Mega Man #5 Solicitation Answers One Question on Everyone’s Mind
The first issue of Archie’s new Mega Man comic has only just come out, and yet we now have a preview of what’s to come after the inaugural story arc “Let the Games Begin!”
Two new covers have been revealed, apparently continuing the “Villain Variant” theme introduced with Mega Man #2. This variant will be drawn by none other than Patrick Spaziante, though with this issue, he departs from his duties working on the interior page art (at least, for the time being– want him back? Mail Archie with your demands!). Taking up the pen for this story will be none other than Chad Thomas, whose work you might already be acquainted with through the book’s concept art and the first issue’s sketch variant cover.
Meanwhile, the regular version is a special painted cover from Greg Horn, whose art you may have seen around (even if you weren’t aware of the name).
All of this surrounds a story which kicks off a brand new arc following the first four-issue adventure. What should you expect? Read on to see the covers and find out! Meanwhile, thanks to Sockie for the update!
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
“Time Keeps Slipping” Part One:
The evil Dr. Wily may be in jail, but that doesn’t mean the adventures are over for Mega Man! Federal agents are investigating Dr. Light for ties to the Robot Masters‘ rampage while sinister figures lurk in the shadows. And why does Dr. Wily look so smug in his jail cell? Don’t miss the beginning of the newest Mega Man adventure! Featuring a painted cover by fan favorite artist Greg Horn!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Chad Thomas, Rick Bryant, John Workman and Matt Herms
COVER: Greg Horn
VILLAIN VARIANT
COVER: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante
Shipping Date: 8/24/2011
On Sale at Comic Shops: 9/7/2011
Newsstands: Week of 9/13/2011
Comic, 32 pgs, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
Tags: Archie, comic, Ian Flynn, Mega Man, Mega Man Classic, Mega Man: Powered Up, Merchandise, Patrick Spaziante, Robot Masters
Filed under: Mega Man News
Hell yea, Timeman along with 8 bit sprite!
Seems like the comic is following the timeline after Powered UP/RR which also features Protoman, great!
Can’t wait for the Oilman cover
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!! They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!! They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!! They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!! They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!! They’re going with Time Man and Oil Man!!!
I’m am really happy about this. YEEEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!!
Meanwhile, I wonder if not only a paperback version of the first story arc would happen, but when this is finished, along with the inevitable Oil Man arc, a whole tradepaperback edition of the Megaman 1 arc/Powered Up arc would happen? Because if that happens, then I definitely get that.
Meanwhile, I wonder if not only a paperback version of the first story arc would happen, but when this arc is finished, along with the inevitable Oil Man arc, a whole tradepaperback edition of the Megaman 1 arc/Powered Up arc would happen?
Because if that happens, then I will definitely get that.
O_____O
Nothing could have prepared me for this. Holy crap… this… this is amazing. I am definitely anticipating this. Yes, indeed.
Some appropriate celebration music, for those that want to join me in a celebratory dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfL5NoUMvbU
I. Can’t. Find. The variant covers. ANYWHERE. All of the book stores in my area carry the normal cover, and my local comic shop does too. Do I even any online options to getting these variant covers??
Very nice covers, but should I be worried about the change on the pencils?.
@Rockman
I personally am. No hate for Chad Thomas but his art style is far too different from Spaz’s. It’s not going to feel like the same comic IMO.
Time Man looks awesome. He is my favorite in PU! I hope he retains that attitude he had in the game.
Whoa, going with Time Man already. I’m surprised. Guess this means we’ll see Oil Man soon.
Alternating between artists for each story arc would be a good idea. I could see some fatigue if it were all Spaz. As long as the comic is actually good, the art style doesn’t matter so much. I definitely want Spaz to stay on board, though!
I wish Archie the best of luck doing anything with Oil Man since the character is still a walking PR disaster waiting to happen.
A whole arc about Time Man does seem a bit weird though and I’m interested to see how they’re going to do it.
Time Man…? Oh HECK yes.
I can’t say I saw that coming, nor can I say that it isn’t totally awesome.
@Bob: It isn’t just for Time Man.
Notice the arc’s name: Time Keeps SLIPPING.
Very clever, guys.
Oh wow that actually is a good pun.
Hahahaha. I knew that Patrick wouldn’t do every comic, shame to those who got all excited for Patrick’s art.
Right well, I guess that confirms that I won’t be getting this comic series. I’d much rather have something that is consistent, maybe that’s why I prefer manga. At least I didn’t get my hopes up, unlike everyone else.
That seems a bit harsh there, Dr. Jerk, don’t ya think? But, I guess you must not be too familiar with American comics, as this isn’t anything new. =/
For that matter, though, this kind of thing has happened before in manga, too. Take Pokemon Adventures, for example.
Still, I guess that’s your decision to make, but so far, from what I’ve read of the first issue, this series seems to be pretty good… and while the art might not stay consistent, I remember hearing that Ian Flynn was going to be the sole writer of the series for a long time to come, so the writing will be consistent… and in my opinion, that’s actually the more important of the two, between the writing and the art, personally.
Granted, I do like the art of Patrick Spaziante more than that of Chad Thomas, but I think that, ultimately, a good story is what counts the most.
“Unlike everyone else”? What are you talking about? The comic isn’t about Spaz’s art. This is a Mega Man narrative. If you are just interested in a particular persons art it’s clear you have no real appreciation of comics. Or Mega Man, apparently.
Anyone who isn’t an ignoramus was already expecting some different artists and writers to have a go at it.
Dr. Derp more like it.
@Seiko: I have seen the variant pop up on eBay plenty of times already. Right now, there is still one up for $9.99 as a Buy It Now. Simple as searching “Archie, Megaman.” It’s a little overpriced, yes, but hopefully another will show up cheaper soon.
freaking awesome is the only words I can say
“Taking up the pen for this story will be none other than Chad Thomas”
Dropped.
And @ KGN-004, ” If you are just interested in a particular persons art it’s clear you have no real appreciation of comics. Or Mega Man, apparently.”
I have a GREAT appreciation comics. I collected them as a hobby for a good 10 years, and one of the reasons I no longer do so is because of the constantly changing art styles. I don’t care about Spaz persey except he is drawing everyone closely to what they should look like. Chad’s style is highly irregular and does not look like Mega Man. I don’t want a comic that features outlandish “takes” on how Mega Man looks. I want a comic that is 1) Consistent in the art and 2) Resembles the official style. It is obvious I was foolish to hope this would be such a comic, and I’m rather disappointed too because it looks like it was actually going to be decent from a plotting standpoint.
ALL CAPS TO GET EVERYBODY’S ATTENTION
For those who have read Issue #1, there’s a joke page at the very end. Aside from a few minor details in the art, it is almost identical to the style of the main comic. It’s not a lot to go by, but it was drawn by Chad Thomas. The concept art he made was only concept art. With the standard set, its more likely that this will be followed, especially with Chad demonstrating that he just may have the chops to pull it off.
If you still feel strongly about it, then I implore you to do what I will and send in some feedback. Demand that Spaz keeps going. At the very least, let’s not forget that so far we’re being promised a rather good series for as far ahead as they seem to have planned. If all else fails, the first issue has expressed that the writers and staff are quite well acquainted with the franchise.
I’m not saying it’s going to be fantastic. Inevitably there will be some flanderization and it happens to the best long running series out there. However, what HAS been planned and established is promising enough to warrant a fair assessment. It’s just been one issue so far. We’re literally not even halfway into the first arc.
From what I’ve seen, there’s much more to admire and anticipate than there is to complain or write off. Let’s not be negative! If you don’t wanna bother, that’s cool. I just think these comment sections get waaaay too pessimistic and depressive waaaay too easily.
It’s interesting how Sega demands Archie keep a certain visual style for the Sonic comic nowadays, but Capcom doesn’t do the same with Mega Man.
Kinda wish they would. I think Chad Thomas is a fantastic artist, but his style doesn’t fit Mega Man at all.
I doubt we’ll see much more of Spaz’s interior art in the book. My guess is he’s just here to get the comic off the ground, and other artists will take over from there.
Really hope we see some interior art from Ben Bates or Jamal Peppers. The former’s art style is perfect for the comic.
And people wonder why Capcom doesn’t seem to find the Mega Man franchise worth bothering with these days.
Thomas’s reminds me a bit of the Mega Man Universe style, in a way…
I hope this won’t be canceled before the first album came out.
I live in France, I can only get the Paperback.
Archie, please rememebre to release ALL in paperback after some time.
Money is not really the problem here.
@Clown Prince
They changed once and stayed persistent from there. They didn’t change every single freakin’ story arc.
If it’s fatigue, just turn down the volumes/month ratio and ask more for a single volume.
Dude… that Time Man variant is one of the best covers I’ve seen, EVER. It just oozes style…
I support PC about that Capcom should really keep their MM art consistent.
(@HeatPhoenix) Spaz can’t just ask for Archie to make the issues come out less often. Archie’s one of those companies that would rather maintain their release schedules and use different artists rather than just delay issues for one artist.
@Bob
I fail to see how a change in artists constitutes contempt for a franchise.
For the record, I also want Spaz to be the official artist for the series as well due to the fact that his style looks the closest to the official character designs sketched by Hideki but I can also understand that he doesn’t want to be burned out from having to maintain a strict monthly deadline.
On that note, I’m going to give Chad Thomas a chance to see if he can prove his mettle with Mega Man fans. His Short Circuits comic was pretty funny and I’m hoping that he understands what the fans expect.
@INSERT_COIN
I was referring to the negative comments in this comment thread about said chance. Sorry I figured that was easy enough of a thought to follow.
Given what kind of horrible malarky Sonic fans had to put up with over the years, the cries of “I’M DROPPIN’ THIS JUNK” because of the switch to Chad Thomas is utterly ridiculous and unwarranted.
I completely agree that Spaz would make a wonderful official artist for the book, but the dude’s freelance and probably has so many other commitments that a tightly maintained schedule for a monthly book probably isn’t in the cards for him.
All we’ve seen of Chad Thomas is one variant cover and his joke strip in the back of issue 1–give the dude the benefit of the doubt before some of you start throwing the contents of your toy boxes down the steps. The man is very talented, and even if his initial work on the book is a bit rough that does not instantly mean BOOK IS RUINED FOREVER.
To use the Sonic comic as an example, I used to think Manny Galan’s run on the book was awful–his initial issues were really awkward and chunky looking. But as he went on he got a better idea of what to do on the characters, and worked himself into one of the better artists of the book. I’m not saying you’ve gotta go ga-ga over Thomas’ art, but I hardly feel like he’s going to be the worst thing the book will have to offer.
Just be fortunate we won’t be seeing Ron Lim on this book. Look up his Sonic pages and you’ll see what I mean.
I think people are confusing “I want a consistant look” with “His art is ****”. Chad is obviously a skilled artist. But his style is just jaring and distastefully different.
Visual consistancy is important with branding and building an identity. Can we tell the guy in blue is Mega Man between two different people? Of course, but that constatn shift in appearance is still disruptive and breaks continuity of an ongoing property. You can have MANY artists on a book and not have any issue when you instruct them to maintain a certain visual look/standard. If an artist doesn’t want to work on a project that they have to draw something to look a certain way, they can choose not to work on it.
What I and I think a lot of folks are unhappy about is this turning into “lets see this guys wacky take on how he thinks Mega Man and co. should look” every month/arc/whatever. I don’t want to see any given artists “Take” on how Mega Man looks. I want to see Mega Man as he’s SUPPOSE to look. That’s my 2 cents, and why I’ll be dropping this if we do in fact go down that route.
Yeah… so… my interest in this comic pretty much lasts for as many issues as Spaz is drawing. This is disappointing news indeed. I thought he was supposed to be the series’ main artist for the long haul. I smell disappointment brewing. :/
(@Ash Paulsen) Really? We’ve known since NYCC that Spaz would only be drawing the first issue for so. We’re lucky getting him for the first four issues.
Fans of the Sonic comics have survived for years without Spaz doing the inside pages. MM fans can, too.
@TheRedPriest
We all want Spaz as much as anybody else but that all boils down to what he has agreed to with Archie Comics. This is also why it is important to send letters to Archie letting them know how important Spaz’s work is to the series. If there is great demand for Spaz, Archie could get the guy on for more issues.
After all, Archie can’t FORCE Spaz to work on the comic any more than what had originally been agreed upon. It’s starting to sound like we want Archie Comics to knock out Spaz with a beer bottle, take him to a shady basement and force him to draw Mega Man at gunpoint.
@Sockie
Ah, my bad. I haven’t been following the comic super-closely, so I was not previously aware of that.
And what you say about the Sonic comic is true, and the current art for that is pretty good. It’s still nothing compared to Spaz’s art, though, and I feel a lot more strongly about Mega Man than I do Sonic, so… yeah. Not too excited about this beyond volume 4.
I’m not really married to Spaz’s art, just the fact he was drawing it like it was suppose to look. If he became the regular artist, I certainly wouldn’t complain (well, I probably would, that’s what I do) but any decent artist can draw in a style that looks close.
@Sockie
I wasn’t saying Spaz had to do whatever I suggested, I was making a point in general business approach. What if your favorite anime had a character that looked different every freakin’ episode (I’m lookin’ at you Ranka)? Can’t stand it!
Anyhow, it’s not like I’m getting this comic anyway (Europe). So whatever…
(@HeatPhoenix) Comic books and animation are two completely different beasts, so that comparison doesn’t really work. Chad Thomas’ Mega Man isn’t some far outcry from the character, which is unfortunately an attitude I’ve seen a few people take.
Another thing about this is that we don’t yet know what issue 5′s insides will look like. I know that, based on the concept art, Chad Thomas’ Mega Man (and Proto Man) are a little off model… but that can change, and the guy can improve. Heck, the art he did for that comic strip at the end of the first issue was pretty good, actually… not to mention, his concept art of Wily was spectacular. I think too many people are jumping the gun.
Actually, that’s one thing that really is starting to worry me… the overreactions of supposed “fans”. This comic is quite possibly the best thing to happen to Mega Man in years, but the fandom’s ridiculously high “standards” could doom this comic. In a sense, I kind of agree with Bob, and am worried about the fate of this comic series. I don’t want this comic to die. A monthly Mega Man comic book is a dream come true for me, and I’ll be very upset if something so minor as different artists (something that happens with ALL American comic books) is what ends up killing the series, all because of a ridiculously demanding fandom. Nobody’s being realistic here, but then again, I don’t think very many people here really understand the comic book industry or how it works.
I wouldn’t worry. Anyone who digs Mega Man is going to buy the comics no matter what they say on an online message board. If Sonic can survive his fan base I don’t think Mega Man will have much issue.
Clown, I thought it was blatantly obvious after seeing Chad Thomas’ variant for the first issue that he will be having more of a role in the monthly publications than just merely being the gag artist. Heck, I don’t think Chad would’ve signed on for the project if he wasn’t allowed to have a major hand in the artistry somewhere down the road.
For crying out loud! This comic series could very well be the one thing that will coherently tie the entire Mega Man storyline together right from classic through to X, Zero and ultimately to Legends and fans want none of it unless Spaziante is on board for every issue. It’s understandable but unrealistic because the comic industry just doesn’t work that way. At the end of the day, it all boils down to what is agreed upon between Archie and Spaz.
So basically, they’re going to incorporate Time Man (and hopefully Oil Man) into a post-MM1 scenario. I figured they’d do as much, since the current arc is staying true to the original game and is not shoehorning the MMPU add-ons into it.
So far, I like what they’re doing, though I can’t help but feel that they had to introduce the Mega Buster early just to give Rock an excuse to name himself Mega Man.
Also, I like their #1 Off-Panel, but did they HAVE to explain the joke with that footnote? Any Mega Man fan worth his salt would get it, and those not familiar with the series need look no further than Wikipedia.
Yeah I’m not too crazy about Chad’s artwork myself because it looks to me like he had Toy Story in mind when he drew that concept art of Mega Man and Proto Man. Just didn’t feel like Mega Man. As stated above though, I sure hope he alters his style a little bit and gives it more of a Mega Man feel. Sure hope Spaz does a few more issues as well.
I also failed to state previously that the sketch variant cover the Chad Thomas drew for the first issue is pretty good. If the rest of his work looks anything like that I’d sure as hell welcome it.