Mega Man Issue 53 (Archie Comics)


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Mega Man #53 is the fifty-third issue in the Mega Man comic book series by Archie Comics.

Publisher's Summary
''The BLUE BOMBER is BACK from the events of "Worlds Unite" and is ready to fight for justice! That's all well and good, if there was actually someone to fight! In "Blue Shift," peace has finally come to Mega Man's life—but is that a bad thing? Could it be possible that our super fighting robot has come to actually love the battles he was once so opposed to? Meanwhile, Dr. Wily plots something sinister from the shadows, reaching an even newer low for the mad doctor! It’s an extended curtain call as we come to the end of the Mega Man series! Featuring cover art from Jason Piperberg and a BOT UNDER FIRE variant from superstar Thomas Pitilli!''

Blue Shift
It begins with Mega Man and Rush flying through Mega City, with Mega Man telling Rush to hurry as Guts Man is apparently in danger. Mega Man then proceeds to point his Mega Buster and demand that they put their weapons down and surrender, but Guts Man interrupts by expressing amusement and asking Mega Man what he's doing. Mega Man then sheepishly states that he was coming to his rescue. Guts Man, still amused, asks what he means by that. Mega Man then explains that Guts Man called him regarding needing help for the Wily Robot Masters. Guts Man then confirmed that he needed help with them... specifically, he needed help unloading them to the newly opened Robot Museum, stating they can't hurt anyone after Dr. Light took them offline. Mega Man then apologizes, and agrees to lend a hand, also copying Guts Man's Super Arm while doing a bro-fist. Guts Man then tells him to relax as there isn't a crisis. Privately, however, Mega Man realizes it was obvious that was what Guts Man was trying to say in hindsight, and becomes concerned that he wanted problems to occur so he could clean up.

They then find Concrete Man setting up the interior. Guts Man and Concrete Man then exchange friendly banter about Guts Man possibly needing help with eight containers, with Mega Man and Concrete Man also giving greetings. After jokingly threatening to leave the other too damaged to be put on display, they then started talking about their futures when their time comes: Concrete Man considers being recycled over being put on display, as he doesn't like waste, while Guts Man prefers being put on display. However, hearing them talk like that upsets Mega Man enough to revert back to his standard form and calls them out for talking about decommissioning like that. Concrete Man is speechless from Mega Man's protest, before Guts Man whispered that he's taken it pretty hard that they had to decommission the aforementioned Wily Robots. Concrete Man then pointed out that they are tools, and that since tools get broken, he's literally done when his purpose is done. Guts Man then tries to console Mega Man by telling him that, since he's Dr. Light's son, he lasts as long as Light himself does, and after that, he's his legacy. Mega Man then rebukes Guts Man, stating he's actually concerned for them rather than for himself as every life is precious. Guts Man then points out that they're "life-like" rather than actually alive. Mega Man then reminds Guts Man that he hated having to damage them when he had to fight them earlier, and would have saved Dr. Wily if he could.

Meanwhile, in a compound of the X Corporation, Dr. Wily is working on some plans. Mr. X and Madam Y appear to talk with Wily about his reasons for using their resources to kidnap a little girl, and although not pleased, Madam Y follows Mr. X's order to look over the girl as it is part of Wily's plans. When she leaves, Wily asks what happened to Xander Payne after the unknown events he can barely remember. Mr. X explains that after he fired into the Genesis Portal, he had fallen almost thirty years in the past. To his frustration, he could not change past events, a flashback showing a younger Xander crying the death of his dog in a farm. Using his knowledge of past events, such as lottery results, stock markets, and long-shot gamblings, he was able to fund the X Corporation, bringing him to where he is now. He plans to change the future to make it a place humanity is no longer menaced by machines. Shadow Man teleports in and reports to Wily that the construction of his new bases proceeds on schedule, detected no treachery from his new "partner", and the world still believes him to be dead. Except for Shadow Man, eight of Wily's Robot Masters (Quick Man, Crash Man, Needle Man, Top Man, Metal Man, Magnet Man, Heat Man, and Gemini Man) are offline and the other seven (Air Man, Bubble Man, Wood Man, Flash Man, Hard Man, Spark Man, and Snake Man) are unaware of their meeting, Shadow Man considering them traitors as they have even adjusted to their new functions.

Back to Mega Man, he uses Rush to travel around Mega City and see how the Wily Robot Masters are doing in their new functions. Air Man and Ice Man are working ten miles above the city, Bubble Man, Splash Woman, Oil Man and Pump Man are investigating an illegal oil pollution in the sewers, Flash Man and Time Man are in the Chronos Institute discussing how to make the Time Skimmer work, Wood Man and Cut Man are in a national park, Hard Man, Snake Man and Bomb Man are leveling the ground in the wilderness, and Spark Man and Elec Man make repairs in Mega City's power plant to avoid an energy shortage. After seeing them all, Mega Man stops at a waste processing plant to talk with Fire Man. Mega Man is not certain about his function now that he no longer needs to fight, but Fire Man comforts him and says that isn't the fighting that sustain him, but helping other, and believes he is afraid of not being able to help others as Mega Man, yet he can help others by bringing a better future with Dr. Light as Rock. This cheers Mega Man up, and Fire Man tells him to go see Dr. Light, believing he also needs some reassuring.

In Light Labs, Dr. Light remembers when he started his laboratory alongside Dr. Wily, and cheering Wily as he will have a second chance, still sad for his friend's betrayal and death. Mega Man returns home and everyone welcomes him, Auto saying that Eddie is complete and will be activated soon. Rock says to Dr. Light that Mega Man is no longer needed, and he thinks it is time for him to be de-weaponized. They have a family moment, and although Auto won't like to ruin it, he calls everyone to hurry and see what is on the TV. Dr. Cossack suddenly announces his plan to conquer the world and show that he is better than Dr. Light, challenging Mega Man to face his eight Robot Masters. Dr. Light can't believe what he just saw, and asks Mega Man to see what is wrong and save Cossack and his robots. Eddie is activated and goes off with Mega Man and Rush.

Short Circuits
In the lost Mega Man cartoon episode "Son of the Return of the Curse of The Lion Men", Tar returns to show late '90s cartoon Mega Man his vast jungle kingdom, similar to Mufasa and Simba in The Lion King. Tar says that everything late '90s cartoon Mega Man sees is part of his kingdom, and when asked about a strange place in the distance, Tar warns that is Megaland, home of the early '90s Captain N Mega Man, and he must never go there. Watching the episode, Mega Man is not pleased with what he sees and wonders about the quality control of his offshoots.

Quotes

 * Mega Man: "I was originally built for peaceful functions. But I'm not sure I want to stop being Mega Man. Does that mean I can't be happy unless I'm fighting? Do I have to do what I hate so I can feel fulfilled?"
 * Fire Man: "Listen here, pardner. It isn't the fighting that sustains you. It's helping people. I'm thinkin' you're afraid you won't be able to help everyone if you're not Mega Man anymore. But your fightin' is over. You've brought justice to the world. It's okay for you to hang up the armor now. You can bring about a better future with Dr. Light as Rock."


 * Dr. Light: (thinking about his son) "The power to move mountains or topple countries--given up willingly. Years of vicious fighting--and yet he remains pure-hearted. He's endured trials that would break most men--but remains a child."

Trivia

 * The Short Circuits for this issue was an obvious allusion to the poor reception to the Mega Man Ruby Spears episode Curse of The Lion Men.