TMMN Interviews Archie Mega Man Scribe Ian Flynn
Recently, we had the opportunity to interview Ian Flynn, the writer for the Mega Man comic book series, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog and other titles sold under the Archie banner. Knowing that there were some questions which went unanswered the last time we attempted this, we pulled some of those which were still relevant out of cobwebs, rewrote them a little bit, and the next thing we knew, we had an interview!
The Mega Man Network: Before the first issue was released, you had alluded in some interviews that you were not as familiar with Mega Man as you were with, say, Sonic, but that you had really boned up on researching the games and materials. How well would you say you have acclimated to writing for the Blue Bomber since then?
Ian Flynn: I’d say I’m well beyond where I was when the project was first offered to me. I’ve got the characters and the general timeline mapped out in my head with plenty of cheat-sheets and notes to reference from. I’ll never be as encyclopedic as I am with Sonic - which I grew up with and followed hardcore – but I definitely know my Mega Man basics now.
We’ve seen you as the sole writer of Sonic the Hedgehog for a few years now, as well as taking on Mega Man and the upcoming New Crusaders comic, among other projects. More recently, in Sonic Universe, artist Tracy Yardley! took up the task of writing the script. With all of these duties and this recent change, might we see someone else step in to script a Mega Man story arc? Or is it all you for the foreseeable future?
As far as I know, it’s me from here until who-knows-when. But things change, new opportunities arise, and you never know what the future will bring. So there may be new writers one day, but I have no idea when that day will be.
As of this interview, the storyline based on Mega Man 2 is just getting ready to start. Prior to this, we’ve seen you adapt the first Mega Man game, and follow it with a light adaptation of Mega Man Powered Up. With Dr. Wily’s Revenge being the next game in series chronology, will you be going right into that following MM2? Or might we see an original tale (i.e. non-adaptation) interspersed between some of the games? And how often might one expect original tales occur, if at all?
The next story arc will be completely original with a bit of world-building and fleshing out some new characters – all to the benefit of Mega Man‘s adventures, of course. As for the game chronology, while I’m sticking very closely to it, I will be deviating a little bit here and there for the benefit of the overall story. Some of the purists may cry foul, but trust me, I’m approaching this in a “MM1 to MM10” mindset rather than an “arc to arc” mindset.
Some characters in the games have less characterization than others; is there a certain way in which you might approach these, or might it be on a case-by-case basis?
Generally speaking, if there’s next to nothing in the extra material, I look at the powers, fighting style, theme music, and stage layout for the characters. I also try to glean the most prominent fan-accepted thoughts so that they can feel some vindication. It really varies from case to case, but I try to pool as much ancillary info as I can to derive the characterization.
Of those who do have more established personalities, are there any which have struck you as perhaps troublesome to include in an all-ages comic book, i.e. Grenade Man’s delight at being caught in explosions (“That felt good!” –Grenade Man, Mega Man 8)?
There’s nobody I’ve come across yet that causes too much concern. In the example of Grenade Man, that can be played for laughs and simply deemed “weird.” Older readers can take what connotations they want from it, but it’d be no more offensive than some of the stuff they pulled in the classic Looney Tunes cartoons. Anything that really crosses the line can be dialed back or have a work-around found for it (e.g. Oil Man’s scarf).
The Sonic comics are well known for taking aspects from the many different branches of the Sonic franchise– Adventures, SatAM, the video games, etc. Can fans expect to see influences from beyond the games in Mega Man, such as the animated series, Hitoshi Ariga’s manga, etc.?
I want Archie’s Mega Man to stand on its own, so at most I’ll be making nods, Easter eggs and little inside jokes when it comes to stuff like the Ruby-Spears cartoon. The late Dreamwave series is off-limits for legal reasons.
As for Ariga’s awesome stuff, I’d prefer to steer clear. He’s got his own incredible take on the series, and I think it’s more fun for it to be “his” and “our” interpretation of the franchise. (That, and it’s a little intimidating being put in comparison of his work.)
One of the Dreamwave comic’s claims to fame– or infamy, depending on who you ask– was the introduction of a love interest for Mega Man. Seeing as Archie has carried the torch for a similar departure from the games for Sonic (to its own share of controversy, admittedly), how likely is it we might see it happen again under your pen for the Blue Bomber?
Not likely at all. Rock is a little boy at heart, so at most he’ll have little crushes. He can still show affection, maybe even pine for someone a little, but romance doesn’t fit him or his story.
Regarding the games themselves, how obscure are you willing to go for material? Some which have been brought up include Mega Man Battle & Chase, Soccer, the WonderSwan Rockman & Forte, Rockboard, the DOS games, and of course, Super Adventure Rockman, which longtime series producer Keiji Inafune expressed a certain distaste for in the recent Complete Works art book due to it being “too violent” for what he believed the original series should be.
I’ll delve as deeply as Capcom will allow. It’s my intention to work in Super Rockman Adventure, Rockman and Forte 2 (the Wonderswan game) and Rockman Strategy to some degree. I’ve got an idea for Mega Man Soccer (heaven help me), but at the moment Battle & Chase and the DOS games are up for cameos rather than full-on adaptations.
Note that isn’t a complete list of the games I’d like to include, nor is it set in stone. Capcom has to approve everything, and seeing as we’re just now getting to MM2, there’s plenty of time to revise plans.
Once upon a time, “Sonic’s Friendly Nemesis” Knuckles managed to get his own limited series, then an ongoing series. In addition, there were minis for Tails and even Princess Sally, with Sonic Universe apparently filling a similar role to some degree now.
But with a cast featuring characters such as Proto Man, Bass, and even Duo, how likely do you think it is that any of them could find themselves with a mini or ongoing series, or even for a second series such as Sonic Universe (a “Mega Man Universe,” if you will– we hear Capcom’s not doing anything with that one) to happen? Or is it more likely that Archie would rather move on to adapt another Mega Man series (X, Legends, etc.)?
It all hinges on sales and fan-feedback, really. I know Capcom is very positive and supportive of the comic and what it could be. I think I speak for everything on the comic team when I say we’d love to do more Mega Man projects. If the fans can prove they’d support more, then there’s a good chance we’ll produce more. Whether those projects are spin-offs in the classic series or of the later series (X, Zero, etc.) is largely up to you guys. So buy more books and demand more books!
Finally, we’re sure you’ve heard the question dozens of times, if not more, and will no doubt continue to hear until it happens: Mega Man & Sonic– we won’t ask if it will happen, but rather, what do you think it would take for this to come to pass? After all, we’ve had Sonic and his crew mix it up with the gang from Image comics, and that seems way more out of left field– especially since there is already (old) official art of the two blue heroes shaking hands.
It would take SEGA and Capcom to agree to make it happen. That’s it. If they both say “go,” you better believe we’ll go. If you want Sonic & Mega Man to happen, contact them and show your support for the idea.
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That’s all we have for now. However, over at Destructoid, our man Tony Ponce got to conduct his own interview with Flynn about the comic, and it carries a much more conversational tone (we had to submit ours by e-mail) with its own approach to the subject matter, so be sure to check it out!
And we would like to thank Archie Comics for setting this up, and Ian Flynn for taking the time to answer these questions. With any luck, we’ll have the chance to do this again sometime soon!
Tags: Archie, comic, Mega Man, Mega Man Classic, Merchandise
Filed under: Mega Man News
Cool.
So, the next storyline will be original. Should be interesting.
Sonic X Megaman
called it!
I’ve read the interview over at Destructoid and I’m a little concerned about Bass possibly debuting more earlier than expected. While it may please the Bass fans, it may not go over well with game purists who want to see Bass adapted in the MM7 storyline. Bass’ debut in MM7 was one of the more memorable scenes in the entire series and putting him in beforehand could throw the writing process off for the entire series.
@INSERT COIN
I’d be more concerned about the fact he more or less implied he’ll be summarizing some of the games between MM1 and 10.
Can’t say I’m surprised the pacing was already too fast as is.
Insert Coin: Before jumping to conclusions, do bear in mind that Bass’s first dialogue with Mega Man states that he and Treble had been trying to “stop Dr. Wily while [Mega Man has] been gone.”
That’s always been an interesting little hook which was never really explored, and Ian may have designs on expanding on that– I certainly know I would, to say nothing of the fact that Bass had to have been created sometime before Mega Man 6, since Wily goes straight to jail from there.
Hell, thinking over it again myself, it would practically be a disservice if Ian did wait until Mega Man 7 to debut Bass and Treble, unless he did flashbacks after-the-fact.
at the group picture, do they really need to pose something like that? lol well megaman and wily are accepted because he is talking to dr.light and the rest… mehh….. pathetic.. LOL
LBD: Are you sure that Bass was really trying to “stop” Dr. Wily? I thought he was simply just screwing around with Mega Man early on just to get on his good side.
Let’s not forget that there are a myriad of other major characters that Mega Man will have to contend with before Bass. For Mega Man 3, he will need to deal with Proto Man and possibly Shadow Man to a lesser extent. For 4, Cossack and 5, Star Man. Bass could appear in 6 but how could he be made to appear relevant in the story while not deviating from the main plotline of 6? These are things that Flynn will have to contend with when those arcs eventually get covered.
Bob: I think the summarizing of the games might be another reason why Bass could be debuting sooner. The fans want Bass but they don’t want to wait YEARS for him to show up. Perhaps the summarization of the main points of the game adaptations could be considered a necessary evil in order to get all the main characters debuted.
Look at Auto for instance. He was given his debut just now because it was never officially stated how long he, Rock, Roll and Doctor Light knew each other. If a technicality can be exploited for the sake of more characters, it can be done.
Insert Coin: I’m not sure of anything; I’m only saying there there is room for a story there that would take place before Mega Man 7.
As for when, an arc before or after 6 could work. Bass is obviously not likely to really work against Wily, but he could still put on a show for appearances. If Mega Man was really “gone” somewhere, then I’m sure Bass would have little problem picking up the slack.
@storyline will be original.
..Oh no. NONONONONONO.
Flynn, if you do this, it will turn into a soap opera. Trust me on this.
“You had really boned up on researching the games and materials.”
“Boned up”. Tee hee hee! Okay, seriously, I’m glad to hear that Flynn is taking an original approach to the next story arc. I don’t want the comic to turn into a ‘boss of the day’ routine for the entire run, so if the Flynn wants to write something that expands upon the universe and characters, I’ll be the first to support him.
One question that has not been answered is probably the most crucial: how long can the comic continue given the current state of the franchise? Let’s face it, the Blue Bomber is languishing, and unless Capcom provides more games, I don’t know if Archie can sustain Megsy on their own.
Glitcher: You weren’t around with the Sonic comics during the Saturn era, were you? ;P
Glitcher: If people are going to stop supporting the comic because they’ve lost faith in the franchise, then they have nobody but themselves to blame if Archie chooses to cancel it due to lack of sales. Honestly, I’m sick of hearing people be a bunch of Debbie Downers towards the future of this comic just because of game cancellations.
LBD: Remember, when Bass debuted in MM7, people weren’t sure whose side he really was on until much later in the game. That sense of intrigue and wonder about his motives could be lost if he were to debut and be focused on earlier than normal. Maybe the fans won’t care but it could ruin that aspect for newer readers to the series unless Flynn can maintain his neutral stance throughout.
Also @ Glitcher:
The Sonic comics literally kept the character and franchise alive for at least two years, probably more. For a time it was the ONLY thing with the character in it at all–this is likely one of the big reasons it evolved the way it did. Without games or cartoon series to derive stuff from, and SEGA apparently giving the writers more “free reign” than now, they killed off the series main villain, and for over a year focused on entirely original material.
Though I disagree on the extent of Mega Man’s fall (One really, really bad year does not a dead franchise make) and the book’s odds of success might have been better if Archie started it upon release of Mega Man 9, a single, ongoing comic book might be just what the doctor ordered to breathe new life into the franchise. It’s happened before…
@ Gaia
Even with all the in-game material to draw from, there’s no way the book will last without original stories, arcs, and yes, even characters. As long as they don’t overshadow the main cast–as has happened occasionally with the Sonic Books, and in hands as skillful as Flynn (I came back to the Sonic books specifically because of his stories), I’m sure the integrity of the franchise will hold through some original arcs.
@Insert Coin
Bass coming early is never mentioned at all, he even states that Bass is a long ways away.
Destructoid: But yes, it’s great that you have this vast stable of characters to pick from. It should provide plenty of material for a good long while. Speaking of which, is there any one game in particular that you are really excited about covering?
Flynn: Oh, I can’t narrow it to one. I can’t wait to get to MM4 and Dr. Cossack’s story. I want to get to Proto Man and Bass, even if the latter is way down the line at this point.
Destructoid: Bass made that cameo appearance in one of the extra comic shorts.
Flynn: Right, and I hope we can tide folks over with that for a b
it.
I would love to see where Archie’s Mega Man Series will go,hell it’ll be cool to see Mega’s Armor in Marvel Vs Capcom Clash of Super Heroes make an appearance. I havn’t missed a single issue yet of Mega Man!
Rockman Strategy adaptation… I’m sold.
Even if you exclude the EXE and Starforce series, whose licenses are tied up by other companies I guess, there’s a hugeeee amount of Mega Man content to cover.
I wonder how much thought he has putting into Duo and his whole existence? Where did he come from? What does he normally do? Who was that purple robot he was chasing? What did that robot due to begin with? I’m super excited about Megaman 8′s story if we ever get to it. =]
I hope the GB games don’t get glossed over. The Megaman Killers would make excellent recurring villains and their development was basically a roadmap for Wily to Bass, and even Zero beyond him. Really, I’m happy with just about everything in this series so far, but Enker, Punk and Ballade (and Quint if they can work his story in a good way, which Flynn probably can given Scourge and the Zone Cop in Sonic) are a couple of characters I’d like to see get fleshed out in more than just web comics.
Flynn states that the next story arc will be original. I wonder what it could be?
I for one welcome the original story idea. I mean, though there are more than enough games in the Classic series, but original stories would really lighten the pace a bit. We might even see more Robot Master action, so count me in!
‘Course, after the original story, it either has to be Wily’s Revenge, or 3. Though 3 would work better ’cause Wily’s re-control after the first arc over the MM1 RMs already happened in the 2nd arc. So MM3 would be better as the next arc after the original. XD
Btw, just as a head’s up, the new arc after MM2? It’s first issue has its cover now.
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/1112/17/archiemarch.htm
Waaa, wrong link. I’m so sorry. Here it is.
http://www.rockmancorner.com/2012/01/cover-and-solicitation-for-mega-man-13.html
I support the Sonic/Mega man crossover and I’m glad Ian seems ok with doing it if Capcom and Sega allows him.
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MEGAMAN & MARIO & SONIC
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