The Death of Spider-Man has come and gone. Given the chance to see everyone's reaction, the Ultimate Universe is prepared to move on to the next chapter.
The Good
I've mentioned several times my satisfaction in The Death of Spider-Man. We are all tired of comic book deaths but that story served to show how heroic the teenage Peter Parker could be. Normally I'm not a fan of single issues separated into separate stories. Each section deals with a different character and what the death means for them now and in the coming months. They all do serve to complete the overall story but it is still an issue divided into separate parts. In this issue, it's not a problem.
The reason is we have such a great team of writers and artists working on each. Bendis, Spencer and Hickman have proven over and over their skills in writing. The art by Bagley, Eric Nguyen and Mitch and Bettie Breitweiser is a treat to see.
We may be seeing the end for some characters but everything they've revealed, their feelings and thoughts has added to the story by making it all feel more real. Superheroes often die, there might be some mourning afterwards but by the next issue or so, it feels like it's been forgotten. The characters here have deeply been affected and it doesn't look like they'll be bouncing back from this anytime soon.
The Bad
It's hard not to be skeptical over Peter's death. We know there's going to be another Spider-Man. We've seen death in the Ultimate Universe matter and stick more than in normal comics. If Peter does ever manage to return, it's going to diminish the impact in this series. But that's something we won't hopefully have to worry about for a long time.
The Verdict
Ultimate Fallout had some high and low points. For the most part, it did succeed in showcasing everyone's reaction to the death of Spider-Man. Because Spider-Man has been made into the heart and soul of the Ultimate Universe, his death has been shown to have an affect on everyone. This is the end of an era and the upcoming Ultimate Comics Reborn will show us the next chapter. Despite being the end of this story, it also manages to set the stage for many characters. Things won't be the same and that is what you would want from a comic book death story. You get the feeling his death does matter. The team of writers and artists have excelled in convincing us it's real...or at least as real as it can be for fictional characters.