Mega Man Issue 24 (Archie Comics)


 * Previous Issue: Mega Man #23 ←—
 * —→ Next Issue: Mega Man #25 (Worlds Collide - Part 4)

Mega Man #24 is the twenty-fourth issue in the Mega Man comic book series by Archie Comics, released in April 2013.

Publisher's Summary
Worlds Collide, Part One. The crossover event of 2013 starts here! The Mega Man/Sonic the Hedgehog epic kicks off with a bang as the Blue Blur and Blue Bomber meet for the first time! And considering how hard they're fighting each other, it might be the last! Why are the heroes trying to take each other down? Drs. Eggman and Wily know, and they're loving every minute of it! You cannot miss this historic first meeting of two of the biggest video game icons in the entire world! Get in on the ground floor with all-new cover art by the legendary Patrick 'SPAZ' Spaziante, and choose your favorite hero with the 'Team Sonic' and 'Team Mega Man' variant covers!

When Worlds Collide - Part One: Kindred Spirits

 * Previous: Sonic the Hedgehog #247 ←—
 * Previous: Sonic Universe #50 ←—
 * Previous: FCBD 2013 ←—
 * —→ Next Part: Worlds Collide - Part 2 (Sonic Universe #51)

For unknown reasons, the heroes Mega Man and Sonic the Hedgehog are fighting in the Green Hill Zone. Meanwhile, doctors Wily and Eggman watch the battle via video feed provided by Tails Man, and celebrate that their plan is going as expected. The story changes to show what happened weeks ago. Dr. Wily is talking with Ra Moon about a Met in the Lanfront Ruins, when the Robot Master Flash Man appears and shows a gem (a Chaos Emerald) he found while on patrol. Wily puts the gem into a machine to analyze it, and by accident, enters in contact with Dr. Eggman, who was preparing to contact his forces throughout his empire. Surprised with the interruption, Eggman angrily asks who is the person pirating his signal, which replies saying he is Dr. Albert W. Wily, the greatest robotics genius on Earth. Eggman says he is the greatest robotics genius, but changes his tone when he hears the location's name. He asks what year it is in Wily's location, replying it is 20XX. Eggman than introduces himself as the greatest robotics genius of his world, and when Wily wonders if he is an space alien, Eggman gives a brief explanation on alternate realities. They discover to have much in common and think that they must meet each other.

The two doctors reunite in a dimension that they created by using chaos energy. They discuss if the dimension should be named "Skull Secret Zone" or "Egg Pocket Zone", and they agree with "Skull Egg Zone". The time flow in the Skull Egg Zone is different, hours there being equal to mere seconds in their home worlds. They combine their genius and robotic forces to create a flying fortress. After completion, they try to decide if its name should be "Death Egg III" or "Wily Flying Fortress", settling with "Wily Egg". Aboard the Wily Egg, they use the Chaos Emerald to activate a Genesis Wave, rewriting the reality of their universes to their benefit. After the Genesis Wave (shown in Mega Man #23 and Sonic the Hedgehog #247), the doctors retained their memories before the alteration and have the memories of their new reality. Wily plans to resurrect all his Robot Masters, but Eggman says he has a better plan.

Later, in Sonic's new world, moments after the cosmic reset, Bass and Metal Sonic appear in Tails' house and capture him. As something from one world can't go to another without a native specimen to accompany it, like Bass needing Metal Sonic to go in Sonic's world, the doctors decided to do an experiment on Tails, combining the robotics from Wily's world with Eggman's roboticization process, resulting in the Roboticized Master named Tails Man. The doctors talk about the results and decide that if they capture more of Sonic's friends, it will be easier to collect the Chaos Emeralds, which scattered between their worlds after the Genesis Wave. Some time later, in Mega Man's new world, the heroic Proto Man listens to sirens and discovers that the first national bank is under attack by dangerous suspects. Proto Man goes inside the bank and finds four bank robbers (Tails Man, Knuckles Man, Rose Woman, and Shadow Man, who are after the Chaos Emerald in the bank), finding them strange as they aren't humans with high-powered gear nor regular robots. Asking what they are, the four prepare to fight, Tails Man saying "We are the Roboticized Masters. We are your destruction!".

Cross Over By-Laws
Mega Man and Sonic are happy to meet each other and they are ready to go after the mad scientists, but Orbot appears and says that they must follow crossover by-laws, requiring to fight each other first. They reluctantly begin, and the doctors are relieved as they will get a few issues of peace.

Appearances
As the first part of the crossover, this is the first appearance of Sonic the Hedgehog content in the Mega Man comic, as well as original content like the Wily Egg and the Roboticized Masters.

Mega Man:

 * Mega Man
 * Proto Man
 * Dr. Albert W. Wily
 * Bass
 * Ra Moon
 * Air Man
 * Bubble Man
 * Quick Man
 * Flash Man
 * Wood Man
 * Magnet Man
 * Hard Man
 * Snake Man
 * Met

Sonic the Hedgehog:

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Eggman
 * Cubot
 * Orbot
 * Metal Sonic
 * Miles "Tails" Prower / Tails Man
 * Knuckles Man
 * Rose Woman
 * Shadow Man
 * Egg Swats

Locations

 * Skull Egg Zone

Mega Man:

 * Lanfront Ruins
 * Mega City

Sonic the Hedgehog:

 * Green Hill Zone
 * Tails' House

Events

 * It is revealed that the blue Chaos Emerald from Sonic's world ended up near Dr. Wily's hideout in the Lanfront Ruins, after previously being used in one of Dr. Eggman's schemes, Operation: Clean Sweep. Wily was able to contact Eggman with the Chaos Emerald, and the two decided to team up to take over both of their worlds and defeat their blue nemesis.
 * Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow are captured and turned by the two doctors into the Roboticized Masters.

Trivia

 * This is the first Mega Man issue where Dr. Light and Roll don't appear.
 * "When Worlds Collide: Part One: Kindred Spirits" was reprinted in Sonic Super Digest #12.