Terror has gripped the globe and now all the world is the front line for the next superhuman conflict! America blamed Speedball for the deaths of six hundred people in Stamford, Connecticut - the event that sparked the super hero Civil War. And while some have forgiven him, he hasn't forgiven himself. But a new crisis has arisen…fear is spreading throughout the populace…and, while doing charity work in disguise, Robbie Baldwin's true identity is exposed to the people of Stamford. With the world falling apart around him, can Speedball rally the population against the new danger…or will this survivor of an old war be the casualty of a new one? PLUS: Marvel’s super agent Jimmy Woo confronts his deepest fears in an all-new, all-action adventure! Join the fight as Marvel’s top talents take you on a series of globe-spanning adventures that will test the mettle of hero, citizen and villain alike!
This "Marvel Comics Presents" style anthology features chapters of 3 separate stories, plus a one-page short.
*Speedball in "Lurker", part 1 of 7 - by Christos Gage & Mike Mayhew
-"Avengers Academy" writer Christos Gage takes Speedball on a solo adventure in which his true identity is found out while he's performing incognito community service for the good of Stamford, CT. The story begins with Speedball working with Avengers trainees Hazmat and Mettle, taking down a few C-list supervillains who, the issue later points out, were just a few among many who took the opportunity to attempt some easy crimes while law enforcement was busy dealing with the riot depicted in "Fear Itself" book 1. With the situation under control, Speedball heads to Stamford to continue the social service work he's been doing, but he's found out by the leader of the organization he's working for, Miriam Sharpe (who worked closely with Iron Man on the registration act during the Civil War) , and another riot ensues as angry townsfolk attack him. The whole story is overlaid with a televised debate on related subjects by reporters Trish Tilby and Marcy Pearson.
*Jimmy Woo in "The Age of Anxiety", part 1 of 7 - by Peter Milligan & Elia Bonetti
-Jimmy Woo and the Agents of Atlas weather the riots and miscellaneous hate crimes spinning out of "Fear Itself" by rounding up and taking down Neo-Nazi organizations, until they find one that leads them to the Thule organization that's at the heart of "Fear Itself". In the midst of this, Jimmy is trying to decide how to handle, or even outright end his secret romance with teammate Namora. NOTE: this is perhaps the first "Agents of Atlas" story not written by team re-inventor Jeff Parker.
*"A Moment With J. Jonah Jameson" by Howard Chaykin
-This one-page short, written and illustrated by industry legend Howard Chaykin features mayor Jameson reflecting on how these anti-hero riots are in some way his old wish come true, but it doesn't seem to be resting completely easy with him.
-Broxton, OK in "There's No Place Like Homeless" by Jim McCann & Pepe Larraz
-In this one-off story, the normal human residents of Broxton, OK deal with the fallout of what happened to their town after Norman Osborn's siege on Asgard destroyed much of their property, and now, the Asgardians abandoning Earth on top of that.
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