As President Franklin Roosevelt famously said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Oh, but if the Red Skull's daughter Sin resurrects an ancient Asgardian called the Serpent who launches a worldwide campaign of terror and destruction that even all the Marvel superheroes can't stop, it's OK to be afraid then because you're pretty much screwed." 
 Here we've got another giant crossover from Marvel, and it's actually got some good moments in it thanks to writer Matt Fraction. There's interesting stuff with Thor and Odin, and it also brings about the moment we all knew was coming when Steve Rogers once again assumes the role of Captain America. There's also a real element of despair in this one with even Cap losing hope that they can win the fight. And it was great to see Tony Stark mouthing off to Odin and demanding access to the workshops of Asgard so he can forge some weapons. 
 If this was a self-contained mini-series, it could have been great because the problem with crossovers like this is that so much of the other parts play out in the character's individual books so that you'd have to read about 3000 comics to get the entire story. While the Fear Itself books give you the major beats, it feels like you're missing a lot unless you've read all the individual character books. 
 Even the events that are supposed to be the most shocking or dramatic don't feel like they have enough weight. There's just not enough time and space in these books to pay off the big moments so we have to settle for big splash panels and then rush off to the next fight. (view spoiler)[I was a little irked that James Barnes met his end in such a rushed fashion and that so little time was spent on the impact that had. (hide spoiler)] Plus, the character deaths and destruction of an iconic object in the Marvel universe don't mean much when you know that everything will go right back to the way it's always been before too much time passes.