Ultimate X-Men #22: Hisako Ichiki

Since the middle issues of Ultimate X-Men there has been a three-way heat as to just whose story this comic belongs to. Sometimes it’s Hisako’s, sometimes it’s Kageyama’s, and for the longest time it felt like Mei’s, but issue 22 quickly reminds the audience and puts the focus squarely on the girl we were introduced to in issue one.

Hisako Ichiki is the hero of this story, she always was, and in this final battle with Kageyama we see that story come to a startling, yet at the same time natural, conclusion.

Mei, thanks to you…I finally understand what it means to be a hero.

Ultimate X-Men started with Hisako Ichiki as frightened girl afraid to atone for her sins as she grappled with an even more frightening power that she couldn’t understand. Through the course of her journey, she met many people. Some were just like her and wanted to understand their unique circumstances and others wanted to hunt her for the power that she desperately wanted to be rid of. In this unlikely divide she found herself a group of friends she could count on, and encountered enemies that once shared her same struggle. All in all her confidence began to grow, and her purpose was understood to herself through the tragedy and triumphs of being a mutant in a world made to tear her apart. Hisako Ichiki never wanted to be a hero, she didn’t even know the meaning until now, but rarely is the hero prepared when their time comes. 

Peach Momoko does arguably her best work in the entire series with this issue. Peach’s art is always a wonder to look at, but she outdoes herself here. Equal parts beautiful, tragic, immersive, and emotional, it forces your eyes to be glued to every single panel. A few panels are eye-opening and the splash pages are genuinely breath-taking

The dialogue as well, especially the brief moments between Mei and Hisako, hits every beat it should along every page. If this were the final issue of the series leading into Endgame, it would be a near perfect ending, but there are still a couple more issues and a few more loose ends to go before we fully leave the team behind.