Before I start, I have to say that the tie-in issues reviewed here don't really do all that much to further the main "Fear Itself" plot. The "Avengers" tie-in issue finally shows the team reacting to the death of Bucky, but does so months after it's been resolved (or, at least, moved past) in the main title. The "Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt," "New Mutants," and "Uncanny X-Men" issues are well-written stories, but they're still dealing with a small aspect of "Fear Itself," namely the Juggernaut's march across America and its consequences. In fact, I actually can't remember if the Juggernaut has even appeared in the main title, or if he's just been entirely shunted to "Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt" and "Uncanny X-Men." I think it's pretty clear if you've been reading this blog a while that I'm not a fan of "Fear Itself," but, at this point, I'd really just like my regular titles back, particularly given the increasingly tenuous connection they have to "Fear Itself."
Avengers #16: Looking at the issue itself, I mostly enjoyed it. We finally -- FINALLY! -- see the Avengers and Steve Rogers mourn the loss of Bucky Barnes. (Seriously, how has it taken so long?) Steve decides to take on Sin to exact his revenge and takes Sharon Carter, Victoria Hand, and Maria Hill with him. I thought the decision (and justification) to take Sharon, Victoria, and Maria was really well done, with Steve reasoning that diverting a superhero from the ongoing battles would raise Sin's attention. Moreover, I thought Bendis did a great job of using Maria Hill as the lens through which we viewed the action. Throughout the mission, it's clear that the team is being driven by their emotions and grief. They fall into Sin's trap because they are seriously off their game, despite not being "off their game" kind of people. Bendis uses the ever-competent Maria Hill to great effect here, since, if even Maria Hill is off her game, you know Steve must be beside himself. Moreover, the fact that both Victoria and Sharon kill people in this issue adds to this sense that emotions are driving their actions and, as Cap is confronting Master Man, Bendis raises the possibility that he, too, may snap.
Unfortunately, Bendis decides to introduce a deus ex machina here, preventing us from seeing whether Steve is driven to murder. Instead, we get some character I've only maybe seen once arriving and taking down the whole castle by using her earthquake powers. I mean, WTF? We're just getting to the interesting part -- the great moral dilemma -- and some D-list character suddenly appears and ends it with her "earthquake powers?" Did the fight really have to end? I mean, if Master Man is so strong, why is he knocked unconscious but everyone else is fine? Bendis then continues the dive by giving us Steve randomly wandering around the ruins screaming "SIN!" like he's Marlon Brando. He also abruptly leaves his post-game recap interview mid-sentence, saying simply, "I'm so sorry, Bucky." Given that that comment is likely to be the last thing we ever see Steve say about Bucky, who I'm assuming is going into the Memory Hole after this series, it's a serious, serious letdown. These bizarre last few pages really dragged down the book for me.
Also bad? The art. I actually like JR JR, but he's awful here. I mean, half the time, I had no idea who anyone was. It's like he drew the issue in five minutes and left it to the inker and colorist to flesh out the details.
All that said, I had enjoyed most of the issue until it took its bizarre turn, so it wasn't a total loss. The real problem I had with this issue, though, had less to do with it and more to do with "Fear Itself." One of the problems I'm having with "Fear Itself" is that the issues that flesh out the motivations of the characters seem to be appearing at least a month late. I mean, Bucky was killed in "Fear Itself" #3 and his death is addressed in "Fear Itself" #4 and #5. But, we're just seeing the Avengers and Steve grapple with his death here. We needed to see that BEFORE issue #5, so we could've gotten a sense of the desperation that essentially leads them to give up the battle in the climatic scene in that issue. I'm assuming that the events of this issue happen between "Fear Itself" #3 and #4. After all, Steve faces Sin in "Fear Itself" #5. Knowing that, it does make Steve occasionally seem crazy here, until you remind yourself that this issue clearly happened before "Fear Itself" #5 (not that anyone tells you that in the book). It's just yet another reason why this entire ordeal of "Fear Itself" needs to end.
Fear Itself: The Home Front #5: This issue continues the pattern of this series, with the Speedball story being moralizingly annoying, the second story giving us minor characters in a forgettable story with a vague plot, a totally bizarre "Moment with...," and a final story with even more minor characters in an even more forgettable story with a nonsensical plot. I still can't believe I'm spending $3.99 on these issues.
Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #4: McKeever continues to do a good job on this series. We see the heroes involved in this story have a complete and total meltdown. Prodigy is snapping under the strains of commanding a losing battle while Gravity takes out his rage at the situation (and, clearly, his guilt for abandoning the battle) on Hardball. McKeever gives us a cliffhanger, with Gravity implying that he becomes a murderer, though we don't know if it's because of his accidental strike on Komodo or the earthquake he and Hardball cause due to their fight. But it's not the cliffhanger that will make me come back next issue; it's the tale McKeever is telling. He continues to tell a compelling story about the pressures a group of C- and D-list superheroes face trying to do the right thing when all seems lost. Moreover, McKeever excels at raising questions about what exactly constitutes "the right thing." The attempts by the rest of the cast -- Cloud 9, Komodo, Rage, Thor Girl -- to save the innocent civilians while Gravity and Hardball go to war on each other is a great display of heroism. You come to expect that sort of heroism on the part of your superheroes, but McKeever reminds us how special it is. I hope he's given a series with these characters after "Fear Itself" ends, because I'd love to see the stories he could tell without "Fear Itself" hanging around his next.
New Mutants #30: This issue is OK. It sucks that DnA got forcibly sidetracked by "Fear Itself," because I'm much more interested in reading stories about Dani and her team serving as the X-Men's loose-end tie-up-er-ers. I'm not entirely sure who, exactly, Dani is fighting at the end, other than the fact that they're some sort of nightmare entities re-animated thanks to the Serpent's return. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is in Hell ("two 'L's") trying to avoid negotiating with Mephisto, who, in the end, convinces Amara to go on a date with him in exchange for sending them to Hel (one "L"). For the last 30 issues, the various authors on this title have done little more than address, in passing, the fact that Bobby suddenly finds himself in love with Amara, so I'm actually hoping that Amara going on a date with the Devil (presumably after "Fear Itself" ends) will finally bring some sort of action to this long-simmering sub-plot. Compared to other "Fear Itself" tie-in issues, this one is pretty good. Compared to DnA's usual issues, it's mildly disappointing.
Uncanny X-Men #542: Like he does in "Generation Hope" #10, Gillen give us a two-for-one deal here, moving forward existing sub-plots while at the same time furthering the "Fear Itself" plot. First, "Fear Itself:" Gillen delivers one of the better tie-in issues I've read. So far, as previously mentioned, these tie-in issues haven't really forwarded the main plot of "Fear Itself" too much. This issue doesn't exactly do so either, but it does give us the best story related to "Fear Itself." By focusing on the Juggernaut over the last few issues, Gillen has been able to let the fear of his impending arrival grow. Whereas all the other books seem to be just bounding from event to event, reducing the possibility of the stories having any sort of emotional impact, Gillen shows the X-Men throwing everything they have at the problem and still not stopping the Juggernaut. (Contrast their efforts here to the Avengers surrendering after three panels of action in "Fear Itself" #5 and you'll see what I mean.) It actually felt like Cyclops was playing a video game, trying to match combos to see which one could defeat the boss. By giving us these scenes, Gillen manages to convey the sense of desperation and fear that we're supposed to be seeing everywhere else, but aren't. Looking at the ongoing stories he furthers here, we see Emma coming to the conclusion to which I allude in my "Generation Hope" #10 review, which is that Hope Summers is a lot more tied to the Summers/Grey family and the Phoenix Force than she or anyone else (other than Emma) is aware. It seems pretty apparent that it's the fear infesting everything as a result of the return of the Serpent that brings Emma to this conclusion (even if it turns out being correct), which just goes to show how well Gillen does integrating "Fear Itself" with ongoing "Uncanny" plots. Finally, we see Colossus take one on the chin, possibly sacrificing his soul to save Illyana. I had asked, at the end of the Breakworld saga, for Kitty and Peter to have some time to just be in love. It looks like we may not get that. Gillen hints here that Illyana might not be as reformed as we thought, since she lifts nary a finger to save Peter. All in all, Gillen delivers possibly the best "Fear Itself" tie-in issue I've read. Between the upcoming Emma/Hope and Colossus/Juggernaut battles, I really can't wait until next issue. (Also: Adam X? Whoa.)
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