Mega Man Issue 40 (Archie Comics)


 * Previous Issue: Mega Man #39 ←—
 * —→ Next Issue: Mega Man #41

Mega Man #40 is the fortieth issue in the Mega Man comic book series by Archie Comics, released in August 2014.

Publisher's Summary
(W) Ian Flynn (A) Jamal Peppers & Various (CA) Patrick Spaz Spaziante

''The PULSE-POUNDING CONCLUSION to the latest crossover MEGA-event from Archie comics is here! "DAWN OF X" Part Four: The time-traveling adventure reaches its explosive finale as the mystery of Mega Man’s confrontation with the rogue Wily robot is revealed! X and the Maverick Hunters have their final showdown with the mechanical monsters! And Xander Payne’s fate comes to a startling conclusion! Don’t miss this crossover between iconic eras, with a SHOCKER-ENDING that will blow your mind! Featuring all-new cover art from Mega-artist supreme PATRICK "SPAZ" SPAZIANTE and a time-spanning variant cover by Colin Lawler!''

Dawn of X - Finale: Inheritance
In 21XX, Sigma coordinates Maverick Hunters, granting X permission to help to slate Vile's annoyance for his presence. Sigma orders them to distract the Wily Walker while he attacks its weak points, and in case it launches any chemical weapons, their priority is to stop them.

In 20XX, with the Wily Walker still rampaging, Dr. Wily begins instructing Mega Man on a makeshift weapon addition to Bright Man while Pharaoh Man fends off the machine. Dr. Light and Roll then teleport Rush in with a circuit board and the information module Dr. Cain would later uncover. Rush arrives as Mega Man finishes the modifications, granting Bright Man his Flash Stopper, which he uses to halt the Wily Walker. Mega Man hooks up the circuit board, disabling the Wily Walker for good. Part of the floor collapses and the Wily Walker falls in the chasm, Mega Man almost falling with it. Unable to destroy it, their only option is to cave in the area, leaving the module with a warning and information about the Wily Walker for future generations to finish their job with advanced technology.

In the Chronos Institute, Gilbert D. Stern and Roslyn Krantz try to figure out where, or when, Xander Payne went, when he suddenly returns from his time travel, and Gil points that he is conveniently handcuffed. Although Gil is wounded and the agents have to take Xander to the prison, Dr. Kouin wants to talk with him, as he is the first time traveler in history and wants to know what he saw in the past. Xander says he messed up and went to the future instead, where everything is wrong and he must stop it.

Back in 21XX, the battle continues. Sigma damages the Wily Walker's legs and is knocked down by a blow, forcing Zero to take up his saber and lop off another leg, causing it to fall. While Zero checks Sigma, the Wily Walker tries to attack them from behind and X protects them, with Sigma taking his saber and finishing it off by piercing its head. Sigma contacts the Hunter HQ to have Flame Mammoth and his unit manage the area, and asks for a toxins specialist to also come, the Hunters finding someone named Toxic Seahorse to go. Zero says X did well and should consider joining the Hunters, but he is not sure, and Vile disagrees with Zero. Sigma asks Vile what he was thinking when he destroyed the overpass, and he says that if he didn't do it, they would be fighting in the middle of the city and would need to worry with more humans. Dr. Cain arrives to see if everyone is alright, and Zero takes X away for repairs. Dr. Cain and Sigma have been keeping an eye on Zero, and they talk about him losing his memory. Dr. Cain is glad that Zero got a second chance while Sigma is a bit wary, given the unknowns within him and X, and he wonders if X's creator had any idea how he would influence the future.

Back in 20XX, Mega Man and the others are receiving repairs in Light Labs. Auto calls Dr. Light to take the phone, with Roslyn wanting to tell him that got a tip of the robots from four of the networked asteroids of a space station project went offline, and informs that Xander was arrested. In the prison, Xander's cell mate calls a guard complaining that he is locked with a lunatic, and Xander, now more deranged than before, is scratching plans into the cell walls with a sharpened toothbrush.

Short Circuits
As X is from the future, Mega Man asks what happened to him. X doesn't want to "pollute the time stream", but Mega Man says he already did a time travel and pleads for at least a hint. X decides to tell him something that he will find out in a few years, but Wily and Sigma damage the story and the readers can't see what he says.

Characters

 * Wily Walker
 * X
 * Sigma
 * Zero
 * Vile
 * Pharaoh Man
 * Mega Man
 * Bright Man
 * Dr. Cossack
 * Dr. Wily
 * Roll
 * Rush
 * Dr. Light
 * Roslyn Krantz
 * Gilbert D. Stern
 * Dr. Shou Kouin
 * Xander Payne
 * Dr. Cain
 * Samantha
 * Flame Mammoth (First mentioned)
 * Toxic Seahorse (First mentioned)
 * Auto

Locations

 * Mesa Lab
 * Light Labs
 * Chronos Institute

Events

 * Mega Man, Bright Man and Pharaoh Man bury the Wily Walker.
 * The Maverick Hunters manage to finally destroy the Wily Walker.
 * Xander Payne returns to the present and begins further plans to prevent robot development.

Trivia

 * On page 4, Wily mentioned the code CBN-RO2 for Bright Man (possibly meaning "Cossack Bot Number - RObot 2").
 * Zero briefly gets a hold of Sigma's saber, foreshadowing how he will get a saber of his own later down the line.
 * Sonic the Hedgehog and Bass are seen as carvings on Xander's cell, due to his having seen some of the events of the Worlds Collide crossover and Issue 20 during his trip. In addition, several infinity signs (∞) and an "X" are seen on the wall as well, alluding to the robot code number for Zero (DWN-∞) and Mega Man X. The Wily Walker's leg can also be briefly seen.
 * In the Short Circuits, after Sigma and Wily destroyed the final panel, Sigma says "Did we do that?", referring to one of the catchphrases for the character Steve Urkel from the sitcom Family Matters (more specifically, whenever Urkel does something clumsy or stupid). Urkel's actor, Jaleel White, is also known for having played Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters in several Sonic animated series.
 * This issue also features winners' drawings of the Dawn of X fan art contest.