*Sigh* That’s how I feel after just putting this book down. *Sigh* And that’s not a satisfied sigh like the exclamation of contentment released after a delicious meal or teeth clenching orgasm . Not even close. This is a sigh of exhaustion, boredom and the “why did I bother?” sentiment that seems to following this lumbering beast of a comic around. Fear Itself is only just over half way done and yet is already limping for the finishing line. The story had potential (despite being clearly aimed at a market now excited by the Thor and Captain America films) and yet the authors of this series seem to have forgotten the basic story telling tools that should build this book. The narrative jumps around so quickly that we have no time to care for any character or feel any real jeopardy. We jump here, there and then everywhere else without any real explanation of what the fuck is going on. And what really annoys me, is that the Serpent (the main villain of the plot) still remains so hidden. Its taken up to this issue for us to be told that he needs to create fear, to gain power, to re-gain his youthful body, to raise a castle. And why is he doing this? NOBODY KNOWS! And even those plot lines that I just mentioned, I had to figure out myself. Nothing is explained. Nothing is clear. And as a result, Nothing is dramatic. How am I supposed to feel dread at the sight of a villain when I have no idea what he is doing or why? It seems to be that this book is little more than the connective tissue holding together a series of tie-in books that actually contain the plot points necessary to understand whats happening. And I know that’s a characteristic of event books as a whole. But this is one of the worst I’ve read. The art is fantastic though. Immonen very rarely makes a wrong step, and even here, he proves that even in the worst environment, his talent can shine. He really is the saving grace of this book. Although there are a few panels of this book that aren’t quite up to his normal standard (look out for a close up of Thor looking a little too much like an old woman towards the end of the book). I think you will probably grasp how I feel about this comic by now. A waste of a great opportunity and the talent of a great artist. And to add insult to injury, I hear that Flashpoint is actually pretty good. Damn you DC fanboys! Art 4.5/5 Story 1.5/5