Sonic Universe: Issue 53

Sonic Universe: Issue 53
Publication Date: June 2013

Let’s talk about misleading covers again. You know I love to do that. The cover to issue 53 of Sonic Universe depicts Sonic and Mega Man about to fight the Chaos Devil. That’s a combination of Chaos, the watery god of destruction from “Sonic Adventure” that I’m sure you all know, and the Yellow Devil, a weird yellow cyclops monster Mega Man fights in the first game. (I wish the crossover indulged in more Amalgam Universe shenanigans like this, as they’re always fun.) However, our two blue heroes never fight that monster in this issue. You wouldn’t think Archie would need to lie to people to get them excited during a big crossover event.

Anyway, part eight is subtitled “Liberation.” Sonic and Mega Man encounter Knuckles Man and Rose Woman in the desert, defeating them and returning them to normal before they can self-destruct. This gets Eggman and Wiky nervous, as their evil plan seems to be falling apart, so they get to work on their final boss contraption. Meanwhile, Rouge attempts to sabotage the Skull Egg while Protoman and the Chaotix attempt to enter from the outside.

The formula from the last few issues continues here. Sonic, Mega Man, Tails and Rush fight two more Roboticized Masters, who are more powerful than the previous ones. Mega Man uses the powers he pilfered from the other Masters they’ve fought to disable the robots, changing them back and stealing their strengths. Perhaps aware that the readers are fucking sick of this by now, Flynn does attempt to shake things up slightly. During the fight, Knuckles Man and Rose Woman announce their intention to self-destruct in a few minutes. That raises the stakes a little, as now Sonic’s friends’ lives are on the line. The battle otherwise hits all the expected beats but at least Ian was trying to make things more suspenseful.

As for the action scenes... Eeh, they’re okay. Sonic later references Knuckles being tougher than leather. Accordingly, Knuckles Man can easily deflect Mega Man’s various blasts. Rose Woman is super good at smashing shit. While the heroes definitely get wailed on for a bit, it’s just a matter of time before Mega Man deduces which specific power they are weak to. This sort of pattern is fine in a video game but, in a comic book, things quickly get tedious. Even the aftermath of the fight, were Sonic teases a thoroughly humiliated Knuckles, is easy to predict and provides little pleasure.

The stuff aboard the Skull Egg is more compelling. This crossover has really exacerbated Eggman and Dr. Wily’s villainous weaknesses. They’ve basically employed the same flawed strategy over and over again, being shocked when it failed in the exact same way each time. However, seeing the evil BFFs crack up as a result might be worth it. After realizing the heroes are closing in, Wily and Eggman both begin to plot their betrayals. What’s amusing is they feel a little bad about it. Awwww. Villains gotta villain but these two really do like each other.

The encounter between Rouge and the Chaos Devil is entertaining just because it’s something different than the action we’ve been seeing in this crossover up to this point. Rouge turning the doctors’ own creation against them, as the Chaos Devil blindly attacks everyone, is a nice mix-up. It also puts Rouge in a tight place, as now she has to escape the giant rampaging monster as well. We also see Metal Sonic and Bass re-deploy, who the Mads have been keeping benched for some reason. It’s a solidly entertaining sequence, full of some tension, humor, and surprise. Why couldn’t the whole comic be like this?

But we know the answer to that question, don’t we? “Liberation” concludes act two of “Worlds Collide.” Instead of using the second act as the meat of the story, as you’re suppose to, Flynn has just used this extended series of action scenes to move everyone into place for the big showdown. Sonic and Mega Man’s friends are all free, giving the heroes a small army. The good guys are marching on the Death Egg. Wily is ready to deploy every previous Robot Master he’s built on his enemies. (He could have done this before but is choosing to do it now seemingly because he’s kind of an idiot.) Even that weird Duo guy is back from outer space, presumably ready to fuck shit up. All the pieces are in place and, presumably, the real fun can finally begin now.

This is making me want to take back everything nice I’ve said about Flynn’s grasp on structure. You know, Ian, old buddy, old pal, if the climatic final battle was all you were interested in, why not just go straight to that? Why waste our time with a repetitive, laborious middle act? It’s increasingly looking like our writer knew he had twelve issues to fill but only had enough story for half that number. I’ve suspected this all along but “Worlds Collide’s” middling, time-wasting middle section really makes it apparent.

Well, anyway, hopefully the real fun can start now. I like the scenes with Rouge and watching Eggman and Wily scheming against each other is fun. Otherwise, this issue is more of the same, despite some noble attempts to mix it up. [5/10]

Mega Man: Issue 26

Mega Man: Issue 26
Publication Date: June 2013

These inter-title crossovers are fucking confusing some times. “Worlds Collide” played out through “Sonic,” “Sonic Universe,” and “Mega Man” as the books were being published. This meant jumping back and forth between the three titles if you wanted to keep up. Archie did a lot to prevent confusion, putting the numbers of each part on the covers and distributing plenty of check lists. But, inevitably, I skipped ahead one, picked up the next part of the crossover by mistake, and was very confused for several minutes. Jesus, these comic book companies ask for a lot from their readers.

Part seven, “Evening the Odds,” focuses on Sonic and Mega Man as they continue to battle their way through the Egg-Skull Zone. They continue to defeat Eggman and Wily’s Roboticized Masters. After rescuing Shadow, who promptly teleports away, memories of their original worlds begin to filter back into the heroes’ brains. Meanwhile, a new (to this crossover, anyway) face sneaks aboard the Death Egg to rescue Dr. Light.

“Evening the Odds” more-or-less continues the story template set up by the previous installment. Sonic, Mega Man, and their respective sidekicks encounter a Roboticized Master. Using the powers he acquired from his previous victory, Mega Man defeats the new attacker. He then absorbs the new Master’s powers, reverting them to normal. Rinse and repeat, apparently. Flynn seems to think the novelty of Mega Man’s new powers and seeing Sonic’s Sega-approved friends as robots is enough to keep the reader’s interest.

Part seven is also surprisingly incoherent at times as well. I don’t know if this is Flynn’s fault or Tracy Yardley’s fault, whose artwork is fine otherwise. On an early page, Rush swerves in flight, tossing Mega Man off, to catch one of Shadow Man’s giant shurikens. That’s what I think is supposed to happen but, instead, it looks like Rush is shot out of the sky and then catches the projectile responsible. Shadow teleports away in a panel that’s so small, I missed it entirely and was wondering where he went. Am I being slow on the uptake? Or was Flynn/Yardley rushed by the crossover’s release schedule and started to slip?

Having said that, there are a couple funny moments in this issue. While exploring a jungle stage and fighting a large robot snake, Sonic and Mega Man trade some banter that made me chuckle. Later, Robotnik and Dr. Wily criticize Dr. Light’s beard, as both believe mustaches to be the superior facial hair. At the issue’s very end, we see Protoman quietly putting up with Vector’s ignorance, which made me chuckle. Flynn sometimes pushes the humor too far though. The confusion between Shadow Man – the Roboticized version of Shadow – and Shadow Man – Wily’s ninja-themed robot master – made for a funny little gag last time. This time, the comic repeats its enough times that the joke looses its luster.

This issue does bring some of Sonic’s friends into the fold. Some better than others. After Shadow is reverted back to his organic state, he growls, destroys the other Shadow Man, and then teleports away. It seems Flynn is saving the so-called Ultimate Lifeform for a later appearance in the crossover but had no idea what to do with him in the mean time. After Silver and Blaze are rescued, they’re at least polite enough to stick around. More interesting is the sudden appearance of Rouge. She apparently got drawn into the Genesis Zone without being captured and is now looking to save Dr. Light. Though her appearance comes out of nowhere, Rouge always a little life and color to stories every time she shows up.

This is also the first part of the crossover to acknowledge consequences for the characters’ home worlds. Shadow’s teleporting causes memories of the Prime Zone to flood Sonic and Tails’ head. While I think Flynn’s intended affect was to clue the characters into more of what’s happening, he just ends up reminding the reader that they are stuck with shallow, history-less versions of the cast until the crossover is over.

After picking up a bit at the end of its first act, “Worlds Collide” is starting to drag again during its middle portion. It really feels like Flynn is just moving everyone into place for the final act and just spinning his wheels on everything else until he gets there. The result is a somewhat dull comic with some weirdly hard-to-follow moments. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 249

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 249
Publication Date: June 2013

Welcome to part six of “Worlds Collide!” That means we are halfway through this crossover. Which also means we are only six issues away from nearly everything I love about the comic’s original continuity vanishing out of the book. Oh boy, I can’t wait to start bitching about that! But I digress. Let’s talk about Sonic and some robots playing smash-smashy some more first.

Part six of “When Worlds Collide” is subtitled “Friends or Foes” because Flynn was seriously not even trying to come up with good titles anymore. Anyway, the fight in the Skull-Egg Zone goes on. Our heroes face off against the new batch of Roboticized Masters. Once they remember that the combination of Sonic’s spin dash and Mega Man’s mega-buster are enough to disable the robots, and that Mega Man taking their abilities reverts them to normal, the tide of the fight starts to turn. Meanwhile, Protoman sneaks aboard Eggman and Wily’s base, in order to rescue Dr. Light.

As a huge nerd, I’ve known plenty of other huge nerds in my time. When it comes to superheroes, video games, anime and the like, a lot of the dorks I’ve associated with have been most preoccupied with characters’ superpowers or special abilities. I’ve always thought a character being interesting or well-rounded was more important but many share this “But what can they do?” mindset. And it would seem Ian Flynn is one of them. Part six of “Worlds Collide” primarily deals with the new Roboticized Masters, what they can do, and Mega Man’s ability to steal these powers from them.

Of course, most of these abilities boil down to different types of projectiles. Vector Man shoots big green sound waves shaped like musical notes, Charmy Man shoots metal stingers. So the individual powers are not especially unique or intriguing. Once the good guys remember what the Roboticized Masters’ weakness is, the story quickly becomes repetitive. (And why do they have such obvious weaknesses? Mega Man dismisses this blatant plot hole as a subconscious compulsion on Wily’s behalf.) The heroes struggle a little at the start but it still seems like they win too easily. There’s little consequences, personal or bodily, to Sonic’s friends undergoing their transformations. Once again, this self-declared epic crossover is seriously lacking in high stakes.

Having said all that, there is some entertainment value to be gleamed from the action scenes. A lot of the Roboticized Masters look pretty dorky but the Wilyized version of the Chaotix are sort of neat looking. Except for Charmy Man’s weird puppet mouth. The robotic bee does provide a high speed enemy for Tails, which is more than canon Charmy has contributed recently. Espio Man’s cloaking ability gets the drop on Sonic once, the only time he actually seems threatened in this fight. So at least the smashing and punching is, occasionally, mildly diverting.

My favorite moment in this issue deals with one of Mega Man’s supporting players. Protoman continues to be surprisingly awesome. After grappling with Shadow Man for a minute, he decides there’s no point in participating in the mindless fighting. He jumps on his shield, surfs away, and focuses his energy on saving his dad. In other words, Protoman is the only character here thinking like the reader, wanting to see the plot progress, instead of just punching everybody. He does this while saying little, being a silent and stern man of action. Shit, does this guy have his own comic book? Because I’d be interested in reading that.

I’ll give Flynn some kudos for including some funny moments too. Tails describing Vector’s attributes as being big, annoying, and “owing money” made me laugh. See? Even the other Sonic characters know he’s useless! After realizing the “Sonic” world and “Mega Man” world both have robots named Shadow Man, Eggman and Wily decide to send them on a mission together. Another cute detail is Eggman and Wily drinking out of mugs that share their skulls and yellow-stripes-on-chrome aesthetics. Less funny is the blatant way Flynn points out this Vector Man sharing a name with a cult favorite Sega Genesis shooter. (I would have preferred it if Flynn just included that Vectorman in the next mega-crossover but Sega likes to pretend that series doesn’t exist for some reason.)

By the way, Tracy Yardley’s artwork is improving. The Mega Man cast look a little less awkward here. Many of the problems I’ve had with “Worlds Collide” continue with this issue. Prioritizing action over plot, reducing characters to multi-colored action figures, and a general lack of tension continue to plague the crossover. However, there’s one or two amusing moment here that makes me give this issue a very light recommendation. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 52

Sonic Universe: Issue 52
Publication Date: May 2013

I’ve complained about Ian Flynn’s pacing in the past but his structure is usually pretty solid. He may draw shit out for too long but his dramatic beats usually hit at the appropriate times. Showing that he actually took some storytelling classes, “Worlds Collide” is evenly divided into three acts. Act two of the crossover begins in issue 52 of “Sonic Universe,” which is subtitled “Into the Warzone.”

The actual story contained in this comic book is subtitled “The Advance Guard.” Flynn must really love subtitles. Anyway, the team of Mega Man, Sonic, Tails, Protoman, and Rush enter the Egg Skull Zone. They begin a march toward the floating Egg Skull base, to confront the madmen responsible. The villains send a team of old enemies of Mega Man’s, led by Copy Robot, to block the heroes’ progress.

“The Advance Guard” is mostly devoted to introducing a new batch of fucking weirdos for the good guys to fight. Minutes inside the zone, the Genesis Unit attacks them. These guys are bosses from “Mega Man: The Wily Wars,” a Japanese exclusive re-release for the Sega Genesis of “Mega Man” 1-3. They’re based on that beloved cornerstone of Asian literature, “Journey to the West.” Buster Rod G is a monkey-like robot who wields an extending pole – that’s the second Sun Wukong expy to appear in this comic book – while Hyper Storm H is a giant pig robot based on Zhu Wuneng. They are accompanied by Mega Water S, a kappa-inspired robot based on Sha Wujing. (The jagged plate on Mega Water’s head is meant to represent the traditional water-filled carapace of the kappa but it looks more like a fried egg.) Mega Man has apparently tussled with these guys before.

Each of these weirdies has, as is typical of Mega Man bosses, a special superpower. The monkey droid can generate some sort of energy field around his extended staff, as well as having the generic ninja ability of casting illusions of himself. The pig guy can project powerful gusts of wind from his mouth. The kappa bot has hydrokinesis and can shoot harpoons. You'd hope these special abilities would lead to some inventive action sequences. Honestly, the scenes of Sonic mocking Buster Rod, by comparing him to previous monkey-like robots he's fought in the past, or the direct way Protoman deals with the Mega Water, are more entertaining. The battle is mostly just the characters showing off their different abilities until Mega Man turns the tide by using the special ability he stole from Tails Man. We don't even see the pig robot get defeated on-panel.

One of my favorite things about this issue is the Egg Wily Zone. Allowing Robotnik and Dr. Wily to build their own zone creates a very surreal landscape. First off, the location seems to fuse together aspects from both stock “Sonic” and “Mega Man” levels. Rolling hills, checkered loops, and giant mushroom caps stand alongside floating platforms, electrical grids, and giant gears. The blazing flamethrowers from Scrap Brain Zone run right into the infamous disappearing blocks from the “Mega Man” games. There are also really cute little details. Like the flowers having skulls in the center of the petals or a snowman shaped like Eggman in the distance. At the end, we even see a sun and moon in the likenesses of the mad scientists. It's a twisted reflection of their mutual obsessions.

Of course, this issue is the first time we get an indication that not all is well in Eggman/Wily land. Their egos are beginning to get the best of each other. When Eggman's two newest Roboticized Masters – Silver Man and Blaze Woman – bring him another Chaos Emerald, he suggests that his plan is greater than Wily's. They end up resolving their conflict by deciding to let the surviving heroes decide which world is superior. However, I like the idea that their seemingly perfect friendship has some cracks forming in it. Which makes sense. You never expect villains to really tolerate each other for too long, no matter how friendly they are.

For the last few issues, I've been commenting that Jamal Peppers' artwork has started to look a lot like Tracy Yardley's. Well, Yardley actually draws this issue and I take it back. Peppers' work is a lot stronger than this. While the Sonic cast mostly looks fine, Yardley was clearly adapting to the Mega Man cast. Mega Man's little blue super-shorts frequently look like a full diaper. His limbs are a little too spindly, his hands and feet too big, and his face a little too cartoony. Rush's face looks really silly in a few panels. Then again, the action scenes are fairly well drawn so Yardley is still doing some good work. Still, it's definitely the weakest looking issue of the crossover so far.

Flynn sets up some future story points here. Dr. Light contacts a giant robot out in space called Duo, who seems to be meditating in orbit around Saturn. I have no idea what that is all about. We also meet the rest of the Roboticized Masters, showing what the Chaotix look as robots. As an individual issue, part five of “Worlds Collide” is mostly just an extended fight scene and it honestly feels like a minor step towards a bigger, more important fight. I seem to recall the rest of the crossover being taken over by massive fight scenes and I'm not sure how tedious it'll be on this re-read. [6/10]

Mega Man: Issue 25

Mega Man: Issue 25
Publication Date: May 2013

The Archie’s way of doing things had change a lot by 2013 but one thing remained consistent: Their need to give their series an anniversary issue every two years. Most comic companies barely acknowledge the 25th issue or even the fiftieth. Then again, “Mega Man” reaching 25 issue was kind of a big deal for this series. According to Flynn, “Mega Man” was on the verge of cancellation before the “Worlds Collide” crossover. Afterwards, it would run for another two years.

Part four of “Worlds Collide” is subtitled “Through the Looking Glass,” which is presumably a reference to Lewis Carrol and not “JFK” or “The Simpsons.” Sonic and Mega Man’s fight continues through Mega City. However, the two quickly realize they are both heroes and that they are being duped by their greatest enemies. At that point, Eggman and Wily order Tails Man to attack. After Mega Man and Sonic return the fox to normal, the villains change their strategy and kidnap Dr. Light.

From the cover on down, it really seems like part four of “Worlds Collide” is going to be about Sonic and Mega Man fighting, continuing the brawl that started in the previous part. The issue even begins by declaring this the start of round two. And the fight goes on for a few pages. Mega Man evens the odds a little with the help of his robotic pets: Rush the dog, Tango the cat, and Beat the weird bird thing. (Sonic still doesn’t seem that endangered though.) Those hoping for a definitive answer to the “Who Would Win?” debate are going to be disappointed. This issue marks the part of the crossover were the heroes cease fighting and begin teaming up

Naturally, there’s a tedious element to this revelation. While running through a traffic jammed intersection, the two begin to talk. After a minute of conversation, Mega Man learns that Sonic isn’t linked to the bank robbery and Sonic learns that Mega Man didn't kidnap his friends. That they’ve both been tricked. Gee, if only they had taken the time to ask each other one question before they started blasting away. However, Flynn puts a little more work into it than that. After Tails Man attacks, some innocent bystanders get blown away. Both heroes notice each other saving civilians, realizing neither can be all bad. That’s a much more natural way of the two learning both of them are good guys. I wish Flynn had led with that instead of the two just getting over their jocko need to punch each other.

Flynn also brings both characters’ supporting cast together in this issue, which leads to some amusing humor. Roll’s reaction to seeing Sonic and Tails is quiet bafflement, which got a chuckle out of me. Sonic continues to tease the more straight-laced Mega Man throughout the issue too, which is definitely in keeping with his personality. Tails even apologize for his friend’s hyperactive nature. This even leads to some character development, when Sonic is too flippant about Dr. Light’s kidnapping and realizes he was being a dick.

The book still delivers the action though. As the silly as the idea of Mega Man having a SWAT team of animal sidekicks is, they do shake up the conflict. Tango rolls into a buzz saw, prompting Sonic to say that’s his move, and Rush gives Mega Man the ability to fly. Once Tails Man attacks, he reveals he can shoot huge gusts of wind. That also leads to some cool panels of the heroes leaping around scattering cars. Sadly, Tails Man is too easily defeated. One blast from Mega Man’s lemon shooter is enough to destabilize him.

I’ve been somewhat critical of the artwork in the crossover and I want to clarify that. None of the art has been bad, thus far. There are no Ron Lim or Many Hands level eyesores here. Mostly, I’ve been critical of the art because I know Jamal Peppers can do better. Peppers draws the first ten pages here. While his artwork is fine – energetic even, as in the panels were Sonic leaps on Beat’s head or when Wily and Eggman are freaking out –  I still thought it was Yardley at first. The rest of the book is illustrated by Ryan Jampole. Jampole’s work is also totally acceptable but it’s clear he’s still learning to draw the Sonic characters. A few times, it looks like Sonic has no neck, his head just resting on his shoulders, and his arms are awkwardly jutting out of his torso, instead of having shoulders.

Well, “Worlds Collide” is getting better. After a very shaky start, the crossover is finally finding a more entertaining rhythm. Getting through the boring set-up and to the two casts actually interacting improves things considerably. I just wish Flynn could have found a more natural solution to getting these buys to fight. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 248

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 248
Publication Date: May 2013

After two issues of stalling, we have finally gotten to the brawl between Sonic and Mega Man. I’m not sure what Ian’s method was here. Maybe he just really wanted to get that setup out the way, even though violence is the only reason we’re here. Maybe he intentionally scheduled things so that the fight would begin in the next issue of “Sonic,” so that Sonic-only readers wouldn’t miss the most exciting part. I don’t know. I just know that I would’ve led with the mindless violence and gotten to the other stuff later.

“When Worlds Collide: Part Three” is subtitled “No Holds Barred” and, indeed, there are no holds in this issue. With all prefaces out of the way, Sonic and Mega Man’s battle in Green Hill Zone can commence. While Eggman and Dr. Wily gleefully watch their greatest enemies wail on each other, the Roboticized Masters arrive with a pilfered Chaos Emerald. Mega Man’s family, meanwhile, finds a way to send help to their robotic hero.

Maybe there’s a third possibly I didn’t consider in the first paragraph. Maybe Flynn is just trying to pad this thing out so it’ll take up the entire summer. Whatever the reason, we are finally allowed to see the fight between Sonic and Mega Man. And it’s pretty cool. Sonic happily uses the environment against Rock. He tries to crush him with one of those floating platforms. He springs off the stage’s bumpers, to tackle and slam the robot. He runs into the loops to avoid fire. Mega Man does keep Sonic on his feet and gets in one good punch. And, yes, the sheer novelty value of seeing two video game icons beat the crap out of each other goes a long way.

Flynn can’t overcome a big problem hero-on-hero fights frequently face. Namely, these guys never try to talk things out or reason with one another before the fisticuffs begin to fly. Now, Sonic’s natural cockiness and impatience gives him something of an excuse. But what about Mega Man? At one point, he even thinks to himself how odd this situation is, how his opponent talks about fighting his own evil scientist and how he’s clearly not a robot. Rock shakes off this uncertainty, strictly so the fight can go on longer. Again, Flynn could have avoided these contrivances if he just had the Genesis Wave predispose both heroes to fight each.

While the writer has to push believablity to get the heroes to duke it out, the mad scientists’ reactions to each other are more likely. Eggman and Dr. Wily are best friends. They spend most of the issue flattering each other. Honestly, the constant praise is so ebullient, that I expect the villains to go down on each other at any point. They even share an “evil bro-fist!”

Allow me to read too much into shit. Eggman and Wily are amoral would-be tyrants that want to recreate the world in their image. Which suggests a certain narcissistic sociopathy. The two don’t actually know each other that well but see one another as kindred spirits because they reflect their narcissism back at each other. They’re so similar that they cease to be two people, united in their goal of world domination. Or maybe Flynn just thought it would be funny.

While the crossover has, thus far, been focused on the bad guys and main heroes, part three takes the time to develop Mega Man’s supporting cast. Dr. Light and Roll get more to do, while we meet Auto, who seems to be some sort of mechanical assistant to Light. When Protoman return to the lab, battle damaged, Light goes in for a hug. Proto steps back, showing that these two still have some issue to overcome, even in this idealized universe. There’s also a cute moment when Roll sternly talks Protoman into getting some repairs. It’s always cute when the stoic badass takes orders from the little girl, just because she’s that fucking persuasive. I’m getting a real Wolverine/Kitty Pride vibe from these two.

After two issues that seemed a little uncertain, Jamal Peppers’ artwork finally evens out. The two casts finally seem to go together. The Sonic characters are Sonic-y, the Mega Man characters are Mega-Man-y, but they both seem like they can coexist. The action is fluid and fun, though it stops just short of being truly dynamic. (Imagine what Spaz could’ve done with this fight.) Peppers’ facial expressions are also very strong in this issue, especially during that panel where Roll’s stern face is reflected in Protoman’s visor. That gives the mindless fighting some emotional resonance, even if just a little.

By the way, Mega Man totally gets his ass kicked. Sonic’s natural speed allows him to deliver numerous blows before the robot even has time to react. If his friends hadn’t intervene, Mega Man would’ve been toast for sure. I’m sure Ian is just playing up Sonic’s home field advantage this time. The issue concludes with Mega Man teleporting the hedgehog to his home city, suggesting that the Blue Bomber will dominate the next round of the fight. But I’m pretty confident that, in a straight-up gladiatorial match, Sonic still would’ve won.

Anyway, part three of “Worlds Collide” is easily the best so far. It’s still pretty silly and thin but at least the crossover is finally delivering on its promise of hot hedgehog-on-robot action. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 10

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 10
Publication Date: October 31, 2018

I apologize for being tardy, Hedgehogs Can’t Swim readers. I’ve gotten into the habit of posting the bonus reviews of IDW’s on-going “Sonic” book on the weekend after they came out. However, October’s issue was published on Halloween. (Disappointingly, IDW didn’t give us a cool, spooky variant cover or anything.) If you don’t follow my other blog, Film Thoughts, you might not khow busy the end of October is for me. In-between that and other Halloween festivities, I plum forgot about the new comic book coming out. And then I kept forgetting to post this review after I wrote it. So that’s why this review is going up several weeks after you were expecting it. I hope you found me appropriately remorseful.

So, where were we? “The Battle for Angel Island, Part 2” picks up where we left off. The Resistance is fighting through Metal Sonic’s forces on Angel Island. While the less important supporting cast battle with the robot goons, Sonic and Knuckles get their asses kicked by the Master Emerald infused Robot hedgehog. Eventually, Shadow intervenes and seemingly wins the day. But it’s just a momentary victory, Neo Metal Sonic changing into a more fearsome form. Meanwhile, those skunk punks from a few issues back kidnap the amnesiac Eggman from his peaceful village.

As you’d expect from a story arc with the word “battle” in its title, this one is quite action-packed. Some of these moments are pretty cool. The neatest moment has Tangle using that huge-ass, prehensile tail of hers to swing one of the Egg Fleet cannons around, the bad guy forces blasting themselves away. There’s also a really cute moment where Rouge flies overhead, dropping heart shaped bombs on the unknowing Egg Pawns. The fight with Metal Sonic is a lot less interesting but it does feature an amusing moment where the super-charged bot just drags Sonic and Knuckles’ faces across the floor for a bit.

But, yeah, that big title bout is pretty uninspiring otherwise. You’d expect Sonic and Knuckles to re-strategize the moment the bad guy reveals his superpowers, instead of just taking a beating for a few pages. Then again, that comic book tendency of thinking less and fighting more goes both ways. As powerful as he is, Metal Sonic pretty clearly could’ve killed both Sonic and Knuckles immediately. Instead, he toys with them for a while, giving Shadow plenty of time to rush in and save the day. I have problems with that too, some other guy saving Sonic and Knux’s asses, instead of the protagonists thinking of a way out of this predicament. (I’m also underwhelmed by Whisper blasting several Badniks out of the air with ease and Blaze spirit-bombing a carrier ship.) This fight seems a little too easy for the heroes at times.

The quasi-twist ending is also a totally expected moment. From the minute Flynn introduced Neo Metal Sonic, it was largely assumed that the “Sonic Heroes” final boss form – an ugly robot dragon known as Metal Overlord – would eventually appear as well. Flynn doubles down on this, introducing a more-or-less identical version of the form given the redundant title of Master Overlord. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two versions is that Master Overlord has the Master Emerald embedded in his crotch. Any intimidating factor this transformation might’ve had is stripped away, as we all saw it coming. It’s the obligatory power-up scene and generates no excitement at all. The only thing I like about this moment is Metal Sonic sprouting a couple of extra eyes as the change begins.

As I said, what’s happening above ground is way more involving in general anyway. While the Resistance’s campaign seems to be going a little too easily, that ease does allow for some more character interaction. Tangle’s adrenaline junkie attitude continues to be delightful. She gets several moments with Vector, saving his butt from a fall with her butt, which is a pretty funny comedic gag. I also like the casual way Amy and Rouge chit-chat during quiet moments, showing that the more mature Rouge now treats the formerly girly Amy as an equal partner. I also like Tails thinking on his feet, cooking up a plan in the middle of combat.

Some subplots continue to percolate in the background. While creating a small sun to throw at Metal Sonic’s army, Blaze’s interior monologue continues to hint at some secret reason she has for traveling back to this dimension. Even though there’s only been a few months of build-up, I can already tell that whatever reveal that’s coming will be underwhelming. As for Rough and Tumble Eggman-napping Mr. Tinker, I have mixed feelings about it. Robotnik’s mellower alter-ego continues to be a total delight. We see him singing wholesome songs, while the kiddies enjoy his Badnik-themed amusement park. (One of the kids resemble Bunnie, which we probably shouldn’t read too much into.) Seeing this subplot come to an end will be a bummer but at least we care about what’s happening.

After a strong start, “The Battle for Angel Island” falters a bit in its second part. I guess the lead-up to the fight is inevitably more interesting than the actual fight. Will Flynn perks things up, as we head into the second half of the arc? Hard to say, especially since the introduction of some giant thing for the heroes to fight isn’t very exciting. Still, maybe everyone uniting against the power-mad enemy will lead to some good moments? Let’s hooe IDW can wrap up its first, very mixed year on a positive note. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 51

Sonic Universe: Issue 51
Publication Date: April 2013

Say what you will about “Worlds Collide” – and, believe me, I intend to – but the crossover did prompt some really nifty artwork. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been a fan of Capcom’s various fighting games for years. So, the first time I saw “Marvel vs. Capcom” in an arcade, it was a pretty big deal. Being the hedgehog-obsessed dork I am, I’ve often dreamed of the Sonic cast appearing in a similar game. Seeing a “Sonic” cover pay such a direct homage to that game is really exciting for me, even if it subs out Morrigan Aensland and the Incredible Hulk for Amy Rose and Dr. Wily.

“When Worlds Collide Part 2: Mistaken Identities” does not pick up where we left off. Instead, Flynn backtracks and shows Sonic and a Mega Man reacting to their Genesis Wave affected worlds. Mega Man, real name Rock, hears that Protoman is having some trouble with some pesky robots. When he goes to investigate, Mega Man follows the machines through a Warp Ring into the Green Hill Zone. Sonic, meanwhile, notices all his friends have vanished. The two blue heroes are manipulated into fighting by Metal Sonic and Copybot, an evil Mega Man lookalike built by Dr. Wily.

Remember how I complained that the first issue of “Worlds Collide” was just twenty pages of setup? Yeah, part two has that problem too. Instead of getting right to the fight that we’re all here to see, Flynn goes through the tedious process of showing every step involved in getting Sonic and Mega Man together. This leads to one whole page of Sonic looking for his friend, a repetitive process that could’ve been handled with a word balloon. Mega Man, meanwhile, tumbles with the Roboticized Masters, which just feels like a tease for the main event. Come on, get to the fight, Flynn. You’re giving me nerd blue balls.

The dumbest thing about this is that Flynn had the perfect excuse. He completely rewrote both characters’ realities. Why couldn’t the Genesis Wave have zapped a natural hostility between the two characters? Sonic and Rock could’ve woken up in Green Hill Zone and had some vague memory of the other being a creation of their enemy. It wouldn’t have been unbelievable for Sonic to just assume Mega Man was a new badnik, after all. Instead, Flynn uses the ol’ imposter dodge. Doubles of Sonic and Mega Man are sent to attack first, so the heroes are tricked into fighting each other. At least he has Metal Sonic only appear as a blue blur, so we don’t have to deal with the dumb-ass plot point of two very different looking characters being mistaken for each other

Though I’ll say this much: Mega Man is starting to grow on me. From my recollection of the first four issues of his series, I remembered Rock as being a sickenly wholesome goodie-goodie. And, yeah, that is still his primary trait. However, the kid does have a sense of humor, being amusingly baffled by the Roboticized Masters. Rock also has something of a short fuse, quickly getting frustrated by his new enemies. So it’s good to know there’s some humanity inside that blue helmet.

Still, a very distracting element of this crossover is the insistence on using a simplified version of both characters’ worlds. We meet the Chaotix in this one, who are depicted as the buffoonish private detectives Sega randomly made them in Sonic Heroes. A segment involving Charmy’s overwhelming need for ice cream – in the middle of a rain storm? – is especially embarrassing. It seems the Mega Man cast isn’t immune to this either. Last we saw Mega Man and Protoman, they were fighting each other. Here, their complicated relationship is tossed aside so they can both be on the same side.

Since the Sonic/Mega Man Death Battle keeps getting pushed back, the comic has to substitute other action beats. Protoman rumbles with with the Roboticized Master, allowing a chance to show off their abilities. They’re all really good at smashing and punching. Knuckles Man punches a bus apart in one panel, for an example. There’s plenty of Mega Buster blasts from Rock too. The easy way the Chaotix are outmaneuvered and captured by some lame Faker wannabe is just embarrassing though. One of them is a ninja, for fucks’ sake.

Oh yeah, Silver shows up too, for no reason other than Flynn wanted to turn him into a Roboticized Master too. Jamal Peppers continues to provide pencils, and his work still remains a little uncertain. His take on the Mega Man cast is hyper-cutesy. Though slightly less bullshitty than the first issue, “Worlds Collide” is still having some serious problems getting off the ground. [4/10]

Mega Man: Issue 24

Mega Man: Issue 24
Publication Date: April 2013

Here we are at the first part of “Worlds Collide,” the Sonic/Mega Man crossover that would take up the entire middle section of 2013. For Sonic fans, it came at a really bad time. The Mecha Sally story arc was just about to be resolved, when this massive plot-interrupting event happens. We assumed we’d have to wait five months to see this plot finally concluded, to see our beloved princess returned to normal. (Superhero comic readers have to put up with this kind of bullshit all the time.) Little did we know, the entire “Sonic” comic line would be rebooted after the conclusion of the crossover. But there I go bitching about the reboot again. Let’s talk about part one of “Worlds Collide,” as published in issue 24 of “Mega Man.”

Or should that be “When Worlds Collide,” since that’s what the story is called inside this actual comic? I never would have taken Ian Flynn for a George Pal fan. Anywho, part one is subtitled “Kindred Spirits.” Sonic and Mega Man awaken in the Green Hill Zone, neither aware of how they got there. They immediately begin to fight. From their combined Egg-Wily base, Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman watch gleefully as their plan begins to unfold. In flashback, we see how the two evil geniuses came together, how they zapped both worlds into the Genesis Zone, and how they turned Sonic’s friends into their soldiers.

“Worlds Collide” begins with the money shot. Sonic and Mega Man are already fighting in the first page. I hope the people who bought this book to see that were satisfied just by the mere sight of the two icons attacking each other. Because the rest of the comic book is devoted to setup. We see pretty much every detail of how Eggman and Wily came together. The effects of the first Genesis Wave blasted the Blue Chaos Emerald across dimensions into Wily’s laboratory. After accidentally making contact with Eggman, the two went about creating a pocket dimension, where they could combine their forces and prepare their latest master plan. Opening your big crossover event with a tedious rundown of how everything happened was not a great way to generate reader interest.

So that opening is a tease and the rest of the book is devoted to tedious plot mechanics. That’s not the only tease in the book. It turns out, Eggman and Wily’s machinations have blasted both Sonic’s world and Mega Man’s world into the Genesis Zone. This means the crossover is not actually about the versions of the characters Sonic and Mega Man readers are invested in. (More damning, for me personally, it means the Freedom Fighters won’t be appearing at all.) Instead, we’ll spend the next five months reading about thin representations of both series’ most commercial heroes, set in versions of their worlds generically resembling the classic game series. This is, simply put, a cowardly move. Instead of rewarding the faithful readers, it’s targeted at the casuals who are not regular readers of either book and are picking up the crossover strictly for novelty.

This decision is both lazy and problematic from a writer’s perspective too. Lazy because Flynn doesn’t have to worry about being true to either series’ continuity. It’s a problem because now we don’t actually care about any of the characters. Sonic’s friends are imperiled here, captured by Eggman and Wily and turned into the Roboticized Masters, mindless foot soldiers. But it’s not Tails – beloved sidekick and boy genius that we’ve been reading about for over twenty years – that’s in danger. It’s some generic representation of Tails, made up of all the components of Tails that Sega and the wider Sonic fanbase can agree upon. I imagine the Mega Man cast is marginalized in the same way. So there’s no tension here because we simply do not care about what happens to anybody.

For all the blatant ways this crossover is already a failure both narratively and creatively, there are some minor joys to this comic book. Yes, I do get a cheap thrill seeing Sonic and Mega Man rumble, even if it’s only for a few pages and is completely lacking in tension. Upon meeting, Eggman and Wily immediately become good friends. This is shown in a few cute panels were they argue about naming their shared inventions or play rock-paper-scissors to determine things. I don’t know if Robotnik has ever been showing having a friend before, so seeing him bond with Dr. Wily over their mutual status as mad scientists is kind of cute.

The artwork is provided by Jamal Peppers. Peppers has worked on both Archie’s Sonic and Mega Man comics, so he was a decent pick to pencil the first part of “Worlds Collide.” Peppers has done some great work on Sonic before but maybe the presence of the Mega Man cast threw him off. His work here looks indistinguishable from Tracy Yardley’s artwork, to the point that I assumed Yardly drew this one at first. The action is pretty solid though and he makes both characters look like they can coexist with each other. The designs for the Roboticized Masters are really goofy too, though I doubt Peppers had anything to do with that.

So “Worlds Collide” is off to a rough start. Sadly, these are problems you can’t blame so much on pacing or cast interaction, stuff that can change or improve issue to issue. The problems are inherent to the way Flynn decided to bring these two universes together. Is he really expecting the cool crossover factor to propel this entire story, instead of plot or characters or things like that? If so, “Worlds Collide” has a large obstacle to overcome if it'll become properly entertaining. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man FCBD 2013

Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man FCBD 2013
Publication Date: May 2013

Ah, the crossover. It’s a tradition with a long history in comics, nearly as old as the medium itself. The first crossover in comics occurred in 1940 when the Golden Age Human Torch and Namor the Submariner slugged it out in the pages of Marvel Mystery Comics #8. (That crossover was also, more or less, the origin point of the wider Marvel Universe.) Since then, characters meeting, fighting, and teaming-up has been an essential part of the comic book experience. Not even fictional universes becoming more defined and companies becoming more stringent has prevented crossovers from happening, as inter-company team-ups still occur fairly regularly. A good recent example are the various Ninja Turtles/Batman crossovers DC and IDW have done.

Archie has happily gotten in on this game before but the results have usually been... Stranger. I’m talking about shit like “Archie Meets the Punisher” or its modern follow-ups, where the Riverdale gang met the Predator, KISS, the Ramones, and whoever the fuck the people on “Glee” were. Archie’s attempts to build crossover events with the “Sonic” characters have been even less well received. The crossover with a bunch of random Image superheroes is widely considered one of the worst Archie Sonic stories. The hedgehog’s team up with the company’s own Sabrina the Teenage Witch was ignored by most people and scorned by those that did read it.

So it’s no surprise that Archie’s Sonic books took a long break from crossovers after that. But that was going to change in 2013. This was a different era. By that time, Archie was also publishing a comic book based on Capcom’s long running and iconic Mega Man video games. Ian Flynn was also writing this series. Considering their mutual statuses as video game series about robot-smashing little blue guys with mad scientist archenemies, fans have often paired the two characters. We know Flynn is a huge fucking nerd, so I imagine he began pitching a crossover between the two books from the minute Archie received the Mega Man license.

The stodgy Sega and Capcom execs must have approved the idea by 2013. “Worlds Collide” would play out over that summer, in the pages of “Mega Man,” the main “Sonic” book, and “Sonic Universe.” The crossover would technically start in the series’ shared Free Comic Book Day edition from that year. That’s what the cover, referring to itself as Worlds Collide Part 0, would have you believe. In fact, the FCBD edition would just reprint half of both series’ most recent issues. Both end with white light fade outs, signaling the interruption of both series’ ongoing plots and the beginning of the event.

Before we can talk about “Worlds Collide,” we need to talk about the Mega Man series. Or, at least, my relationship to it. As a kid, I was definitely aware of the games. I played a friend’s copy of “Mega Man 2” on my Gameboy during a misbegotten summer camp excursion. My best friend in middle school was a pretty big fan of “Mega Man Legends.” I have vague memories of the Saturday morning cartoon show. Mostly of its anime-esque opening sequence and catchy theme song. (Which Flynn repeatedly references here.) Not so much the actual show which, by most accounts, is pretty bad. I definitely enjoyed playing as Mega Man and Roll in “Marvel vs. Capcom.” I like a couple of the Protomen’s songs. But, for the most part, my attempts to get invested in the “Mega Man” franchise have not been successful.

Despite my ongoing ambivalence to Capcom’s mascot series, when Archie’s comic adaptation was announced, I decided to give it a shot. Mostly because Patrick Spaziante was penciling the first four issues and because I like Flynn, I guess. I read the first story arc. I found the plot to be repetitive and the characters to be childish. After Spaz left the series with issue 5, I quickly dropped the book. My experience is not typical though. Flynn’s work on “Mega Man” received the kind of mainstream critical acclaim that his “Sonic” run never achieved. A lot of people really love this book. So much so that, when Archie announced its cancellation extended hiatus, there was quite of bit of fan outcry.

So, what I’m trying to say is, I want to go into this “Worlds Collide” re-read with an open mind. The Mega Man half of this FCBD edition reprints half of issue 23 of Mega Man.The story is entitled “For the Bot That Has Everything,” though that information isn’t in this comic book. It depicts Break Man – who is actually Mega Man’s robotic “brother” Protoman – attacking Mega Man. The Robotic Masters – former soldiers of the evil Dr. Wily that Mega Man has converted to the side of good – attempt to help out but are quickly defeated. Just as Mega Man has cornered Break Man and is about to unmask him, the Super Genesis Wave sweeps through the comic.

As a Mega Man novice, what do I think of this? Well, there seems to be some decent emotion here. The rivalry between Mega Man and Protoman has a nice mythic quality to them. It's elaborated upon a little in the data files in the back, but part of Protoman's switching sides is based in the jealousy he feels for Rock and Roll, his more perfect “siblings.” We get a glimpse at Protoman's inner turmoil, as he has a chance to finish Mega Man but, remembering the good times he had with their dad, decides not too. I also like how increasingly pissed off Mega Man gets at his enemy, as he continues to tear apart his friends. (Including his transforming robot dog, Rush, who is a hell of a lot more charming than T-Pup.)

However, one of the problems I had with “Mega Man” when I first read it are still apparent. As Mega Man is fighting Protoman, the Robot Masters attempt to help out. Most of these guys speak strictly in puns. Cut-Man, especially, seems to communicate solely with scissor-related wordplay. Even when he's been seriously damaged and the situation is grave, the other Robot Masters seem to have little personality beyond their various abilities and superpowers. This is also an action heavy story. Since I have zero emotion attachment to these characters, the violence means pretty much nothing to me.

There was some crossover in artists between “Sonic” and “Mega Man.” Ben Bates, Jamal Peppers and Tyson Hesse drew a few stories, with Matt Herms working as colorist for most of the series. Ryan Jampole, a regular artist on “Mega Man,” pencils this specific issue. Jampole seems pretty good at this. His facial expressions are cartoony and communicative. Everyone seems to be on-model, as far as I can tell. However, his action strikes me as a little stiff and hard-to-follow. There's a moment where Break Man scoops up Bomb Man's, uh, bombs with his shield and throws them back. In execution, it looks more like the bombs are gently rolling into Break Man's shield, which just happens to be sitting there.

So what does this Free Comic Book Day special offer faithful Sonic fans? Pretty much nothing. The reprinted pages from issue 247 are exactly the same. Considering I just reviewed that issue on Friday, I don't feel a need to rehash my thoughts on it. Besides that, there's a little section to catch new readers up on the general factoids of Sonic's world. The artwork here is all recycled from the Complete Comic Encyclopedia. It's very apparent that this FCBD special was done to promote “Worlds Collide” and to catch up readers from one series that do not follow the other one. Though it's hard to imagine hardcore Mega Man readers being lured to “Sonic” by half a story so entrenched in the comic's then on-going plots. (Though I guess that wouldn't matter after the reboot, would it?)

As far as Free Comic Book Day issues go, this is definitely one of Archie's lazier ones. Reprinting brand new stories really strikes me as a bizarre strategy. So I don't think it's even fair to rate 2013's this FCBD one-shot. It wouldn't really be ethical for me to put a number on this “Mega Man” story, when I only read half of it. And I have almost no familiarity with the series around it, for that matter. Then again, only getting part of the story never stopped Rex Reed so, eeeeh, I guess this gets a [6/10].