Fear Itself: Book of the Skull #1

The next major Marvel event/crossover begins with a flashback involving the Red Skull and... 
 

The Good 

The Red Skull no doubt had countless plans in motion. With his current death (how long will that last?), it's up to his daughter, Sin, to carry on his battle against the world. The result is Sin and Zemo visiting an old lair of the Skull's with a flashback that kickstarts the entire FEAR ITSELF storyline. I'm usually skeptical when previously unseen events from the past suddenly surface but the way it's presented here, it totally works. Scot Eaton's 1942 Red Skull looks a little too modern for my liking but he truly captures the crazy-factor in Sin's expressions. 
 

The Bad 

It's another event. It's hard not to be skeptical. I'm a little on the fence based on some of the teasers that have been released. The story here though does set things up nicely. I'm sure Captain America, Bucky and Namor went on a bunch of missions but it just feels a little odd that this is the first time we're really hearing about. It could just be they didn't realize the importance of what the results could lead to. Also, how come Red Skull never followed through with this scheme? 
 

The Verdict 

Whether you like major comic events or not, the latest one has begun. Ed Brubaker and Scot Eaton have the task of delivering a flash back tale that we never knew about that would have major effects today. Normally I'm a little skeptical when these past events suddenly surface but it works here. FEAR ITSELF is meant to be a big deal and with the way it kicks off here, you get the idea that something big will indeed result from this. If you've been curious about what this event will mean for the Marvel Universe, you're going to want to check this out to see the story unfold from the beginning. Now is the time to start getting excited over FEAR ITSELF.