NTF Comic Spotlight: Fear Itself #7

Michael ‘MPsy’ here…

Marvel’s big summer event has finally come to a head with the seventh issue of the ‘Fear Itself’ storyline. The run had its up and down moments but sadly as a whole this event ended up being mediocre at best. The first few pages of this last issue was fairly decent with the highlight being the final battle between the Mighty and the Worthy.

This issue opens up with Tony Stark who finally completed the Odin blessed weapons he crafted for Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Wolverine, Red She Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Spider-Man, and himself which are the only things which could actually damage the hammer wielders. And as usual since these were ‘magical’ weapons which ‘amplified’ the strengths of their wielders they also give the heroes a slight costume modification. Which in this case made most of them look as if they stepped off of a TRON crossover special. The whole thing was a bit anticlimactic when the cliffnotes version was pretty much ‘here’s your magical weapons which gives you a power upgrade, now you can beat these bad guys who rampaged throughout the world’. Captain America on the other hand with his shield shattered was able to lift and wield Thor’s hammer Mjolnir for a second time in Marvel history.

The final match up between Thor and the Serpent comes to head as well which was reminiscent of a Michael Bay big action climax. Big explosions to the right and big explosions to the left with Thor and Odin’s brother shouting at each other in renfaire-esque dialog. Then with one thrust of Thor’s sword of Ragnarok through the Serpent’s skull the whole thing ends. In seven issues (and a huge number of other Marvel titles) in which the Serpent was introduced as a pretty much invincible god where nothing could touch him or his followers it all ended in one single blow.

And that was how the final issue of the ‘Fear Itself’ storyline ended. In a long drawn out disappointing mess. And I for one am glad that car wreck is finally over. On an upside I will say that I did enjoy artist Stuart Immonen‘s (The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man) work here which was crisp, clean, and visually cinematic.

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