Mega Man Issue 38 (Archie Comics)


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Mega Man #38 is the thirty-eighth issue in the Mega Man comic series by Archie Comics, to be released in 2014.

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

The epic Mega Man/Mega Man X crossover event continues in ‘Dawn of X,’ part 2! We travel one hundred years into Mega Man’s future, where an ancient Wily weapon threatens all defenseless humans! It’s up to X and Zero to combat the lumbering metal monstrosity! Meanwhile, Emerald Spears terrorist-on-the-run Xander Payne tumbles through time-and sees something that will change him forever! Featuring brand new cover art from Patrick ‘Spaz’ Spaziante and an extra special character-packed variant cover from Ben Bates!

Summary
The story picks off where Issue 37 left off, where Dr. Cain and Mega Man X stumble upon the remains of the Wily Walker in the Mesa Dig Site. X and Dr. Cain initially speculate the downed mech was some sort of ancient Mechaniloid, although Dr. Cain stated they needed to unearth it first, being excited at the prospects of discovering all the contents under the Mesa. It then cuts to an area deep under the rubble showing Mega Man's broken helmet. X then noticed a shine underneath and determined that there's some part of the machine that was still active. When Dr. Cain sees it, he also determines, based on other samples from the dig site, that it was active for more than a hundred years, although X determined that it may run out of power soon. Dr. Cain then tries to remove the power cell in order to salvage any information from it. X then warns the archaeologist to be careful, as he might inadvertently wreck the device or otherwise inadvertently set off an ancient weapons system. Dr. Cain is certain the latter possibility isn't the case, as the Mesa was a research lab, and thus there wouldn't be much of a reason to leave a weapon there. He then removed the power source and stated they should return to the surface. However, rumbling is heard and the seemingly deactivated Wily Walker's eyes slowly open...

As the Wily Walker attacks, X gets Dr. Cain to safety, and the doctor is quick to blame himself for the incident, but X encourages him to contact the Maverick Hunters for help while he attempts to deal with the machine. Cain agrees, and adds that he'll search for a means of stopping the Walker amongst the artifacts while X works to protect the dig team and any nearby tourists. X soon reaches the upper levels, where he grabs a Reploid worker named Samantha. She informs him that most of the tourists should be evacuated, but the Wily Walker-some of its weapons still functional-blows out the side of the mesa in its attempts to get free.

In the past, Mega Man has successfully avoid the Wily Walker's attack, though he lost his helmet in the process. He, Bright Man and Pharaoh Man continue to fight it while Wily pretends to help while secretly sending more activation codes for it. He feels confident, musing that he still has Doc Robot if both the Wily Walker and the new Robot Masters fail him. Finally, Wily opens the facility doors to set the Walker free, but the others destroy the entrance to keep it contained, leaving them trapped with the machine.

Back in 21XX, X is having trouble with the Wily Walker when Zero, Vile and several other Maverick Hunters arrive to provide backup. Zero directs X to help Dr. Cain, who has unearthed a small capsule of some sort, to find a way to control the robot.

As the Hunters fight the Wily Walker, Xander Payne arrives from his trip through time and sees the conflict, believing it to be the time of the robot uprising.

Events

 * It is confirmed that the events of Worlds Collide are indeed going to happen in Mega Man's future.
 * The Wily Walker is buried underneath rubble by Mega Man, Pharaoh Man, and Bright Man as a last ditch effort to stop it.
 * The Wily Walker is reactivated due to Dr. Cain's carelessness, requiring Mega Man X and possibly the Maverick Hunters trying to keep the robot at bay.

Trivia

 * Originally, the first variant cover depicted Oil Man without his scarf (although with his edited Western appearance). However, this was fixed with the final version of the cover.
 * The code 1755 8187 6486 2322, which Dr. Wily gave Mega Man in the battle to command the Wily Walker is a password for Mega Man 7 for unlocking the eight Robot Masters initially.