Mega Man #53

By Ian Flynn, Ryan Jampole, Gary Martin, John Workman, Elaina Unger

With so much chaos and confusion going on in the latest crossover event, Mega Man deserved a break. Even superheroes need time to recharge. Issue 53 is exactly that….a time for Mega Man to rest, as well as a time for reflection and planning for the future. This is where the brilliance of Mega Man really shines.

From the start, Archie’s Mega Man has had more heart and meaning than half the books on the shelves. In issue 53, Mega Man has time to visit the various robot masters and check up on the status quo of things. Everyone appears to be happy and that’s great, but this makes Mega Man even more sad and conflicted than he already was. Mega Man’s programming became adjusted to war to the point where he now has a hard time being at peace. When all of your body and mind has been prepped for constant battle, how do you function when there is only peace? These are the crazy questions being asked in a comic that claims to be for kids. I don’t know, man. This is some pretty deep stuff.

There is also some follow-up to Wily’s position, as well as his current situation with Mr. X. Needless to say, Mega Man’s life won’t be peaceful for long. Mr. X’s story has been a long time coming and Ian Flynn ties the entire series together very well. You can tell that we’re going to be wrapping things up soon (boo), but where this will lead us is unclear. Will it bring us to another Mega Man series? One can only hope.

Ryan Jampole returns for art duties and that is never a bad thing. Jampole gives the characters a light-hearted look, with comical faces and looks of child-like hope. It’s really adorable art and very pleasing to skim through. Colorist Elaina Unger’s work is pretty incredible as well. Our heroes are very bright and almost demand to be admired, while our villains are hidden in darker tones. The contrast in shading among characters and scenes is a subtle, yet very effective way to make the art a part of the story.

With only two more issues left, this issue is bittersweet. Archie’s Mega Man is going on a “hiatus.” We’re not sure what the future holds for this great series, but Archie hasn’t let us down yet. This issue is a great example of why we need a series like Mega Man.