Archie Sees What Happens ‘After The Credits’ In ‘Sonic’ And ‘Mega Man’ This May [Preview]

As a kid I can only remember a single time anything ever happened after the credits of a movie. It was after napping through the second half of Beethoven (or maybe Beethoven 2?) on VHS, and all that happened was a silhouette of a St. Bernard climbed a hill and barked in the sunset. But then Iron Man came along in 2008 and shook Hollywood to the core with Samuel L. Jackson's now classic "Avengers Initiative" recruitment scene. Surprisingly, no one in the comic book industry proper had quite capitalized on the storytelling device... until now. This May, Archie Comics is kicking off its own “After the Credits” initiative in its Sonic The Hedgehog and Mega Man titles.

From Archie Executive Director of Editorial Paul Kaminski:

"It's become a staple for superhero films over the last decade - waiting until the credits finish rolling for that one, last awesome easter egg that can change your entire perception of the story - or tease what's next. Archie's 'After the Credits Month' takes what you love about those movies and brings them back to comics. The initiative spans the entire Archie Action Line in May, including SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, SONIC UNIVERSE and MEGA MAN, with fans getting scenes at the very end of each issue - after the credits, natch - that tease all of the spoilerific details of what's coming up. The best part? Both the regular and variant editions of each comic will feature DIFFERENT 'After the Credits' scenes! So bust out the popcorn, visit your local comic shop and prepare for your jaws to drop!"

The specific issues getting the "after the credits" treatment include Sonic Universe #62, Sonic The Hedgehog #259 and Mega Man #36. All three issues are written by Ian Flynn, with Sonic Universe featuring the art of Tracey Yardley, Rafa Knight, Jamal Peppers and Jim Amash. Sonic #259 includes art by Yardley, Knight and Evan Stanley. Mega Man will have art by POWREE, Gary Martin, John Workman and Matt.

Both the regular issues and their variants -- which not only have variant covers but also variant endings -- will be available digitally and in print through the month of May.

To help tease the event, Archie sent CA some early pencils from these issues' alternate endings. You can take a spoiler-free look below.