Fear Itself Spider-Man 2 Review

Fear Itself: Spider-Man

Writer-Chris Yost

Art-Mike Mckone

Colors-Jeremy Cox

First I want to apologize for the lateness of this review. I have had massive amounts of college work and other things to take care of. I guess that’s what happens when you put everything off till the last minute, but, alas, it’s all done. I will have my Marvel Adventures review up soon. I’m excited for that one. It’s Spidey vs Doom!

Plot:

First, let me reiterate, I am not following Fear Itself at all except this title. And the Deadpool one, because I think Deadpool is hilarious. Yes, hilarious. Even if Rob Liefeld draws like a monkey with a coke problem.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good event. I enjoyed Siege a lot, and am looking forward to Spider Island like a pre teen girl at a Justin Beeper concert. I’m just not really a Thor or Iron Man fan.

Fear is over taking the world. Besides all the unruly mobs and looting and things, there are also people like the Absorbing Man and Titania running around with Asgardian weapons. Issue two opens with an update on our cast of characters from last issue. John Russell, who is worried about his home being foreclosed, finds a man in his alley that he is afraid has come to take his house. Now he has a gun pointed at him. Karen Anderson, who is ready to give birth any minute, has just been abandoned in a cab by a fearful driver. Norah Winters is out interviewing people about the fear, and our hero, the Amazing Spider-Man, is knocked out from a blow by Vermin, and being eaten by rats.

Spidey had just finished saving Robert Christanson from taking his own life, when he was ambushed. Spidey is fighting Vermin (who, remember, already emits a toxic aura) when he lets his fear overtake him, and he savagely beats Vermin. He overcomes his emotion and drops Vermin off at the Baxter building. Spidey, while saving people, stops in to check on Jameson, who gives Spidey a speech that encourages him to get back out there and fight the good fight.

John heads to a church after shooting and possibly killing the man in his alley. Karen and Norah are both there when John pulls a gun on everyone. Spidey saves the day by talking him down and informing him that the man he shot is only wounded, and that John still has a chance. He then races Karen off to a hospital as Ben Grimm gets a hold of an evil hammer, and the issue is to be continued.

Commentary:

I was pretty disappointed by issue two, as I was hoping for a good fight with Vermin.The resolution of that was disappointing too. It ended like Kraven’s Last Hunt, with Vermin in Mr. Fantastic’s care, and we remember how that turned out (with him still being Vermin). Spidey is the most guilt ridden character in the Marvel U, and the fact that he isn’t kept up by Vermin’s case bothers me. After all, he feels guilty for everything else that happens.

The art work was very well done in this issue. My favorite Spidey has always been a Ditko esque scrawny guy. While McKone is no Ditko, he does have the scrawny part right. I started watching the Spidey animated series on netflix, and one of the things that bothered me about that show is Spidey is ripped. He looks like Dexter in that show. Actually everyone is ripped in that show, now that I think about it. Mysterio, Jameson, everyone. If I didnt know any better Id say they used Arnold in his heyday as the model for the characters.

Overall:

If anyone remembers my review of the first issue, I was very excited by the prospects set up there. These two issues didn’t follow through as well as I’d hoped, and overall, wasn’t really worth the read, unless you are following the rest of Fear Itself.

2/5