Story by: Ian Flynn
Art by: Dan Schoening
Colors by: Luis Antonio Delgado
Letters: Jack Morelli
Published by: Archie Comics
Contrary to what most gamers believe, Mega Man and Sonic didn’t first officially cross paths in Smash Bros for the WiiU/3DS. They actually met before in Archie Comic’s Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide 12 issue crossover event in 2013. Plot-wise this was made possible by the discovery of Genesis Portals, which allowed Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily to cross timelines and enter different worlds in a dastardly collaboration to take over the multiverse. Sonic and Mega Man were able to set their initial misunderstanding to team up to defeat the dastardly doctors and restore peace to their respective worlds. Or so they thought…
This latest event, Worlds Unite, kicks off in the futuristic Mega Man X universe where X and his fellow hunters storm the villainous Sigma’s stronghold. Sigma, in virus form, disappears into a Genesis Portal before X can stop him, emerging in Dr. Eggman’s secret base in Lost Hex. He then coerces Dr. Eggman and teleports in Dr. Wily to build a new body for him as well as robotic armor for his new cronies, the Deadly Six, villains from the Sonic Lost World video game. At the behest of the conniving doctor duo, Sigma has his enhanced army ambush the the present day heroes in blue.
In the immediate present, Sonic is on a quest to restore his world that was shattered during the events of the previous crossover while Mega Man is repairing the damage done to his home from his climatic battle with Dr. Wily. Neither are quite prepared for the unexpected appearance of the enhanced Deadly Six.
Dan Schoening (line art) and Luis Antonio Delgado (coloring) do an excellent job capturing the tone of each game’s respective universe. The X universe uses darker, muted colors while the present day worlds belonging to Mega Man and Sonic are bright with vibrant blue skies. The details are rich and lovingly capture the essence of the games portrayed in the comic.
A majority of the issue is about setting up Sigma’s grand plan while the two doctors attempt to discreetly turn the situation in their favor. As result, the three heroes in blue aren’t given much time to do what they do best: bash robots. The entertaining dynamic between Dr. Eggman and Dr. Wily, one of the highlights from the previous crossover, is barely touched upon, as characterization is sacrificed for the sake of exposition. The Worlds Collide crossover was an entertaining romp that consistently delivered on action and storytelling, so expectations will be high for Worlds Unite. It remains to be seen how writer Ian Flynn can incorporate and juggle the additional Sega and Capcom characters hinted at in previews throughout this 12 part series. Issue #1 has a slow, but promising start that’ll hopefully lead to a satisfying, action packed payoff.
