Archie Mega Man Issue 52 is the fifty-second issue in the Mega Man comic series. It is the twelfth and final part of the "Worlds Unite" crossover.
Official solicitation[]
- The ALL-NEW Sonic/Mega Man Crossover sequel comes to a chaotic close with "Worlds Unite" Part Twelve: The grand finale to "Worlds Unite" sees our super-powered heroes Sonic and Mega Man face off against the evil Sigma in his final, most lethal form! If that wasn't enough, the Genesis Portal-ravaged reality is falling apart and time is running out to fix it! You don't want to miss the stunning conclusion to the biggest crossover event of the year! Featuring the worlds of STREET FIGHTER, SKIES OF ARCADIA, NiGHTS INTO DREAMS, OKAMI, GHOSTS 'N' GOBLINS, ALEX KIDD and more! Featuring cover art from the legendary T.Rex, a special "SUPER-POWERED" variant by Reilly Brown and the final part of the epic 12-part connecting variant cover series by artist Ben Bates!
Featured stories[]
Worlds Unite Part Twelve: Last Rights[]
- Writer: Ian Flynn
- Pencils: Tyson Hesse
- Inks: Jim Amash
- Colors: Matt Herms
- Letters: Jack Morelli
- Assistant Editor: Jonathan H. Gray
- Editor: Vincent Lovallo
- Editor-in-chief: Victor Gorelick
- President: Mike Pellerito
- Publisher: Jon Goldwater
- Special Thanks to: Stacy-Arnold Strider, Sandra Jo, Mai Kiyotaki & Patrick Riley at Sega Licensing and to the Character Business and Licensing Department of SEGA Corporation.
- Special Thanks to: Francis Mao, Noriko Matsunaga, Susan Suarez and Hiromi Iwasaki at Capcom media & Consumer products.
Synopsis[]
As Unified Army are spent, Sigma-3 proceeds to gloat, asking what Super Sonic and Super Armor Mega Man can do to stop him, especially when he was at the cusp of becoming a god. Super Sonic then retorts that it is going to hurt even worse when they knock Sigma off his high horse, with Super Armor Mega Man declaring that his evil ends here and now. Super Sonic attempts to hit Sigma-3 with a Spin Dash while Mega Man shoots, but Sigma-3 proceeded to deflect both with his hands. Zero then angrily laments that they are sitting in the sidelines when they should be doing something. Mega Man X then stated that they at least have Mega Man and Sonic fighting Sigma-3, which is better than nothing. However, Sally Acorn then states that their efforts may not be enough, with Nicole the Holo-Lynx explains that she had scanned the background radiation spectrum and discovered that Sigma's abuse of the Genesis Portals is causing reality to be shredded, meaning even if Sigma is stopped, the damage may be too severe to repair. X then realizes that it means they are not on the sidelines yet and gathers the heroes they gathered with the order to rally to their homeworlds, as they will need to evacuate.
Meanwhile, Dr. Wily, Dr. Eggman, and Xander Payne managed to find the Master Engine. Xander then inquires if they can gain control of the device and stop Sigma, which Wily and Eggman confirm, although it becomes very clear that they are more concerned with rewriting reality to match their desires than actually trying to stop Sigma, despite the readings that reality has sustained catastrophic damage. Xander, however was unhappy with this, realizing full well this meant what he had feared would happen with advanced technology would come to pass. He also realized he has a missing piece to the puzzle, knowing he was supposed to save the world as predicted, but was not sure what it was.
Due to the doctor's meddling, Sigma-3 stops receiving energy from the Master Engine, and as he starts to weaken from the attacks, Super Sonic and Super Armor Mega Man manage to destroy him. Back to the United Army, Sally while being carried by Vyse yells at everyone to get back to the Delphinus, as they have to get everyone back to their homeworlds. Vyse then states that they will not leave for their homeworlds until making sure everyone left on this world is saved as well. Sally refuses, stating she does not want them to sacrifice themselves like that. Arthur agrees with Vyse, stating they freely volunteer as they came to save lives, with Vyse stating that is exactly what he intends to do as well. NiGHTS then attempts to erase the Genesis Portals with his paraloop abilities, only to discover they have no effect. Around the same time, Amaterasu and Issun attempt to use the power of the celestial brush to destroy the Genesis Portals, only to be met with similar failure, along other powers from the Unite Army members. The damage is so great that not even Super Sonic and Super Armor Mega Man's Chaos Control can fix it.
Back to the Master Engine, Xander points a gun to the doctors to make them get away from it and gets some of its energy to open a Genesis Portal to the past, planning to stop Sigma before he leaves his own world. Wily and Eggman warn him that changing that specific moment could cause a catastrophic temporal collapse, and it would directly affect him and ruin their work. Xander does not care and takes the shot, thanking the doctors for helping him save the worlds and stop their evil plans.
A big flash happens and things return to normal. Mega Man X is surprised, not sure if it was him or someone else who shot Sigma, and their mission is considered a success. Zero and Axl arrive, the latter reporting that Vile is being handed over to the hunters by "some weird guy". Sonic, Mega Man, Dr. Wily, Dr. Eggman and Xander appear to be the only ones from their worlds to remember, in a messed and fragmented way, what occurred, the blue heroes being thankful to each other and the doctors thinking that they may be lucky the next time. Worried, Sonic calls Shadow the Hedgehog from the Sky Patrol and sees that he is fine, Mega Man arrives at Light Labs with the materials he went to buy for Guts Man, Dr. Eggman decides to postpone his invasion to the Lost Hex, and Dr. Wily is in Mr. X's hideout, where he realizes Mr. X's true identity.
Sticks the Badger tells her friends the adventure she had (with her friends not believing her), while Comedy Chimp and Fastidious Beaver are still shaking from severe trauma and glad to be back home. Sticks believes everyone is fine and returned to their own worlds, but most will not remember what happened. However, Genesis Portals still exist, and Sticks believes that there may be a nexus to them. The story ends showing a strange world with several Genesis Portals near it.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Dr. Albert W. Wily
- Dr. Eggman
- Maverick
- Menie-Funie (mentioned)
- Mr. X
- Orbot
- Shadow the Hedgehog
- Silver the Hedgehog (mentioned)
- Team Sonic (Sonic Boom)
- Unified Army
- Xander Payne
Races and species:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Delphinus (mentioned)
- Sky Patrol
Misc.:
Continuity[]
- Sigma is still in his "Sigma-3" form which he acquired in Sonic the Hedgehog #275, "Worlds Unite Part Eleven: Killing The Giant".
- Super Sonic and Super Armor Mega Man continue their charge against Sigma-3 after transforming in Sonic the Hedgehog #275, "Worlds Unite Part Eleven: Killing The Giant".
- The Unified Army is still in shambles from Sigma-3's attack in Sonic the Hedgehog #275, "Worlds Unite Part Eleven: Killing The Giant".
- The remains of the collapse Sigma-2 in Sonic the Hedgehog #275, "Worlds Unite Part Eleven: Killing The Giant" can still be seen in the background
- Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily still plot to take the Master Engine which they started in Mega Man #51, "Worlds Unite! Part Eight: Holes in Reality".
- Super Sonic and Super Armor Mega Man destroy Sigma.
- Arthur recalls how the recruits for the Unified Army willingly joined in Sonic Universe #78, "Worlds Unite Part Nine: Infinite Possibilities" and Sonic Boom #10, "Worlds Unite Part Ten: Justice Across Worlds."
- Super Sonic recalls how Chaos Control was used to fix reality in Sonic the Hedgehog #251, "When Worlds Collide Finale: Best of the Best".
- The portal Xander Payne opens leads to the moment where Sigma leaves his world in Sonic Universe #76, "Worlds Unite! Part One: Across Time and Space".
- Payne destroys Sigma before his departure, thus erasing the majority of the events of Worlds Unite, although vague memories for few individuals remain. Also, the main four zones that play a part in the crossover are jumped back to the following points in their respective timelines when the paradox occurs:
- X returns to the point just before Sigma disappeared to the Lost Hex in Sonic Universe #76, "Worlds Unite! Part One: Across Time and Space", only this time Sigma was shot by the future Xander, preventing his escape, a well as the crossover from ever occurring.
- The story "Maverick Hunters Versus Vile" in Mega Man: Worlds Unite Battles #1 still occurs as Axl mentions Silver apprehending Vile, with the exception of the final two panels.
- Sonic and Eggman return to somewhere between the "Champions" story arc in Sonic the Hedgehog #268-#271 and "Into the Unknown" in Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2015.
- Mega Man returns Light Labs from the errand he set out on in Sonic Universe #76, "Worlds Unite! Part One: Across Time and Space", while Dr. Wily is back in the captivity of Mr. X which began in Mega Man #49.
- Team Sticks, as well as the Sonic Boom World as a whole, appear unaffected by the paradox, and the final scene in their universe takes place before Sonic Boom #11.
- X returns to the point just before Sigma disappeared to the Lost Hex in Sonic Universe #76, "Worlds Unite! Part One: Across Time and Space", only this time Sigma was shot by the future Xander, preventing his escape, a well as the crossover from ever occurring.
- Axl mentions Silver apprehending Vile which happened in Mega Man: Worlds Unite Battles #1, "Worlds Unite Battles: Maverick Hunters Versus Vile".
- Sonic recalls Team Dark's death in Mega Man #50, "Worlds Collide Part Four: Death and Destruction".
- Orbot mentions Eggman's plans to invade the Lost Hex which were in the making in the issues leading up to Worlds Unite. However, Eggman decides not to invade the Lost Hex for the time being, thus negating any involvement the Deadly Six had with the outside world.
- The Light Robot Masters are continuing the reparation of Light Labs after it was previously destroyed by one of Dr. Wily's creations.
Trivia[]
- The manner in which Worlds Unite concludes is very similar to the climax of the Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). In both cases, the main villain was stopped by Super-State users, but had done such damage to reality that they had to be erased from history to reverse it. In addition, like how Sonic and Elise are hinted to remember the events of the game, certain individuals vaguely recall Worlds Unite.
- Super Armor Mega Man's line right before fighting Sigma, "Your evil ends right here, right now!" is similar to what Mega Man X said to Sigma right before fighting his second form in Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X.
- Arthur's comment about "not settl[ing] for half-measures" is a reference to the fact that in Ghosts N' Goblins, each time the player beats Astaroth during a first playthrough, they are forced to restart and do the events of the game all over again.
- Super Sonic's joke about Sigma potentially being more threatening if he had a moustache as well as being bald upon delivering the final blow on Sigma is a reference to how Dr. Wily and Eggman were bald (or in the case of Wily, balding) like Sigma, and also possessed moustaches.
- The paradox that erases the events of the crossover jumps Sonic's timeline back to somewhere around Sonic the Hedgehog #272. According to Ian Flynn, everything in that issue and Sonic Universe #75 goes on to still happen as usual in the retconned timeline except for the Lost Hex scenes, as Eggman decides not to invade the planetoid for the time being.[2]
- The hint that Dr. X is actually Xander Payne would go on to be confirmed as true in Mega Man #53: after initiating the paradox, Payne was thrown several years into the past, from which point he remained and later aged into the doctor.
- At the end, Sticks mentions the "wibbly wobbly" which is a reference to a popular phrase from the British show Doctor Who, first coined by the Tenth Doctor and popularised by the Eleventh Doctor
Short Circuits[]
- Script: Bill Freiberger
- Pencils, Inks: Jonathan H. Gray
- Colors: Aleah Baker
Synopsis[]
On the Comedy Chimp Show, Comedy Chimp recalls that he came back from a trip from another dimension, and he claims he discovered another comic, he welcomes Mega Man, who is slightly nervous. He taps into the microphone, then the microphone makes a screeching noise. He says that he not sure why Comedy Chimp calls him a comedian and states that he's a hero. Momma Robotnik and the Tails Doll feel very excited, the Mega Man of Captain N The Game Master holds up a sign, and Comedy Chimp as well says that he loves "Mega" humor.
Appearances[]
Characters:
Quotes[]
- Sigma: What do the two of you think you can do to win against me? I command the power of worlds. I am on the cusp of becoming a god.
- Super Sonic: Then it's gonna hurt even worse when we knock you off your high horse!
- Super Armor Mega Man: Your evil ends right here, right now!
- Xander Payne: Risk undoing all your evil? Risk creating realities where your technology doesn't threaten us all? Sounds good to me. Thanks for helping me save the worlds, doctors!
- Axl: What'd I miss? What'd I miss?!
- Zero: X already took down Sigma for us!
- Axl: Aww, no fair! I wanted a shot at him!
- Sonic: Shadow! You're okay!
- Shadow: Hmph. Why wouldn't I be?
- Sonic: I...just had a funny feeling. Nevermind. (To himself) I don't know what just happened, but...thanks, Mega Man.
- Dr. Eggman: I guess another plan failed, whatever it was. Better luck next time, Al.
- Dr. Wily: My thoughts are all muddled. I'm not sure exactly what happened to me. All I know is we'll get them next time, Eggy...
- Mega Man: (To himself) I feel like I've helped out in a big way. I'm just not sure how. Still... thanks for being there, Sonic.
- Sonic (Sonic Boom): Oh, sure. I turn gold and fly around all the time!
- Amy (Sonic Boom): Anyway--now that you're back, what do you suppose happened to everyone else?
- Sticks: Oh, I figured everyone got blasted back to their own worlds. They probably don't remember it at all because of all the time-travel wibbley-wobbley. But you can't mess with the gooey essence of everything like that without changes happening, y'know? I bet there's still Genesis Portals out there! And there's probably even more worlds to explore! And I bet'cha at the middle of it all is some sort of nexus!
Trivia[]
- This is the only main issue of the Worlds Unite crossover not to have its regular cover drawn by Patrick Spaziante.
- Ian Flynn has confirmed that, while he wanted Mega Man X to take part in the super transformation along with Sonic and Mega Man using a "Super Force Armor" form (a golden version of the armor from Mega Man X4), Sega said no.[3]
- T. Rex confirmed that Mega Man on the cover was supposed to look like how he appeared in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, but due to copyright reasons with Nintendo, his design was slightly changed.[4]
- This issue marks the second appearance of the main Sonic Boom cast in the crossover, as well as the first time they have appeared in a title other than Sonic Boom.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
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Preview pages[]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ron C (20 May 2015). Check out the Archie Solicitations for August 2015!. Archie Comics. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020.
- ↑ Ian Flynn (19 August 2015). Ian Flynn on Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved on 22 August 2015. "PandasEggNogRoom: while I'm here: what does the WU reset mean for 272 and 75 (and to an extent Sonic's parts at the beginning of 76)? / Ian Flynn: 99% the same - just not the Lost Hex stuff."
- ↑ Ian Flynn (20 May 2015). August Solicits: Mega Man #52. BumbleKing Comics. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015.
- ↑ T.Rex (20 May 2015). Comment on Mega Man #52 Cover by T-RexJones. DeviantArt. Retrieved on 3 May 2019.
External links[]
- Archie Mega Man Issue 52 on Mega Man Knowledge Database
- Archie Mega Man Issue 52 at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.