Mega Man 10: Legends of the Blue Bomber


 * This article is about the graphic novel; you may be looking for the game Mega Man 10.


 * Previous Volume: Mega Man 9 - Dawn of X ←—
 * —→ Next Volume: Mega Man 11 - The Ultimate Betrayal

Mega Man Volume 10 - Legends of the Blue Bomber is the tenth graphic novel in the Mega Man comic book series from Archie Comics. It contains the stories "With Grace, Without Fear", "With Royalty, With Reflection", "Without Direction, With Disdain", and "With Honor, Without Restraint", which are part of the four part arc based on the first half of Mega Man 3.

Part One: With Grace, Without Fear
Outside Earth's orbit, Mega Man, using the Rush Space function of Rush, calls in stating the launch to space was successful (accidentally making a pun on Rush's name with the expression "what a rush"), as well as going en-route to the first missing asteroid.

Back on Earth at Light Labs, Dr. Light, Roll, Dr. Wily, and Auto receive Mega Man's message. Roll expressed relief that the modifications to Rush worked, with Dr. Light telling his son they got his message before wishing him a good journey, and Auto cheers him on and jokingly warns against accidentally landing on the moon. Dr. Wily tells Dr. Light that he's certain that Mega Man will be fine, due to triumphing over many Robot Masters beforehand, before stating all the same to Mega Man that he have good luck there. Privately, however, Wily hopes Mega Man will either fall to one of the Robot Masters or otherwise get the Energy Elements and ensure Wily's master plan is enacted, although he realizes that it will be extremely close even in the best scenario, even with his new fortress, the Robot Masters, and Break Man's mission.

Mega Man then arrives at the Hydroponics asteroid, where an alarm is blaring and Top Man, hearing the alarm, is pleased due to it meaning Mega Man's arrival. Top Man then had his forces placed in their positions, extremely confident that his planning will have Mega Man at the very least challenged if not destroyed, even though he knows Wily wanted Mega Man to ultimately get the Energy Element from him. However, he breaks down when he notices that Mega Man is bypassing, if not outright demolishing the traps he laid out. Finally Mega Man arrives in his lair, and he tries to settle things peacefully, noting that Ra Moon is dead and can't control him, and asking why he went rogue. Top Man circles him, disappointed and questioning how Mega Man defeated the Light Numbers and Wily's first line of Robot Masters given his apparent lack of finesse. The two then battle, with Top Man thwarting Mega Man's every attack-until Rush latches onto him, allowing Mega Man to fire the finishing shot. Calling Mega Man's technique a "simple elegance", Top Man shut down, allowing Mega Man to copy his weapon data and remove his Integrated circuit chip.

Recovering the first Energy Element, he prepared it for transport, with Dr. Wily requesting that Mega Man send back Top Man's weapon data and I.C. Chip along with the Energy Element. Light and Roll look at Wily, and he explains that's only for them to properly catalogue it and to not give Mega Man the burden to carry it. Mega Man declined, as the small teleporting device he had been given was made specifically for the Energy Elements; he would instead have Rush carry the I.C. Chips and keep him out of the fighting to avoid damage. With the Energy Element transported back to the service, Wily left to install it in Gamma, only to be stopped by Roll and informed by Light that only he could install them due to special protocols. After being reminded about the ban on his robotics work, Wily volunteered to take the element to Gamma's hangar instead (although not before Wily shot a dirty look at Roll, who simply looked at him smugly, implying that she suspected what Wily was up to). Auto questions Roll regarding her actions, as Light and Mega Man thought Wily was helping them now, but Roll asked him to keep an eye on Wily and investigate some strange signals she had detected coming from the lab.

On an abandoned mining asteroid, Snake Man lies in wait for Mega Man, eager to hunt the hero and finish him off for Dr. Wily. Using his Search Snakes and Snakeys, he instigates fear and soon drove Mega Man where he wanted him and attacked. However, Mega Man and Rush managed to take him by surprise and defeat him--in part using Top Man's Top Spin to repel his Search Snakes-leaving the hunter feeling like the hunted. Recovering Snake Man's weapon data and I.C. Chip, Mega Man then sent the next Energy Element down before heading to the next asteroid.

Short Circuits: Top Man's taunts end badly.

Part Two: With Royalty, With Reflection
In the Gamma Hangar deep below Light Labs, Roll is about to place the second Energy Element into the socket when it discharges at her hand. Dr. Light notices this and tells her to be careful as the Energy Elements, combined with their being extremely powerful crystal batteries, had already been through a lot and thus had the risk of discharging and hurting Roll. Roll then sheepishly acknowledged she'll be careful and then proceeded to insert the second one inside. Dr. Light then apologized for snapping at her, mentioning he was on the edge due to the entire ordeal they had to go through, and proceeded to contact Mega Man, telling him that he and Roll had finished installing the Energy Elements that Mega Man recovered from the rogue Robot Masters, and Mega Man says he will retrieve another one in a few moments while approaching an asteroid with Rush. Inside the asteroid, Shadow Man is meditating when he hears the alarm blaring. Shadow Man then acknowledges that the time has come. While fighting Mega Man, the extraterrestrial robot reflects that although things have changed since his creation, he was still in the same situation of being besieged by robots of justice and waiting to die for loyalty to his master.

Mega Man arrives at Shadow Man's quarters and they start fighting, Shadow Man remembering of his past during the battle: Over 20 000 years ago, Shadow Man was part of an alien line of robots called Kuiper Droids that served Ra Moon. When the Star Marshals attacked Ra Moon, Terra ordered the Kuiper Droids to escort their master to safety while the Stardroids took care of the attackers, also making clear that their only concern was to escort him to safety. The Kuiper Droids try their best, but they are destroyed by two Star Marshals. Shadow Man is the last robot left, and when he is about to be finished by one named Quartet, his partner destroys the Star Marshal. Named Trio, he defects from the Star Marshals and allows Shadow Man to escort Ra Moon to safety, telling him to ensure his safety. Unfortunately for him, his master is destroyed by Mega Man.

Shadow Man was built to serve and protect his master, and each time he failed, he had to be rescued by someone else (Trio and Dr. Wily), and says to himself that it will never happen again. He has a new master, new brothers, a new purpose, and will not fail them again. A reinvigorated Shadow Man continues his attack, but Mega Man uses Search Snake. While Shadow Man is distracted with the snakes on him, calling Mega Man a weakling for needing a dog and the weapons from his brothers while he is a child of Ra Moon enhanced by Dr. Wily that he can't defeat, Mega Man uses Top Spin and hits the ninja robot multiple times, defeating him. Before passing out, Shadow Man notes that "justice" finally caught up to him, his pride blinding him to the blue hero's potential and that this time no one is present to save him.

Back on Earth, Mega Man contacts Light Labs and informs that Shadow Man is down, but he was damaged. Light tells him to take a minute to use Rush's remaining supplies to repair and recharge, and Mega Man notes that between the teleporters and I.C. chips, there isn't much room for supplies, and a storage/delivery robot would be really helpful. During their conversation, Dr. Wily says he needs to take a break and goes to the bathroom, where he contacts Break Man to know how he is doing. Break Man is engaged in a battle with Quick Man outside the third Wily Castle with orders to get his I.C. Chip and weapon data, the latter understandably upset at the order and even declaring Wily as insane and not wanting any part in it, with Break Man stating it matters little what he wants as it's still an order from Wily. Wily eventually, after having Break Man patch him over to Quick Man, orders Quick Man directly to hand them over, forcing him to comply. Quick Man asks if the others didn't object, Break Man saying that they all did, but he was the only one who fought over it. Break Man informs Wily that they will be ready for transport soon. When leaving the toilet, Auto appears and asks Wily if he knows anything about a weird signal coming from the house, but Wily pretends to not know, and Auto also asks if he is going to flush.

At one of the asteroids, Gemini Man observes Mega Man making his way through the stage while talking with his copies about what they should do against him. When he arrives, Mega Man asks Gemini Man what's wrong with the place, which Gemini Man isn't sure himself, believing to be an algae growth experiment that was previously conducted there or something similar. Gemini Man goes on the offensive and sends copies, telling Mega Man to see if they know, the copies saying that they don't have a clue and don't care. Gemini Man kicks Rush, and Mega Man, believing that the copies are harmless, focuses on the real one, but he is hit with three Gemini Lasers, the Gemini Men informing him that the copies can focus their light energy into laser energy to attack. Mega Man agrees that he was mistaken, but while they all can attack him, he only needs to attack one of them and counters with the Search Snake, eventually gaining the upper hand. Gemini Man seems to accept defeat, but as Mega Man shows him mercy, another holographic duplicate attacks him from behind.

Short Circuits: Shadow Man has size issues.

Part Three: Without Direction, With Disdain
The issue picks up right where the previous issue left off: one of Gemini Man's holographic copies emerged from behind Mega Man and fired a shot at him. However, because Rush managed to warn him and tackled the holographic copy, Mega Man managed to dodge the Gemini Laser with only his right shoulder being scraped. Mega Man managed to retaliate by shooting the real Gemini Man in the face, with his holographic copy only expressing disbelief that Mega Man managed to dodge his attack as he fades away. Dr. Light then called in inquiring Mega Man's status because of his receiving a severe damage report, Mega Man explaining that he let his guard down, but is certain he avoided any major damage. It then cuts back to Light Labs on Earth, with Roll, and Dr. Light looking concerned, with Light also telling Mega Man not to push himself too hard, and implied that he might need repairs. However, Mega Man cut him off and told him he'll have plenty of time for repairs later, as he needs to find the remaining Robot Masters, stop them, and retrieve the Energy Elements before they do something extremely dangerous with them that might result in countless casualties. While this is going on, Dr. Wily reacts with a suspicious amount of nervousness, with Auto noticing. Mega Man then asks Dr. Light for the coordinates of any of the others. Dr. Light confirms that one of the processing plants receiving materials from the asteroids is getting reports of tampering with the work force. Dr. Wily, clearly recognizing who he is referring to, then sheepishly tries to dismiss himself, further fueling Auto's suspicions. As Auto prepares to follow Wily, Wily begins making a call to Magnet Man and, in a hushed tone, informs that Mega Man is on his way to him.

Meanwhile, at the processing plant, Magnet Man receives Wily's transmission, and informs Wily to let Mega Man come, as he's prepared for him while a huge force of Mag Flies and New Shotmen are advancing. Secretly, however, he realizes that Mega Man coming back to Earth means four of his brothers are gone, and feels responsible for their deaths, as he was the one who suggested to Dr. Wily the missing asteroids tactic. However, before he could finish his thought, he realizes that one of the machines have been turned around again, interfered by his systems, expressing irritation that Wily doesn't make sure to avoid that he, the most powerful magnetic dynamo in history, interferes with other systems, and vows to defeat Mega Man quickly so he doesn't have time to capitalize on his design flaw, and thus ensure that Wily rules all. As he is monologuing, some Peterchies are sucked into the dynamo and detonate, causing some damage.

A short time later, Mega Man manages to tear through Magnet Man's defenses as the renegade Robot Master watches. He then notes that although in theory, Wily's strategy seems to make sense as Mega Man is to be worn out by the time he arrives to a Robot Master, he also realizes that it wasn't working the previous twenty times and Mega Man is still going through his forces way too quickly to wear him down, and there is his magnetic interference problem, which causes the screen to stop working. He notes it doesn't matter at this point, as Mega Man is already on his way to the door. Magnet Man readies himself in preparation for the door to open so he can blast Mega Man once he enters his range, but Mega Man appears from the door behind him and demands Magnet Man's surrender. Magnet Man launches a Magnet Missile and Mega Man easily destroys it, and Magnet Man uses the magnetic interference of every conductor in the facility to move in the walls and ceiling while launching several Magnet Missiles from different directions, hitting some times and mocking that he can't think threedimensionally. Mega Man calls Rush and asks Magnet Man if he can handle some misdirection, Rush and Mega Man making different poses like standing upside down to confuse him. Unsure if he is in the ceiling or floor, Magnet Man accidentally falls and Mega Man uses the opportunity to pin him in a wall with Shadow Blade. Magnet Man says to the nauseous Mega Man that he will not leave the place by forcing him to stay with his magnetic powers, but Mega Man notes that it will not work if he is shutdown and asks why they make him do it. Magnet Man says that they have no choice as it is their function, and tells Mega Man to finish him. Mega Man promises him that it is not the end, he will take his I.C. chip so he can be rebuilt and asks where the remaining three robots are, but a saddened Magnet Man asks Mega Man to tell his brothers that he went down fighting, and Mega Man does as he wishes.

Meanwhile, in the maximum security wing of the federal prison, two police officers check Xander Payne and mention that he was moved to avoid him from causing harm to others and that he somehow always manages to get a shiv, but fortunately only uses it for graffiti. While leaving, one of them says that Dr. Wily could be his roommate, and the other asks if he doesn't believe in the Ra Moon story. Xander, hearing them, says that Wily will have his reckoning and that worlds will collide again.

At a vintage dockyard, Mega Man wonders if Magnet Man said the truth and asks Dr. Light why Needle Man would be in the area. Dr. Light says that there is some strange robot activity and that it would be better to investigate just in case. Needle Man sees Mega Man and enters in the ship, thinking how Dr. Wily's plan is stupid and starting to knit. Shortly after, Mega Man enters his room ready to battle and tells Needle Man to step away from the Energy Element, but is surprised to see him crocheting. Needle Man says he is knitting as he is using two needles, and asks him if he was built in a barn for not knowing the difference. Mega Man asks if he wants him to wait to finish, and Needle Man tells him to shoot him in the face and that he was waiting for. Confused, Mega Man asks if that's true, and Needle Man loses his temper, asking if any oh his brothers smashed his sarcasm chip while firing several needles with his Needle Cannon and starts complaining. Mega Man takes some needles in the floor and throws them back at him, Needle Man dodging and angrily telling him to never do that again. Mega Man doesn't want to harm him and his brothers, and asks why can't them just give up peacefully, with Needle Man saying that they can't as they are tools created to serve their function. Mega Man tells him that he wasn't built to fight but changed, and Needle Man can change too, but Needle Man notes that he was built to help people, so he has a nice definition to work with, but they weren't given that, they are only good at fighting and must destroy Mega Man. When Needle Man attacks with the extendable spikes on his head, Rush grabs it and Mega Man manages to hit him with Gemini Laser. Mega Man says he is sorry as this is not what he wanted, and Needle Man tells him that it never is about what they want, they are just tools, and tells him to finish his job.

With Needle Man down, a saddened Mega Man contacts Dr. Light and says that despite none of them being built to fight, it seems that's all they do. Dr. Light tells him to stay strong as it is almost over, and asks Roll to get him some water. Roll does so and wonders where Wily and Auto are. Somewhere in Light Labs, Wily asks Break Man to hurry up with the I.C. chips and weapon data, or else the plan will be for nothing. Auto appears and asks Wily if he is talking to himself, surprising him, and says that Roll was right, Wily is the one sending out messages. Auto asks what he is up to, and Wily says he must have misheard things, opening his front to see if his audio card is working properly. Before Auto can give an answer, Wily says that he found the problem and pulls some components from Auto, shutting him down and saying that he has a fauly memory board.

Short Circuits: Even Robot Masters have hobbies.

Finale: With Honor, Without Restraint
In Light Labs, Roll goes looking for Auto, only to find the room she expected him in to be dark. Upon flipping a switch, she notices that the lights aren't working. She then calls out for Auto and asks where he is and why the lights aren't working. Growing more terrified, she looks in a broom closet that was ajar, saying in a quivering tone that this isn't the time for hide and seek. To her shock and horror, she discovers her friend inside the cabinet, viciously disassembled.

Meanwhile, in a deep underground mine, Hard Man awaits Mega Man's arrival, and is informed of his presence by a Monking. Thanking the robot, he then tells it to resume its regular functions. Mega Man then bursts in and exclaims that he found him. Hard Man then surprises Mega Man by offering him an E-Tank, citing that he seems exhausted. Mega Man, after hesitantly accepting, then asks if it's a bomb, with Hard Man replying that he wishes to fight Mega Man honorably. After recharging both himself and Rush, Mega Man questions the directing power behind Hard Man and his brothers' actions, noting that while Dr. Wily claimed to be under Ra Moon's control, the actions of the Robot Masters seemed like one of his plans, citing that he had done something similar in the past. He then offers Hard Man the chance to come with him peacefully, but the powerhouse robot responds that he intends to fight despite his previous kindness, also telling Mega Man that he should not mistake his honor for kindness. The two begin to battle, and Mega Man quickly discovers that Hard Man is stronger and that his armor is too hard for an ordinary attack to penetrate after trying to punch him, only for Hard Man to look at him ominously without even flinching from the punch. He than tries to attack from distance with his Mega Buster, but Hard Man hits him with Hard Knuckle. Mega Man then turns the tide with his Magnet Missiles, with Hard Man's bulk making him too big to dodge them.

At the lab, Roll rushes over to Dr. Light with tears in her eyes, with Light expressing concern. Roll tells Light that she had Auto investigate Dr. Wily and that he went missing. Light interrupted her and stated that there's probably a reasonable explanation regarding Auto's absence, but Roll informs Dr. Light by finishing up, stating that she managed to find Auto disassembled with all his memory boards ripped out. Realizing it was Wily's doing, and thus the implications of Wily being very likely to be behind the Robot Master attacks, Light locks down to the lab to only allow family members access. Roll then inquires whether they should inform Rock of this development, but Dr. Light refuses, stating that he doesn't want to distract him in case he's fighting a dangerous Robot Master, and also reasons that Dr. Wily doesn't have anything he can use against them in there anyways before pressing the lockdown button.

True to Light's predictions, Dr. Wily is initially trapped in the room containing Doc Robot, with alarms blaring. Wily realized from the lockdown being activated that the others managed to find Auto, and deduced Roll as being the one who found him, expressing irritation at Roll for being as "problematic as her brother." As such, he is unable to activate Doc Robot without the I.C. chips or weapon data, comparing its completed body to an overglorified paperweight in its current situation. However, Break Man proceeded to teleport in and inquired Dr. Wily about his status, as everything but his personal transport module was blocked and thus couldn't contact him via comm link. Dr. Wily then proceeded to laugh and refer to Dr. Light as a sentimental old fool, realizing that Light's allowing security protocols to Blues in the event of his desired return proved to be Light's undoing.

Back with Mega Man, he and Rush reach Spark Man's lair. At this point, Spark Man is a broken-down mess at the loss of his brothers, remembering the moments they spent together. Spark Man promises to avenge his brothers and attacks Mega Man wildly as soon as he enters his room, threatening to kill his family. Mega Man disables him with the Shadow Blade and promises that Spark Man will see his brothers again, also clarifying that he means they'll be rebuilt so they'll have a second chance due to saving their I.C. chips when Spark Man replies that robots don't have an afterlife due to their robotic status. When Spark Man asks whether that meant they'll be together again, Mega Man, already in tears due to stress from the entire ordeal, snapped that he was going to explain that to him beforehand, but Spark Man insisted on fighting. When he demanded to know why they did needed to go through the misery and violence, Spark Man only answers that "he" commanded it before shutting down. Mega Man teleports the last Energy Element to Light Labs, but is unable to contact Dr. Light.

At Light Labs, Dr. Light and Roll are confronted by Wily, Break Man and the fully-operational Doc Robot, with Roll bracing a broom to defend herself. Dr. Light then asks Dr. Wily why he is doing this, with Dr. Wily responding that he is doing it because he is the best, and fully intended to ensure Dr. Light learned this.

Short Circuits: Dr. Wily creates Dubstep Man.

Game Differences

 * In the Archie Comics Mega Man comic series, the plot of Mega Man 3 would not be adapted until after an adaptation of the events of Super Adventure Rockman. As a result, a few variations exist between the game and comic versions:
 * The Robot Masters from this game were all brought into being by Ra Moon (the antagonist of Super Adventure Rockman) using designs created by Dr. Light and Dr. Wily, rather than being built by the two of them and then recreated by Ra Moon with the Robot Masters of Mega Man 2. The exception to this rule is Shadow Man, who in the comics is found in the same ruins as Ra Moon and restored by him.
 * Instead of being located at various mining sites which are taken over by the eight Robot Masters in the beginning, the Energy Elements are initially placed within Gamma but stolen by the Robot Masters during its unveiling. Dr. Wily also claims that the Robot Masters are acting out of loyalty to the destroyed Ra Moon in order to divert suspicion from himself.
 * While the theft of Gamma's Energy Elements takes place in Issue 36, Mega Man's quest to defeat Wily's Robot Masters does not begin until Issue 41. The intervening issues focus on a crossover storyline between Mega Man and Mega Man X.
 * In addition, the arc itself is split in two, the first half deals with Mega Man confronting the eight Robot Masters, while the second half deals with his conflicts with Dr. Wily, Break Man, Gamma, and presumably Doc Robot.
 * Mega Man's confrontation with the Robot Masters took place on eight different planets in the game, when in the comic, Mega Man instead confronted half of them on four artificial asteroids that were knocked offline, and the remaining half on Earth.
 * Some focus, including Roll and Auto getting suspicious of Dr. Wily's erratic behavior and suspicious actions, are also shown, something that wasn't shown in-game. In addition, instead of Break Man confronting Mega Man during the various Robot Master levels, he instead confronts the second-generation Wily Robots to get their I.C. chips and their weapons data for Wily relating to the Doc Robot.

Trivia
TBA