Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • Top 10 Most Sympathetic Comics Characters

      Nick Boisson
      April 10, 2014
      Columns, Top 10
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • The Full Run: Hickman's ' Avengers' #33 and 34

      Nick Boisson
      January 11, 2016
      Big Two, Columns, Marvel Comics, The Full Run
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady 6/7/2017: Summer Lovin'

      Nick Boisson
      June 13, 2017
      Action Lab Entertainment, Big Two, DC Comics, Image, Indie, Reviews, Singles Going Steady
    Recent
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 4.5

      The Walking Dead 4.02 "Infected" Review

      Nick Boisson
      October 25, 2013
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • An Interview With Spiro Ballas About Superheroes For Hospice!

      Nick Boisson
      November 17, 2014
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • A Contract With God

      Nick Boisson
      December 6, 2012
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Daredevil/Punisher" #2

      Nick Boisson
      June 23, 2016
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • 'The Mercenary: Cult of the Sacred Fire' is an Awesomely Fun Jolt of Otherworldly Adventure

      Nick Boisson
      November 28, 2017
      Books, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN'S UNIVERSE
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Ultimate Fallout #6

Nick Boisson
August 25, 2011
Reviews
Ultimate Fallout #6
5.0Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

What happens to the world when it loses its hero? This is the question that Marvel set out to answer with Ultimate Fallout. While there were some small differences between Marvel’s Mainstream Universe and their Ultimate Universe, there simply were not enough to warrant Earth-1610’s existence. Like any entity that fears it has become stale or has reached a plateau, Marvel’s Ultimate Universe had to make a change. So, they made a drastic shift: the death of Peter Parker, our Ultimate Spider-Man. But with Spider-Man gone, the Ultimate Universe needed to begin to ask itself questions. How does this dimension move on? How do we deal? How can we once again rise up? How should we cope? Writers Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Spencer — currently Marvel’s best and brightest — along with a mixed bag of artists, have been trying to show their readers that the Ultimate Universe is something unique and that the journey to find these answers will be one that we wish to travel.

How do we move on?
With the first story, we fall back onto Aunt May and Gwen Stacy. It opens on May, laying in Peter’s bed, clutching her nephew’s Spidey suit. As she stands up to look outside, she sees a sea of press figures outside her home, waiting for her and her ward, Gwen Stacy, to come out. When Gwen enters the room, she appears with a shorter, black hairdo. After Gwen speaks of how she needs a change, Aunt May shares that Tony Stark has offered to move the family anywhere they would like. After Gwen convinces May that she deserves to be happy, the call is made and arrangements are set for the two to move to the French Riviera, in Stark’s villa that he is now giving to them. Bendis uses this story to very effectively write these characters out of the Ultimate line, but he does so in a way that is satisfying to the reader, leavning with the feeling that the story is complete. And having this final moment with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Mark Bagley — the team that gave us these wonderful characters in Ultimate Spider-Man — is the perfect way for us, as readers, to say goodbye. Many have had nearly 11 years with these characters and Bendis sends them off in good Bendis fashion: with care and much humor. The last line of the story is Gwen Stacy saying, “I already don’t miss this place.” In all honesty, as a reader, I cannot say the same.
How do we deal?
The second story from Nick Spencer and Eric Nguyen is a short three-pager that continues the team’s Kitty Pryde story from Ultimate Fallout #3. When we last left Kitty, Bobby Drake (Iceman) and Johnny Storm (Human Torch, formerly of the Fantastic Four), Kitty was telling the two of “a safe place” where the government “can’t find mutants.” But, there was one catch: no more super heroics. In this story, we see Kitty leading the other two to this safe haven while they impatiently ask where they are headed. These characters had become some of Peter’s best friends. Kitty was a former flame, who was still holding a torch for Peter when he died, and Bobby and Johnny were living with Peter and Aunt May under the guise of being Peter’s cousins. Johnny was even with him as Peter died. These three characters loved Peter just as much as the three characters that the media chooses to focus on — Aunt May, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. But with Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters gone and Aunt May grief-stricken, these three young heroes are homeless and Kitty comes up with a brilliant idea of where these kids can make a new home — the Morlock Tunnels. Especially in the Marvel-616 universe, this is the best place for any mutant to hide from the outside. After all, that is why they exist. This short story does two things: it ends the Ultimate X-Men storyline while also beginning the upcoming series, Ultimate Comics: X-Men. Writer Nick Spencer — who will be taking on the upcoming series — is best known for his work on Image Comics’ Morning Glories. With the new X-Men series revolving around the younger members, Marvel could not have picked a better writer for the job. Spencer has a talent for writing young characters with both wit and charm and seeing him carry this talent onto these stories is something that fans of both Spencer and X-Men can look forward to reading. And with the Morlock Tunnels laying just beneath New York City, this new headquarters could lead to some fantastic stories when the comic premieres next month. I am almost sorry that Eric Nguyen is not joining Spencer on the new series. His art style has always been something different in superhero comics and I’ve grown to love his few pages with these characters.
How can we once again rise up?
In this series, we have seen a number of characters who either blame themselves or feel there are others responsible for Peter Parker’s death. One hero who blames himself — and may actually be right — is Captain America. In this four-page Jonathan Hickman and Mitch Breitweiser story featuring Nick Fury, the team drops a pretty big bomb on the reader that will inherently affect Hickman’s upcoming run on Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates and on the Ultimate Universe as a whole: “Captain America just quit,” Nick Fury says. This is huge for the Ultimate Universe! Captain America is synonymous with heroism in Marvel Comics. It is very hard to think of Captain America not being in The Ultimates, despite his mug gracing the cover of the first issue. This choice that Hickman is making has me both excited and curious of what he will be bringing to the table with next week’s premiere. In this story, Fury implies that what is happening in the Ultimate Universe now is just the calm before the storm. I, for one, am anticipating Hickman’s storm with much enthusiasm. As for Mitch Breitweiser’s art, I am a fan of the sketchy technique, which, along with Bettie Breitweiser’s use of cool colors on the warm, orange backgrounds, make for some beautiful panels. And given that the story has very few pieces of dialogue, Breitweiser’s art works well on the muted scenes. In fact, the final panel in the story — which just shows Fury’s aide holding Captain America’s shield — is probably my favorite piece of art in this issue.
How should we cope?
When we la
st see Mary Jane Watson, at the end of Ultimate Fallout #2, she is writing an article titled “How the World Killed Spider-Man.” A story that is set out to expose Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D., the government, the media and the other superheroes as the as the cause of her love’s demise. When we open on this final story — also by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley — MJ’s exposé is now done and copies of it now lie next to envelopes addressed to CNN, FOX News, the Daily Bugle and the LA Times. When Nick Fury enters her room, he reads the story and confesses that he, too, loved Peter, knew his parents before they died and was grooming him to be the “man he was supposed to become,” but failed. At the end of the story, Fury tells Mary Jane that she is “absolutely right” to blame him for Peter’s death. In Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man, there was always a struggle between Fury and Peter. With this story, you see where it all derived from. Fury, even in his most radical of choices, was always trying to protect Peter. Bendis adds this wonderful emotionality to Fury’s character here. In the final page, when Fury blames himself for Peter’s death, we see him begin to weep. With all of the things that Nick Fury has been dealing with since Peter Parker’s death, Fury finally broke down. I also found this final piece interesting in the fact that it does not quite give MJ an out from the Ultimate Universe, like May and Gwen. We never really know whether she gets on that helicopter. Mary Jane remaining in the Ultimate Universe may not be such a strange thing. If Bendis is keeping her in New York, I hope we do see more from her in future tales.

 

Brian Michael BendisEric NguyenJonathan HickmanMark BagleyMarvelMitch BreitweiserNick BoissonNick SpencerUltimate Spider-Man

Share On:
Tweet
Breaking Bad 4.04 & 4.05 Review
Hellboy: The Fury #3 (Zack's review)

About The Author

Nick Boisson
Nick Boisson

Nick Boisson is a writer for Comics Bulletin

Related Posts

  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter

    nguyen ly
    February 20, 2021
  • Collecting Profile: Jessica Jones

    nguyen ly
    February 6, 2021

Latest Reviews

  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders