Mega Man #47

By Ian Flynn, Ryan Odagawa, Gary Martin, Evan Stanley, John Workman

Ian Flynn must be some sort of writing wizard. There’s no way a mortal man can write Mega Man so freakin’ well. Even when there’s not much plot development, this guy still manages to leave fans speechless.

Mega Man and Rush are deep inside Wily’s Castle, tackling numerous challenges and playing out the events of the final levels of Mega Man 3. Not only must Mega Man get past the Mark 2 Yellow Devil and Copy Robots, but he must also have his inevitable showdown with DOC Robot. All three fights are genuinely thrilling and pieced together perfectly. While these fights are happening, Flynn reminds us of Mega Man’s true nature. Mega Man was created to learn and fighting is the last thing that he wants to do. There’s a bit of irony on the surface of Mega Man’s character: he wants to love and grow, but he can’t seem to get away from what he does best, which is fighting.

DOC Robot contains the chips of eight Robot Masters, all of which Mega Man desperately wants to save. There’s a lot of pain and regret in Mega Man’s actions that make the little robot very human in nature. Flynn isn’t just writing a video game character, he’s creating a painful hero’s journey.

Throughout this entire arc, the art has been firing on all cylinders. Ryan Odagawa turns in another fantastic issue, with Stanley’s colors and Martin’s inks adding to the flair. Odagawa really knows how to depict every punch and every look of pain. The more that you stare at this issue, the more brilliant the artwork becomes.

In a move shocking no one, Mega Man #47 is as brilliant as the other 46 issues. The lack of plot development is padded by exciting action and character development. You really can’t ask for much more than that.