Mega Man: Issue 51

Mega Man: Issue 51
Publication Date: July 2015

“Worlds Collide” has been a fairly solid crossover up to this point and certainly an improvement over its predecessor. However, part eight is when the fun really starts. Archie, Sega, and Capcom perhaps realized that getting Sonic and Mega Man back together would not generate sufficient hype. Not even throwing in Mega Man X would do that. They had to go bigger. The crossover would delve into other Sega and Capcom properties, creating a truly wild collection of characters and worlds. Archie further generated fan buzz by slowly revealing what other franchises would be involved, a classic tactic to ramp up excitement. With part eight, we reach the point in the story where those outside franchises begin to appear. While I had some qualms about this, which I’ll rant about later, needless to say it’s still pretty fucking cool.

Part eight of “Worlds Collide,” “Holes in Reality,” begins with our heroes in a pretty low place. Exhausted after fighting off their mind-controlled friends and the Deadly Six, they are totally unprepared to handle Sigma's army of Mavericks. The villain's plans continue to progress, as he opens Genesis Portals to countless worlds, sending many of his henchmen after them. Just as things look at their grimmest, help arrives. Sticks returns with Chun-Li, Ryu, Ken, and Guile by her side. The Street Fighters quickly turn the tide of the battle. The United Army realize journeying to other worlds and recruiting more heroes might be what they need to do to save all the worlds.

Seeing our heroes pushed to their breaking point does lead to some compelling moments. Axel and Zero are somewhat shaken, seeing some familiar faces in the army of time displaced Mavericks. Sonic and Mega Man are forced to save Eggman and Wily, as the Mavericks close in. Wily is surprised that his greatest enemy would choose to save him but Rock insists that he doesn't want to see anyone die. Awww, what a nice guy. Seeing the good guys continue to fight even though they are exhausted and beaten is just good comic book writing. These guys never give up, even in the face of insurmountable odds.

The United Army being pushed to the edge of destruction makes their eventual come back even more triumphant. The two page rush depicting the Street Fighters decimating the remaining Mavericks is such a satisfying sight. Watching Sally go back into tactician mode, barking orders and formulating a plan, is also awfully nice to see. This kind of push and pull – between crushing defeat and earned victory – is the way to keep these fight-fests stories balanced and entertaining. There's even a kernel of emotion here, when Sally gives Sticks a big hug upon the badger's victorious return.

As well paced as this particular issue is, it's really devoted to one thing. Holy shit, the “Street Fighter” cast is fighting alongside Sonic. Yes, once the fighters appear on the page, the comic devotes several pages to the established heroes standing back, oooh-ing and awww-ing over the new guys' amazing abilities. Whether or not Chun-Li and her friends could tear through a collection of killer robots within several minutes is a question I'll leave you nerds to answer. For me, there's a definite rush in just seeing these characters interact. No, we don't get a clear beat on anyone's personality. Ryu and Ken have a short exchange about how weird this is, like they are in a kid's cartoon. I'm not even sure Guile has a single line of dialogue, outside of shouting his attack names. But who cares? Just based on the novelty factor, this sequence gets a pass.

Of course, any long-winded crossover is going to have some shaky plotting moments. There's a little plot hole here that bugs me slightly. Once Sigma opens the other Genesis Portals, he apparently becomes too distracted to pay attention to the heroes. He sends most of his army off, leaving only a few Mavericks behind to crush his enemies. After the Street Fighters appear and save the day, Sigma just allows Sonic and the crew to explore the other Genesis Portals. There's a line from Sally about how “they are beneath Sigma's notice” now or something. Which sounds like a shaky justification to get the good guys out of a bind and set up the next chapter of the crossover. I guess I'll allow it, what with the story being knee-deep in things right now, but there was probably a less sloppy way for Flynn to justify this. Letting the heroes slip away while the bad guy is right there doesn't make Sigma look very creditable.

The artwork has been excellent throughout this crossover. Edwin Huang continues to provide the pencils. Huang's work is still energetic and highly expressive. The fight scenes remain extremely fun to look at, everyone brought to life wonderfully. However, Huang might've been getting a little tired or rushed on this one. There's a few panels that are a little hard to follow, such as Mega Man's interaction with Dr. Wily. Occasionally, Sally and Zero's facial expressions veer towards dull surprise territory. Still, not really complaining. This book looks awesome.

It seems like this crossover continues to follow up slightly weaker issues with somewhat stronger ones. It's not just because the introduction of the “Street Fighter” cast perks things up, though that's a big factor in this issue's success. Seeing the words “Hadouken!” in a “Sonic” comic is fucking amazing. But I actually think Flynn does some decent character work here in-between the hitting and punching. Let's see if he can keep it up, as “Worlds Unite” heads into its last act. [7/10]