Ian Flynn

I am what you could charitably call very skeptical of Sonic the Hedgehog in all of his various forms. I wasn't a Sega kid, so I never got into the games when I was young, and despite the fact that he's been a constant presence in the world of comics since 1993, that's a vast swath of storytelling that I've never engaged with. Now, however, it might finally be time to take the plunge. For the past two weeks, there's been a massive collection of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics available at Humble Bundle, allowing readers to pay what they want for a new starting point and support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. It might be the tipping point, but while I remain a little reluctant, I've given Sonic editor Vincent Lovallo the chance to convince me once and for all to read these comics.

One day, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Amy, Sally, Knuckles and the rest of the gang are going to have a nice vacation. There won't be any more Eggman troubles to deal with, and the world will finally be at peace. Nothing but clear skies, chill music, high fives, and frosty beverages for everyone. Unfortunately for them, that day has not yet arrived, and the troubles continue to mount for the Freedom Fighters. It's nice to think that eventually things will work out for the heroes in this universe. That just hasn't been the case as of late. But perhaps that day is closer than we thought. In Sonic the Hedgehog #283, the Freedom Fighters finally have everything they need to bring some hope into the world. With Eggman still lurking in the shadows however, can anything possibly go as planned. Guess it depends on how many of the world's heroes come to Sonic's aid when he needs them the most.

How do you make the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog even more exciting? You double down on the action and adventure. That's just what Archie's been up to these past few issues, and that trend continues in Sonic the Hedgehog #281, which features two startling stories starring the Blue Blur and his Freedom Fighter friends. First, you've got Sonic teaming up with a dragon to hunt down a Gaia Key before Metal Sonic can get his rusty hands on it. We've all seen Game of Thrones. I think we can guess how flame breath and metal mix. The results don't seem like they'd be in Metal Sonic's favor. Elsewhere, Tails and Bunnie work together to help a Key Guardian out of a sticky situation. If there's any duo that can get the job done, it's a fox with two tails and a cyborg rabbit.

This week sees the start of two new stories in Sonic The Hedgehog #280, published by Archie Action. After saving the Arid Sands Zone from Nephthys the Vulture, Sonic The Hedgehog is heading to Efrika in search of the next set of Gaia Keys, but he’s going to have to deal with a new foe in the form Axel, one of Eggman’s regional bosses. Aided by Miles “Tails” Prower and the guardian of light, Chip, Sonic must keep the bad guys busy while his friends sneak into their base and nab the keys!

No one ever said being bad was easy, but Sonic the Hedgehog's main rival Eggman just can't buy a break. Not only does Eggman constantly have to deal with the Blue Blur and his friends mucking up his latest world domination plan, but he's also got all the other evil villains of Mobius to contend with. Now, Eggman's got to turn his eye from fending off Sonic to recapturing his own fortress from a devious duo in order to keep his spot as Big Bad Numero Uno. Fortunately for Eggman, his genius in creating robots to do all his dirty work for him will come in handy. Where two wizards might pose a problem for just one mere man, no matter how great his intelligence, they're hardly a match for an army of Egg Bosses. When you absolutely, positively have to put some up and coming villains in their place, what better tactic than to throw everything you have at them. Check out Eggman going big or going home in the preview for Sonic Universe #83.

When it debuted in 2011, it didn't take long for Mega Man to become one of my favorite comics. The all-ages action of one of my favorite video game franchises was blended with storytelling that took the games' simple premise of a good robot battling against an evil scientist and used it to explore complicated questions of morality, forgiveness, and the nature of war. It never stopped being a fun, high action adventure, but it also never talked down to its audience, and that was a combination that made it great. Now, after almost five years, the series is coming to an end this week with Mega Man #55. To mark the occasion, ComicsAlliance spoke to writer Ian Flynn about how his version of Mega Man came to be, and the influences he drew on to create those stories.

It's been a long time coming, but the temporary end of Archie's Mega Man comic is almost here. Over the last five years, we've been there through thick and thin with the Blue Bomber, and it's going to be strange not to have him around on a regular basis after Mega Man #55 hits. That said, the creative team is going all with this finale, introducing a host of new worlds for the first time in comic book form. While Mega Man won't be gone forever (Archie Comics is promising this is just a temporary reprieve), there's no telling just when he'll return either. It's fitting then that this issue is dubbed "Everlasting Peace," as the original game's opening cheered the blue champion on to "fight for everlasting peace!" It seems that after 54 issues of tackling Dr. Wily's most nefarious plans, Rock has finally accomplished that goal.

Poor, Sonic the Hedgehog. The dude just never catches a break. Unless of course the "break" you're talking about is how his whole world is still shattered. Literally. Sonic and his friends have been working tirelessly to repair their planet since it fractured in the events after "Worlds Collide." Maybe if Sonic had time to catch his breath instead of constantly thwarting Eggman's latest machinations, Mobius wouldn't be the hot mess it still is today. But even Sonic can't do everything on his own, and this issue will also see Sally and Bunnie track down the final Chaos Emerald. You might recall the Chaos Emeralds were last used during "Worlds Unite" to give Mega Man and Sonic the power boost needed to take Sigma down for good. As long as they don't fall into the hands of Eggman, everyone should be okay, right?

If you were a child in the '90s whose primary source of news was a subscription to Nintendo Power, then there were few things more thrilling than the saga of Break Man. When he first showed up in Mega Man III as an occasional obstacle and a mysterious plot device at the end, and was eventually revealed to be Mega Man's brother, it was probably the single greatest bit of drama in the series since the invention of running left-to-right and jumping. And not surprisingly, it's something that Archie's Mega Man comics have done a pretty fantastic job handling over the past four years. Now, as the series winds down, Break Man (aka Proto Man, aka Blues) is taking the spotlight for "Red Shift," a prologue story for the events of Mega Man IV, with a whole lot of questions about the nature of his existence. You know, for the kids! Check out an exclusive preview!

Over the course of the last five years, Archie Action has been retelling Mega Man's video game adventures in graphic form. In that time, the creative team has only managed to scratch the surface of the character's history at Capcom, with the most recent storyline just glancing Mega Man 4's narrative. Despite still having plenty of stories to tell in the Mega Man canon, the Blue Bomber's sequential adventures will be coming to a (temporary) close this November. With Mega Man #55, Archie Action will be ending its current run of Mega Man comics. The publisher is being very tight-lipped about what the future holds for Rock, Roll, Dr. Light, Dr. Wily and the rest of the Robot Masters, but we talked to Archie Action editor Vincent Lovallo and Mega Man writer Ian Flynn about their time on the book, what they could have done differently, and what to expect from these final few issues post-"Worlds Unite." We've also got the exclusive debut of the final solicitations and cover art for Mega Man #55.