"Fear Itself" (1993/04/01) from Spider-Man: Fear Itself (February 1992)

Reader Rating: Below Average; Thunderbolts Interest: Low

Summary: Spider-Man and Silver Sable pursue a mystery woman named The Baroness who has stolen hallucinogenic crystals capable of inducing fear. They assault the Baroness’ castle, where they battle the mutant White Ninja in an effort to stop missiles that will distribute the drug across the globe.

Continuity: It’s unclear whether they are married yet, but Helmut Zemo is certainly working behind the scenes to help Heike with her masquerade as The Baroness. Silver Sable’s sources are surprisingly unreliable: She appears to believe a story claiming that The Baroness is really a clone with the mind of Baron Heinrich Zemo, but Zemo's next adventure reveals the truth.

No doubt Helmut and Heike escape the castle's destruction through one of Zemo's patended secret passageways.

Comments: Very weak. I liked Ross Andru’s work on Amazing Spider-Man, but his exaggerated style is poorly suited to a glossy graphic novel, and Mike Esposito’s scratchy inks make it worse. Gerry Conway – whose work I never much liked – has unearthed a hoary chestnut of a MacGuffin in the "fear gas." The second half of the story is apparently scripted by Stan Lee proving, once again, that legends should know when to call it quits.

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This page was revised on March 6, 2002