Mobius Encyclopaedia
Register
Advertisement
The subject of this article appeared before and after the Super Genesis Wave.
Previous Issue ←—→ Next Issue
Previous Worlds Collide ←—→ Next Worlds Collide

Mega Man 25
Main Cover

MM 25 Variant
Evil Friends Forever Variant Cover

Mega Man
Publication Details
Issue 

25

Date Published 

May 8, 2013

Publishing Company 

Archie Comics

Production Staff
Cover Artist
Cover Colorist
  • Matt Herms (Variant)
Writer
Pencils
Inks
  • Jim Amash
Letters
  • John Workman
Colors
  • Matt Herms
Assistant Editor
  • Vincent Lovallo
Editor
  • Paul Kaminski
Editor in Chief
  • Victor Gorelick
President
  • Mike Pellerito
Special Thanks

ANTHONY GACCIONE, CINDY CHAU, and Character Business and Licensing Dept. of Sega Corporation

BRIAN OLIVEIRA at Capcom Licensing and Tobita Eimi

First Appearances
Only Appearance
  

Archie Mega Man Issue 25 is the twenty-fifth issue of the Mega Man comic series by Archie Comics and the fourth part of the Sonic/Mega Man crossover, Worlds Collide.

Summary[]

Official Solicitation[]

It's Sonic versus Mega Man – Round Two! Celebrate 25 issues of Mega Man with the throwdown brawl to end all throwdown brawls! The Blue Bomber has the home field advantage this time – can Sonic keep up in this unfamiliar city? Meanwhile, Drs. Eggman and Wily make their boldest move yet in their master plan! This milestone issue marks the dramatic conclusion to the first act in the biggest crossover story of 2013! Featuring a stunning gatefold cover by Sonic/Mega Man art legend Patrick Spaziante, and a special "E.F.F. (aka Evil Friends Forever) variant" featuring Drs. Eggman and Wily on a (presumably evil) bicycle built for two!

Story One[]

"When Worlds Collide" Part Four of Twelve-Through the Looking Glass

In Mega City, Sonic finds himself faced with Mega Man's team of allies: Rush, Tango, Eddie, and Beat. The Blue Bomber advises Sonic to surrender, while Tails Man continues to observe the confrontation. As usual, Sonic is undeterred, citing his experience with destroying animal shaped robots and pointing out his success in disabling Mega Man's arm cannon. Mega Man, annoyed both by Sonic's attitude and by his unwillingness to give up, quickly remedies the problem by obtaining the necessary replacement part from Eddie. He fires a first shot, and then accepts a drink from Eddie while allowing his robotic pets to join the fight. Sonic is surprised when Tango unleashes an attack similar to his Spin-Dash, and attempts to use the move on Mega Man only for Rush to provide a spring for his master. Grabbing onto Beat, Mega Man begins firing on Sonic from the air, and a distracted Sonic is hit by Tango. Feeling a little overwhelmed, Sonic quickly regains his composure and counterattacks, hitting Beat and causing him to drop Mega Man.

Unfortunately for Sonic, Rush takes to the air and provides transport for his master, who continues to pursue Sonic through the streets. Realizing that innocent people could be endangered by further fighting, Mega Man appeals to Sonic to return the stolen Chaos Emerald, only for Sonic to claim his innocence and accuse Mega Man of kidnapping Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Mega Man quickly retorts that he has had no part in kidnapping anyone, and this leaves both heroes confused.

In the Wily Egg, Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily, who are still watching the fight, begin to panic, because if their enemies begin to talk, they'll realize they've been duped by Metal Sonic and Copy Robot and then, it will lead them back to them. Still one Chaos Emerald short, Eggman orders Tails Man to move in and attack. At first, Wily protests, saying it will only clue Sonic and Mega Man in faster, but when Eggman tells him that they should strike now while they're weak or they'll regroup to pursue them, Wily too orders Tails Man to blow them off the map.

Tails Man swoops in to attack, knocking Mega Man off Rush and just missing Sonic, who almost recognizes him as his best friend. Tails Man then uses a whirlwind attack to blow them away, along with several cars. Sonic and Mega Man decide to pull aside their differences for now and work together to save the citizens from harm and stop Tails Man. Mega Man tells Sonic to distract him so that he can get a clean, charged shot to disable him. The combined powers of Sonic's Spin Dash and Mega Man's charged blast cause Tails Man to fizzle and malfunction. Mega Man, slightly puzzled by this, decides to copy Tails Man's weapon so as to get some answers.

To his utter astonishment, his copy ability actually deroboticizes Tails, leaving both of them confused. Sonic merely gives Tails a noogie, glad to have his best friend back. Tails explains everything to Sonic and Mega Man, starting with how he was kidnapped by Metal Sonic and Bass and how Eggman was working with a man named Albert, whom Mega Man recognizes as Wily. Both heroes soon realize that Copy Robot and Metal Sonic were used by the mad doctors to trick them into fighting each other and that they were the cause for Sonic's missing friends. Despite Mega Man's shock at Sonic blowing over their fight so quickly and Sonic guffawing at the fact Mega Man actually thought he was a robot, Sonic says that since Mega Man helped him save Tails, he'll call it even and with that, the Blue Blur and the Blue Bomber shake hands.

The group return to Light Labs using the 'most direct route' (teleporting, which leaves Sonic rather queasy) to find Metal Sonic kidnapping Dr. Light while Bass holds off Proto Man. Sonic and Mega Man try to help him, but Bass drives them back with his arm cannon and then steps through the portal, which closes behind them. Though Roll and Auto are alright, Roll glares suspiciously at Sonic, which prompts Mega Man to explain a few things.

A little later, Tails is working with Proto Man on the portal, while Rock clears up and Sonic merely sits around and waits. Sonic's laidback behavior irritates Rock, who is anxious about his 'father', whom Sonic assures they will rescue as soon as Tails has activated the portal. Once he has, Sonic assures Mega Man he's coming because it would be nice to save a doctor for once rather than just stopping one. Tails agrees to come too, as do Proto Man and Rush, while Roll and Auto remain behind to guard the lab and await Duo, an ally whom Dr. Light attempted to contact before his capture.

The team enters the portal and arrive in the Skull Egg Zone, which now looks more weird than ever as they begin their search for Eggman and Wily...

Short Circuits[]

The strip opens with the question "What's the greatest battle of the crossover?" After declaring that the answer is neither Sonic vs. Mega Man nor the pair of them against Drs. Eggman and Wily, the strip depicts the actual battle: Pirates vs. Ninja, featuring Espio and Shadow Man up against Captain Whisker and Pirate Man.

Quotes[]

  • Rock: "You could help, you know."
  • Sonic: "Tails is the computer guy, not me."

Key Events[]

Background Information[]

  • This is the Mega Man series' first landmark issue.
  • This issues variant cover, dubbed as an "EFF (Evil Friends Forever) Variant", features a humorous scene of Doctor Eggman and Mega Man's arch enemy Doctor Wily toasting glasses of champagne while riding a tandem bicycle together, as a defeated Sonic and Mega Man hang from a tree in the background. Unlike the gatefold main cover, this variant is a normal sized cover.
  • Technically, this is the second Archie Sonic issue to have a gatefold cover (although this is not actually a Sonic title).
  • On the main cover, Shadow the Hedgehog appears to be absent from the Sonic side. Shadow's absence is particularly conspicuous given the presence of his fellow Team Dark members Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega, as well as the appearance of Bass on the Mega Man side, who has often been showcased in promotional media as Shadow's "Mega Man counterpart".
  • Characters who appear on the cover but not in the actual issue include Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Rouge, Omega, Espio, Vector and Charmy.
  • Ryan Jampole took over interior artist duties from Jamal Peppers halfway through the issue: Peppers was unable to finish the remaining pages due to personal reasons.
    • As a result, this issue marks the first time Ryan Jampole (a regular artist on the Mega Man comic) has drawn characters from the Sonic universe.
  • The punchline of the Short Circuits strip is a reference to the famous Pirates vs. Ninjas internet meme.
  • Curiously, throughout the entire fight between Mega Man and Sonic, Sonic was never hit by Mega Man's Mega Buster.

External links[]

Advertisement