showing us the main villains, the heroes and where the Asgardians stand at this point.
*Beware my spoilers!*
The story starts off in lower Manhattan where a not so peaceful protest is being held. There are riot police standing by, and Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter are in the middle of it trying to calm people down. It is clear by the speech of the protesters, and the location that this is taking place near Ground Zero, that this is taking a page from our real world issues going on right now. The people are basically protesting the mosque building near Ground Zero in New York, without the comic actually saying it. Needless to say things get out of hand, a riot officer fires tear gas and boom… riot.
Even Mr. Steve Rogers takes a brick to the side of the head. Outrageous.
Part one definitely goes over how much our country has endured in terms of fear and uncertainty. People losing their jobs and their homes in the midst of a recession. All the greed and corruption running rampant. It’s the perfect semblance in the Marvel Universe to what is happening in our world now.
Our next stop is with Red Skull daddy’s girl Sin, as she invades a fortress in Antarctica from the Fear Itself Prelude, where a mystical hammer (comparable to Thor’s) is being kept by Red Skull and Hitler loyalists. This hammer too can only be picked up the one who is worthy to hold it. Apparently Sin is, and by picking it up she is resurrected as ‘Skadi’, who is the daughter of the Serpent.
The Serpent is to be the main antagonist of the series, with Odin and the Asgardians knowing who he is, and fearing his return. When Sin/Skadi arrives in an underwater lair that must have been some sort of prison for the Serpent, we get our first glimpse of him. He refers to himself as the ‘All Father’ and speaks familiarly of Odin, and even names him usurper. It would seem possible that Odin is not the head honcho of all of the Gods as I thought, and must have taken the throne from this all father the Serpent.
Speaking of the Asgardians: After the riot, Tony Stark plans to announce to the country that he will fund a project to rebuild Asgard after it’s destruction in Siege. After they announce it, Thor approaches Odin who was absent from the gathering and asks why. Apparently Odin isn’t too happy with all of the help that the Gods are needing from the humans, who he sees as primitives and beneath the Asgardians. All I can say about Thor and Odin’s relationship in this series thus far is that they sure tussle a lot!
Odin is aware of the Serpent being free and decrees that all Asgardians will depart Midgard (Earth) and return home. Thor is defiant, throwing down with his father again until Odin renders his hammer Mjolnir useless. He tells Thor he will return with them in chains if need be. In the end, the Gods of Asgard have left Earth, while the Serpent prepares to unleash fear upon it.
And then fall the ‘Hammers of the Worthy’, described by Matt Fraction as basically the harbingers of the Serpents destruction.
Things do not look good for us Earthlings.
Although this issue wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, I’m glad they took all of the time to set everything up for us. The next issue is titled – Blitzkrieg U.S.A. – So you know things will be heating up. The preview features images of a burning Capitol Building, a hammer of one of the Worthy, and our beloved Thor in chains. (I guess Odin wasn’t BS-ing.) You’d be a foolish fool indeed to not get the next issue!
Funny looking blooper below from the gathering of heroes and Asgardians near the end of the issue:
Grizzly Bomb 
I wisj i had a clue just what the hell is going on here! The amount of tie-ins is disgusting!
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