Mega Man: Issue 50

Mega Man: Issue 50
Publication Date: June 2015

Here’s a funny scenario: A big Mega Man fan who somehow never knew about Archie’s comic series stumbles into a comic shop or book store. He spies this issue on the wrecks and thinks “There’s a “Mega Man” comic?! And it’s been running for fifty?” He picks up the book, begins to thumb through it, and is immediately baffled as to why Sonic the Hedgehog is in this comic. Of course, this hypothetical person probably doesn’t exist, as we’re all plugged in and aware of everything all the time now. But we do know that the impenetrable world of comics is difficult to navigate for newcomers. Do you think comic publishers never consider that big crossovers utterly alienate casual readers? Probably, because comic publishers are dumb.

Anyway, back to “Worlds Unite.” Part four, grimly subtitled “Death and Destruction,” takes that title very literally. The Unity Engines activated, Sonic and Mega Man’s worlds are smashed together. This plunges both planets into chaos, the Freedom Fighters and Robot Masters scrambling to make sense of this event and save the people endangered by it. Silver and the Maverick Hunters, along with Sticks, also arrive, soon joining the rescue effort. Adding to the mayhem are Sonic Man and M’Egga Man, whose secondary programming to destroy each other kicks in. Luckily, the fight has the side-effect of returning them both to normal.

“Death and Destruction” is really about bringing all the plot points Flynn set up through the first three installments together. By the two worlds being smashed together, the two big threads of the story are united. I like that Flynn doesn’t waste any time on having the two teams of heroes fight, as they both immediately realize the other is good. Having Sticks and the “Mega Man X” team (oh yeah, Comedy Chimp and Fastidious Beaver too) drop in half-way through is sort of lazy but that’s just comic book crossovers for ya, I guess. By the end of the issue, the first act is thoroughly concluded: The villain’s scheme has rolled into effect and the heroes are working together for a common goal of undoing it. It’s satisfying to watch.

Plus, we also get some bitchin’ scenes of mass calamity. I’m a sucker for a good disaster movie and this issue provides the same sort of thrills. Sonic and Mega Man’s worlds are squished in a very literal sense. The Chemical Planet Zone pops up in the middle of a prison, allowing this Xander Payne guy – who has a magical robot eye now that can generate portals? –  to escape. A G.U.N. Command ship and the Mega City government building get fused, leading to both being destroyed. Buildings are wrecked, people are tossed around, Sally is nearly smashed by something generated right next to her. It's a pretty wild crisis, as far as these sort of things go.

There's so much going on in this issue that Sonic Man and M'Egga Man's fight really gets pushed to the sidelines. We see the corrupted Blue Bomber swing a hammer and throw some decoys at Sonic Man, who does some required spin-dashing and buzzsawing. But that's about it. And, honestly, I'm fine with this. We got to see Sonic and Mega Man fight last time. Only so much can be gained from watching them fight again, even in their corrupted forms. The only real bullshit with this is the way they are returned to normal. It happens without much explanation and the story is going so fast that you just kind of have to go with it. Eggman and Wily did it, apparently.

In between all the explosions and fighting, this issue even manages to sneak in some minor pathos. When the government building and the G.U.N. fuses, it explodes shortly afterwards. In the wreckage, Sonic discovers one of Shadow's inhibitor ring. Now, of course, Shadow isn't dead. Ian Flynn isn't even allowed to kill off Sega created characters. However, seeing Sonic stop and consider that one of his friends is dead is, indeed, a touching moment. We don't often see the blue hedgehog being stoic or conflicted, so even one panel where he feels bereaved is worth something.

Dan Schoening goes solo on the line art this time, apparently not needing Tracy Yardley's help. Schoening's work has improved with every issues he's done. He makes Sigma look especially powerful. The backgrounds are detailed. The action is dynamic. The comic generally looks flashy, dramatic, and a litle less static and pre-posed than last time. I will also say that Schoening has gotten a handle on drawing the Freedom Fighters, who are still a little overly tall but generally look better than they did last time he drew them on his own. Weirdly, Sonic and Mega Man still look kind of off. Sonic's body is still too elongated, in comparison to his head and feet. Mega Man also looks a little stretched out. It's sort of weird that Schoening is increasingly nailing the supporting cast but still doesn't quite have a grasp on the main heroes.

Oh yeah, there's a back-up story too. I initially assumed it to be an archived story, inserted to get this anniversary issue to double the normal length, but apparently it's a brand new story. “The Choice” is set at some point in the past, when Mega Man and X first met each other. While training in whatever Dr. Light's version of the Danger Room is, the two talk about their origins. How Rock was built for peace but chose to fight for love when the time came. How X was the first of his kind and saw Sigma begin a violent war, that he was soon drawn into it.

“The Choice” seems very deliberately inserted into this crossover, since it's essentially about the two Mega Men explaining their back story. That's the kind of thing regular readers of this series already know but “Sonic” readers, brought to “Mega Man” due to the crossover, may be unfamiliar with. As a basic rundown of the character's origins, “The Choice” is decent enough. X's past, what with feeling responsible for starting a war – being the first reploid, he's the prototype for Sigma and all his minions – is pretty meaty stuff. The sequence of X and Zero talking, just as the war begun, is quite grim. Which is fairly compelling stuff. Somebody named Powree does the artwork and it strikes me as very solid stuff that is representative of what the “Mega Man” comic normally looks like.

“Worlds Unite” continues to roll along at a decent pace. Aside from setting up the unified world and their respective heroes working together to save ti, this issue also ends on the cliffhanger of Sigma discovering Robotnik and Wily's treachery. I can't say I'm too emotionally involved in the proceedings but Flynn's plot work this time around is really strong, throwing more crazy stuff at us and keeping things balanced and well paced. That's worth a [7/10], I think, especially when compared to how much trouble “Worlds Collide” had with those same issues.