Ultimate X-Men #19: The Kids Are All Fighting

We’ve reached the climax of the Children of the Atom arc, but there is this nagging feeling of longing that can be felt as the issue draws to a close. The players are all in place, but some have had their importance to the narrative noticeably diminished. 

Mei and her X-Men have done their job in making us care for them, but their opposition in the COTA leaves a lot to be desired. So much time was spent on Kageyama, that many of the other cult children amounted to little more than jobbers to be soundly defeated by our heroines. Outside of Surge, who also has little in the way of character outside of being a mean girl, no one else on the villains side carries any weight to them. This is only doubled when the battle kind of just ends when it feels like it’s getting into its next gear. 

Hisako returned in the last issue, but it feels at times that despite being the initial protagonist of this story, she was gone so long that she’s almost been completely kicked off the top of the mountain by Maystorm. Her return to battle alongside her friends is supposed to FEEL like this triumphant moment, and in a way it does, but on the whole it’s more akin to a deus ex machina. A last minute appearance to remind the reader that she has indeed come back. 

As far as the art, its standard Peach Momoko at this point, only turned up to 11 since most of the issue is fight scenes. Lots of dynamic poses and angles as the X-Men fight through the COTA. The moody colors also help sell that this battle SHOULD be taken seriously, even if it’s a foregone conclusion how things would go.