| Title | : | Mega Man 1: Let the Games Begin |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1879794853 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781879794856 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 110 |
| Publication | : | First published May 11, 2011 |
Dr. Light wanted to build a better tomorrow with his new Robot Masters, but the evil Dr. Wily reprogrammed them to take over the world! Now it's up to one little robot to save us all -- Mega Man!
Don't miss the first heroic adventures of Rock, a simple helper robot who takes up the fight for the greater good! This volume contains Rock's transformation into Mega Man, his first battles with the Robot Masters, and his titanic clash with Dr. Wily!
"Mega Man Vol. 1" collects issues 1-4 of the "Mega Man" comic book.
Mega Man 1: Let the Games Begin Reviews
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This book similar to all books. Like there is a bad guy and a superhero. Superhero captures the bad guy, and the bad guy runs away again bla bla bla.
But still it's nice -
Having been a Mega Man fan for nearly 20 years, I was thrilled with this new comic. If you've read or own the manga Megaman Megamix, rest assured, this comic collection is NOT a copy of that. Yes. this book follows the events of the first game, but the storytelling and art are different than what you find in Megamix, including some smaller details, so if you're a Megaman fan, you will definitely want this for your collection. The artwork is also very nice, and there's some nice bonus features in the back. Two thumbs up!
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Not only is this series awesome, but the writer worked in lyrics from a Megas song. I love it! I had doubts about it since it's a comic written about a game series and and I'd never read any comics from Archie. As you can tell from my opening statement, I was pleasantly surprised. Great art, fun writing, it's fantastic.
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The Mega Man comic series reminds me a lot of Batman: The Animated Series. It's framed in a way that's appealing to younger audiences, but tackles some serious themes and subject matter that older audiences can enjoy.
This first volume is decent. Just decent. Ian Flynn is a great writer, and I really enjoy his interpretation of these characters, but he's trying to adapt the plot of Mega Man 1 in just 4 issues and do a brand new character arc every issue, and that's really not enough space to do these ideas any justice. For example, during one point of the story Rock (Mega Man) is dealing with the fact that he is essentially attacking/killing his own kind, and he tries to cope with that by compartmentalizing all of his emotions. His family (Roll and Dr. Light) help him process those emotions by reminding him that, unlike his opponents, he's fighting because he values life and wants to defend it, instead of extinguish it. A really cool concept for a character arc, but because of its length it gets only 22 pages dedicated to it, and in context of the story starts and finishes in less than a day. It's still a decent read, everyone has a distinct tone and personality, but it's not as good as it could be.
The art though is flat out gorgeous. I don't remember ever seeing Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante work on a comic's interior art, but he's just as great at interiors as he is his on cover art! The panel composition is solid and the characters emote really well too. It's always awesome to see Matt Herms on colors. I first saw his work on Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe books and I swear, everything this guy works on looks great. The colors are vibrant and helps add a lot of depth to the art.
If you're a fan of classic Mega Man games, pick this up. Despite its shortcomings it's a great adaptation of Mega Man 1 and I think you'll have a lot of fun. If you're new to the series though I'd recommend jumping on with Mega Man Vol. 3. The art isn't as great as it is in this volume, but the story is far more focused and makes better use of the space it has. -
It's a shame that this book falls so short of greatness.
The story itself is something that's way too compressed to really have a positive standout of an idea in its four issue storyarc as either a straight adaptation of the original Mega Man game and as a postmodern interpretation of the series that puts a focus on how Mega Man would realistically deal with the trauma of fighting other robots when he feels a sibling relationship with them, how the world's problems are laid onto his shoulders and his attempts at avoiding combat and instead appeals to the Robot Master's better natures.
The story's pacing was far too frantic, the action was mishandled and the emotional look of the mindsets of Mega Man, his sister Roll, their father, Doctor Light, are all too short to really be effective. This might've been helped if they had allowed the story to be covered in five issues instead of four so It could feel like the story could take a break and catch its second wind.
While I do lament its briefness, the focus on character development for Mega Man and his family is a well done element. They all support each other, love each other and show concern for each other, especially when Mega Man is in the warzone caused by Wily. Nothing about it felt melodramatic or ill thought out, but like I said earlier, too brief to let yourself be emerged into it.
While I do like the artstyle and how its a close replica of the game series, it's not something I can honestly recommend as a highlight of the book. The pages are far too cramped to be able to convey the story naturally, the page design seems to want to be something from a manga but its not done very well. It feels to me that the artist and writer were not working all that closely to one another to avoid the messy pages.
If you can move past its awkward parts, you'll soon see a good story with a well rounded cast that does its job well enough. It definitely gets better in the proceeding story arcs (particularly the fourth volume). -
When I was much younger, I really enjoyed this book. I had never even heard of Mega Man- I just one day saw it at my library and decided to check it out. Overall, I would rate it 3.5 stars. The rest of these books are also pretty okay. Mega Man is sort of a wimp at least twice every book, but other then that- It was a great series. Well done, Capom.
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Some fun little mega man comics! Ian's writing adds some flair and depth to the very basic plot of the first Mega Man video game. Spaziante's art is a perfect fit, all the robot masters look great and there's a lot of clear, readable action sequences.
All that to say, I just really like mega man and this book is largely about him so I like it. -
Pretty okay. It seemed a little rushed.
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Un cómic muy mono y muy rápido que se centra mucho en la personalidad de Mega Man y cómo llega a ser quién es. Bastante bueno.
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Fun, colorful series that really cannon to the games
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Excellent Series!
Takes the bit of Mega Man Lore out there & gives it a great expansion. Really wish it was longer (ends just before the events of Mega Man 4) but still very happy with what we got! -
Oh the nostalgia. I enjoyed this and will continue to read the series. It gives a bit of an Astro Boy vibe, which I am completely fine with.
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This series is fantastic, and that’s coming from a huge fan of the Mega Man games.
Fellow MM enthusiasts will be all too familiar with the plot. Dr. Light is a brilliant scientist (and Santa lookalike) who creates a series of robots called “Robot Masters” to perform menial tasks and make society better. Bomb Man, for examples, was created for demolition and land development, Elec Man to control the voltage of nuclear power plants and so on.
Light also creates two child-like robots- Rock and Roll – to help around the lab and act as surrogate children.
But things all go south when Light’s former partner Dr. Wily captures and reprograms the Robot Masters for his own nefarious purposes. Seriously, who would have thought a guy with the name “Wily” might be evil?
With no human capable of defeating the now evil Robotmasters, Rock steps up and agrees to be weaponized to take them down himself. Rock has a good heart and is kind of an Aang-type character. He believes he can defeat the Robot Masters and bring them back for Light to reprogram for good once more. He’s given a blaster and armor and rechristened as:
The story elements from the game are all there and writer Ian Flynn obviously has a lot of love for the characters. I wouldn't have imagined so much pathos being infused into a "run and gun" style game adaptation, but Flynn pulls it off effortlessly.
The MM comics remind me of the great licensed comics guys like Larry Hama and Bill Mantlo were writing in the 80s (when I started reading comics) - fun, all ages superhero stories with a nice balance of character work, world building and action.
There may be no new Mega Man game in sight, but these comics certainly do a great job in scratching that MM itch.
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I'm inclined to be pretty forgiving of the by-the-numbers character development in this volume--which is my primary complaint against it--since 1) limited page count in comics means limited space to work with, 2) kids' comic, and 3) Flynn's work on Sonic has convinced me that if you hang in there, you'll be richly rewarded.
The art and plotting/blocking did a really good job of mimicking video game structure, which was very cool. And Spaziante's art is wonderful--he has a real talent for conveying emotion in body language and facial expressions, and of giving a sense of corporeality that comes through even in the highly stylized designs here (and of giving you chills; when the copy Mega Man first appears it's like 'Geez, run, Rock, he looks like he wants to eat your skin')--to a level that it mitigated some of the above-mentioned character development issues. For example, Rock's transition during the Gutsman battle from a slightly naive and panicked fighter to a more withdrawn, sealed-off emotional state is works even within such a limited time frame because of a dialogue-less page where he first uses a new weapon. Not just the facial expressions and posture but even the layout of the panels and their angles of view push a sense of solemnity that makes you buy in to the following changes in Rock's personality.
I had a harder time buying the flip to a brash, arrogant attitude, but that could partially be because my first introduction to Mega Man was the Sonic crossover and so that jarred significantly with my conceived impressions of him. Plus, pacing issues. From the notes in the gag strips, it seems like they didn't know how long this series was going to last, so there was a rush to complete this arc in just 4 issues. (It's a credit to both Flynn and Spaziante that they managed to retroactively make those scenes work while also showing Dr. Light's fondness for his kids and creating repercussions for Rock's attitude when one of the robot masters he was a jerk to didn't want to join up with him later.)
Both hopeful and expectant that the series only gets better with time. -
This was fantastic! Truly and utterly fantastic!
I actually just e-mailed the creators (Ian Flynn (writer) and Patrick Spaziante (artist)) and told them what an incredible job they did.
Over the past day or so, I have been waxing nostalgic playing Zelda on my 3DS, revisiting from favorite comic book store as a child, and basically regressing emotionally to a less stressful time in my life.
I found myself in a comic book store to get the first set of DC #1s in the big 52 reboot. While there I noticed Mega Man Issue #5 and went...what!? Archie Comics is rebooting Mega Man. For those who don't know, Mega Man is one of Nintendo's flagship characters along side Mario and Link. I've always loved Mega Man and his mythology has gotten surprisingly complex over the years as many of his games have stuck to continuity as opposed to Mario and Link.
Flynn and Spaziante decide to start the title with Mega Man's origin story and essentially work through the first Mega Man video game. The artwork and coloring are gorgeous and really capture the wonderful timeless quality of the video game. The writing is very well done as it does well to stay accessible to its younger audience while at the same time making statements about technology and abuse of power and the struggle to stop evil by taking part in the very thing you oppose. There are also some nice hints to Dr. Light's shady past and ProtoMan who will become a major part of the series (I expect). The writing is humorous when it needs to be, but never pandering. I will definitely be purchasing these trade paperbacks as long as they make them. Also, I feel an overwhelming desire to play Mega Man 1 right now.
Absolutely fantastic! A must read for any Mega Man fan or for any younger kids who are looking for an exciting new series that is thought provoking and a lot of fun! -
Archie Comics' "Mega Man: Let The Games Begin" is a trade paperback that collects the issues of the first story arc of the company's comic book adaptation of video game publisher/developer Capcom's "Mega Man" franchise.
To get straight to the point, the "Let The Games Begin" story arc is faithful to the roots of the series by fleshing out the storyline of pure-of-heart lab assistant robot known as Rock volunteering to be upgraded into a combat robot to thwart the megalomaniac machinations of the mad scientist Dr. Wily.
And so, with the guidance of his creator and father figure Dr. Thomas Light and the support of fellow lab assistant and sister Roll, Rock takes the heroic nom de plume of "Mega Man" and must defeat the six stolen and reprogrammed Robot Masters before confronting Dr. Wily himself.
The writing of comic writer Ian Flynn is fairly top-notch and peppered with in-universe references and foreshadowing teases that are sure to please die-hard fans of the Mega Man video games. Plus, he really provides a nice touch on the dialogue of the characters and bestows some pretty solid personality traits upon the characters.
Plus, I really have to give the comic BONUS POINTS for the art work being flawlessly true to the official artwork of the classic Mega Man era. The overall look of the comic is incredibly superb, to be frank.
Wrapping this up, I recommend "Mega Man 1: Let the Games Begin" to fans of comic book and video game fans alike. Definitely worth a read. -
Simply amazing...
I'm nostalgic almost as a rule (who doesn't like revisiting their childhood on occasion) so when I saw this, first the comic then the collection of the first four issues, I nearly exploded with joy.
Mega Man has been brought back to life and not the Mega Man we've been forced to endure in recent years, but classic Mega Man and old school villains. The story brings back memories of the old cartoon show and the original game and I admit, I read through it more than a few times.
Definitely worth a read for any fan of Mega Man, especially fans of the older series. -
Dr. Light has created robots to better the world, but the evil Dr. Wily turns things for the worse when he reprograms them to take over the world. Mega Man is the heroic figure who fights back and takes on Dr. Wily to save the day.
This is a fictional comic book. The story has a simple and predictable good vs. evil plotline, with plenty of action and spunk for the comic enthusiast. It contains a main character that is now also popular in video games and may be well liked by the gamer crowd. -
It's amazing how much adventure Ian Flynn manages to pack into four issues. This collection covers the entire first game, plus the basic setup for the series. Indeed, the only reason it didn't get the fifth star is that it occasionally feels too fast - there's a bunch of moments that could stand to be lingered on. Still, Flynn is excellent at "getting to the good part", and navigating the waters between what makes a video game fun and what makes a comic book fun. The art, as always with Pat Spaziante, is bright and clear, simple while still holding plenty of visual interest.
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Amusing overview of the 1987 video game. Added a narrative expounding on the two sheets of story in the instruction booklet included with the NES cartridge. Additional interactions keep it interesting for new readers, while attention to the game's details, gameplay quarks (that all-important magnet beam) and optimal/suggested boss order are included, capturing the nostalgia for adults familiar with the source material.
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I'm not the target age or audience for this. I would happily recommend it to that age and audience. NOT AS GOOD AS POKEMON. (Very moral-oriented/repetitive and not as imaginative. Also, one of the robots to help the world was called CUT MAN and he was assigned to forestry--I'm sensing a conflict of interest.)
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Cute, charming, but relatively cookie-cutter. Very basic plot and art. This is a children's comic, however, so I don't necessarily say it's bad. Just not the most outrageous and beautifully crafted graphic novel I've ever seen. Lol, also always saw Mega Man as a much more MEGA thing, but this makes it seem like Astro Boy or something. Must have had the wrong ideas...
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An interesting intro to a new generation of Megaman comics. Ian Flynn's new take on the universe will surely delight younger fans of this wonderful Nintendo game, but older fans should be forewarned that it may not be as exciting as the gaming days of yore. Worth a read for Megaman fans, but so far nothing to be overly amazed with.
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I have been a fan of 'Spaz's' artwork for a every long time, so I hunted down the first four issues of this comic! Let's 'Rock!' I know the story of Megaman very well, but it's nothing like seeing different takes on the flow of the story.
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I read the preview of the Megaman 1st book on the Archie iOS app & to tell you, i was very amazed in the work Ian Flynn put together. I also liked the series of Mega Man games & I really loved it. I'm hoping I'd get #10 of the series.
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J MEGAMAN GRAPHICNOVL
Mega Man. Volume one, Let the games begin
Mega Man. Volume two, Time keeps slipping
Mega Man. Volume three, The return of Dr. Wily
Mega Man. Volume 4, Spiritus ex machina
Mega man. Volume five, Rock of ages -
Really lighthearted good fun^^ the story is childishly simple but given the source material it really actually adds a lot of depth and complexity. Would love to see these guys tackle the X storyline (and maybe even give it a proper conclusion!)
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Absolutely fantastic. And the art and colors are perfect.
