NB of the Week

Ultimate Spider-Man #159 - Death of Spider-Man: part 4 of 5
With Iceman, Torch & Goblin all down, Spidey, while bleeding out from being shot by Punisher, still has the bravado to run home to take on the "Sinister Six" as they tear apart the neighborhood looking for him. With barely being able to move and Electro around, Pete plays it smart and opens the fire hydrant to dowse them all. As he tries for a quick breather, he finally notices all the people gathering around him, seeing him without his mask, as he asks for someone to call for help. As any comic fan knows, no villain is ever done and Sandman comes back at him, followed by Vulture. Spider-Man is getting his ass handed to him. We cut to May and Gwen driving away as May gets a call. It's a neighbor making sure she wasn't in the house that just got demolished and telling her that she thinks Pete is Spider-Man and that she thinks these bad guys are killing him, making May swerve the car around. Back to Spidey as he keeps getting the snot beat outta him, Electro cuts through Sandman, claiming with Goblin out of commission, he gets the kill. With one last mocking speech from Pete, Electro is about to strike when a gun goes off, shooting him in the chest. One more shot goes off and he charges out, taking whatever villains were left with him. To his surprise and liking, Pete looks up to find Aunt May holding the smoking gun (making her quite possibly the coolest chick in the Ultimate Universe!). As he collapses into her arms and begins fading out, we are left with the last two-page spread of the Green Goblin rising above both May and Pete.
I still hold to the theory that Pete just gives up being Spider-Man. With everybody and their dog seeing who Spider-Man really is and all the danger he claims he has put May and the family in, it looks like he'll just hang up the tights but that doesn't detract from the story at all. You feel like this has become a "last stand" for him. His "do or die" moment. Bendis has done an amazing job of making a Spider-Man that is relevant and very human and even though you want him to live, you really don't care what happens because you know it will be a defining hero moment for him. This series has been amazing from issue one and it only gets better.
Here's to hoping that the last issue doesn't end up being late.
(And check out the badass variant cover by Frank Cho! Dude has mucho talent)