A new publication touting the exploits of some marvel-minded superheroes is entitled Fear Itself Sketchbook. It’s being distributed as a come-on for a full-on Fear Itself periodical with the reality-TV type concept of confronting esteemed superpowered world-savers and crimestoppers with “threats they’ve never seen, including the Asgardian God of Fear, who’ll take them to their limits, and change them dramatically.”
We’re scared already. What is it with fear and insecurity now as a main motivating factor in so many superheroes’ day-to-day business? Whatever happened to incentives such as rescuing people from cataclysm, or creating new opportunities for goodness in the world? Inspiring others? Rooting out obvious mortal evils like dictators and world-conquerors and damsel-distressers? Have we jumped straight to the Fear, past all those affected by fear who could be helped along the way?

The Fear we would like to see chronicled in full-color slick-periodical glory is the famous late-‘70s California punk band Fear, founded by hardcore heroes Lee Ving (vocals, guitar) and Derf Scratch (bass). Their original second-guitarist was even surnamed “Good.” The superheroic strain is also indicated by these interuniversal conflict-friendly headlines: “Give Me Some Action,” “Foreign Policy,” “Let’s Have a War,” “Honor and Obey,” “Null Detector” and, since nearly all superheroes are pro-urban, “I Love Livin’ in the City.” On several occasions, captured onscreen, the band Fear took social norms and raised all known mortal standards of speed, noise and attitude: In their interviews for The Decline of Western Civilization; with their competitive cover of the blues standard “Hoochie Coochie Man” in the film Get Crazy! (where the Willie Dixon song is also interpreted by Malcolm McDowell and Bill Henderson); and in their liberating, mosh-pit maelstrom of an appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1981.

Yes, they also do a song called “Demons Stickin’ Pitchforks in My Brain,” but we argue that there’s more to Fear than there is to Fear Itself. Occasional pure-evil oppression is cool as long it’s not relentless mindnumbing fear all the time, such as the fears which Thor (“Do You Fear… Family Secrets?”), Captain America (“Do You Fear… A Loss of Faith?”), Iron Man (“Do You Fear… The Legacy You’ll Leave Behind?”), Spider-Man (“Do You Fear… Tomorrow?”), X-Men (“Do You Fear… What You’ve Become?”) and Hulk (“Do You Fear… Losing Control?”) will reportedly be facing. If we were the Hulk, what we’d fear most is the apparent loss of the adjective Incredible in my name.

Superheroes are still struggling with a long period of death, loss, bereavement and awkward inheritance of legacies. Now comes fear. Truly the winter of their superdiscontent. They should go listen to some Fear records and feel better about themselves.