Similarly to film, summers tend to lend themselves to huge blockbuster story lines in comics. With seven years of planning behind it, Marvel's 2012 foray pits the Avengers against the X-Men. The Hope-centric plot brings together the world's greatest heroes and places them on opposing sides; one fights to save the world, the other to preserve its very existence.

There’s nothing to fear except fear itself. In this case, the characters of the Marvel universe are faced with their worst fears as the Serpent slithers into their lives. Those fears are made reality as one by one they lose their own, and one by one they realize they may not win this battle. The Serpent has risen, and the tide of the battle may have swung forever against their favour.

Marvel's summer blockbuster mini-series continues with issue three of Fear Itself. Facing down the Norse god of fear, Marvel's superheroes continue to lose some of their own ranks with every new mystical hammer that falls from the sky. At this point it can't get any worse, right? Forward march!

Writer: Matt Fraction Pencils: Stuart Immonen Colours: Laura Martin Letters: Chris Eliopoulos Cover: Stuart Immonen; Steve McNiven Publisher: Marvel Comics   Issue two of Marvel’s huge summer blockbuster series is upon us. I felt the first issue was a little underwhelming, but...