Fear Itself (Vol. 1)

## Solicitations

FEAR ITSELF #1

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“OUTBREAK OF FEAR”

Imprisoned in another dimension for millennia, Chthon is unleashed! The elder god invented black magic and authored the Darkhold, the most famous (and accursed) spell-book in the universe. His writings resulted in the creation of vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein-style monsters, creatures from black lagoons, and invisible men. And in his dimension, he created K’Lay - a Dark World Tree filled with legions and Pantheons of these abominations!

Their initial influx into our reality was swift and devastating. The “dark” Avengers were quickly overwhelmed, with “Captain America” Arkady Rossovich inflected with lycanthropy… transforming into Omega Capwolf! UCWF champion Super Smash Brother (the latest incarnation of Bruce Banner’s Hulk) was sired by the supreme vampire god to become the Insatiable Hulk! Our heroes are falling and without Thor to defend us… the Earth is griped by Fear Itself!

Yet who better to confront fear… than Balder the Brave?! The Asgardian exile was headhunted by Chthon but, upon whispered advice from the skull of the slain dark elf Malekith, ultimately chose to turn against the evil elder god. Now Balder is using the knowledge he gained of the Dark Worlds to redeem himself and save the universe… but he can’t do it alone! He’ll need a cadre of heroes (or anti-heroes… or villains) uniquely equipped to deal with these monstrous threats. Midnight Sons, assemble!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

FEAR ITSELF #2

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“NONE BUT THE BRAVE”

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

As the world is gripped by Fear Itself, with nations being divvied up amongst the invading Horror Gods, it’s defenders continue to fall before Chthon’s onslaught. Our only hope may lie… with Balder the Brave!

Chthon’s greatest weakness has always been hubris. He recorded all of his spells in the accursed Darkhold. All of them, including the one that could reseal the borders of K’Lay and return the Realms of the Horror Gods back to their eternal prison in the Dark World Tree. That means, to prevail… Balder must obtain the Darkhold. The skull of Malekith tells him that the damnable grimoire is currently in the possession of an ancient lich, Thulsa Doom, and protected by the Darkholders cult (plus who knows how many newly arrived vampires, werewolves, Frankensteins, lagoon creatures, and invisible men) in the ever-dark, subterranean kingdom of Abysmia. To steal and use it, Balder will need mystically inclined help…

Sorcerers are absolutely required. When Earth is invaded by nightmares, who better than the Son of Satan, Damian Hellstrom, and the succubus queen, Shiklah, to answer the call?

Muscle is also a necessity. That will come in the form of the magically empowered unstoppable Juggernaut!

But to truly defeat the Horror Gods, Balder will need to use their own against them. The werewolves already mobilized, bringing Werewolf by Night and his Uncanny Wolfmen into the fold. Blade and Morbius, too, did not wait to take the fight to the vampires. With them in tow, Balder also drafts the one-man amphibious assault team, Manphibian, and his most unpredictable recruit - a Frankensteined composite of severed Deadpool parts known as… ahem… Evil Deadpool!

Can Balder lead this unlikely assemblage - these Brave Midnight Sons - to victory? Or is the mission cursed?

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

FEAR ITSELF #3

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“OUROBOROS”

Balder’s plan has failed! For years, he was guided by a voice that he believed to be the spirit of a repentant Malekith contained within the slain dark elf’s skull (since way back in THE MIGHTY THOR #16!). Not so… for that voice is, and has always been, Chthon’s!

Now the assembled Brave Midnight Sons - Balder, Blade, Morbius, Werewolf by Night, Hellstorm, Shiklah, Manphibian, Juggernaut, and Evil Deadpool - are captured and brought for judgment before the assembled heads of the Horror God pantheons in Chthon’s great hall: the Darque Hold!

With his lieutenant Atum the God-Eater by his side, Chthon holds court. All-Sire Vanthirius, Alpha Prime, Dr. Demogag’s Monster, Black Amphibious, and Invisible God look on in anticipation of their creator’s will being done. And that will, as always, involves no mercy.

For their hubris and defiance, the Midnight Sons are sentenced to death! But then the unexpected happens…

Atum, who has been struggling with the morality of his actions since consuming the positive influence of the mighty Thor, turns on his evil uncle and fulfills the purpose for which his mother, Gaea, originally birthed him so many eons ago: he devours Chthon! The elder god who invented dark magic and is widely heralded as the universes’s first demon… is finally dead!!!

But the invasion has just begun! The grim realms imprisoned by the Dark World Tree remain free and unchecked. The Horror Gods are unleashed; their legions unrelenting and spreading with abandon. The divine digestion process leaves their betrayer, Atum, weakened and vulnerable. Can the Midnight Sons save his life? And without a unified leader, the scores of monsters from K’Lay are more dangerous and less predictable than ever!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99

FEAR ITSELF #4

Plot by EXCITER

Written by ALAN MOORE

Art by MIKE MIGNOLA

“THE FUTURE OF FEAR”

Chthon is dead. Yet, the fear lingers…

There is a prevailing truism about artists: that their work increases in value after their death. And what is black magic if not the quintessential “dark art”? The Darkhold - Chthon’s unrivaled repository of arcane knowledge, the blackest of grimoires, and the universe’s most accursed spellbook - is now invaluable. Whosoever obtains it may shift the balance of power in the Age of Marvels Universe going forward…

Will it be the Son of Satan himself, Daimon Hellstrom? Or the succubus Queen Shiklah? Or another member of the Midnight Sons? Is it Morbin’ time?

What about other earthly spellcasters? A member of the Agents of A.R.C.A.N.A.? Or perhaps the Spellbinder herself? Or a Sigil-bearer? A dark intellectual? A sorcerer of the stars? A king? Perhaps someone… more fantastic? Could it possibly be the moment that the supernaturally stout Darkhold Dwarf has awaited his entire life?

Or will it be those who carry on Chthon’s legacy more directly… one of the Horror Gods who were so recently - and now, permanently - freed from imprisonment and unleashed upon our universe?

This is the final scramble. The future of fear will be determined here. But Balder the Brave has been planning for this since he first discovered the Dark World Tree, K’Lay… and he’s not afraid to act!

32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99