General Information

Title: Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America: Spider-Man
Author: Jeph Loeb
Illustrator(s): David Finch (pencils), Danny Miki (inks) and Frank D'Armata (colours)
Original Publication Date: Cover dated July 2007.
Cover Price: $2.99 US, $3.75 Can
Past comic reviews can be found here.

Premise

Spider-Man tries to cope with the loss of Captain America his own way, and bumps into a couple of old friends. Well, people he's known for a while; they're not necessarily friends.

High Point

Peter responds to getting "cheered up."

Low Point

Um, why did the spider-sense go off? It warns of danger, but at that point, there wasn't any.

The Scores

This doesn't feel very original, but I didn't even notice until I started to write this review. Grieving has been written before, many times, and in many ways, but this really nails it. It's good enough that originality doesn't really matter. I give it 2 out of 6.

The artwork is led by David Finch, who jumped ship on Moon Knight in the middle of a story arc to do this issue. I don't blame him at all; he nailed every panel. You can't produce this kind of quality without a genuine passion for the material. Factor in Miki's inks, and the colours by Frank D'Armata (who is the only colourist whose work I notice every time I see it), and you're in excellent hands. It's worth the cover price for the art alone. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story is almost as good as the art. The "trigger" to his outburst doesn't quite work, but otherwise, it holds together. I give it 5 out of 6.

The characterization is perfect. Spider-Man's tone perfect, as are his guest stars. There's just nothing more to say; Loeb and company really nailed this down. I give it 6 out of 6.

The emotional response for an issue about Spider-Man's emotional ride that simultaneously celebrates and mourns Captain America with such fantastic characterization and art can't get any score but 6 out of 6.

The flow works very well. It's essentially one long scene, with a very well blended flashback. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, this package is worth every penny and more. Pick it up, even if you haven't picked up the rest of the series. I give it 6 out of 6.

In total, Fallen Son: The Death Of Captain America: Spider-Man receives 37 out of 42.

Civil War Review Checklist

• New Avengers: Illuminati Special
• Amazing Spider-Man #529-531
• Fantastic Four #536-537
• Civil War 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, complete
• Amazing Spider-Man #532-538
• Black Panther #18, 22-25
• Blade #5
• Cable/Deadpool #30-32
• Captain America #22-24, 25
• Civil War: Battle Damage Report - Not a reviewable format.
• Civil War: Choosing Sides
• Civil War: The Confession
• Civil War: Fallen Son - Wolverine, Avengers, Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man
• Civil War: Frontline #1-11
• Civil War: The Initiative
• Civil War: The Return
• Civil War: War Crimes
• Civil War: X-Men #1-4
• Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways #1-4
• Daily Bugle: Civil War Edition - This isn't really in a reviewable format. It's essentially what a newspaper would look like had it been published in the Marvel Universe timeline between Civil War issues 2 and 3.
• Fantastic Four #538-543
• Ghost Rider #8-11
• Heroes for Hire #1-3
• Iron Man #13-14
• Iron Man / Captain America Special: Casualties of War
• Moon Knight #7-9
• Ms. Marvel #6-8
• New Avengers #21-25
• Punisher: War Journal #1-3
• She-Hulk #8
• Thunderbolts #103-105
• Winter Soldier: Winter Kills
• Wolverine #42-48
• X-Factor #8-9