SPOILERS BELOW
When you come right down to it, the appeal of reading the finale to Ultimate Spider-Man doesn't lie in learning whether or not Peter Parker dies. Marvel has been doing its best to make sure that question was already answered for the past six months. And as such, I'm not even going to attempt to dance around the fact that Peter dies. As always, a death-oriented story succeeds or fails based on how well that death is handled. Is the emotion strong? Is the hero vindicated through their final actions? Is the death conclusive enough that readers can assume the character will stay dead for at least six months? The answer to all three questions is yes, with a few caveats for the first.
"The Death of Spider-Man" comes down to the final showdown between Green Goblin and Peter Parker, as it should be. As much as I wish Bendis had allowed for more closure between Peter and Doctor Octopus, this issue wouldn't have flowed well if anyone other than Norman were in the villain's chair. The arc closes out in a very action-oriented fashion as Peter throws every last scrap of energy into beating back the Goblin and protecting his loved ones.
The focus on action doesn't completely do justice to the story. In some ways, the stakes felt higher in Bendis' Ultimatum arc. Despite having his innards leaking out, Peter is written as more calm and collected in the battle, even finding time to crack a few jokes. Perhaps the intention was simply to write a hero resigned to his fate. But the result is that the script doesn't quite build the tension as effectively as it should. The payoff is great, but the road there is a little more rocky. The action is fast, frantic, and entertaining. But the same could be said for issue #159. This issue needed more focus on what comes after.
The payoff, however brief, is well worth the preceding four-and-a-half issues. Bendis allows Peter to go out in a manner truly suited to the character. A single line truly cements what this sacrifice means for him and his family. Aunt May's reaction in particular is gut-wrenching, and I can't wait to see how her character is handled in Ultimate Fallout. But there's the rub. I wish I didn't have to wait for Ultimate Fallout to see the impact of this story. Issue #160 doesn't have the space to deliver a true sense of closure for the series. Characters like Human Torch and Gwen Stacy are given far too little room to react to Peter's death here.
The art quality dipped a bit in issue #159, and the same holds true here. Mark Bagley's characters aren't quite as finely rendered as they were in previous issues. The rapid shipping schedule certainly didn't do this arc any favors, a fact emphasized by the presence of two inkers in this issue. But if the finer details are a little fuzzy, the general quality of storytelling is still as strong as ever. Bagley frames each and every panel to convey the maximum amount of energy and power. He delivers nicely on all the emotional fallout of the big battle. The last page in particular is handled well in all of its subtlety. And as with the previous issues, Justin Ponsor's colors help elevate Bagley's work to a new level of quality.
Issue #160 is a competent finish to the series. Unfortunately, it's not quite as emotionally resonant or gripping as Bendis' best issues. Ultimate Fallout will have to pick up the slack there. But the issue does do justice to a great hero, and it manages to build excitement for the next phase of Ultimate Spider-Man.
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