Just as it brings blockbusters to cinema screens, summer sees event stories bloom in comic book stores. DC and Marvel will each begin a massive crossover mini-series, with all their heroes (and maybe some villains) fighting to save everything from some great threat. In 2011, DC had Flashpoint while Marvel had Fear Itself.

Launched from the fanfare of an actual press conference, in a year with two big movie properties being released, under the pen of recently crowned "Architect" Matt Fraction, Marvel was near-militant in making sure that there was buzz surrounding Fear Itself. We were promised a story that would delve deep into comics lore, reveal universe-shattering secrets, and yet still seem real -- like it was happening in your world. I anxiously awaited trade release on this monumental-sounding comic book.

We begin with a one-shot from Ed Brubaker and Scot Eaton, in which the Red Skull's daughter Sin digs up some old relic of her father's, only to unleash a being known as the Serpent. He is the Asgardian God of Fear, banished by Odin before the Earth even existed for crimes unspeakable. In the main story by Fraction and Immonen, the Serpent goes on to summon his army, The Worthy, via magical hammers like Thor's, wielded by various characters, and then begins wreaking havoc across the planet, seeking only to create terror and death.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

It seems a weighty, albeit overcomplicated, premise. As promised though, it is tied down by continual background references to real world problems, as well as disturbingly accurate speculations on what would happen in a situation like this. Fear, in every aspect, is a major theme here.

Unfortunately, this "realism" and the central theme actually bring down the story somewhat. Although we see snippets and montages of chaos across the globe, there is no sense of impact to Serpent's rampage, beyond a single, chilling panel of a pile of bodies in Paris. More scenes reflecting the human cost of this battle would also have helped to expand on the theme of fear, rather than unseen background events and blunt expository dialogue.

I realise that in modern comics events, there are always about 50 spin-offs and tie-ins to entice the reader, and that they often expand on minor plot threads, but it seems like some things should have been included in the main series here. Not only would this have given us a sense of scale and impact, but I also know absolutely nothing about the hammer-happy Worthy from reading Fear Itself. Given that they play an important role, I feel that they should have been given more page time here rather than in some mini-series I'll probably never read.

Likewise, the deaths of Bucky, Thor and even the Serpent himself all fall flat. These are the things that drama should have been drawn from, instead of skipped over in favour of more action. Action is fine by me, of course, but compare Fear Itself to Marvel's last event, Siege. In that story, every punch and explosion had an emotional resonance, whereas Fraction seems to have got it backwards, leaving both action and dramatic scenes hollow.

As in Thor: World Eaters, Fraction displays a great imagination for sci-fi/fantasy concepts, but a poor grasp on how to play them out. The pacing of this story is monotonous, as the heroes break upon the Worthy like waves on a cliff face, never changing their tactics, simply attacking repeatedly, only to get brutally beaten each time. There is no escalation of Fraction's original idea.

There also seems to be no centre to the plot. It flips wildly between Asgard and Earth, and yet never do we feel any progress towards defeating the bad guy from either army.

Things do pick up at the end though. Tony Stark forges godly weapons in the fires of Svartalfheim (Fraction does have an excellent handle on Norse/Marvel mythology), which is awesome, but it comes too late in the game. Similarly, a late scene of Spider-Man searching a crowd of refugees for his Aunt May is the type of context this series could have used throughout.

Fear Itself does however represent another win for art over writing in a comic book, with stunning and dynamic visuals from Stuart Immonen. With A-listers Wade von Grawbadger and Laura Martin on inks and colours respectively, we get the sense of grounding and intensity lacking in the writing. And there are memorable images in here, such as Captain America's broken shield and his later wielding of Thor's hammer.

When one considers the hype and flash Fear Itself generated before it was even released, one cannot help but feel embarrassed on Marvel's behalf. Yes, this is a fine action story with sensational artwork, but a false sense of importance leaves it feeling as blunt as… some kind of… tool or weapon… with a handle and a weighted head… Hm, can't think of anything.

Rating: 3/5

Writers: Matt Fraction, Ed Brubaker
Artists: Stuart Immonen, Scot Eaton
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Collects: Fear Itself #1-7; Fear Itself: Book of the Skull #1 (2011)