So far, this event is living up to the hype - let's hope the last two issues can deliver as well! Read Full Review

Fear Itself #5Posted: Friday, August 12, 2011By: Jamil Scalese Matt FractionStuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger (i), Laura Martin (c), Milla Molinar (c), Chris Eliopoulos (l)Marvel Since the inception of the traditional comic book, the industry has moved from children's pastime to legitimate medium to tell a deep and poignant story. Comics have a more serious, harder edge to them than before with dialogue, strong characters and dense plots as emphasis. Especially in a big-time event like Fear Itself, substance and solid story elements are what fans want in their superhero sagas. Sadly, I'm the type of reader that is far too easily amused at pretty pictures and the simple thematic joy of big dudes beating each other up. Sometimes I just like to see colorful giants destroy each other with massive hammers, and I apologize. Read Full Review

Despite my complaints above, the good in this issue really outweighs the bad. Even though there was only two pages of build-up, Thor's fight was really well-done, and felt like it was long-awaited. With him spending the first issues of this series moping and in captivity, his call to arms was definitely a highlight of this series. Read Full Review

Perhaps this issue will look better in the scope of the entire series. Perhaps by the end some of the elements included here (such as the aforementioned FF revelation) will factor into the end of this crossover in a significant way, which would make this issue feel more justified. As it is, though, I cant help but think that a lot of this issue was padding that could have been tightened up. Read Full Review

As far as this series is concerned, this is a down issue. The upside to that is that, even as a down issue, this is wildly fun, explosively entertaining story. There's two issues left of this series, and from the looks of what is left undone, those two are going to be doozies. Read Full Review

Fear Itself as it stands doesn't operate as a proper metaphor for our times like Civil War did. I wish it did, and that the worst Western Civilization had to worry about these days was big people whacking each other with hammers in the streets. I truly hope that these last two issues will finally achieve that deeper emotional connection that has only been sporadically apparent across Fear Itself and its tie-ins. Read Full Review

It's a wonderfully rendered issue by Immonen and Von Grawbadger, and Fraction has a clear grasp of how the Marvel Universe works, even in its most remote scope, giving us wonderful details like Tony Starks's past as a weaponsmith, the Richards children bickering and a wonderful series of interactions between Thor and the Hulk that elevate some of the fighty-fighty past mere fisticuffs. My problems with the shock-and-awe approach don't wreck the book, but definitely make it less enjoyable than previous issues. Read Full Review

Not awful, but certainly the weakest issue of Fear Itself thus far. Read Full Review

So is Iron Man drinking again? If he is, how can he build weapons? Captain America thinks we’ll lose so he packs it in? Why? If Thor can take Hulk and Thing out, wouldn’t he be a formidable foe to the God Of Fear? Fraction seems so in love with his scenes that he doesn’t care about telling a story. Fear Itself is an empty shell of a tale told in a shock and awe style that wouldn’t entertain a five year old. Read Full Review

Cover-***
Writing-****
Art-****
Story-****