Fear Itself (comics)
Encyclopedia
"Fear Itself" is a 2011
2011 in comics
-January:*January 4 Axel Alonso is named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada.-September:*During the whole month of September DC Comics released 52 brand new titles as part of their The New 52 publishing scheme after canceling all titles in August.-Conventions:*July 2–3 -...

 crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...

 comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 storyline published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

, consisting of a seven-issue, eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...

ous miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

 written by Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics and Casanova for Image Comics.-Career:Fraction wrote two...

 and illustrated by Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man...

, Wade Von Grawbadger
Wade Von Grawbadger
Wade von Grawbadger is a comic book artist who is known mostly for his inking work for Marvel and DC comics.-DC Comics:* Alpha Centurion Special #1* Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1, 3, 4* Showcase '95 #1, 2...

, and Laura Martin
Laura Martin
Laura DePuy is an award-winning colorist who has produced work for several of the major comics companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and CrossGen.-Career:...

, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...

 and artist Scott Eaton, and numerous tie-in books, including most of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...

 family of books.

"Fear Itself" was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...

, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...

 and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso is American comic book creator, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Preacher and 100 Bullets...

 at a press conference held at Midtown Comics Times Square on December 21, 2010. It is the first company-wide crossover event since 2008's "Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....

". The story, whose title is a reference to a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

, depicts the various superheroes of the Marvel Universe contending with the Serpent, an Asgardian
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...

 fear deity who causes global panic on Earth, and who seeks to reclaim the throne of Asgard he contends was usurped by his brother, Odin
Odin (comics)
Odin is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #85 Odin is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #85 Odin is a...

, father to Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

, when the latter vanquished him ages ago. Within the comics, the characters refer to this conflict as The Serpent's War. Although it is a company-wide crossover, it emphasizes Captain America and Thor, as with past crossovers of the late 2000s.

Publication history

"Fear Itself" began as a proposed Captain America/Thor crossover by Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics and Casanova for Image Comics.-Career:Fraction wrote two...

. The storyline was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...

, Vice President Executive Editor Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...

 and Vice President and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso is American comic book creator, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Preacher and 100 Bullets...

 in a December 21, 2010 press conference at Midtown Comics Times Square. Quesada explained that like the 2006 storyline "Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...

", the storyline of "Fear Itself" was inspired by the real world, in particular the perceived malaise and fear evoked by late 2000s events such as terror alerts, oil spills
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...

, the economy and partisan politics. Explains Quesada:

"The climate in the world today was certainly the inspiration for this as we started to think about the bigger stories for the Marvel Universe," Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said at a press conference at Midtown Comics in Manhattan. "You will absolutely see the real world inject itself into this story because it's undeniable that there's a certain something in the air right now…we tend to tap into that whether consciously or unconsciously and it effects [sic] all our stories."


The storyline's title is a reference to a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

: "So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance", as indicated by the use of a portion that quote as part of the soundtrack of the trailer presented during the Midtown press conference. The story's antagonist is the God of Fear, a supervillain who sows doubt and fear among the superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe, as illustrated by early promotional images for the event, which depict Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

, Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

, Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

, Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...

, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

, and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

 coming face to face with their worst nightmares. Brevoort explained that all major characters are featured in the storyline, which involve a number of unconventional alliances, with even Marvel's version of Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...

 participating in the event. Another god of fear, the adolescent Phobos
Phobos (Marvel Comics)
Phobos is the name of two fictional comic book characters appearing in books published by Marvel Comics characters. The first appeared in Dr...

, who is a member of the Secret Warriors
Secret Warriors
The Secret Warriors is a Marvel series featuring Nick Fury and Team White, a fictional team of superpowered agents in the . Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, the characters were introduced in Mighty Avengers #13, and debuted as a team in Secret Invasion #3, both published in...

, also appears in the series. Brevoort further explained that subtle hints of the storyline were planted well in advance, between approximately 15 months and two years prior to the miniseries, some of which may only be perceptible in hindsight. Brevoort and Alonso explained that although the story also ties into all of the company's other high-profile titles, and presents stakes as high as an "extinction-level event", the story could be understood by those who choose to read only the core Fear Itself miniseries. The related titles include the X-Men family of books, with the exception of X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...

.

The Fear Itself prologue book, which was published in March 2011, features Captain America and Namor, and is produced by writer Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...

 and artist Scott Eaton. The main Fear Itself miniseries, which debuted the following month, is written by Matt Fraction, and features illustrated interiors by Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man...

 and Wade von Grawbadger
Wade Von Grawbadger
Wade von Grawbadger is a comic book artist who is known mostly for his inking work for Marvel and DC comics.-DC Comics:* Alpha Centurion Special #1* Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1, 3, 4* Showcase '95 #1, 2...

 and covers by Steve McNiven
Steve McNiven
Steven "Steve" McNiven is a Canadian comic book artist. He first gained prominence on CrossGen's Meridian, before moving onto books such as Ultimate Secret, New Avengers and Civil War.-Career:...

. Fear Itself #1 is priced at $3.99 USD, and was projected to be about 45 pages long, according to Brevoort. (The first issue, when published, was 56 pages long.) Brevoort also indicated that the final issue would also be oversized, as is typical with such event miniseries. (The final issue was 64 pages long, 16 of which were devoted to epilogues that set up upcoming spinoff books.)

To promote Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1, one of the tie-in books, writer Brandon Montclare and artists Michael Kaluta and Ryan Bodenheim appeared at Midtown Comics Downtown on June 8, 2011, where they signed copies of the book. Writers Greg Pak
Greg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...

, Fred Van Lente
Fred Van Lente
Fred Van Lente is an American writer, primarily of comic books and graphic novels.-Career:Van Lente is the co-founder, along with artist Ryan Dunlavey, of Evil Twin Comics, which produces his and Dunlavey’s non-fiction comic books, the first and most famous of which is Action Philosophers.Recent...

 and editor Mark Paniccia later held a signing at the same store on June 18 for Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

#1, which is also part of the storyline.

A 12-issue, biweekly spinoff miniseries of "Fear Itself" titled The Fearless, debuted October 19, 2011. The series, which depicts Captain America, the Avengers and others dealing with the aftermath of the events of "Fear Itself", is written by Fraction, Cullen Bunn and Chris Yost
Chris Yost
Christopher Yost is a film, animation and comic book writer best known as the head writer of the Marvel animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and co-writer of the comic book series New X-Men and X-Force.-Career:Yost began his career in 2002 as an intern in Marvel Comics' west...

, and is illustrated by Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...

 and Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...

. Other aftereffects of the crossover will be explored in a series of one-shots under the title Shattered Heroes, in a manner similar to how the 2010 "Heroic Age
Heroic Age (comics)
"The Heroic Age" is a 2010 comic book branding that ran through a number of books published by Marvel Comics. It began in May 2010, marking a major change in the status quo of the Marvel Universe after the events of the "Siege" crossover event, much as "The Initiative" and "Dark Reign" dealt with...

" storyline served as a follow-up to the 2008-2009 "Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...

" storyline. Shattered Heroes
Shattered Heroes
"Shattered Heroes" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics beginning in October 2011, that follows Fear Itself and explores a number of implications across a number of titles.-Publication premise:...

is part of "Battle Scars", a rebranding
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....

 of the Marvel Universe books most affected by "Fear Itself".

Prologue

In Fear Itself: Book of the Skull, the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....

 performs a ritual during World War II, on orders of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

, which causes the Hammer of Skadi to fall to Earth where it lands in Antarctica. Traveling to Antarctica, the Red Skull finds the hammer but is unable to lift it. Red Skull has Adolf Hitler's Thule Society
Thule Society
The Thule Society , originally the Studiengruppe für germanisches Altertum , was a German occultist and völkisch group in Munich, named after a mythical northern country from Greek legend...

 seal it away and put it under their guard. Many years later, Red Skull's daughter Sin, with the help of Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo
Baron Zemo is the name of two fictional characters, both supervillains, in various Marvel Comics comic books, notably Captain America and the Avengers...

, retrieves the Book of the Skull that contains the location of the hammer.

Core miniseries

While Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

 holds a press conference announcing that his company, Stark Resilient
Stark Industries
In the fictional world of Iron Man, Stark Industries, later also known as Stark International, Stark Innovations, Stark/Fujikawa, Stark Enterprises and currently Stark Resilient, is a fictional multi-billion dollar corporation owned and run by businessman Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, also known as...

, will help rebuild Asgard
Asgard (comics)
Asgard is a fictional realm within the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to the Asgardians and other beings of Norse mythology...

 in Broxton, Oklahoma
Broxton, Oklahoma
Broxton is an unincorporated community in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. Broxton had an independent school district until the 1990s, but it was consolidated into the Fort Cobb-Broxton school district....

 following the "Siege
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...

" storyline, the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....

's daughter, Sin, finds the Hammer of Skadi, and after lifting it becomes Skadi: Herald of the "Serpent." She then frees the Serpent from his underwater prison, after which seven celestial objects fall from the sky around the globe. Learning of the Serpent's escape, Odin
Odin (comics)
Odin is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #85 Odin is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #85 Odin is a...

 withdraws his people from Earth, against the protests of his son, Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

. The seven celestial objects are revealed to be divine hammers that contain the essence of four of the Serpent's seven generals known as the Worthy: Kuurth, Breaker of Stone; Nul, Breaker of Worlds; Skirn, Breaker of Men; and Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans. Coming into contact with the hammers, Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....

, Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

, Titania
Titania (Marvel Comics)
Titania is a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe, notable for being Marvel's strongest human female with the possible exception of the She-Hulk, and the wife of the Absorbing Man. She was created by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, in the successful company-wide crossover known as...

, and Attuma
Attuma
Attuma is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He is an Atlantean nomadic warlord who is the nemesis of Namor the Sub-Mariner, and is the father of the superhero Andromeda. He believes he is the prophesied conqueror of the Atlantean Empire...

 are transformed into these four beings and along with Skadi, go on a rampage all over the Earth for the Serpent. Among their targets are Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and the New York City superhuman prison known as Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...

, from which a number of imprisoned superhumans escape.

During their battle in Washington, D.C., Skadi mortally wounds the current Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

, James "Bucky" Barnes
Bucky
Bucky is the name of several fictional characters, masked superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a sidekick character in Captain America Comics #1 , published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics...

. In Asgard, Odin prepares his people to raze Earth completely in order to destroy the Serpent. Thor opposes this, and returns to Earth. After Steve Rogers
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

 reassumes the mantle of Captain America, Thor confronts the Serpent, who reveals himself to be Odin's brother, and claims to be the rightful bearer of Asgard's throne, before dispatching Thor. Iron Man requests from Odin the use of his workshop to make weapons to fight the Worthy. Skadi and the Serpent easily repel resistance by Captain America and the Avengers, breaking Captain America's shield and devastating New York City.
As Thor convalesces in Asgard, Odin gives him his own battle armor and the Odinsword, Ragnarok, for a last suicide mission against the Serpent. Iron Man and the dwarves of Svartalfheim present eight newly forged weapons, each designed for a specific Avenger, and containing both his repulsor technology and uru (the same metal composing Thor's hammer). They throw them into a vat of boiling uru–into which Iron Man himself leaps–to receive Odin's enchantments. In Broxton, Captain America raises a militia of armed citizens who wish to remain to fight, and along with the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

, prepares for a final confrontation with the Serpent and the Worthy.

Iron Man returns to Earth, his armor coated with Asgardian uru enchanted by Odin, as well as similarly enhanced weapons with which he arms Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

, Black Widow, Iron Fist, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

, Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...

, Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...

, Red She-Hulk and Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

. They confront the Serpent's forces, and are joined by the people of Broxton and Captain America, who wields Thor's hammer against Skadi. The Worthy are vanquished from their hosts when Odin summons their hammers away from them, and Thor kills the Serpent at the cost of his life. As Thor and Bucky are mourned by their allies, Odin returns to Asgard with the corpse of his brother, Cul, sealing off Asgard from Hermod and a number of other Asgardians, who are left on Earth. The Stark-Asgardian weapons are returned to Asgard to be melted, and Iron Man presents Rogers with his reforged shield, now stronger for its uru-infused enhancements, despite the scar it bears. Fear Itself #7.1 reveals that Bucky survived Skadi's attack, as a result of being injected with the infinity formula. With the world believing him dead, Bucky returns to his former identity of Winter Soldier, performing special operations. Only Steve Rogers, Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...

, and Black Widow know that he survived.

Tie-in books

Fear Itself: Sin's Past #1 is a reprint book that collects Captain America #355-357 from 1989, which introduced Sin as part of her father's Daughters of Sin.

Fear Itself: The Worthy is an anthology origin book in which Sin and each of the Worthy detail the major events of their life in first-person narration
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...

, with each vignette concluding with an open-ended look to the future.
The Invincible Iron Man follows Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

 as he travels to Paris to confront Grey Gargoyle
Grey Gargoyle
The Grey Gargoyle is a fictional comic book supervillain that appears in books published by Marvel Comics, often as an enemy of Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk or the Fantastic Four. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 The Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a fictional comic...

, who as Mokk, Breaker of Faith, has turned the populace to stone. After Iron Man's rival Detroit Steel
Detroit Steel
Detroit Steel is a fictional suit of powered armor appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary or rival to Iron Man. Created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larocca, Detroit Steel first appeared in Iron Man #25 as part of the "Stark Resilient" storyline...

 meets with the same fate, and Iron Man's armor and energy supply are compromised, Tony Stark uses Odin's Workshops of Svartalfheim to make weapons to fight the Worthy, as pro-Serpent forces conspire against him. In Paris, Rescue
Pepper Potts
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character, a supporting character and a love interest of Iron Man in the Marvel Comics Universe...

 comes into conflict with Sasha Hammer
Sasha Hammer
Sasha Hammer is a fictional character from the Marvel Comics universe. She is the daughter of Justine Hammer and The Mandarin, the granddaughter of Justin Hammer, and an enemy of Iron Man.-Fictional character biography:...

 and her team of Steelmechs, but both are confronted by Mokk as well. Mokk leaves Paris, however, when the Serpent summons his Worthy to join him at the portal to Asgard in Broxton, while Iron Man returns to Earth with the Asgardian weapons.

In Iron Man 2.0, War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...

, Prince of Orphans
Amazing-Man (Centaur Publications)
Amazing-Man is a fictional, American comic book superhero whose adventures were published by Centaur Publications during the 1930s to 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Historians credit his creation variously to writer-artist Bill Everett or to Everett together...

, Iron Fist, and the Immortal Weapons
Immortal Weapons
The Immortal Weapons are fictional characters, each a champion of one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven in the . The Immortal Weapons first appear in The Immortal Iron Fist #8 and as a group, were created by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction and David Aja.-Publication history:After the characters...

 fight Skirn, and witness Absorbing Man as he is transformed into Greithoth: Breaker of Wills.

In Avengers, Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...

, Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...

, and Protector
Noh-Varr
Noh-Varr is a fictional character created by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones and appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in Marvel Boy #1 . He appeared in the Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and the New Avengers: Illuminati limited series...

 arrive in Brazil to help Red She-Hulk fight Nul.

In New Avengers, Skadi sends the Thule Society to the United States where they fight the New Avengers, at one point attacking Avengers Mansion.

In Secret Avengers
Secret Avengers
Secret Avengers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black ops superhero team of the same name. Written by Ed Brubaker, the series depicts a new version of Marvel's premiere super hero team, the Avengers, which operates under the guidance and leadership...

, that team confronts Skadi during her attack upon Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Black Widow confronts the webmasters of a tabloid site for fabricating a story that Bucky Barnes is still alive and his death a hoax.

In Avengers Academy
Avengers Academy
Avengers Academy is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age". The series is written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and tells the story of a group of young super-powered persons who were selected to join a training academy for the...

, the staff and students of the eponymous school fight convicts attempting to escape the Raft, and are later sent to Washington, D.C. to fight Skadi's forces. In Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...

, the faculty later battle Greithoth and Skirn, who subsequently attack the students at Infinite Avengers Mansion.

In Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt, Captain Steve Rogers has Ritchie Gilmore/Prodigy
Prodigy (Ritchie Gilmore)
Prodigy is the name of a superhero in Marvel Comics.-Fictional character biography:Ritchie Gilmore is a typical jock, captain of his college wrestling team, and one of the most popular guys in school. But Ritchie wants more from life; he wants to be stronger and more powerful...

 assemble a new incarnation of the Avengers Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...

, in which includes members of The Cavalry
The Cavalry
The Cavalry is a fictional superhero team appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those associated with The Avengers. The group of heroes first appear as the official Georgia Fifty State Initiative team and were created by Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli.-Publication...

, the Heavy Hitters
Heavy Hitters (comics)
Heavy Hitters is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The group of heroes first appear as the official Nevada Fifty State Initiative team and were created by Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli.-Fictional history:...

, the Desert Stars
Desert Stars
Desert Stars is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The group of heroes are the official Arizona Fifty State Initiative team and were created by Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli.-Fictional history:...

, Action Pack, and the Shadow Initiative, but the team's efforts in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 result in Thor Girl being arrested and later becoming a fugitive from justice. The team also confronts Crossbones in New Jersey, and tries unsuccessfully to stop Kuurth in Las Vegas.

In Hulk, Red Hulk
Thunderbolt Ross
General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...

 attempts to stop Angir's attack upon Avengers Tower
Stark Tower
The Stark Tower Complex is a fictional high-rise building complex which appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Located in Manhattan, New York City, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark who is the alter ego of the superhero Iron Man. The structure is composed of a 93-story Main Tower...

, but the Tower is destroyed in the process and the Avengers' manservant Edwin Jarvis
Edwin Jarvis
Edwin Jarvis is a fictional supporting character in the Marvel Comics titles, The Avengers, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.-Publication history:...

 barely escapes. As their battle continues, Zero/One and MODOK
MODOK
MODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...

 Superior compete to reach Red Hulk, as they each harbor plans for him.

In Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula, Hulk/Nul, following his battle with Thor in Fear Itself #5, crashes in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

, is confronted by Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...

 and his vampire army. The series also explores political relationships between Dracula and other breeds and sects of vampires, and introduces a vampire superhero team called the Forgiven, whom Dracula frees from his dungeons in order to combat Hulk/Nul.

In Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...

, the eponymous team deals with the escape of convicts from the destroyed Raft, one of whom is Juggernaut, who becomes one of the Worthy, and who battles the Thunderbolts outside Chicago. Issue #159 is an anthology issue, with different vignettes focusing on the Raft breakout starring Warden John Walker
U.S. Agent
U.S. Agent is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those starring Captain America and the Avengers. He was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Neary in Captain America vol...

 and convict Crossbones
Crossbones (comics)
Crossbones is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Kieron Dwyer in Captain America #359-360 . Crossbones usually appears as a henchman of the Red Skull...

. The Thunderbolts later must battle aquatic mutants rising out of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

.

In Fear Itself: Spider-Man, the webslinger attempts to deal with the rampant paranoia that grips Manhattan, which includes, in addition to his own hallucinations, attempted suicides, hate crimes, an attack by Vermin
Vermin (comics)
Vermin is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character's first appearance was in Captain America #272 .-Fictional character biography:...

, a foreclosed homeowner holding people hostage in St. Mark's Church, a woman in labor in need of a hospital, and an attack by the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...

, who has been turned into Angir, a member of the Worthy.

In Fear Itself: FF
Future Foundation
Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in Fantastic Four #579 and stars in the series FF, written by Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting...

, the Thing's teammates Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....

 and Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...

 also confront the Thing/Angir and try to free him from the Serpent's influence.

In Fear Itself: Black Widow, that character is sent on a mission to free hostages being held in a Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...

 cathedral by a group of mercenaries exploiting the panic over the events in Paris in order to steal France's nuclear arsenal.
The anthology miniseries Fear Itself: The Home Front explores how events of "Fear Itself" affect the ordinary citizens of the Marvel Universe, much as Civil War: Front Line
Civil War: Front Line
Civil War: Front Line is an 11-issue, limited series tie-in to Marvel Comics's Civil War event which started in August 2006.Part of the story is told from the perspective of two reporters embedded in the opposite camps of the war...

and Siege: Embedded had previously done with the "Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...

" and "Siege
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...

", crossover storylines, respectively. The series follows Robbie Baldwin as he escapes an angry Stamford mob, and his confrontations with Kuurth, Nerkodd and a hate group founded by Sin called Sisters of Sin. The series also follows the investigation of an abandoned Thule Society headquarters by Jimmy Woo
Jimmy Woo
Jimmy Woo is a fictional, Chinese-American secret agent in the Marvel Comics comic-book universe. Created by EC Comics great Al Feldstein and artist Joe Maneely, the character first appeared in Yellow Claw #1 Jimmy Woo is a fictional, Chinese-American secret agent in the Marvel Comics comic-book...

 and the Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas
Agents of Atlas is a fictional superhero team in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is composed of characters originally appearing in unrelated stories published in the 1950s by Marvel's predecessor company, Atlas Comics....

, Liz Allan's encounter with bank robbers as she tries to escape New York City with her son, Cardiac
Cardiac (comics)
Cardiac is a fictional character comic book vigilante hero appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writer David Michelinie and penciller Erik Larsen, he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #342 .-Fictional character biography:Elias Wirtham is a doctor driven by his...

's attempt to help a health care industry CEO whose son has meningitis, Blue Marvel
Blue Marvel (Marvel Comics)
Blue Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by Marvel Comics. The Blue Marvel debuted in Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel # 1, , and was created by Kevin Grevioux...

's discovery of a submarine harboring antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...

 samples off the coast of Kadesh
Kadesh
This article is about Kadesh in the lands of the Amurru, bordering on Damascus Syria up to Hammath; see also Kadesh or Kedesh Kadesh was an ancient city of the Levant, located on or near the headwaters or ford of the Orontes River...

, Mister Fear
Mister Fear
Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister Fear is the name of several fictional characters, all supervillains in the Marvel Comics Universe. Mister Fear first appears in Daredevil Mister...

's realization that the Serpent and his Worthy have surpassed his ability to induce fear in people, American Eagle's attempt to deal with the fear and chaos in Bleachville and the attack upon Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho
Amadeus Cho, also known as Mastermind Excello, is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Greg Pak and artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #15...

, X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...

, Spider-Girl
Anya Corazon
Anya Sofia Corazon is a fictional half Mexican and half Puerto Rican superheroine in the . She formerly went by the codename Araña, but is currently known as Spider-Girl.-Publication history:...

, Power Man
Power Man (Victor Alvarez)
Victor Alvarez is a fictional comic book superhero published by Marvel Comics. He is the third person to use the Power Man alias after Erik Josten and Luke Cage.-Publication history:...

 and Thunderstrike
Thunderstrike (Kevin Masterson)
Kevin Masterson, a fictional character that appeared in Marvel Comics. The character was first introduced as a supporting character in Thor and later in spin-off series Thunderstrike, as the son of Eric Masterson, the featured character of both series...

 by a group of samurai Shark Men after the former group is teleported onto a station in the Pacific Ocean.

In Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...

, the mutant team is in San Francisco in an attempt to ease anti-mutant tensions, when they learn that Kuurth is rampaging through California, and decide to confront him when he reaches the city.

In New Mutants, Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....

 encounters Hela
Hela (comics)
Hela is a fictional character, the Asgardian goddess of death in the Marvel Comics universe, based on the Norse goddess, Hel. The ruler of Hel and Niffleheim, the character has been a frequent foe of Thor...

 in Las Vegas, and is transported to Hel. When her teammates try to follow her using forbidden magic, they instead end up in Hell, where they encounter Mephisto, who offers transport the team to Hel, for a price.

In Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...

, that team investigates a terrorist bombing, which leads them to a Christian fundamentalist cult named the Purifiers
Purifiers
The Purifiers, also known as the Stryker Crusade, are a fictional paramilitary/terrorist organization in the Marvel Comics universe and enemies of the X-Men...

, whose leader, a former neurosurgeon named Jonathan Standish, sees the appearance of the Worthy as a sign that the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

 is on Earth, and blames superhumans for the global chaos.

In Fear Itself: Wolverine, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

 infiltrates the Prometheus, a fully armed Helicarrier
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers...

 originally intended as Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....

's H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R.
H.A.M.M.E.R. is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe led by Norman Osborn. The organization is formed in Secret Invasion #8 to replace S.H.I.E.L.D.. The organization plays a large part in Marvel's "Dark Reign" and Siege events.What H.A.M.M.E.R. stands for,...

 flagship, which was stolen from a secret U.S. facility in the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...

 by a rogue faction of S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E.
S.T.R.I.K.E. is a fictional, comic book counter-terrorism and intelligence agency in the . The organization, that often deals with superhuman threats, was introduced in Captain Britain Weekly #17, as the United Kingdom's version of the United Nations' S.H.I.E.L.D.The acronym stands for Special...

, who intend to use it to deploy a nuclear warhead in the city, after their leader took the appearance of the Worthy as a sign instructing him to do so.

Fear Itself: The Deep reveals that Nerkodd conquered New Atlantis, ousted its king, Namor, and installed Tyrak
Tyrak
Tyrak is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:He is an Atlantean warrior, serving in the army of the conqueror Attuma. He has served in a number of missions for Attuma, and has fought the Avengers on more than one occasion.He posed as the Inhuman Triton to...

, his sister Aradnea, and Tiger Shark as its occupying generals. Namor and his comrades, Lyra
She-Hulk (Lyra)
She-Hulk is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. She is from an alternate future of Marvel's main timeline, and is the daughter of that reality's Thundra and the Hulk...

, Loa
Loa (comics)
Loa is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Loa is a student at the Xavier Institute. She made her debut in New X-Men: Academy X #5.-Before Xavier's:...

, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

 and the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....

, are attacked by the Undying Ones
Undying Ones
The Undying Ones are a fictional race found books published by Marvel Comics. They are a race of humanoid demons from another dimension.-Publication history:...

, demons who break through Earth's dimension a result of the global panic weakening the barriers between the dimensions, and who make a deal with Nerkodd to help them take over Earth.

In Herc, Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....

 pursues escapees from the Raft, and must also confront a resurrected Kyknos and the amnesiac Hecate
Hecate (Marvel Comics)
-Hecate :A supervillain named Hecate appeared in Ms. Marvel #11-13 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema....

, who tries to take over Brooklyn after her memories are restored.

In Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...

, a woman named Alejandra who grew up in a pyramid temple in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 among the followers of a man named Adam, becomes a new, female Ghost Rider, and confronts Skadi and her allies. Meanwhile, Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...

 tells Johnny Blaze
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...

, who is at peace now that he is free of the curse of Ghost Rider, that Adam (who relieved Blaze of the curse and bestowed it upon Alejandra) intends to take away all of humanity's sins, which will turn it into a cold, emotionless stagnant race devoid of creativity. Mephisto tells Blaze that he must separate Alejandra from Adam, but Alejandra is unwilling to agree to this.

The debut of Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

's fourth volume depicts the Canadian superhero team's rescue efforts for victims of a tsunami created by Nerkodd, and their ejection of Nerkodd from Canada.

In Fear Itself: Fearsome Four, She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

, Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...

, Frankenstein's Monster
Frankenstein's Monster (Marvel Comics)
Frankenstein's Monster is a fictional character based on the character in the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The character has been adapted often in the comic book medium...

 and Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...

 intervene when the empathic Man-Thing goes on a rampage in Mahhattan, due to the fear and chaos he senses on the part of the citizenry. and discover a plot by Psycho-Man
Psycho-Man
Psycho-Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first appears in Fantastic Four Annual #5 Psycho-Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first...

 to use Man-Thing's volatile empathy to create a weapon.

In Fear Itself: Deadpool, which offers a humorous take on the storyline, the Merc with a Mouth hopes to improve his security consultation business by arranging the dim-witted villain Walrus
Walrus (comics)
The Walrus is a minor Marvel Comics supervillain of Spider-Man who has appeared in at least three comic book issues .-Fictional character biography:...

 to find a bejeweled but otherwise ordinary hammer in order to convince him that he is one of the Worthy, in the hopes of subsequently defeating him publicly in order to bolster his reputation. His plan backfires when the hammer, which belongs to a group of werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

 called the Moon-Born, exhibits special properties under the full moon, which Walrus utilizes while battling Deadpool.

Aftermath

In Fear Itself: The Fearless pits Sin and Valkyrie against one another as they compete to find the hammers of the Worthy that fell to Earth at the end of the main miniseries.

Reception

Critics have exhibited mixed reaction to the work of the individual creators, praising the art in general, but have generally panned the writing as "pedestrian, bordering on silly", and with shops harboring copious titles that did not sell through. Roman Colombo of Weekly Comic Book Review commented, "Fear Itself was a disaster. I don’t see many people arguing that point–the most that can be said is that it had some amazing tie-ins", in particular Avengers Academy, Journey into Mystery and the later tie-in issues of Uncanny X-Men.

Prologue reviews

Erik Norris of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 gave the prologue a "Great" rating of 8 out of 10, saying it effectively set up the crossover storyline, calling Brubaker as "a master of Captain America's world", and hailing his vibrant depiction of the characters, his consistent scripting, and Scott Eaton's "gorgeous" artwork, with which he effectively captures character emotions such as Sin's wrath.

Chad Nevett, reviewing the Fear Itself: Book of the Skull for Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...

, opined that it felt like a drawn-out issue of Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...

's Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...

, and a lead-in to the 2011 relaunch of that title, rather than an essential setup for "Fear Itself". Calling Brubaker's story and Scott Eaton
Scott Eaton
Thomas Scott Eaton is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the eight round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State....

's art "competent", Nevett characterized it as "a good comic, not great", "an entertaining superhero action comic" and "your pretty standard ‘Red Skull crazy World War 2 scheme’ plot with few surprises." Though he felt that Eaton's art was clear and the action shots energetic, he felt Eaton's line work was cluttered at times, his faces "bulging and scrunched at the same time" and in general, his work "generic".

At Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...

, David Pepose noted Brubaker's talent for mixing fun dialogue with action, but thought the book read "a little choppy". He described Scot Eaton's pencils as having "an exciting vibrancy", singling out his rendition of character close-ups, but felt that in light of Marvel and Matt Fraction's promotion of the miniseries, that the prologue was unnecessary.

Danny Djeljosevic of Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...

 saw Book of the Skull as Brubaker's embracing of the silliness of the Marvel Universe, and also questioned if readers would need the prologue to appreciate the crossover, saying that Captain America's presence in the story felt more like a marketing ploy than a natural aspect of it. Djeljosevic found the supervillain interaction to be fun, and wished that it had been given the focus of the book.

Alex Evans of Weekly Comic Book Review
Weekly comic book review
Weekly Comic Book Review, is an American blog founded by Jason Montes featuring various comic book reviews.The blog is valuable to comic book fans, providing current and upcoming comic book reviews so readers can get a critics perspective before deciding to purchase...

 gave the book a "B", thought, despite his aversion to prologue books, for Brubaker's scripting, the accurate tone of each of the characters, comparing the combination of Nazis and paranormal elements to the work of Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...

, as well as Eaton's "fantastic" art. Evans opined, however, that it did not function well as a prologue, because it did not inform him as to the nature of the upcoming storyline.

Evan Narcisse, Graeme McMillan and Douglas Wolk of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

magazine's Techland website found the book to be "tepid", and stated that it failed to provide exposition for new readers, or to inform or intrigue readers as to the upcoming storyline, which they felt was emblematic about Marvel's "insular" approach to big event storylines.

Core miniseries reviews

Doug Zawisza, reviewing the Fear Itself miniseries for Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...

, commended writer Matt Fraction for the first two issues, praising his establishment of the story and tying it into Marvel Universe history in the first issue, while still making it enjoyable for new readers. Zawisza was less impressed with the issues 2 - 4. Though they enticed him to buy the tie-in books, which he normally does not do with crossovers, he felt the story's shift of locales, the lack of resolution to its setups, the depiction of action in "snippets" and the relegation of important plot events to tie-in books hurt the story. By issues 5 and 6, which Zawisza felt exhibited out-of-character dialogue, he felt the miniseries had failed to live up to the promise of the first issue, despite some powerful character-defining moments. Zawisza was more favorable towards Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man...

's art, calling it "incredible" and "gorgeous", and Immonen a "modern master" whose ability to convey a large amount of story in a small portion of a page Zawisza compared to that of George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...

. Though Zawisza was not reluctant to note the occasional error, He consistently singled out Immonen for his simple but detailed storytelling, and his ability to render varied subject matter, from Nazis to sea monsters, praising specific visuals such as his Immonen and Laura Martin
Laura Martin
Laura DePuy is an award-winning colorist who has produced work for several of the major comics companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics and CrossGen.-Career:...

's depiction of Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. It was said to be the world tree around which the nine worlds existed...

 in issue #1, as well as numerous scenes in issue #4, such as the scenes of global chaos, the Odin-Serpent framing sequence and the shots of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, which he called "chilling". Zawisza also praised Wade Von Grawbadger's inks and Martin's colors. Despite his disappointment with the latter in issue #4, he singled issue #5's rendition of a sequence spoken in runes and the electric blue lightning emanating from Thor's hammer as otherwise strong inking and coloring, respectively. Zawisza also positively compared Chris Eliopoulos
Chris Eliopoulos
Chris Eliopoulos is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books.-Early life:Eliopolous attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City, from 1985–1989. He majored in graphic design and minored in illustration...

' lettering to that of John Workman
John Workman
John Workman is an editor, writer, artist, designer, colorist and letterer in the comic book industry...

.

At Newsarama
Newsarama
Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...

, Jennifer Margret Smith praised Fraction's slow building of an uneasy fearful tone, his ability to play to smaller, less tangible emotions and for capturing the real-world parallels of the country's mood and Steve Rogers' Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

-like characteristics in issue #1. George Marston felt the second issue built an air of paranoia and panic with an effective and utilitarian staccato pace, and enjoyed the surprising choices for the Worthy, saying that the series' main strength is relying on multiple ideas and story beats to create "a collective reading experience that may change the landscape of the Marvel Universe, [which doesn't do so] at the expense of its own readability." Colin Bell felt the third issue was merely "passable", as it failed to depict the Worthy's actions in a consequential manner, and lacked gravitas until the end. Marston felt issue #4 exhibited more momentum and sweeping heroics, and contrasted Fraction's writing with Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...

' tendency to build events slowly. Marston conceded that the story's major beats could be perceived for their shock value, but contrasted this with the "little moments" that he felt stood out. Newsarama's reviewers consistently gave high ratings to the entire art team, with Smith commenting, "It's Immonen who really shines", and Marston describing the entire art team as "the perfect blend of depth and deceptive simplicity", Immonen and Von Grawbager's "frenetic energy", and Laura Martin as Marvel's "go-to colorist, injecting every page with mood, atmosphere, and clarity." Looking over the entire miniseries in his review of issue #7, Marston noted that it contained both breathtaking moments and "dragging nonsense", the latter particularly evident in the final two issues. Marston felt issue #7 in particular contained a rushed climax and an overall lack of exposition, resonance and depth for what should've been important elements of the story, which he felt was emblematic of the miniseries. Marston criticized the epilogue pages for being devoted to upcoming spinoff books instead of these elements.

At Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin
Comics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...

, a roundtable review of issue #1 by five reviews resulted in an average rating of 3.7 out of 5 bullets. The reviewers generally praised the writing and art, though Ray Tate, who expressed an aversion to large-scale "event" storylines, questioned the first issue's execution, and perceived out-of-character behavior on the part of Odin. Norse mythology fan Thom Young stated that certain elements did not resonate or ring true to him. Danny Djeljosevic gave issue #2 a rating of 3.5 bullets, again praising the tension-building of the story and the art. For issue #3, Shawn Hill rated it 3.5, stating that art and characterization justified continued patronage of the series, but that the plot did not, while Sam Salama Cohén exhibited an overall more positive reaction, with 4.5 bullets. Djeljosevic gave 4 bullets to issue #4, complimenting Fraction for hitting his stride as he scripted "the most technically daunting task in his comics career", and singling out the parallel scenes of Odin and the Serpent rallying their troops in particular. Like Doug Zawisza, Djeljosevic was impressed by Stuart Immonen's ability to effectively render different subjects, from sleepy seaside Canadian towns to superheroe battles, and remarking, "Immonen is easily the most versatile artist in comics, who will surely go down as one of the greats with his striking layouts and dynamic, varied panel to panel storytelling. Immonen reminds me of the old-school Marvel Comics artists, who were capable of delivering strong, consistent work every month with little need for fill-ins."

Jason Serafino of Complex magazine, in reviewing issue #6, stated, "The Fear Itself series has stalled somewhat after a strong debut issue," but equivocated, "It’s tough to ask for too much from a series that hinges on little more than some widescreen action and incredible art. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the mayhem."

Jesse Schedeen of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

 rated the first two issues a "Great" 8.5 out of 10 and a "Good" 7.5, respectively, saying that the story and characterization were well-executed by Fraction, including the nuanced, weighty Norse dialogue. Schedeen also thought Immonen's wide, cinematic panels were "top-notch", and Laura Martin's colors "characteristically lush and beyond reproach", but thought Wade von Grawbadger's inks were thicker and slightly less precise than on his previous New Avengers work. However, Schedeen rated three of the following four issues a "Good" or "Okay" 6.5, and the final issue an "Okay" 6.0, citing lack of context of the story's global events, poor characterization and dialogue, reliance on events relegated to tie-in books, use of too many of the final pages for epilogues and an overall sense that the series failed to surpass its origins as a Thor/Captain America crossover.

Alex Evans of Weekly Comic Book Review
Weekly comic book review
Weekly Comic Book Review, is an American blog founded by Jason Montes featuring various comic book reviews.The blog is valuable to comic book fans, providing current and upcoming comic book reviews so readers can get a critics perspective before deciding to purchase...

 gave a "B+" to three of the first four issues, saying that Fraction effected a a sincere, topically relevant and emotionally authentic story rather than marketing ploy or editorial shuffle that exploited the scene-jumping structure to properly explore the expansive, global impact of the Worthy as a legitimate threat, handled Bucky
Bucky
Bucky is the name of several fictional characters, masked superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a sidekick character in Captain America Comics #1 , published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics...

's death well and did a good job with Loki's humorous dialogue. However, Evans decried the too-straightforward treatment of Sin's setup, and the lack of Fraction's usual subtext in issue #3 (which he graded "B-"). Evans and Dean Stell graded the next three issues C+, "C-" and "D", expressing that, despite the exciting battles, the issues were marred by a transitional feel, redundant material covered in tie-ins, a "hideous" deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...

 use of Franklin Richards' massive but ill defined powers, a ludicrous opening scene in issue #6, choppy storytelling, meaningless character deaths, and lack of closure. Stell called it a "crappy" series based on a "thin" concept that warranted neither seven issues nor the copious tie-in books. The reviewers thought the art and colors were vibrant and detailed, and Immonen the perfect choice for the series, though Stell thought it looked a bit rushed in issue #6, and not up to Immonen's usual standards in issue #7.

Tie-in book reviews

Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave Fear Itself: Sin's Past #1 a "Mediocre" rating of 5 out 10, saying that the issues chosen for reprinting were not the ideal ones from which readers could learn about the character, as the character's first appearances did not feature her disfigured, skull-like appearance, did little to flesh out her character and the modern and because the bold, modern coloring did not mesh with Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...

's soft pencils, whose detailing of Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler
Rich Buckler is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s and, with writer Doug Moench, co-creating the character Deathlok in Astonishing Tales #25...

's layouts issue #355 were inconsistent in quality to begin with.

Schedeen gave Fear Itself: The Worthy #1 an "Okay" rating of 6 out of 10, opining that while the origin stories, they were not particularly memorable, owing to their limited page space, that Sin's segment was a rehash of the Book of the Skull prologue, and that while the Hulk and Thing segments were outstanding in terms of the writing by Greg Pak
Greg Pak
Greg Pak is an American New York-based film director/comic book writer, known for his work on such books featuring the Hulk.-Early life:Pak is a graduate of Yale University, where he was a member of the Purple Crayon improv group, and studied history at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and film at...

 and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is an American playwright, screenwriter and comic-book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the HBO drama series Big Love.-Biography:...

 and the artwork by Lee Weeks
Lee Weeks
Lee Weeks is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as Daredevil.-Career:Weeks made his professional comics debut in the 1980s, penciling, inking, and lettering a short story in Tales of Terror #5, a horror anthology published by Eclipse Comics...

 and Javier Pulido, the entire book was available for free on Comixology.
Alex Evans, reviewing issues 622 - 626 of Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery
Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...

for Weekly Comic Book Review, gave a grade of "A+" to the first issue, and an "A-" to the next three. He called the first four issues "brilliant", repeatedly lauding their consistent excellence from month to month, and naming the series one of Marvel's best comics, saying the first issue was the best one of the year thus far. Evans described Gillen's child Loki story as "perfection", and hailed Gillen's ability to tie in seemingly digressive elements as thematically relevant, his issue structure and his facility for narration and dialogue, as well as the humor, adventure and characterization. Evans called Braithwaite’s art and Ulises Arreola’s colors "stunning" and "epic", finding it to be on a higher level than other comics art, and comparable to that found in a fantasy storybook, which he felt made the Asgardian environment seem "immense, important, and full of life." Evans and D.S. Arsenault gave a "B+" to issues 626 and 630, respectively, with Evans that despite being "absolutely fantastic", his grade was due simply to the exceptionally high standard set by the prior issues, and that Surtur and the troika of Try, Leah and the Disir not as interesting. Arsenault cited Loki's "heroically comic" scene-stealing, and aside from not enjoying the visuals in the flashback sequence as much (whose purpose he conceded he understood), he thought the book a "hoot" that new readers would enjoy. Chad Nevett and Ryan K. Lindsay of Comic Book Resources gave 4 out of 5 stars to issues 622, 624 and 625, and 3.5 stars to issues 623 and 626, seeing it as superior to the core miniseries. The reviewers praised the intelligence, structure and "cerebral" narrative of Gillen's of Thor and Loki's new relationship set against Asgardian politics, calling it a "glorious tale", and an improvement over his previous Thor work. Also mentioned were Gillen's whimsical captions, "tight dialogue" and his ability to plant narrative seeds and follow through purposefully with winding plot twists. They also noted Braithwaite's "intricate", "amazing art" and Arreola's colors, and how this lent itself to depicting Loki's various moods. Rich Johnston of Bleeding Cool positively compared issue #623 to the 2011 Thor feature film
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...

, calling it the "perfect comic" for presenting Asgard in a "grandly poetic" light, "epic" and "beautiful". Johnston praised the book for the complexity in which it elevated Loki as a more impressive character than Thor. Reviewers at Comics Bulletin gave 4 out of 5 bullets to Journey Into Mystery #622, 624 and 625, giving Kieron Gillen high marks for his storytelling, characterization, humor and satisfyingly brisk pace, and Doug Braithwaite for his "wondrously detailed" art. Jesse Schedeen of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

, who gave issue #623 a "Great" rating of 8.5 out of 10, also enjoyed Gillen's "refined and almost lyrical" dialogue, and the art, though he felt the colors needed some adjustment. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave issue #627 a "Great" rating of 8.0 out of 10, saying that what was essentially a filler issue was elevated by the creative team's execution, and that Rich Elson's made an appropriate substitution for artist Doug Braithwaite, but that the lettering was too small and indistinct. Schedeen gave issue #630 an "Amazing" rating of 9 out of 10, calling Gillen's Volstagg
Volstagg
Volstagg is a fictional character, a charter member of the Warriors Three, a trio of Asgardian adventurers and supporting cast of Thor in the . He is not taken from mythology but an original creation, modeled on Shakespeare's Falstaff in character and name....

 tale a "classic" and the series "Marvel's best ongoing book". He compared it to the "Wiz Kids" segment of the 2001 Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

episode "Treehouse of Horror XII
Treehouse of Horror XII
“Treehouse of Horror XII” is the first episode of The Simpsons thirteenth season. Because of Fox’s contract with Major League Baseball’s World Series, the episode first aired on the Fox Network in the United States on November 6, 2001, nearly one week after Halloween. It is the twelfth annual...

", and applauded its humor, emotion, the rendition of the different sides of Volstagg's personality, and the manner in which guest artist Rich Elson's refined, precise pencils addressed the previous problems Schedeen perceived in the series.

Roman Colombo of Weekly Comic Book Review gave a "B+" to The Mighty Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....

#7, saying that the prequel story of Odin and the Serpent's childhood did such a good job of providing a setup for the main storyline, and its impact so palpable that it should have been part of the prologue. In addition to the book's appropriately non-colloquial dialogue among the gods, Colombo felt that because of the much-needed characterization to the Serpent, which Colombo felt the main miniseries lacked, he would be more invested in re-reading that miniseries. He felt Pasqual Ferry's art was hit-or-miss, however.

Alex Evans, reviewing New Avengers #14 and 15 for Weekly Comic Review, graded them "A-" and "B", calling the first issue the best since the series' first story arc, due to writer Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...

' intimate character work with Mockingbird
Mockingbird (Marvel Comics)
Mockingbird is a fictional character, a superhero in the who first appears in the Ka-Zar story in Astonishing Tales #6 written by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Barry Smith...

, and artist Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato
Mike Deodato , sometimes credited as Mike Deodato Jr., is the professional pseudonym of Brazilian comic book artist Deodato Taumaturgo Borges Filho.-Biography:...

's ability to capture the most subtle nuances of emotion in facial expressions. Regarding the next issue, Evans thought that while it was not as compelling as the previous one, Bendis nonetheless fleshed out Squirrel Girl into a "fully realized, sympathetic character", disproving his initial expectations upon learning that it focused on Squirrel Girl.

CBR's Greg McElhatton enjoyed Nick Spencer
Nick Spencer
Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics , his work at DC Comics Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics Nick Spencer is...

's script for Secret Avengers #13, in particular the lateral thinking McElhatton felt Spencer employed in seizing the opportunity to do a different take on "Fear Itself". Though he was impressed with the story's ability to stand on its own without requiring reading a different title, he did not care for its reliance on coincidence. McElhatton also enjoyed Scot Eaton's pencils, in particular his rendition of Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...

 and of the fight scenes, but noted that Adi Granov
Adi Granov
Adi Granov is a Bosnian-British comic book artist and conceptual designer.-Career:Granov teamed with comic book writer Warren Ellis for the post-Avengers Disassembled relaunch of Iron Man...

's cover to the book included a number of characters not in it. Alex Evans of Weekly Comic Book Review gave the issue a "B+", commending Spencer for keeping the story topical with a sense of anxiety that transcended the story's villains, and for his work with both the Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...

 and Lenny's friendship and with Ant-Man
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several fictional characters appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Ant-Man was originally the superhero persona of Hank Pym, a brilliant scientist who invented a substance that allowed him to change his size...

. Evans also called Scott Eaton's art "incredibly polished, detailed, and high budget", as seen in both the attack on Washington, DC and the character's reactions to it. Evans said the book fulfilled all the criteria for a good tie-in book, including a message that avoided being overly sentimental or silly.

Ray Tate gave 5 out of 5 bullets to Avengers Academy #15, but only three bullets to issue #16. Conceding he was disinterested in the crossover's core miniseries, he nonetheless liked Christos Gage
Christos Gage
Christos N. "Chris" Gage is an American comic book writer and screenwriter.-Early life:Gage is the son of author and journalist Nicholas Gage. He was born in New York, and grew up in Athens, Greece, and then North Grafton, Massachusetts...

's exploration of Tigra
Tigra
Tigra is a fictional American comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Introduced as the non-superpowered crime fighter The Cat in Claws of the Cat #1 , she was co-created by writer-editor Roy Thomas, writer Linda Fite, and penciller Marie Severin...

 in Academy #15, but thought issue #16 to be a "mixed bag", saying that while the creative team succeeded in making the Veil
Veil (comics)
-Desert Sword:Veil was part of the Iraqi mercenary team called Desert Sword when they fought Freedom Force, led by Crimson Commando. Desert Sword was to prevent Freedom Force from liberating a German scientist named Reinhold Kurtzmann in Kuwait. Desert Sword ambushed them and Aminedi decapitated...

 story resonant, the drama of the Absorbing Man and Titania did not engage him, despite being technically good. Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave a "B-" to issue #18, calling it a good opportunity for readers looking to read new characters, and as a someone whose first comic was Secret Wars
Titania (Marvel Comics)
Titania is a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe, notable for being Marvel's strongest human female with the possible exception of the She-Hulk, and the wife of the Absorbing Man. She was created by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, in the successful company-wide crossover known as...

, Stell was delighted by the use of Titania and Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man
The Absorbing Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first...

, though he thought the story could have been told in one issue instead of three. He also thought the art was effective, but was not enamored of what he thought was an overly-highlighted coloring style. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave of "Okay" rating of 6.5 out of 10 to issue #20, based on less than ideal scene transitions, bad pacing and Tom Raney
Tom Raney
Tom Raney is an American comic book artist, known for illustrating titles as Annihilation Conquest, Alpha Flight, Ultimate X-Men and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics, DV8 and Stormwatch for Image Comics, and Outsiders for DC Comics....

's "underwhelming" art, which he felt looked rushed in many pages. Schedeen felt the series overall suffered from lack of focus on the entire team.

Ray Tate of Comics Bulletin gave 2 out of 5 bullets to Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1, attributing this to confusing plotting, implausible behavior on the part of bit characters and lack of independence from the core miniseries. However, he expressed enjoyment of Sean McKeever's characterization of the heroes, in particular Thor Girl, as well as Mike Norton and Veronica Gandini's art. Tate gave the next two issues 5 out of 5 bullets, however, again mentioning his enjoyment of Thor Girl and the art team's work in issue #2, and the Hardball story in issue #3. Jesse Schedeen at IGN gave the first two issues "Good" ratings of 7 and 7.5, impressed with how many characters McKeever was able to fit and properly define in the series, but unimpressed with how McKeever failed to make abstract fear concept palpable, or to distinguish the book from other tie-ins with similar concepts. Schedeen gave "Great" ratings of 8 out of 10 to the next two issues, for the gravitas in the books that the main miniseries lacked, in particular the brutal death scene, which he contrasted with to the Bucky
Bucky
Bucky is the name of several fictional characters, masked superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The original, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a sidekick character in Captain America Comics #1 , published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics...

 death scene in Fear Itself #3, for how McKeever's handling of the heroes' internal conflict, and his development of Gravity
Gravity (comics)
Gravity is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Gravity #1 and was created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton.-Publication history:...

. Schedeen likened the depiction of the low point of the Initiative's crisis to the classic Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...

#41 (1975) in which Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

 was trapped under tons of rubble. Schedeen consistently had kind words for Norton's "clean, expressive pencils". Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave a "B" and "B+" to the first two issues, pleased with McKeever's ability to write younger characters, in particular Thor Girl, Cloud 9 and Ultragirl, and utilizing B-list and C-list characters, which he felt added depth to the main series. Though he advised readers that it was not essential to the crossover, he enjoyed it more than the first two issues of the core miniseries. He felt the riots, however, marred the story, as he did not think them a believable reaction to "fear". He also said that Norton's art was a "recipe for success".

Alex Evans, who reviewed Invincible Iron Man #504 - 506 for Weekly Comic Book Review, gave the first two issues a "B+", and the third one a "B", lauding writer Matt Fraction for using Iron Man's haunting discovery of Mokk's victims to set a chilling tone and atmosphere of the crossover, reminding Evans of the Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...

 in the Cretan Labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

, while still maintaining the unique dynamic and relationship of Stark and Pepper Potts
Pepper Potts
Virginia "Pepper" Potts is a fictional character, a supporting character and a love interest of Iron Man in the Marvel Comics Universe...

 through dialogue. Also singled out was his tying up of the Detroit Steel
Detroit Steel
Detroit Steel is a fictional suit of powered armor appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary or rival to Iron Man. Created by writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larocca, Detroit Steel first appeared in Iron Man #25 as part of the "Stark Resilient" storyline...

 rivalry from the "Stark Resilient" storyline, and the development of Potts and Cabe. Evans questioned, however, the pacing in issue 504, and the use of runes for dwarven
Dwarf (Germanic mythology)
In Germanic mythology, a dwarf is a being that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting...

 profanity in 506. Evans called Salvador Larroca
Salvador Larroca
Salvador Larroca is a Spanish comic book artist, primarily known for his work on various X-Men titles.-Early life:Salvador Larroca was born and raised in Valencia, Spain.-Career:...

's art "perfect", specifying his design of Grey Gargoyle
Grey Gargoyle
The Grey Gargoyle is a fictional comic book supervillain that appears in books published by Marvel Comics, often as an enemy of Thor, Iron Man, She-Hulk or the Fantastic Four. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #107 The Grey Gargoyle (Paul Pierre Duval) is a fictional comic...

/Mokk, and the facial expressions with which he depicted Tony's reactions to the stone Parisians, but criticized his rendition of the dwarves' facial expressions for not matching their dialogue.

Evans gave a "D+", however, to Iron Man 2.0 #5, however, criticizing Nick Spencer for focusing on Iron Fist and the Immortal Weapons rather than the book's star
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...

, and the all-set up nature of the story, and Ariel Olivetti for his "unnatural and stiff" artwork, and his "horrendous" computer-generated backgrounds, which according to Evans, were either nonexistent or little more than slightly manipulated photos.

Dean Stell, reviewing Hulk #36 and 37 for Weekly Comic Book Review, graded them "B+" and "A-", repeatedly congratulating the skilled exposition with which writer Jeff Parker effectively used an old villain Stell wasn't familiar with, the development of Anne, his ability to maintain his ongoing story despite the tie-in, letterer Ed Dukeshire's handling of Parker's text-heavy script, and the use of the "spider legs" version of MODOK
MODOK
MODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...

's exoskeleton, which Stell made him legitimately "sinister and creepy" instead of "dorky". Stell also took notice of Bettie Breitweiser's colors and lighting, which she felt were the only ones that depicted the Worthy in a way that they did not appear to be "Tron
Tron
-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...

-rejects".

Joshua Yehl of IGN Fear Itself: Hulk vs Dracula #1 an "Okay" rating of 6 out of 10, citing the dull, formulaic nature of the conflict, which was already seen in numerous other tie-in books. While Yehl thought Ryan David Stegman's settings were solid and featured intricately detailed backgrounds, the character work failed to inspire awe or fear. Ryan Schedeen, however, while not feeling the miniseries made the best use of the three-issue format, gave 8.0 "Great" and 7.0 "Good" ratings to issues #2 and #3, respectively, finding the former an enthralling if mindless action romp with tense character drama, and comparing Stegman's style positively to that of Ed McGuinness
Ed McGuinness
Edward "Ed" McGuinness is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on books such as Superman, Superman/Batman, Deadpool, and Hulk...

, while also lamenting that the change of inker and colorist near the end of issue #3 harmed the art's overall quality. Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave issue #3 a "B+", citing the political intrigue of Dracula and the various breeds and factions of vampires, the introduction of the Forgiven, the sense that the book created something "new", compared to the other tie-ins that he felt went in circles, the balance between cartooniness and realism in Ryan Stegman's pencils, and the manner in which Mike Babinski and Rick Magyar's inks maintained that strength.

Reviewing Fear Itself: The Black Widow, Kelly Thompson of Comic Book Resources criticized the in media res structure, saying that instead of the payoff demanded by such an approach, the result is an "eye-rolling deus ex machina-like cheat that in any movie-theater would illicit vocal groans." Though Thompson was pleased with writer Cullen Bunn's pacing, clarity and his handling of the character, and thought Peter Nguyen's art interesting if inconsistent, Thompson found the story heavy-handed, criticized it for employing wordy naration over visual storytelling, and thought the book a throwaway story not relevant to "Fear Itself". Ray Tate gave the book 4 out of 5 bullets, likening the story to "an Alias
Alias (TV series)
Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...

-like hyperkinetic spy mission" that succeeds where other creators' interpretations of the character failed, and which will satisfy ardent fans of the character. Tate attributed the narrative's fluidity to Peter Nguyen's character designs, which he compared to Peter Chung
Peter Chung
Peter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung (born April 19, 1961 in Seoul, South Korea, as 정건식 (Chung Geun-sik, or alternative spelling Jeong Geun-Sik) is a Korean American animator...

's Aeon Flux, and also applauded Veronica Gandini's colors. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave the book a "Good" rating of 7 out of 10, describing it as a pointless tie-in with little effective conflict that does not fit well with the main storyline, albeit an enjoyable one with spy-flavored hijinks, and art that is fluid and energetic, if lacking in facial expressions.

Jesse Schedeen, reviewing Fear Itself: Spider-Man for IGN, gave issue #1 a "Good" rating of 7.5 out of 10, and "Great" ratings of 8.5 and 8 to issues 2 and 3. Despite thinking that the citizens depicted were a bit too archetypal, he felt issue #1 properly covered the effects of the Serpent on the populace that were ignored by Fear Itself #2 that week, including those inflicted on Spider-Man that formed a classic set of insurmountable circumstances for him that rivaled his fight with Morlun
Morlun
Morlun is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, and a foe of Spider-Man. Morlun first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30 , created by writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciler John Romita, Jr....

 in the 2005-2006 "The Other
Spider-Man: The Other
"The Other" is a comic book crossover story arc published by Marvel Comics from October 2005 to January 2006. It was the first Spider-Man crossover since 2001, and was published in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1-4, Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22, The Amazing Spider-Man #525-528.-Publication...

" storyline. Schedeen felt Mike McKone's art was clean and cinematic, but varied between his familiar style and a flat, minimalist one in issue #1. Though issue #2 improved on this, he felt aspects of it were flat and rushed in issue #3. Dean Stell of Weekly gave a "C" grade to the first two issues, saying that while it wasn't essential to the event, it established the street-level panic caused by it, providing "flavoring" to the crossover's story not present in the core miniseries, and that it featured many fine moments, his favorite of which was Spider-Man's confrontation with J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...

. He nonetheless perceived problems in continuity and in the behavior of the mob attacking the Iranian cabbie. He also thought McKone's art was solid and effective, despite occasional problems in body proportions. James Hunt of Comic Book Resources praised issue #1 for "straddling the crossover line expertly", telling a genuine story rather than serving as an arbitrary tie-in, and for helping to allow the reader to understand the stakes of "Fear Itself" by showing the chaos created in the core miniseries. Though Hunt questioned the book's choice of villain, he was interested enough to see how the story's use of that villain would develop. Hunt also Mike McKone
Mike McKone
Michael "Mike" McKone is a British comic book artist.-Career:McKone's first published works for the major companies included DC Comics' Justice League of America and Justice League International for DC Comics and The Punisher War Zone for Marvel Comics...

's art and Jeremy Cox's colors, and their decision to depict a red-and-black version of Spider-Man's costume.

Reviewing Fear Itself: The Deep #1, Hunt opined that the book was not an essential tie-in. He criticized the destruction of New Atlantis, without any mention of Utopia
Utopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...

, which was supported by New Atlantis. He also thought that the development of Namor, while potentially interesting, did not entirely work. Though he suggested that Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...

 fans would enjoy the book's improvised incarnation of that team, and Lee Garbett's art clear and enjoyable, there was little to either complain about or distinguish it. Ray Tate gave the book 4 out of 5 bullets, however, finding the change in the Defenders roster engaging (Loa
Loa (comics)
Loa is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Loa is a student at the Xavier Institute. She made her debut in New X-Men: Academy X #5.-Before Xavier's:...

 in particular), and beautifully characterized. Tate also liked the creative team's design of the demons, and their rendition of the cast and their heroics. Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated issue #1 of "Mediocre" 5.5 out 10, finding the characterization at times erratic, inaccurate and flat, in particular that of Namor and Attuma. While Schedeen thought Garbett's art was "functional, if a little cramped" in the underwater scenes, he perceived a sharp divide in quality between his cover and interior work, and the colors to be too dim.

At Comic Book Resources, Zawisza found Fear Itself: The Home Front #1 to be "somewhere between forced and irrelevant". Zawisza criticized the Speedball story for a too-weighty collection of elements that threatened to stall it, and for artist Mike Mayhew's over-reliance on photo reference. Zawisza criticized Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...

's Agents of Atlas story for lacking "pizzazz", a clear direction and consistent characterization, but found Elia Bonetti's art a nice transition between Mayhew's and Howard Chaykin
Howard Chaykin
Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material...

's. Zawisza found the J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson
John Jonah Jameson Junior is a supporting character of Spider-Man in the .Jameson is usually the publisher or editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, a fictional New York newspaper and now serves as the mayor of New York City...

 story "little more than a one-page filler", though useful in reminder the reader of Jameson's presence in the Marvel Universe. Zawisza found Pepe Larraz's art in the Broxton, Oklahoma
Broxton, Oklahoma
Broxton is an unincorporated community in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. Broxton had an independent school district until the 1990s, but it was consolidated into the Fort Cobb-Broxton school district....

 story to be energetic and clean, and his characters believable. Overall, Zawisza felt the book did not add to "Fear Itself", but was a "nice" read, even if not a "must-read". Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave issue #1 a "Good" rating of 7 out of 10, saying that Gage handled the Speedball story with more depth and gravity than in the Avengers Academy that featured a similar story, and that the exploration of why the Superhuman Registration Act
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...

 was abolished was welcome, though he questioned if the story was strong enough to go seven issues. Schedeen also enjoyed the story and art of Agents of Atlas, thought the inclusion of the J. Jonah Jameson tale was "bizarre", and felt Jim McCann's Broxton story explored the human element, if not memorably, and that overall, the book was not essential reading. He gave the next two issues "Okay" ratings of 6 and 6.5, explaining that the backup stories should've been trimmed to give more space to the Baldwin story, in which Gage fleshed out Miriam Sharpe, and that while the Agents of Atlas work continued to be solid in issue #2, it wasn't making great use of the crossover.

Dean Stell, reviewing Uncanny X-Men #540 - 543 for Weekly Comic Book Review, graded the issues "D+", "C+", "B-" and "D". Stell consistently denounced Greg Land
Greg Land
Greg Land is an American comic book artist, best known for his work on characters such as X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Fantastic Four.-Career:Greg Land first got a job with an independent publisher as the artist for StormQuest after advertising himself at a Mid-Ohio Con comic convention...

's art, which, despite exhibiting good linework and a cinematic style, suffered, according to Stell, from over-reliance on photo reference, and constant reuse of a limited number of poses and facial expressions, in particular the same face used for all the female characters. Stell also was unimpressed with Land's storytelling, his questionable choice in depicting Cyclops with beard stubble and putting Emma Frost in a cowgirl outfit for no discernible reason, and with Justin Ponsor's color palette and overabundance of highlights. Regarding the writing, he thought the first issue had an average story, and the next two were "pretty good", but disliked the final issue. Although he loved the thrashing that Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...

 gave Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....

 after decades of stories in which the latter dispatched the former, he disliked the Namor-Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....

 romance, the Kitty
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....

-Peter drama, and Cyclops' haughty demeanor toward the Mayor of San Francisco.

Hunt felt that Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1, however, was one of the stronger tie-in books, opining that writer Rob Williams lived up to the standard set by regular X-Force writer Rick Remender
Rick Remender
Rick Remender is an American comic book writer and artist who resides in Portland, Oregon. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' Punisher series, as well as Fear Agent, Uncanny X-Force, and Venom.-Career:...

, exhibiting a similar density of ideas, well-pitched character work, and the same "fun" of that book, without aping Remender's writing style. However, Hunt felt the story suffered from being almost unrelated to the core "Fear Itself" storyline, and criticized the lack of lack of clarity over the identity of the "unknown superhero" in danger, stating that it failed to invest the reader in his fate. Hunt also felt that Simone Bianchi
Simone Bianchi (artist)
Simone Bianchi is an Italian comic book illustrator, painter, graphic designer and art instructor, known to Italian audiences for his work in comics, CD covers, music videos, TV commercials and role-playing games, and to American comic book readers for his work on Detective Comics, Green Lantern...

's art was looser than on his Astonishing X-Men
Astonishing X-Men
Astonishing X-Men is the name of three X-Men comic book series from Marvel Comics, the first two of which were limited series. The ongoing series began in 2004, with its first run written by Joss Whedon and art by John Cassaday. It was then written by Warren Ellis with art by Phil Jimenez. Daniel...

run, and criticized his lack of backgrounds, but enjoyed his intricate visuals and his restrained rendering. Jesse Schedeen of IGN, however, gave each of the three issues "Mediocre" ratings of 5.5, 5.0 and 5.5 out of 10, complaining that the story was barely related to the crossover, that the characterization was "bland" and unengaging, the humor "stilted", that it was entertaining on only a superficial level, and of Simone Bianchi's poorly defined and figure-crowded page construction, bizarre anatomy and storytelling that lacked a proper flow.

Hunt was pleased with Fear Itself: Wolverine #1, in particular its depiction of Wolverine and Melita's relationship, and their contrasting views on informational freedom. Though he saw potential in the otherwise generic S.T.R.I.K.E. mercenaries, he again was displeased that the story had nothing to do with the core "Fear Itself" narrative. While Hunt felt artist Roland Boschi made writer Seth Peck's heavy exposition effective, and found Dan Brown's colors serviceable, he found little inspiring about the book artistically. Poet Mase of IGN gave issue #1 an "Okay" rating of 6.5 out of 10, saying that while he felt the villain's plot was plausible, it was somewhat stifled under the weight of text exposition that should've been handled by the visuals, and was unimpressed by Boschi's art or Dan Brown's colors, with some frames looking unfinished. He felt these issues were resolved by issue #2, which he rated a "Good" 7.5 for being a good middle issue. Nonetheless, while he felt that Peck's focus on the power of fear over rationality, and the buildup of Melita's panic were well-done, he felt her journey through Manhattan to be somewhat aimless, a major plot point dispensed with via a poor plot device, and the final page a letdown.

Dean Stell, reviewing New Mutants #30 for Weekly Comic Book Review, gave it a "B" for Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...

 and Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is a British comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.-Career:Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker...

's fun story, its good use of Mephisto, David Lafuente
David Lafuente
David Lafuente is a Spanish-born comic book artist. As of 2009 he works for Marvel Comics as the artist for Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. He currently resides in London.-Career:Lafuente was discovered by Marvel Editor C.B...

's "A-List" art, whose exaggerated gestures lent itself well to the storytelling, and Val Staples and Chris Sotomayor
Chris Sotomayor
Chris Sotomayor is colorist in the American comic book industry. His work includes titles such as Captain Marvel , Avengers , Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Deadpool, Supreme Power and Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four.-External links:***...

's colors.

Reviewing Thunderbolts #158 - 162, Stell gave a "B+" to the first and last issues, and a "B" to the middle three, citing writer Jeff Parker's effortless integration of the crossover into the book, his ability to fit large amounts of story into each issue with good pacing and his depiction of tension and relationship development of the team members. Stell also opined that all of the stories by different creators in the anthology issue #159 were good (Parker's Underbolts story in particular). However, he criticized the rehashing of material in issue 158 that was covered in the main miniseries, and Marvel editorial, however for inconsistency in Man-Thing's appearances in different books of the crossover. Stell enjoyed Kev Walker and Declan Shalvey's illustration of individual issues, an improvement over pre-crossover attempts on their part to share the duties, citing Walker's inking in particular, but was slightly disappointed by Valentine de Landro and Matthew Southworth's art, whose storytelling clarity was not substandard in areas, and whose overly buxom depiction of Moonstone
Moonstone (comics)
Moonstone is a fictional character, both a supervillain and superheroine in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...

 clashed with Walker and Shalvey's. Jamil Scalese of Comics Bulletin gave 4 out of 5 bullets to issue #160, also cheered Parker's crossover tie-in abilities, recalling his Thunderbolts work during the 2010 "Shadowland"
Shadowland (comics)
"Shadowland" is a 2010 Marvel Comics storyline centering around Daredevil and other "street level" superheroes in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The storyline included a number of tie-in limited series and one shots...

 storyline, and commending Declan Shalvey's rendition of the characters as "superb", and the style he employed when depicting the heroes infiltrating Juggernaut's soul.

Minhquan Nguyen, reviewing Herc #3 - 6 for Weekly Comic Book Review, gave a "B+" to three of the issues, and an "A-" to issue #4. Nguyen appreciated that the minor connection to the crossover did not hijack the book's in-progress storyline, which was filled with action and humor, though he felt the writing in the latter two issues was hurried and underdeveloped. Nguyen praised penciler Neil Edwards' clean, detailed art, and how his design of the mythic characters, combined both classical and modern elements. He also complimented Scott Hanna's inks and Jesus Aburtov's colors. Sam Salama Cohén of Comics Bulletin gave 3.5 bullets to issue #4, celebrating Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente's accurate portrayal of Hercules, a welcome reinvigoration of the character following the "endless Limbo of poor characterization and mockery" to which Cohén felt the Greek hero had thus far been relegated. Cohén also said that Neil Edwards' art style had grown on him, extolling Edwards' depiction of both Hercules' "snarkiness" and his bold resolve. Though Cohén felt the book was a good follow up on the previous story arc, he felt it lacked that story's perfect mix of humor, action and foreboding.

Alex Evans of Weekly Comic Book Review gave a "C+" to Ghost Rider #1, opining that the book featured some excellent ideas and solid artwork by Matthew Clark that were hampered by the crossover and some at times "sketchy" writing, which included flat humor, overwritten dialogue, the relegation of expository material to the backup story and an unlikable protagonist threatening children.

Doug Zawisza found Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1's attempt to marry the disparate art styles of Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...

, Ryan Bodenheim, and Simon Bisley
Simon Bisley
Simon Bisley is a British comics artist best known for his 1990s work on ABC Warriors, Lobo and Sláine. His style, reliant on paints, acrylics, inks and multiple-mediums, is strongly influenced by Frank Frazetta, Bill Sienkiewicz, Gustav Klimt, Salvador Dalí, Egon Schiele, and Richard Corben...

 uneven and inconsistent (in particular their different renderings of Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...

), even though each artist served their purpose, with the end result reading like "a poor man’s anthology that’s written to fill a projected collected edition than a coherent run at a single tale." Zawisza thought the book was "slow and choppy", the characters an "odd assortment", and not worth the price of the next issue. At Comics Bulletin, Ray Tate gave issues four bullets and three bullets to issues 1 and 2, respectively, saying that in the first issue, Montclare's characterization was authentic and exhibited pathos, and Kaluta adept in his rendition of Nighthawk, recalling his previous work on DC Comics' equivalent character
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

, but was somewhat perplexed by the resemblance of Bodenheim's Howard the Duck to the feature film version
Howard the Duck (film)
Howard the Duck is a 1986 American science fiction comedy film directed by Willard Huyck and produced by George Lucas. It is loosely based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, created by Steve Gerber and quoting scripts by Bill Mantlo, the film focuses on Howard, an alien from a planet...

. Regarding issue #2, he thought Montclare's exposition of Frankenstein's whereabouts since the 1970s was intelligent, and Ryan Bodenheim's art strong, but thought Montclare's characterization of Nighthawk gratuitous and implausible, and found Bisley's art "scratchy, unattractive and often confusing".Tate, Ray. "Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1". Comics Bulletin. June 10, 2011Tate, Ray. "Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #2". Comics Bulletin. July 22, 2011 Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave issue #1 a "Mediocre" rating of 5.5, saying that despite the clever premise, citing a lack of emotional appeal or any narrative rationale in the choice of the book's cast, the inconsistent tone, and an artist roster that creates a "jumbled" feel. Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave the issue a grade of "D", saying that it had an acceptable premise that was badly executed, citing the choice of characters used in the story, and Bodenheim's art, which deviated from his usual style, and in some areas looked rushed, or appeared to be an attempt to ape Mike Kaluta's style.

Danny Djeljosevic and Nick Hanover of Comics Bulletin gave 3 out of 5 bullets to Alpha Flight #1, seeing its tie-in to "Fear Itself" as a forced way to use the crossover to gain attention for that team, while only paying lip service to the crossover's storyline. They also complained about the heavy handed opening scenes, the lack of exposition that would make "Fear Itself" aspects of the story confusing to readers of the trade paperback and problematic characterizations of Shaman
Shaman (comics)
Shaman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and a member of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...

 and Snowbird
Snowbird (comics)
Snowbird is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 , and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...

. The reviewers were both disappointed with the art, with Hanover criticizing Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham
Dale Eaglesham is a comic book illustrator who has been working in the industry since 1986. He is best known for his work on titles like Conan, Punisher, Green Lantern, Villains United, Justice Society of America and Fantastic Four...

 for "the worst artistic interpretation of Vancouver I've ever seen". Joshua Yehl of Broken Frontier
Broken Frontier
Broken Frontier is a web-magazine which publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It was founded by Editor-in-Chief Frederik Hautain in 2002.- Overview :...

 thought Pak and Van Lente succeeded in evoking a sense of dread, as well as a sense of natural humor, and described Eaglesham's art as "masterful throughout." Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave the issue a "B" for recapturing the feel of the 1980s series, and describing it as "mostly a big, fast-paced fight scene that works really well and is enjoyable to read", though he was disinterested by the political aspects of the plot, and disliked the use of Northstar.

Dean Stell of Weekly Comic Book Review gave Fear Itself: Deadpool #1 a "C+", saying that while the story's lack of impact on the crossover made it inessential reading, the concept of Deadpool's attempt to exploit the global panic upheld the book's signature tongue-in-cheek tone, and Bong Dazo's art fit this tone well. Jesse Schedeen of IGN gave issue #1 an "Okay" rating of 6.0, expressing the view that Deadpool's exploitation of a suburban family's paranoia and fear was so close sentiments in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks that writer Christopher Hastings struck at the heart of the crossover's core ideas, and that although some elements were characterized by dawdling exposition, spoilers and heavy-handed attempts at humor, penciller Bong Dazo was adroitly brought the physical humor to life. However, Schedeen gave issue #3 an "Awful" rating of 3.5, saying that Hastings' "painful" script consisted of a truncated plot, forced, unfunny cultural references, unresolved plot holes, and a nonsensical ending, and that despite Dazo's art, he advised readers not to buy the book.

Aftermath book reviews

Joey Esposito of IGN gave a 7 out of 10 "Good" rating to Fear Itself: The Fearless #1, saying that while it is not essential reading, nor an enticement to read the crossover, it provided a fun, enjoyable setup for ongoing stories featuring Sin and Valkyrie, despite some instances of flat dialogue. Esposito also noted the strengths and weaknesses of artists Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier
Paul Pelletier is an American comic book penciller.-Career:Pelletier began working as a professional comic artist in the late 1980s. His first work appeared in Zen: Intergalactic Ninja. He has worked for renowned comics publishers DC Comics and Marvel Comics as well as for the now out of business...

, Danny Miki, Matthew Wilson and Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...

, saying, "Neither artist completely nails it out of the park to the best of their ability, but the book gels well enough to entice the reader's eyeballs."

Core miniseries

  • Fear Itself #1-7.3 (this includes three epilogues numbered 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3)

Tie-ins

  • Fear Itself: Black Widow #1
  • Fear Itself: Deadpool #1-3
  • Fear Itself: The Deep #1-4
  • Fear Itself: FF
    Future Foundation
    Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in Fantastic Four #579 and stars in the series FF, written by Hickman and illustrated by Steve Epting...

    #1
  • Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1-4
  • Fear Itself: Fellowship of Fear #1
  • Fear Itself: The Home Front #1-7
  • Fear Itself: Hulk
    Hulk (comics)
    The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

     Vs. Dracula
    Dracula (Marvel Comics)
    Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...

    #1-3
  • Fear Itself: The Monkey King #1
  • Fear Itself Poster Book
  • Fear Itself: Sin's Past #1
  • Fear Itself: Spider-Man #1-3
  • Fear Itself: Spotlight #1
  • Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1-3
  • Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #1-6
  • Fear Itself: The Worthy #1-8
  • Fear Itself: Wolverine
    Wolverine (comics)
    Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

    #1-3
  • Alpha Flight
    Alpha Flight
    Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

    #1-4
  • Avengers Academy
    Avengers Academy
    Avengers Academy is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age". The series is written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and tells the story of a group of young super-powered persons who were selected to join a training academy for the...

    #15-20
  • Avengers
    Avengers (comics)
    The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

    #13-17
  • Black Panther
    Black Panther (comics)
    The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...

    : The Man Without Fear
    #521-523
  • Ghost Rider
    Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
    Ghost Rider is a fictional character, an antihero in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is the second Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and preceding Daniel Ketch.Johnny Blaze was portrayed both in the 2007 film Ghost Rider and...

    (vol. 6) #1-4
  • Heroes for Hire
    Heroes For Hire
    Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...

    #9-11
  • Herc
    Hercules (Marvel Comics)
    Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....

    #3-6
  • Hulk
    Hulk (comics)
    The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

    #37-38
  • Iron Man 2.0 #5-7
  • The Invincible Iron Man
    The Invincible Iron Man
    The Invincible Iron Man is a direct-to-DVD animated movie based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man. The film was officially released on January 23, 2007. Marc Worden reprises his role as Iron Man whom he voiced in the two Ultimate Avengers animated movies...

    #503-509
  • Journey into Mystery
    Journey into Mystery
    Journey into Mystery was an American comic book series published by Atlas Comics, and later its successor Marvel Comics. It featured horror, monster, and science fiction stories...

    #622-630
  • New Avengers #14-16
  • New Mutants
    New Mutants
    The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....

    #29-32
  • Secret Avengers
    Secret Avengers
    Secret Avengers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black ops superhero team of the same name. Written by Ed Brubaker, the series depicts a new version of Marvel's premiere super hero team, the Avengers, which operates under the guidance and leadership...

    #13-15
  • Thunderbolts
    Thunderbolts (comics)
    The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...

    #158-163
  • Uncanny X-Men
    Uncanny X-Men
    Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...

    #540-543
  • The Mighty Thor #7

Aftermath

  • Fear Itself: Aftermath: Battle Scars #1-6
  • Fear Itself: The Fearless #1-12

External links

  • “Fear Itself” Trailer. Comic Book Resources
    Comic Book Resources
    Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...

    . March 30, 2011
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