Fear Itself: Why it Failed

So I just finished reading the final issue of the Marvel Comics event: Fear Itself. This wasn't a small-time event like Chaos War where it affected only a few books, this event effected EVERYTHING. It all leads back to Secret Wars, the first major Marvel event. For the most part, these game-changers have been astonishing, save for a few. (Secret Invasion.) Universally, it is is accepted that Civil War is the best out of them. In fact, no event prior Fear Itself came anywhere near Civil War in terms of quality. So to combat the more negatively reviewed events after Civil War, prior to Fear Itself, (Secret Invasion and Siege) Marvel decided to make the biggest story they ever told. Don't remember or believe me? Here are some quotes I had the courtesy of finding.

"We are going to be busting the doors down with the biggest story we've ever told."

Uh, what?

When I heard that, I took it like a marketing technique. That's just basically hype, I doubted they really meant "the biggest story they ever told." But they said it, and based on the title of this editorial, you can tell it wasn't. However that quote was not the most important my friends, this was.

"The biggest event since Civil War, maybe even bigger!"

Whoa there, hold on a second. Unlike Secret Invasion and Siege, they were pouring down MASSIVE hype toward this event, they really did mean it......or should I say, meant it. You see, Fear Itself didn't come close to being as epic as Civil War. Of course, you've heard lots of people say that, so I'm here with this editorial to explain things deeply.

Now to be fair, the first issue of this event was the perfect start, I gave it a PERFECT score. The seeds were planted in that issue, ensuring that the event would definitely be world-changing. What what we got wasn't even a land-changer. It changed things, sure, but practically every major thing felt forced. Alright, like I said, issue one was a stellar beginning with amazing moments. The scene where Thor and Odin battled and the latter chaining the first was not only epic, but supremely dramatic. That goes out the window an issue later where Odin lets Thor go free. Huh? Where did this sudden change of character come from? Of course, the aspect that got on everyone's nerves was:

THE DEATH OF BUCKY BARNES.

It wasn't the death itself that annoyed the fanbase, it was how afterward it was forgotten and undervalued. No one seemed to really care, not even Cap. (His care for it was displayed in the Avengers tie-in.) In the issues after, it was forgotten, like the death didn't matter. I knew that he would be the one to bite the dust, but it just felt so meaningless. Like, back in Civil War, Goliath died, that felt major, and was never forgotten. And he isn't even as close to a major character as Bucky! When a death of a major character feels meaningless, you have a problem.

The main antagonist is the "God of Fear:" the Serpent. This guy's backstory with Odin was very interesting, but wasn't explored or fully fleshed out enough. It doesn't help that he was given MASSIVE hype over the course of this event, yet he loses pretty fast in the last issue. I guess it's because he himself barely fought during the event, it was the Worthy who did all the work. One scene they did right was when Thor when to meet the Serpent for the first time, and he slapped aside the Thunder God like paper. What this event needed was more of the Serpent showing his power. The problem with a lot of media, is that if you wait until the very last scene to showcase the villain's power, it will feel underwhelming, cause you kinda know that he won't be able too look too powerful, especially in Marvel's case here, cause they were already saying what's coming after. Therefore the Serpent couldn't have looked like the world-changer villain they hyped him up to be. In a couple of months, this guy will most likely be forgotten, never to be seen again like other characters. (Toxin, what happened to you?)

Another major hyped-but-miserably-failed factor of the series was this:

THE MIGHTY.

They were the Avengers' answer to the Serpent's Worthy. Now that's one pretty awesome concept, I mean, look at those guys. Powered up with Asgardian technology, it's an amazing concept, if executed correctly, it could be one of the epic things to grace comics.......and of course this event mishandled the concept. They were saved for last, which was fine, but they have really no significance in the story. There's no big transformation sequence, it should have been more of a factor.

Fear Itself DOES have its moments. I said in a previous editorial that a very powerful scene I'll never forget was when Cap said, "We're going to lose." The Thor vs. Hulk and Thing battle back in issue five was one of the most epic battles I've ever read in comics. Not to mention the stellar art, some of the best I've seen in comics. And the last issue had the Serpent transforming into well, a real serpent. Now that was EPIC, that beast was the perfect end-boss......if only it could have lasted longer, the final battle was too anti-climatic. So the prophesy was fulfilled that Thor takes out the Serpent, and dies along with it. Not only does this death feel empty, it's hard to take seriously. There wasn't much emphasis on it, and let's face it, he's coming back. And don't get me started on Odin. He never seemed truly sane in this series. I mean, when Cap told him off back in issue six, he actually seemed surprised by the way the Avenger was addressing him.  Also, even in all the chaos and "fear," the Spidey I know wouldn't abandon the battle, it just isn't in his character.

Here's another false quote. "It has a beginning, a middle, and an end."

It doesn't have closure. One of the epilogues has Sin waking from injuries. What follows are these strange people saying that there's still work to be done. So Sin gets up saying that the world can still be changed. TO BE CONTINUED IN FEAR ITSELF: THE FEARLESS it said. Therefore, the story of Fear Itself isn't completed. Wrong, just wrong. They should have just killed of Sin, no one likes her anyway, and I really don't see much people having interest in this Fear Itself sequel. Let's face it, it will have no significance at all, with big events coming such as Avengers: X-Sanction, and 2012's the Age of Ultron. This Fear Itself sequel is nothing but a waste of time.

Overall, Fear Itself was a sound concept, we had very unique teasers showcasing what our heroes fear most. We didn't get any of that. We knew what Marvel was aiming for in this event, we knew that they wanted to make it grounded in the public's view. It was meant to be the opposite of Final Crisis. It was meant to be more from our point of view, what fear feels like. It failed. Fear Itself failed as an event. DC's Justice League and Detective Comics has more of a high-quality feel when compared to some of Marvel's all-star books, like Avengers and Amazing Spider-Man. It's sad. Marvel needs to step it up now, I hope they've learned from this, and start to produce high-quality stuff like they use to.

Thanks for reading.

Fear Itself: The Most Powerful Moment in All of Comics

Ah, Fear Itself. Any average comic fan should know that this is the current status quo of the Marvel universe. The big changer, they even dare say it to be "Almost as big as Civil War, maybe even bigger." While it does not live up to that event, it has been a fun ride. However, I'm not here to give a review on it.

I'm here to say what I think is the most powerful moment in all of comics.

For the people that have no clue what's it about: The Red Skull's daughter Sin unleashes the God of Fear: the Serpent, who Odin banished many years ago. Now the Serpent wants to take over the world and create a new Asgard. Can the heroes combat this threat, or will they succumb to their greatest fears?

It goes deeper than that, but you get the point.

Battling gods is nothing new for the Avengers, or really any of the Marvel heroes. But.....this was different. Bucky Barnes was eliminated, (no, that is not the moment I'm talking about) but really, we all saw that coming. How else was Steve going to become Cap again? The point is, though it doesn't do the best job of showing it, the Serpent and his army of heroes/villains turned evil Asgardians "the Worthy" are the strongest threat the Marvel universe has faced. Why? Well, I can finally get on to my point.

That scene was from the latest issue. After that, Spidey told Cap that he was leaving the battlefield. That was something else, but the scene right after that is the one I'm talking about.

The dialogue as follows,

Hawkeye: "Cap? Where's Spider-Man going?"

Cap: "I told him he could stand down."

Hawkeye: "Stand down?! Cap, how could--why?"

Cap: "Look around you, Hawkeye...we're going to lose."

Wow, I literally froze at that moment. Here was the great Captain America, the one ALL heroes look up to, the one who would face Thanos head-to-head, but for the first time ever, he says "We're going to lose." That's the biggest morale dropper right there. If Captain America says we're going to lose, then really, no other threat has come to earth such as the Serpent.

Though a lot of you may not agree with me on this, I think that exact moment, that panel, packs such a punch no other comic I've read has. The most brave hero that ever lived that has faced cosmic level threats saying that "We're going to lose" is truly something else.

And that is what I consider to be the most powerful moment in all of comics. Not a fight, not a death, just a single sentence.

Book 1: Creation/Adam and Eve

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth."

That is how everything all began folks. Before that, nothing. Picture that for a second, what is nothing? Before everything was created, was it all black empty space? No, because even that's something. We cannot comprehend what nothing is. With that said, the big guy is beyond the word genius, he made water, land, day, and night. I like the wording "He looked at what he had created and called it good." Simply put, and to the point, it was good.

"Let the land produce living creatures according to their kind: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind."

I've always read these dinosaur books, where it says "60,000 million years ago, so and so roamed the earth." Of course, we know that the earth is 6,000 years old. I'm going to say that at that moment, animals like lions, tigers, and bears were roaming alongside our favorite dinos. (I'll cover how they got extinct in my article on Noah.) Basically, this is when all animals lived in harmony, when no one tried to eat each other. O_O

"And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

And that is why Sunday is the main day we go to church. I have a feeling you already knew that though, so I won't waste anymore time on that.

Now that that's done, we can get on to what I think to be the most interesting part.

God had planted a garden in Eden and put the man (we'll refer to him as Adam now) there. Seemed like a pretty good garden, you got the great fruits, (and you didn't even have to worry about washing them!) nice scenery, complete with four headwaters. Of course, we all know this garden because of the two infamous trees. We have the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. (Yes, Norse myth stole that name.) "But you must not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die." Of course, we all know He didn't mean "die" literally in that sense. In a sense, they die inside and lose their "innocence," as we'll see later.

So Adam hung out in the garden, naming the animals around him. (Who knows where he got the name ostridge from.) Of course, it can get pretty lonely being the only kind of your species. God, being the caring God that He is, saw this and decided to make a companion for our Adam. This is when the interesting begins. The big G grabbed one of Adam's ribs and made the woman. Being the intelligent guy that he is, Adam named the woman "Eve." (Actually, he named her that after the Fall, but we'll refer to her as Eve for the rest of this editorial/review.) Now we can get into the most vital part of this story: The Fall.

Thus begins why we're all crazy. The Serpent, (you know, I've actually read that some people think the Serpent was NOT the Devil, but just a crafty snake. Of course, all you have to do is read Revelation 12:9, which clearly states that he was that "ancient serpent") was the one we can all thank for our misery. (Technically anyway.) I will go ahead and say how I think it happened. After the Devil lost the battle in Heaven, he was hurled to earth. Of course, it's tough to say when exactly that happened. If he was hurled to earth, then it must have been soon after Adam was created. Of course, he must have been pretty angry for having lost the battle. We all know he can go into things and control them. Once he realized what wonders God had created, his first mission was to corrupt them. So he entered the snake, or serpent, to tempt good ol' Eve. It was a smart plan. I love the dialogue between the two, the Serpent explaining that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil will make you be like God, knowing good and evil. (More proof that was the Devil.) Now this was the part where everyone yelled "What the heck are you doing Eve???!!!!!" But Eve is not to blame....okay, she is to blame. But you have to understand something, before she ate from the tree, she didn't know right from wrong. I'm sure God gave her a thinking brain, but it was probably super primitive, simple. Adam and Eve were like newborns, they didn't know right from wrong. So they were easily tempted.....but God was still their father and should have listened. Once Eve ate the fruit, she quickly passed it on to Adam.......who wasn't with her during all that strangely. (If he was, he didn't say anything, so he couldn't have been standing next to her.) When Eve gave it to him, he didn't say anything, he just ate it. No questions, just ate it. Did Eve explain that it was the fruit of the forbidden tree? Nope, and I guess Adam didn't bother asking. So when both ate it, "their eyes were opened." Now they are like us, they know good and evil, no longer "very good," their minds were then corrupted, for they had committed the first sin. The first thing they had realized was that they needed some cloths, for they were ashamed.

I really like the next part, when God himself was heard walking in the "cool of the day." Of course, now that they could comprehend more, Adam and Eve fled from Him among the trees. I love the dialogue here, where God is pretending not to know where they are. (That proves that He has a slight sense of humor.) When God asks the tough question, instead of taking the blame for your wife, Adam points figures at Eve. So Eve then explains that the Serpent "deceived" her. I like this part too, where God commands the Serpent to crawl on his belly. An interesting thing worth mentioning is that when God said for the Serpent to crawl on its belly for the rest of its life, that means that the snakes we know today are different than the ones from old. Serpents back then were  probably much larger, had legs, and walked like a bipedal. Then God commanded that all snakes lose that ability. Fascinating stuff.

Thus begins why we feel pain today. God cursed Eve that giving birth to a child will be painful, while Adam was now forced to work to get food. His years were now limited, and he will turn back to dust. (I'm guessing God's original plan was for Adam and Eve to live in harmony in the garden forever.) Of course, despite all of this, God still cared for them, for he made cloths for them.

"He must not be allowed to to reach out his hand and take also from the Tree of Life and eat, and live forever." So this tree grants everlasting life. That's what all those explorers  searching for everlasting life are looking for. Too bad they'll never find it. God banned the two humans from the garden, and no one ever returned there.

In closing, this story is one of my favorites. It is the beginning of everything, and the Serpent's dialogue with Eve is one of the most interesting scenes in all of the Bible. Of course, you have to wonder why God placed those trees in in the first place. Maybe the garden was meant to be a slice of Heaven? We don't know, for our minds are too inferior to understand.