Archie's Mega Man - Discussion Thread

[Your Vest Friend]

Put it on hold while the new cartoon is being worked on, then come back with a new series based off the new cartoon?

 

Mega Boom

 

Mega daft though. Why would they need to put it on hiatus so early if it was for that?

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I just can't wait to hear Penders gloat about this bs.

 

As for Mega Man. I now fear they're going to relaunch and put the numbering back to #1 but still have this story follow on the story of Issue #53.

 

Archie's business decisions baffle me though. If it was due to the failed kickstarter, then that's clearly a indication that there isn't interest in the relaunched titles like Jughead and B+V. So how the fuck does it make sense to outright cancel one comic that's running alright apparently and putting another really good comic into hiatus for 3 relaunch comics that risks falling totally flat on it's face? It's just idiotic. 

[Marcello]

What does Penders have to do with anything?

[Zaysho]

I just can't wait to hear Penders gloat about this bs.

 

As for Mega Man. I now fear they're going to relaunch and put the numbering back to #1 but still have this story follow on the story of Issue #53.

 

Archie's business decisions baffle me though. If it was due to the failed kickstarter, then that's clearly a indication that there isn't interest in the relaunched titles like Jughead and B+V. So how the fuck does it make sense to outright cancel one comic that's running alright apparently and putting another really good comic into hiatus for 3 relaunch comics that risks falling totally flat on it's face? It's just idiotic. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

What does Penders have to do with anything?

[Mania Pipe]

What does Penders have to do with anything?

[Marcello]

Thanks.

Another question. What's this Kickstarter you guys are talking about?

[Zaysho]

Thanks.

Another question. What's this Kickstarter you guys are talking about?

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Thanks.

Another question. What's this Kickstarter you guys are talking about?

[kirby1up]

gets megaman issue 50 in the mail

goes on the ssmb forms

hey guys I got issue 50 its great and...

"sees the posts"

https://youtu.be/WWaLxFIVX1s

if you will excuse me i'll be watching some transformers while the megaman newbie inside me dies a bit

[Gabz Girl]

I don't read Megaman as much as my boyfriend does, but we're both really disappointed at Archie for putting it on hiatus. =/ I really wish we could find out the reason why...

[ElectricAngel]

I'm not one to get pissed off, especially at something as silly as a comic but... gosh this news just breaks my heart and makes me question Archie's decisions. I wanted to throw my phone out the window as soon as I read the article. 

 

Yeah, ok it's on "hiatus". What else went on hiatus from Archie? Do you remember? New Crusaders. What happened to that? We're stuck with a "digital special" when the series should've continued years ago. I mean, I'm glad we still eventually got something from it but I'm scared the same will happen with Mega Man. 

 

Mega Man is my favourite of Archie's Action lineup and I look forward to it every month, more so than Sonic! And if there's one comic series I've recommended to anyone, it's Mega Man. Heck, this series is what got my sister into comics as well. She loves reading the stories just as much as I do, and that's saying something since every time I got her to read comics she'd go "Eh, it's alright. I don't like it too much." 

 

I'm just... heartbroken at the moment. First Sonic Boom and now Mega Man. Come on! I hope they stick with their word and just see it as a temporary hiatus. I don't want this to come back with a new #1 or title. I want it to continue where it left off. Disney has done the same when it came to their comics. IDW is the first to renumber but at least they left the "legacy number" on the side, and kept the numbering for one of the titles. 

 

Still, though... why did they do this? Are they losing money? Do they want to push other titles? Publish more main or horror Archie titles? What's going on? Why are we, the customers, always left in the dark about this? They literally just cancelled Boom and temporarily cut Mega Man "just 'cuz" in our eyes. That's not okay. I'm really, really concerned with what's going on behind the scenes. Either Archie's manager is a penny pincher, or they're close to collapsing. I say the latter because, just look at them. They had to reboot the main Archie comics to regain public interest. They've been delaying and cancelling Sonic graphic novels, reduced the paper quality in said graphic novels, delayed the Sonic Super Special Magazine 'till infinity, cancelled Boom. What's going on back there? Because these, to me, are really bad signs of a company that's starting to go bankrupt. I may be exaggerating, but I'm seriously concerned here.  

[sonicgirl313]

When I heard the news I pictured the image of Megaman strangling Ryu while screaming "See what you coming to Smash Bros has done!"

So sad about what has happened, I really enjoyed the Megaman comics and now sadly they're gone like Sonic Boom. Hopefully maybe one day Megaman will return.

[Balding Spider]

Sorry to bump the thread for bad news, but it appears that... this comic is ending (though maybe not permanently?) in November, with Issue #53.

http://comicbook.com/2015/06/16/exclusive-archie-actions-mega-man-53-solicitation-reveals-the-en/

 

Thoughts? Me, I think it's such a shame that it's ending at all, much less so soon after Worlds Unite ends. I certainly hope that it won't be a permanent thing...

 

Oh, and here I was wondering where that Mark Waid money would be coming from.

[scourgeandfionafan123]

so will Subscribers be getting a refund on the issues that were supposed to come out after 55, or does Archie Comics keep all of the money no matter what happens?

[ElectricAngel]

so will Subscribers be getting a refund on the issues that were supposed to come out after 55, or does Archie Comics keep all of the money no matter what happens?

I was wondering this too. According to what they said on Twitter, I'm assuming they'll have two options. Either keep your sub on hold until the next ones come out, or carry them over to another book. Maybe they'll have a refund option as well. I noticed with Sonic Boom they just said that you could extend a current subscription or get another series. This time since they imply multiple options, I'm guessing there's more than just that. 

[scourgeandfionafan123]

they could keep the sub on hold, or they could give the subscribers the option of extending their subscription for Sonic Universe and Sonic the Hedgehog.

[Salamander]

Archie's Twitter feed right now appears to be made up of dozens of replies to individual fans assuring them that the Mega Man comic isn't ending.  I don't know if the fans are getting the message, but it looks like Archie's social media might be.

[Dejimon11]

I got a tweet from them so did Steven Chase the creator of Mega Man Monthly the website that was a better version of a fan wiki based off the mega man comic

[ElectricAngel]

Archie's Twitter feed right now appears to be made up of dozens of replies to individual fans assuring them that the Mega Man comic isn't ending.  I don't know if the fans are getting the message, but it looks like Archie's social media might be.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

So, bad news...there may be a slim chance of a reboot.

MEGA MAN #55
Script: Ian Flynn
Art: Jamal Peppers
Cover: Patrick Spaziante
Variant Cover: Ryan Jampole
THE MEGA-EPIC, MEGA-MOMENTOUS LAST ISSUE OF MEGA MAN BEFORE HIATUS IS HERE! “Everlasting Peace”: When an experiment at the Chronos Institute goes awry, Dr. Light is sent on a journey through time and space! Join us as we follow Mega Man across the ages and learn what it really means to be “Mega Man”! What legacy will the Blue Bomber leave and what will Dr. Light gain from this epic journey? Find out as we take a historic glimpse into the legendary adventures of Mega Man featuring the worlds of Mega Man, Mega Man X and even further beyond for the FIRST TIME EVER with the worlds of Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Legends! Featuring cover art by the legendary Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante and a really rocking “ROCK MAN” variant cover by long-time Mega Man artist Ryan Jampole!
On Sale Date: 11/18  | 32-page, full color comic | $3.99 U.S

And the interview, with the parts where rather odd details are mentioned.

 

ComicsAlliance: “Worlds Unite” ends in just a few weeks, and that only leaves a few issues of Mega Man to tie up the loose ends. What can readers expect from these last few chapters of Mega Man’s story?

Vincent Lovallo: Loose ends will be tied, though some of those answers may lead to further questions! Regardless, I think these following three issues will satisfy the fans of the comic by fulfilling the standard it always has by being a fun, smart and entertaining. That’s what matters most. We’ve also decided to include characters and elements that haven’t been incorporated in the books before in issue #55. We hope fans are as psyched about it as Ian and I are!

Ian Flynn: We won’t be rushing through anything. Mega Man has always been about exploring the legacy of the titular hero and exploring the characters around him in a deeper way than the old games could allow. The last few stories will be more thoughtful, more character-driven, and less about blowing things up.

CA: With Mega Man going on hiatus with this issue, the series isn’t ending ending, but it is coming to close as we know it. Are there any storylines or characters you wish you could have expanded on more?
 

VL: Over the past few years we’ve incorporated our own “Archie-verse” characters like Quake Woman and Dr. Lalinde as well as agents Gil Stern and Roslyn Krantz. They’ve had a fair amount of time in the spotlight, but I’d be happy to see more of them. Also, now that we’ve officially tapped into territories outside of the Mega Man classic and Mega Man X series’, I would love to expand on the other iterations of the character even further. Time will tell if we ever get to that point, but I’m hoping we do!

IF: I’ve been building up to Dr. Cossack’s “uprising” since volume four, so I’m sad we aren’t getting to the pay-off for that in it’s entirety. I was also itching to dive into the Stardroids invasion, and fleshing out Quint. Folks also responded very positively to our original characters, so I would’ve liked to have expanded upon them further.

CA: Given how many different games and iterations of Mega Man there have been over the years, there’s clearly a lot of room left to explore this character and his world. If the series had continued in its current iteration, where do you think you would have taken Mega Man next?

VL: As far as a road map goes we would continue to our Mega Man 4 adaptation and go in order from there with some twist and side stories in-between.

IF: Aside from tell the entire series up through Mega Man 10? The next logical step would’ve been to take Mega Man X and expound upon it in the same way we’ve explored classic Mega Man. It would’ve been a massive undertaking, but I would’ve loved to chronicle all of the series up through Mega Man Legends.

CA: This issue is going to be the first time we see other Mega Man universes beyond the core and 20XX eras. Was this visit always in the cards, or did you make a special exception for this finale?

VL: Ian and I worked hard together to bring in the other Mega Man universes. It was always something we wanted to do, and figured that the inclusion of Mega Man Zero, ZX, ZX Advent, and of especially Legends would please a lot of the fans for issue #55. The incorporation of these characters was something that we had to carefully construct. After a few conversations with Capcom, we managed to come up with a premise that allows us to visit each of these universes, but still maintain the already established comic universe.

IF: This was a special event. The series was always meant as a love letter to Mega Man, and this issue is addressed to the entire franchise. Notable exceptions are Mega Man Battle Network and Mega Man Star Force, but they weren’t part of the main canon, we only had so much room, and we couldn’t get access to everything.

CA: What have been some of your favorite moments from the series, either as a whole or on the individual character level?

VL: One of my favorite moments came from issue #18, the second part of the “Proto-Type” storyline, which is Blues’ origin. There is a powerful series of panels right towards the end when Blues is struggling in his last moments as his power supply drains. There is a really strong human element during this storyline, making the series much more than simply “fighting robots”. Blues learns that the choices he makes are what make him who he is. There is such a great message there, and I think it was executed in such a beautiful way.

IF: I think any time we’ve spent delving into Blues has been gold. And I think when we’ve had the time to delve into some of the larger issues in an accessible way we’ve done something special with the book.

CA: Knowing what you know now about how the series would close after almost five full years and 55 issues, are there any things you would have done differently along the way?
 

VL: Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. I think we’ve done some great work with this character and have a good balance of being true to the games as well as making something original for readers to enjoy. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished with these 55 issues and I’m excited to see what the future brings for Mega Man.

IF: I’ve grappled with that a lot since we’ll be coming up on to the cusp of the story to Mega Man 4, and I don’t think so. If we’d cut all of the original content I think we would’ve lost some of the heart of the book, and a lot of the original characters became fan favorites. If we went through the games’ stories any faster, I think we’d be doing them a disservice. And if we hadn’t done any of the summer events – “Worlds Collide,” “Dawn of X,” “Worlds Unite” – we wouldn’t have gotten to have so much fun crossing over with Sonic the Hedgehog, delve into Mega Man X, or gotten to showcase so many franchises from across the years. Sure, there’s places I’d like to go back and revise or rework a little, but I think the sum of the series justifies all we’ve done.

CA: If you could take any Mega Man character out of the story for his or her own book, who would it be, and what would that story be about?

VL: I’ll get straight to the point; I would love to do a four-issue mini- series about Cut Man. It would be a “slice of life” type of story. We could explore his humble beginnings as a professional paper-doll maker to his successful career as a hibachi chef. I elect Ian to be the sharp-witted writer for this story. Only time will tell if a story like that has what it takes to make the cut.

IF: I could probably go for miles with a Proto Man solo book. And while we’ve not gotten to him yet in the comics, Bass could be fun to expand upon. If Capcom were game for it, it’d be cool to do a “What If…” styled story where Roll picked up the Mega Buster instead of Rock. Or what about a series that focuses on all the Robot Masters from around the world and their adventures – or misadventures? The possibilities are endless.

Source: http://comicsalliance.com/mega-man-55-solicitations-interview/

[ElectricAngel]

It does feel like they might reboot the series after reading that interview, though it would be weird since they mentioned the last issues will set up the stage for Mega Man 4's story. Now, normally I'd be a bit concerned, but there is a strong hint at them releasing other books too. Why else would they show X, Legends, Zero, etc? I have a feeling Capcom might have a part in this too. Mega Man is about to hit his 30th anniversary, and something tells me Capcom wanted a reboot of the comics to gain more interest and boost sales. I can only hope they keep the original characters and not make it a full-on reboot. That'd be quite saddening. All we can do now is wait, though. 

[ElectricAngel]

So this came out of the blue. Thanks for leaking stuff again, Amazon. 

So, apparently Archie is going to re-release their Mega Man series in omnibuses dubbed "Master Editions". Since Mega Man is manga-y, these will be manga sized and have 3 graphic novels in one. Current listing is on Amazon for $25 and has a release date for May 24, 2016. Knowing Archie though, this will either get delayed 5 times or get cancelled. :V I think it's a cool idea. A nice cheap way of getting the comics if you haven't already, though I would've preferred if they were full sized. 

Source: http://www.rockman-corner.com/2015/08/archie-mega-man-master-edition-due-next.html 

[Candescence]

Uh, I've read over the interview a couple of times, and there's nothing that's remotely implying a reboot. If anything, Ian's comments imply that a reboot would be entirely unnecessary as far as he's concerned.

Also, since #55 includes ZX and ZX Advent, I hope it includes all four protagonists and not just Aile and Grey. The Ashe fan in me would pretty much burn Archie to the ground if they did that.

[Zaysho]

Not particularly happy about the smaller trim-size. Doesn't work that well for Sonic, I don't think it'll do many favors for Mega Man. That said, these collections sound like a steal, otherwise, and I don't own the earlier issues, so I might hold out for these. Hopefully the print quality and paper stock is good, and the binding doesn't make these books a pain to read.

If they're already planning new collections/releases for next Summer, there's always the possibility the book will be back around or after then.