By Ian Flynn, Tyson Hesse & Patrick Spaziante

Archie has given the Mega Man franchise a ton of heart and soul. Anybody who doubts that needs to read this issue. Underneath the preaching is a story of characters in deep emotional conflict. Not bad for Capcom game characters, huh?

Mega Man and his gang of allies are still investigating the remains of Ra Moon, in order to be assured of its complete destruction. Throughout this search, Mega Man experiences a plethora of human emotions. Things like fear, guilt, and extreme relief are somewhat foreign to a robot. Meanwhile, Break Man is also experiencing new feelings, only his are causing much darker conflicts. This may sound like a juvenile after school special, but Flynn brilliantly writes this issue for both kids and adults. The kids can appreciate the unsubtle and general message, while adult fans can peel away the onion to reveal new character growth.

The Mega Man X backup is filled with plenty of backstory to lead up to the crossover in issue 37. It’s still everything an X fan could ever hope for. Even though some of the novelty has worn off, Flynn still tells a quick and efficient tale of Mega Man X of the future. Anybody who grew up with a SNES should be very happy to read something like this.

Once again, the art impresses. Hesse’s manga influences are still standard Archie IP stuff, but also works with the overall style/tone of the series. Spaziante’s cold and blue X future compliments the edgier story. The depiction of the numerous Reploids is quite remarkable and will delight fans to no end. Overall, Mega Man is still a polished and pretty book.

Seriously, if you’re a Mega Man fan and not reading this series, shame on you. This book deserves your attention. Heck, it deserves everyone’s attention.