Not too long ago, we uncovered an intriguing tidbit about the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon - it nearly had an official comic book adaptation. Back in 1995, Bruce Hamilton Publishing had plans to bring this tie-in to life, but information about it was scarce, leaving us in the dark about what it might have looked like.
Today, I'm excited to reveal that we've gained much more insigh. Perhaps a little too much. I recently connected with a collector who managed to acquire two very interesting samples from this unpublished endeavor. These pages were crafted by the Day brothers, Dan and David, known for their work on several Marvel Comics projects, Dungeons & Dragons, and other titles.
These pages served as part of a rejected pitch for the Mega Man comic, which aimed to feel out how the characters would translate from TV to print. The left page directly pulls from the show's control art. There's a lot to take in, but that final panel is a mighty middle finger to the Law of Robotics. Meanwhile, the right page showcases a dynamic battle with Pharaoh Man. You gotta love the mildly terrifying agony in Mega Man's face. That's pure concentrated reaction image fodder right there.
As for the reasons behind the comic's rejection, the details are somewhat elusive (though surprisingly, disturbing visuals are not one of them). Early discussions with individuals from that era suggest it could be attributed to the TV series losing momentum and a shift towards Power Rangers across several industries. The rise of Power Rangers marked the end for not only Ruby-Spears' Mega Man but also several other traditionally animated properties of the period.
There's more to discover and share about this intriguing piece of lost history. Stay tuned for further updates!
I imagine that Pharaoh Man is pissed because Mega Man copied his Robot Master weapon, "Pharaoh Punch".
ReplyDeletePharaoh Punch?! 🤣 What kind of weapon is that!? I thought Pharaoh Shot and Pharaoh Wave were the only Robot Master weapons Mega Man copied.
DeleteSomeone clearly hasn't watched enough of the Ruby-Spears cartoon to know about the infamous Pharaoh Punch.
Deletea weapon to surpass metal gear....
Delete"Now I've got your power!"- Mega Man seconds before disaster.
DeleteThis is incredible. I love seeing this look at a slight off-model RSMM.
ReplyDeleteMan, can you imagine a gritty comic re-imagining of Curse of the Lion Men?
LOL to that pic of MM smiling while punching Wily. That is very out of character for Megaman or the series in general. Probably why it wasn't included in the cartoon, despite oddly enough, the 'Die Wily' in MM7 was allowed in the English version. English translations need to stop changing the stories of things or dialog too much; one of a few reason why subbed anime is better than dubbed usually, though of course I know the Ruby Spears cartoon was American from the start and not too bad, and I remember it on in the 90s (just saw some eps here and there; not all of them).
ReplyDeleteI never watched the entirety of MMBN anime, stopped shortly after PharoahMan I think (ironic). I saw the first few episodes in Japanese. It was superior. By far.
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DeleteIf you seen one subbed or dubbed anime, you’ve seen them all. They’re all the same to me. But in the MM7, Wily was going to be killed, until he was saved by Bass. And Bass said, “He who hesitates is lost.”
DeleteBut Mega man never meant to threaten/kill Wily.
Delete" But in the MM7, Wily was going to be killed,"
DeleteNo, he wasn't. Research will show that in the Japanese version, he never made that threat at all. Also even if the dialog was canon, he doesn't have the free will to kill humans, unlike X.
Charging the buster while aiming at Wily regardless of dialogue sounds like a threat to me. Guess that's the point, Rock can't harm Wily but allowing him to live leads to Wily harming others making him indirectly responsible. An unavoidable contradiction, paradox, oxymoron.
DeleteKind of akin to how Batman let the Joker live, killing many in the process.
Delete"one of a few reason why subbed anime is better than dubbed usually"
DeleteSigh, another eyerolling comment. Another reason original audio watchers are cancer.
"Sigh, another eyerolling comment. Another reason original audio watchers are cancer."
DeleteAnother eyerolling comment.
"Sigh, another eyerolling comment. Another reason original audio watchers are cancer."
DeleteWell in my experience, watching uncensored subs are better than censored heavily altered dubs, to me, at least. No need to insult people because of their preference. That was uncalled for. Go watch Yugioh dubs then watch the uncensored subs (Dragon Ball Z and Super too), to see what I mean, or even Sailor Moon. Having choice is nice, isn't it? Don't like it, go watch the dub without insulting the sub watchers and come back with a more intelligent more mature comment, else don't say anything at all. To attack someone and name call over something as trivial as an entertainment preference shows a lack of character, empathy, and likely arguing with a child, kind of akin to many youtube childish comments. I see people calling each other stupid and name calling or worse because they disagree on a storyline detail of a fictional game or show, or just have different preferences. That is pretty low and immature, if I do say so myself. A person is not stupid if they get a story detail wrong or likes something else. That is a bit extreme and unhinged. Sometimes it is better to know when to not say anything at all. For example, I don't care for Dive, but I won't call someone stupid just because they like it. That has absolutely nothing to do with if they are a good person, intelligent, etc. Some could argue standards, but even that is often subjective. I am not going to call them cancer. That is going way way too far.
"original audio watchers are cancer."
DeleteHave fun with a made up story by 'localizers' with over the top crap acting then rather than the one the actual writers came up with. Just don't complain when there isn't any consistency.
Rock should've discharged at Wily. He already violated the first law by allowing Wily to live. Even if it's dramatic it could've ended right there. The thing is that the laws of robotics are flawed and only serve for setting up scenarios in fictional stories. Look at the text: "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm." "May" injure which means that they could injure.
DeleteAnd a part where Bass saved Wily from almost getting killed, don’t forget that.
DeleteYou’re Ted talking me about the flaws of the laws of robotics?! Was there a flaw on the heart of that Blue Maverick Hunter who protects humanity from the Mavericks?!
DeleteThe cluster of sub watchers I've dealt with are quite unhinged themselves because they celebrate dub actors dying for no reason other than "that means one less person to ruin anime and games with English dubbing". When Chris Ayres passed away, there was a nasty group of DBZ sub watchers who literally posted "Good riddance" in response to it, claiming that one less dub actor out there is a great thing. You can't tell me that's justified.
DeleteYeah, that is not justified. That is called lacking empathy and being childish and people from all walks of life are guilty of that. Celebrating actors dying (just because they don't like their voice of all things?) and worse, making it public is very low indeed. I think it is nice to have a choice between sub and dub, and sometimes dub is the only option especially before the net existed. I only discovered subs in the late 2000s. Sometimes dub can be good too. DBZ dub voices, like Goku, are good. I don't like that they often change too much dialog in general though. As for MM, we really have no choice but to play the English versions if we don't know Japanese, and I don't know how to read Japanese, but I'm ok playing the English version of MM games and it is all I ever played (there isn't any subs in game for text in the Japanese versions of the game, I'm sure, unlike fan subbed anime).
DeleteThere is no evidence that Wily in Classic canon makes huge bodycounts. Even back in Super Adventure Rockman Inafune pointed out that helicopters being shot down was excessive meaning he didn't see the Classic as other than a Saturday Morning Cartoon world crossed with an old timey action anime ala Astro Boy.
Delete"Kind of akin to how Batman let the Joker live, killing many in the process"
DeleteNo seeing as how Gotham is not and never really been an actual credible setting with credible behavior. The Joker is not an actual well crafted character in a well made setting but is a ridiculous supervillain since he's a murderous clown with bodycounts rivaling historical dictators and it's somehow up to a rich man in a bat suit to stop him not the police or military (who depending on the plot they and whatever government is around is either pathetically incapable against the supervillains or effectively malicious against the superheroes). It got to the point of No Man's Land where an earthquake rips up Gotham but not only does the White House and/or the governer of whatever state Gotham is in decide to ignore them so that the supervillains and superheroes can apparently turn the city into a feudal country but the Justice League doesn't ever step in besides Superman trying and failing.
The point of X's lore is that he's a great shift in robotics of actually being able to undeniably think like a human. The first of the reploids. With later reploids like Sigma or Vile or etc. lacking X's protections against viruses like the Maverick/Sigma Virus. Classic's Mega Man is not this.
DeleteNo, but his ghost viral self sure does in the X series, especially in X5.
Delete@Alia is Best Girl: Reminds me of my time in the One Piece fandom back when 4kids got the dub, and sub fans spent the time trolling the forums and claiming they were just "educating the dubbies" and not being jerks.
DeleteI'd like to think those people matured out of doing stuff like that, but celebrating the death of American voice actors seems like the sort of thing people who pull that would do.
DeleteOf course you do! Your reference to Matpat’s Wily theory is the whole reason of this Drama Alert. You listened to him that wily’s the hero of the classic series… that is not true! Now I bear the dreadful scar of his nonsensical Game theory and helped Reploid Revo debunk the whole theory! And he shall do the job!
DeleteLike I said before, I’ll say it again. If you seen one subbed anime and one dubbed anime, you’ve seen them all! They’re all the same to me! That’s why 4kids was already destroyed by Robotnik’s missiles, so you’ll never have to bring 4kids up ever again! That… was a reference to one Sonic Short.
DeleteIt could be any company, really. That was just the one I was actually active for, but I'm sure Saban had its share of sub purists with Samurai Pizza Cats and an earlier dub of DBZ.
DeleteThere's no real evidence that Sigma's partner is indeed Wily as he was in Classic rather than a robot doppelganger with memories or program carrying out instructions. The seeming differences in bodycounts can be addressed by that, Sigma, and just how X5 had a silly even by X standards plot that was obviously trying to escalate into preventing Armageddon and drop hints about Wily being an active character in the present (which is dubious when Inafune didn't take a notable role in X5's production) and answer the foreshadowing since X2.
Delete@Eyor In the games' cutscenes and Inafune's manga "The Story of the Birth of Rockman" it's stated and shown that buildings are destroyed. It's not explicitly shown that people died in the helicopters in SAR so it isn't that different to destroyed buildings.
DeleteI've known since the year 2001 that Wily was Sigma partner. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that. Even Inafune says he was brought back and lives on through the virus, and we know he uses the Serges and Isoc avatar too (the Japanese version of Serges makes that clear), knows how to rebuild Zero's body, built Sigma his X5 body called Final Sigma W, and even speaks to Zero live when asleep if getting the maverick outcome in X5 after the colony crashes telling him to get up, you are the best of all my works (Wily is called ?? in both X5 and X6), we even see a W in the background and Wily Symbol and the black devil, even Isoc's voice actor in X6 is Wily's voice from MM8 and knows Zero inside and out (probably who brought him back after you kill nightmare Zero), and when leaving the Isoc body behind, a disembodied voice (Wily) called ?? says 'Go Zero, you are the strongest robot'. In the original X6 from late 2001, you can hear the voice acting too. I would even say that Wily and Sigma shared the Final Sigma/W body in X5, he says to feel our combined rage, the name Final Sigma/W is indicates of a fusion (geez, I wonder what W stands for, duh, certainly not the English Dr. Weil), similar attacks to Wily capsule, and the skull remnants are no longer called Sigma but called ??, indicating it isn't Sigma when he says 'drop dead' but Wily taking over the wreckage. Heck, Sigma even says to Zero that is partner has built quite a few robots, and his partner says Zero is the strongest in the universe, asks Zero 'who is that old man?', says that his partner talks about Zero like he was his father, and said 'don't tell me you haven't seen him in your dreams (Sigma knows that Wily has been going into Zero's dreams, like we see in X4, probably appearing to Sigma the same way he does with Zero). That proves that it isn't a dream, but Wily actively in a live fashion pressuring Zero to destroy X in his dreams (his consciousness communicating through the virus). Also Zero was carrying the virus all through the X series unknowingly spreading it, we learn.
DeleteI recommend you beat the game as both X and Zero and read carefully. This is very very old news that most of us fans have known for a very long time. Most fans accept Wily is alive within the virus, kind of like how Sigma lives on. We know for a fact. I recommend more people pay attention. The fact in this day and age, people have to have these hints. If someone is so far gone that they say 'there is no real evidence wily is Sigma's partner' then it is a waste of time to argue further with them. Wow, just wow. This is stuff I was aware of even when I was 18 years old playing X5, or 16 years old playing X4 when Wily invaded Zero's dreams ghost style. Like wise, Light lives in as the disembodied hologram we see floating and fix X at the end of X5. It really isn't rocket science to see. Even Inafune confirms it. If you come back at me and still sing that same old 'there is no evidence song', I won't waste further time replying with you since all I can say is 'just wow'. We know for a fact that Wily is living on through the virus and his partner. Countless clues, and no need to show his face and for Capcom to expect their fans to have to be spoon fed every detail everything to figure it out. If the evidence I provided does not convince you, than no point of arguing further with someone in denial about obvious and basic storyline details. I bet almost everyone here is aware of this like I am, and that includes Reploid Revo, Protodude, etc, all accept Wily is around in the X series. Zane was an old Megaman forum member very knowledgeable about MM who also knew of this and posted a lot 20 years ago (I was on that forum too calling myself High Max) on the MM Bulletin board), and he also accepts and brings many details about Wily's involvement. Stop grasping at straws and just accept it vs claiming some unknown robot doppleganger was spreading (that is what has zero evidence and is grasping at straws). I have many examples above on how it is in fact Wily in viral form who can possess bodies sigma style.
DeleteOh, really. That’s where you draw the monologue. And the whole thing with the Zero Virus and the Shadow Devil and the Rangda Bangda W.
DeleteI wish Inafune would come clean about what he originally wanted for the Zero series(pre X6). What ending awaited X? Die as a villain or redeem himself near the end and either live or die? Who gives Zero his saber or does he find it somewhere? Would Wily still be around? Would Light help Zero? Would Light and Wily have a thorough discussion about everything that happened so far? There is still so much to answer.
DeleteBe careful what you wish for… for your wish will come true…
DeleteAwesome find,Protodude. Can't wait to see more. Hopefully one day,You guys (or someone else) will unearth some Concept stuff for the planned Ruby-Spears Mega Man X show.
ReplyDeletePharaoh Man once again being the coolest robot master in the Ruby Spears version.
ReplyDeleteHell yeah man
DeleteHe takes no guff!
DeleteImpressive! I'm guessing nothing with Proto Man turned up?
ReplyDeleteI'm not really surprised this got canned. It's really ugly to look at.
The more I look at it, the worse it gets. The flow is horrible, and that face gets derpier, too.
ReplyDeleteThis was likely a rough draft and the art would've been better had the Book been green-lit.
DeleteMaybe. I don't know how the process works - I'd like to think they were working on a tight schedule and didn't have time to fix a lot of stuff.
DeleteOne more thing: I was under the impression the cartoon got canned because while the cartoon did fine, the toy sales weren't great. I want to say it was due to poor distribution on that, but I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteNo,you're right. The toyline Did fail. Mainly because of the lack of articulation with the figures.
DeleteI feel like action figures in the 80s and 90s universally had pretty poor articulation. I could be misremembering, though.
DeleteYeah, most figures up until the late 90's and early 2000's had very poor articulation so I doubt that's what killed the MM toyline
DeleteIt was poor distribution that killed the toyline, they weren't widely available in the 90s. Also Capcom is partially to blame as well since they have the final say if a Mega Man product will even be released.
DeleteAh, but MegaMan is MORE than a robot. "DIE WILY!!!"
ReplyDelete:P
Too late. He who hesitates is lost!
DeleteWhen I was young I watched this but once I got a taste of the MegaMan 8 opening on PS1 I knew there was better and questioned why this was made with American ego instead of the passion MM8 opening had. Then I realized down the road when I got older the West will never get the good stuff lol.
ReplyDeletethe MM8 intro literally copied scenes from the ruby spears megaman intro because they were that cool! lol
DeleteAt last, Megaman gives to Wily what he deserves: A sucker punch oblivion. I feel very satisfied.
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda satisfied, probably cause of the fact that my OC hated Wily for trying to destroy Mega. This is kinda a W for him.
DeleteWow. Wow… Just… wow.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm getting flashbacks (flash-forwards?) to the Fully Charged comic and how that turned out. Not. Good. It's out-of-character for even the show version of the characters. So, yeah. It's probably for the best that this didn't get the green light.
This comic needed way more spit and polish before it could have ever been approved to tie in with the TV series. And I mean a lot of spit and polish. Mega Man has never actively slugged Wily or any other human for that matter, no matter how angry Wily makes him with his schemes. Mega Man had been slowly losing patience with the mad doctor's antics over the years (as shown in Mega Man 7's credits if that irritated scowl says anything), but it doesn't mean our goodhearted robot boy would resort to fisticuffs.
ReplyDeleteMega's unhinged little face in the bottom left panel cracks me up
ReplyDelete