Ultimate Fallout 4: is an unusual mini-series in that the fourth issue of the series will surely outsell the other five, but such is the hype machine. It's hard to say how much the newcomers will be impressed by the three transitional segments featured within, but those following the Ultimate Universe already will find plenty of food for thought and enticing building blocks for future stories. 
 

The first story, and obviously most significant, is the segment featuring the new Spider-Man. As a showcase of all the fun qualities of the preceding 160 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, the segment works well. Brian Michael Bendis brings back The Kangaroo as the obligatory goofy villain, and the two have plenty of fun banter as the new Spidey embarks on his inaugural crime-fighting mission. The segment is also expertly illustrated by Sara Pichelli. Her presence has been missed since "Death of Spider-Man," and this issue proves she was the right choice to headline the new volume of USM. Her pages are energetic, cinematic, and just flamboyant enough to offer a change of pace from the rest of the Ultimate Fallout stories. 

As for the new Spidey, this issue doesn't leave much of an impression one way or the other. In costume, they sound more or less exactly like Peter Parker did in his snarky mode. No real introduction is given to the character, much less anything resembling an origin story. The identity reveal isn't what I expected or necessarily hoped for given where the book has been heading these last few years, but the character seems likable enough in the role. Overall, this issue doesn't give USM readers much to go on, but at least it suggests the new volume won't be a drastic departure from the old. 
Jonathan Hickman shifts away from the Ultimates to explore the current status quo of Ultimate Doom, better known as Reed Richards. Unless Marvel has a new volume of Ultimate Fantastic Four planned, it appears as though Hickman is setting up Reed as a foe to the Ultimates, which should be a fun twist. The raw intelligence and inner turmoil of the character play directly to Hickman's strengths. Salvador Larroca and Frank D'Armata are also a good fits for the story. The eerie, otherworldly quality of the Negative Zone suits D'Armata's colors.  

Here, the main concern is that Hickman may be treading overly familiar territory. He appears to be dealing with several of the same developments seen in his standard Fantastic Four work. Is the fact that this Reed is younger and more prone to evil going to be enough to set the two versions apart? Time will tell. 

Finally, Nick Spencer introduces Ultimate Val Cooper as a prelude to his X-Men run. Val's involvement comes as news of the government's role in creating the mutant gene finally comes to light. I've been waiting a while for one of the Ultimate writers to tackle that plot point, and so far Spencer looks to have everything well in hand. His segment is entirely dialogue driven, which makes the pairing with artist Clayton Crain a little strange. Crain's work doesn't suffer from the problems of clarity seen in books like X-Force, but his facial work isn't pronounced or diverse enough to suit the nature of the story.  

Issue #4 is the least cohesive chapter of Ultimate Fallout #4. The three segments have no real connection to one another, and even the framing device of Peter Parker's funeral is abandoned. Funnily enough, the order of the stories is altered depending if you buy the print or digital version. But even if Ultimate Fallout is reading more and more like a collection of short stories and not a larger work with a singular purpose, it does an excellent job of building excitement and anticipation for the upcoming books. All Sells Finial, Price Subject To Change, No Overseas Shipping, US Only, No Refunds, All Prices Subject To Change With Market Almost Daily