Writer: Matt Fraction
Art: Stuart Immonen & Laura Martin
Marvel $3.99

An opening scene that brings into play a recent real world event (although it refrains from being too obvious it shouldn't be to hard to figure out what it is) sets the tone for the rest of the issue, and Fraction does what he does best by approaching the superhero paradigm with intelligence, wit and an ideal blend of drama and spectacle. He employs plenty of subtext too which in itself is an impressive feat for such a high profile series, indicating – assuming he can keep it up – that this may just turn out to be something a little different from the

Along with Fraction’s scripting skills, the other key factor in this issue’s success is the draftsmanship of Stuart Immonen. He’s been on the scene for a few years now, and if you cast your eyes over some of the work he’s produced what really stands out is just how adaptable he is. From Superman: Secret Identity to Nextwave to Moving Pictures, he’s shown he can be amazingly versatile, and he does it once again here by tackling the ‘widescreen’ style so favoured by this kind of series without missing a beat. He also punctuates the more extravagant action scenes with several affecting human moments, which again shows that we may dealing with an event full of heart as well as action. Laura Martin brings her considerable skill us a colourist to the table, adding a layer of beauty onto an already great looking book.
It’s early days, and event books in the past have promised much at the start only to fail to deliver when they conclude, but there’s a definite sense here that Fraction is willing to push the rather strict boundaries inherent in such projects as much as he can to ensure we get something a bit more meaty and not so predictable for our money. I still may not know where he’s going with Fear Itself but I’m definitely keen to find out. 8/10
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