Not long ago we teased Mega Man #17 and #18, which will continue a storyline that delves into the origins of Proto Man. Writer Ian Flynn gave us a Unity-exclusive message regarding this story arc and what else he has in store for those upcoming issues.

When it was first announced that Archie was going to do a Mega Man comic, the first reaction I usually got from fans was: “That’s great!”  The second, immediate response was: “When is Proto Man going to show up?”  Well now that we’ve got a solid year of books behind us showing off the Blue Bomber, it’s time we moved on to… wait, does Blues have a nickname?  The Scarlet Sniper?  The Wandering Whistler?  The Shaded Scarf-Wearer?

Anyway, we’re devoting two lead stories to telling the origin of Blues, a.k.a. ProtoMan.  We’ll be looking at how he became the lone wolf character we know and love and what it was that drove him away from Light Labs.  This story has a special tie-in to events that are currently taking place beginning in Mega Man #15, which will be on sale early next month. We’ll also be seeing the origin to his alter ego, BreakMan. 

In addition to “Proto-Type”, this issue marks the first time we experiment with having back-ups in the Mega Man comic, so folks can look forward to a broader exploration of the Mega Man Universe, and some funny misadventures with the Light Robot Masters!

Above: Sketch from 2010 Mega Man comic pitch. Art by Chad Thomas, who is also handling the art for the Proto Man arc in #17-#18

As always, check out the Archie store for subscription details, or hit up your local comic shop!