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Fear Itself: The Home Front #1: Review

Apr 2011
Christos N. Gage, Mike Mayhew

Story Name:

Lurker

Review & Comments

Rating:
4.5 stars

Fear Itself: The Home Front #1 Review by (June 5, 2024)

Review: Nice anthology series tying in with the FEAR ITSELF event occasionally has some trouble relating to the event but the central story, the seven-part Speedball arc, keeps it all rooted there. And Speedball’s story has the CIVIL WAR event underlying it, as the focus is on how much the hero is hated for his actions and reaction in the earlier tragedy and how he comes to redeem himself in others’ and his own eyes. This story, a bit heavy-handed at times, nevertheless keeps up its message of hope against fear and community against despair. And the realistic art helps sell it. The second, four-part Agents of Atlas story is quite different, far removed from FEAR ITSELF and centering on Jimmy Woo’s oddball situation, both in time and in love. The villains are Nazis, both original and Neo- but again, Jimmy’s personal problems are the focus of the story. Howard Chaykin’s one-page “Moment With” stories are pretty much pointless. Herein, J. Jonah Jameson has a bad opinion of superheroes, which is exactly where we met him in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1. And the fourth tale, again, need not reference FEAR ITSELF at all but could take place at any point during Asgard’s presence there; it is a bit poignant, watching the older citizens losing their home. That’s the strength and the heart of the tale but again, why is it here?

Comments:Home Front” refers to the work of civilians at home sacrificing to support their military during a war; the term originated in World War I Britain but has spread around the world. Story 1: Part one of seven. Story 2: Part one of four. The TV show I DIG DAISY is a parody of the real-life I LOVE LUCY. Story 4: Asgard was relocated to the area of Broxton, Oklahoma, in THOR (2007 series) #1; the Asgardians left during THOR: GOD OF THUNDER (you know, the Jason Aaron run). 






 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Fear Itself: The Home Front #1 Synopsis by Peter Silvestro

Speedball is out training two rookie superheroes from Avengers Academy, Hazmat and Mettle, battling some third-rate baddies and advising them to stay off the internet because reading the comments about them can be discouraging. [Throughout the issue we see a sample of the debate over Speedball himself, blamed for the Stamford Incident.] SB meets up with Tigra and Jocasta at Infinite Avengers Mansion. Jocasta shows him an online interview with Miriam Sharpe who lost her son at Stamford and was a guiding force behind the Superhero Registration Act. Sharpe denounces Speedball while pointing out that the Civil War resolved nothing, Captain American and Iron Man are the best of friends again. Robbie shrugs it off but continues to follow the online debate as he goes to his volunteer job at Damien’s Gift, the charity founded by Miriam Sharpe in her son’s memory. To his surprise, he is introduced to Mrs. Sharpe who is grateful for his work for the charity. He puts in a full day at the job but when he returns to the office, Miriam Sharpe slaps him, having recognized him in the meantime. He tries to defend his actions but no one listens. One of the other staffers hits him in the head with a bat which triggers his transformation into Speedball and hurls him through a window. In seconds he is surrounded by a hostile mob….

“The Age of Anxiety Part One: Love and Hate” 3/5
Writer: Peter Milligan. Art: Elia Bonetti. Colors: John Rauch. Letters: Dave Lanphear.

Synopsis: Jimmy Woo has a romantic meeting with his paramour/colleague Namora in his refuse in the 1950s; he wants to break up with her but he is afraid he is falling in love with her. She returns to the Agents of Atlas in the present, joining Uranian and Gorilla-Man. Jimmy arrives and GM tells him of a new neo-Nazi group firebombing synagogues and African-American churches in Florida. Jimmy demands intel on similar groups for the last five years….

The team, including Human Robot and Venus, heads to Florida, battles the group (called the Hammer of Thule), capturing a big shot named Vorster as Venus lures the rest of the gang out with her feminine abilities. Vorster reveals all and Jimmy tells him to lead the Agents to the group’s headquarters in Germany. Vorster agrees, telling them they will all die there, hinting that Thule has even infiltrated the Atlas Foundation. Jimmy wants to take a break and visit the 1950s again but Gorilla-Man warns him he may not be able to return….

“A Moment with…J. Jonah Jameson” 2.5/5
Writer: Howard Chaykin. Art: Howard Chaykin. Colors: Edgar Delgado. Letters: Dave Lanphear.

Synopsis: Mayor J. Jonah Jameson sits in his office, looking back on the world pre-superhero and deciding that the riot was superhero inspired….

“There’s No Place Like Homeless” 4/5
Writer: Jim McCann. Art: Pepe Larraz. Colors: Chris Sotomayor. Letters: Dave Lanphear.

Synopsis: The inhabitants of Broxton are in severe financial distress after the Siege of Asgard. Now the city is full of tourists hoping to see the gods. A bunch of old men sit in Bill’s Diner remembering the better days; one of them, J.A., now has to work as a waiter there to survive. He tries to keep tourists from fighting and warns everyone that they have to behave if they want to stay. Then a report comes that the gods are leaving and the place empties of tourists in seconds, leaving the residents alone.



Mike Mayhew
Mike Mayhew
Rain Beredo
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Penciler)
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Inker)
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Dave Lanphear.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson

(JJ Jameson)
Jocasta
Jocasta

(Jocasta Pym)
Speedball
Speedball

(Robbie Baldwin)
Tigra
Tigra

(Greer Nelson)

Plus: Agents Of Atlas, Gorilla-Man (Ken Hale), Hazmat (Jennifer Takeda), Human Robot, Jimmy Woo, Mettle (Ken Mack), Namora (Aquaria Neptunia), Uranian (Bob Grayson), Venus.

> Fear Itself: The Home Front: Book info and issue index

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