Viewer discretion is advised
 |
Cover of issue 16
Novas Aventuras de Megaman ("New Adventures of Megaman") was a Capcom-licensed Brazilian Mega Man comic book developed by Estúdio PPA (PPA Studio, PPA standing for "Peixoto Produções Artísticas", which means "Peixoto Artistic Productions", owned by one of the editors and later writers of the story, Sérgio Peixoto) and published by Editora Magnum (Magnum Press) between 1996 and 1998, spawning 16 issues. It was an action humor comic book with gory content and offensive language. Although almost every issue had a different artist, the comic book kept a Japanese-comics art style from the first to the last number. Besides the classic video game characters, the series introduced several original characters. Years later, editor-in-chief Sérgio Peixoto confessed neither he nor his partner and writer of the first five issues José Roberto Pereira had ever played a Mega Man video game before and all they knew about the series story was some information they got from a friend who played the games.
Because of several creative team changes, there are several plot holes and inconsistency in the story and it wasn't concluded, as the series was cancelled in number 16, allegedly due to financial problems. The first five issues were written by José Roberto Pereira. Sérgio Peixoto Silva was the editor-in-chief and writer of issue 6 and Orlando Tosetto Jr. wrote from number 7 up to 16, the last one. Daniel HDR and Érica Awano were among the artists that worked in the comic book series.
Story[]
After Dr. Wily had been put in jail following the events of Mega Man 8, governments all over the Earth decided to dispose of all outdated robots, including Mega Man and Roll. Dr. Light disobeyed their orders and protected Mega Man and Roll using his last resources. He hid them in energy capsules, where they would upgrade in sleep mode for 30 years. A large Japanese company then released a new line of androids known as the "Neo-Mavericks", said to be far more intelligent, independent and self-sustainable. Dr. Wily created an army with the Neo-Mavericks, and every human and robot uprising against him was destroyed. Wily succeeded in taking over the world and Dr. Light died after a nuclear fallout.
Several years later, Mega Man was awakened by Roll, who was being pursued by "Sand Troopers". After defeating them, the two begin their quest to defeat Dr. Wily and end his reign. As the two travel the world and gather new allies, things grow more complicated as new and old foes alike emerge and Roll is revealed to have deeper connections to Project Lazarus, a group who has ties to many of the characters and still holds sway over the events of the present.
Issues[]
| Issue | Title | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | O Herói Desperta! | "The Hero Awakes!" |
| 30 years after the death of Dr. Light, the world is controlled by Dr. Wily and his Neo Mavericks. Roll finds Mega Man capsule and wakes him from upgrade mode. Together, Mega Man and Roll agree to start an uprising against Wily. They're spied by Wily and five members of The Six. | ||
| 2 | Encontro de Irmãos | "Meeting of Brothers" |
| Roll and Mega Man's plane is attacked by anti-aircraft artillery and crashes on the house of the person who shot it down. It happens to be Mega Man X, Roll and Mega Man's long lost brother. He agrees to join the party. Princesa is introduced in a side-plot. | ||
| 3 | Fechou o Tempo! | "Weather Roughens Up!" |
| Roll, Mega Man and X arrive at the city of São Paulo, Brazil. After fighting some minor robots and aircraft weaponry, they have a clash with an android named Maludijan, the mayor of São Paulo. Mega Man and X defeat Maludijan, but he destroys Roll's body and all that's left is her mechanic brain. Princesa is summoned on a portal to an unknown place. | ||
| 4 | Pedaços de Roll | "Pieces of Roll" |
| A flashback story for Roll. She was a poor girl in the streets of a big city when Wily's men abducted, killed and turned her into a gynoid. A young Dr. Light found her body and, shocked by the actions of Wily, took it to his lab, where he was working on Mega Man and Rush with Proto Man was almost complete. | ||
| 5 | Turboman x Mega e Xizinho! | "Turboman vs. Mega and Little X!" |
| Mega Man X puts Roll's brain in a washing machine. He and Mega Man join a robotic race sponsored by Turbo Man. They participate as a duo, with rollerblade wheels under their feet. At the end, Mega Man is saved by Slasher (Bass). Mega Man and Mega Man X win the race, but they don't get the money prize as they destroyed the track when fighting other robots. | ||
| 6 | Roll de Casca Nova! | "Roll in a New Shell!" |
| Mega Man and X connect Roll to their ship, so she will be able to communicate with them through its display device and reconstruct her body. They arrive in the desert lands of the state of Ceará, Brazil, and clash with a team of robotic cangaceiros lead by Jirimum. Roll finishes reconstructing her body and destroys Jirimum. | ||
| 7 | A Turma Aumenta! | "The Party Grows!" |
| In Patagonia, southern Argentina, Princesa faces Karinka and Nastenka. Mega Man, Roll and X arrive. They fight Turbo, Princesa's robot bully, and, after defeating it, send Princesa back through the portal. Karinka and Nastenka join the party. | ||
| 8 | Porradas de Montão! | "Whole Lotta Clobbering" |
| The party arrives to find one of Wily's seats in a floating city. When Roll sees Wily's insignia, she has flashes of her childhood and abduction and it causes her to freeze. After fighting Wily's men, they're again saved by Slasher, who, this time, joins the party. | ||
| 9 | Revelações Do Passado! | "Revelations From the Past!" |
| In an underground base, the party interrogates Slasher. Proto Man communicates with him through some kind of link telling him to be careful with what he will tell them. Slasher reveals the fate of Dr. Light. The Neo Mavericks break through the base and knock out Slasher. | ||
| 10 | Surgem os Neo-Mavericks! | "The Neo-Mavericks appear!" |
| Mega Man, Mega Man X, Roll and Nastenka fight and defeat the Neo Mavericks. Wily tells The Six those Neo Mavericks were not strong enough, he just wanted to test Mega Man's party. | ||
| 11 | "Ele" Voltou | "'He' is Back" |
| Roll tries to interrogate Slasher again. Meanwhile, Mega Man fights small droids in an abandoned city. A powerful robots defeat several enemies, to Wily and The Six's amazement. It's Zero. Through remote control, Proto Man turns Roll off and she faints in Slasher's arms. | ||
| 12 | Se Correr, O Bicho Pega... Corredor Polonês. | "If You Run, the Beast Catches You... Polish Corridor." |
| Roll, Mega Man, X, Nastenka, Karinka and Slasher are held captive by Proto Man and Zero. Note: The story's title is pun in Portuguese: "Corredor" means both "runner" and "corridor". The first half of the title comes from a paradoxical idiom in Portuguese-language that says “If you run, the beast catches you, if you stand still, the beast eats you.” meaning you’ve got no escape from a given situation. Polish corridor is also a form of punishment: someone passes through a corridor made by two rows of people, being beaten by them along the way. | ||
| 13 | Briga De Família! | "Family Fight!" |
| Roll, Mega Man, Nastenka and Karinka wake up. Mega Man X and Slasher have been freed and joined Zero and Proto Man. A resistance group finds them remotely. Mega Man breaks the cuffs and frees his friends. The party starts to fight. Wily allows the five members of The Six to strike and they finally reveal themselves. In a private office, Mr. Holzenbein conducts some kind of occult ritual with a dead girl's body. | ||
| 14 | Alianças e Traições | "Alliances and Betrayals" |
| The party stops fighting and tries to start a conversation, but the five members of The Six interrupt them. The resistance group arrives to meet them. Wily reveals himself to be an android. | ||
| 15 | Começa a Batalha! | "The Battle Begins!" |
| Wily and a larger group of Neo Mavericks attack Mega Man's party, the resistance group and The Six. He wants to take Roll with him. | ||
| 16 | Contato! | "Contact!" |
| A big battle breaks out between Wily, the Neo Mavericks, The Six, the resistance group and Mega Man's party. One by one, the robots fall. The last one standing, Mega Man attacks Wily with a super blast, but a group of aliens blocks his deadly shot. Mr. Holzenbein goes on with his occult ritual. | ||
Characters[]
Video game characters[]
- Mega Man: The main character.
- Roll: Roll was a homeless girl that was kidnapped to be used as an experimental subject for Dr. Wily's Saint Lazarus Project, giving her a robotic mind and body. Dr. Light rescued her brain from Wily and took care of her as a daughter. Although she and Mega Man consider themselves to be siblings, the comic book suggests they have a love affair.
- X: In the comic book, Mega Man X, usually referred to as just X, is presented not as a future version, but as a present upgrade version of Mega Man, thus his brother. He has a kinky personality.
- Zero: Not much is revealed of Zero as he was the last main character to appear. He is referred as "brother" by Dr. Light's robots.
- Proto Man: A robot created by Dr. Light. Not much is known about him.
- Slasher (Bass): A strong mysterious robot. He is referred as "brother" by Dr. Light's robots.
- Dr. Wily (Dr. Willy in the first 8 issues): An evil scientist that became the emperor of the world with the help of the Neo Mavericks. The last three issues suggest Dr. Wily was turned into a cyborg. In the last issue, Bass ("Slasher") wonders if he's "really Wily himself."
- Dr. Wright (Dr. Light): Seen only in flashbacks. He was Dr. Wily's assistant, but quit after seeing his evil experiments and took Roll's mind with him, and later created Proto Man, Mega Man and Roll. Several years later, his laboratory was hit with an atomic bomb sent by Wily and the Neo Mavericks. He survived the explosion, but died from the injuries.
- Karinka (Kalinka): A communist saved by Mega Man's group in issue 7. Her father was killed by Dr. Wily 30 years ago – thus she's not a child, as in the games, but an adult woman. As her appearance looks younger than she should be, X questions her real age, implying she might be a cyborg.
- Turbo Man: The sponsor of the race from issue 5.
- Gun Volt (unnamed in the comic): The only racer from issue 5 to speak. Attacked Mega Man and X, and was destroyed by Slasher (Bass).
- Minor racers in issue 5: Ball De Voux (referred to as "criaturas-bolinha", "ball-creatures" in English), Met, Flammingle, Sky Claw and others.
- Cameo appearances: Rush, Dr. Cossack, Vile, Reggae, Mad Grinder, Gorone, Sniper Joe, Mets.
- Robot Masters: Cut Man, Guts Man (referred to as "Killer"), Ice Man, Fire Man, Elec Man, Quick Man, Magnet Man, Snake Man, Spark Man, Skull Man, Gyro Man, Tomahawk Man, Tengu Man
Comic only characters[]
- Nástenka: Karinka's robot bodyguard.
- Princesa (Princess): A character summoned by Karinka from a dimensional portal that likes havoc and has the ability to fly and release beams from her hands. She was introduced at the end of issue 2 in the form of an interview by Mega Man, with several pages dedicated to it, and made minor appearances until issue 7, where Karinka tries to convince Princesa to work for her (or "support communism", as mentioned in the comics dialogue), but she refuses and tries to kill Karinka and Nástenka. She was sent back to the portal by X and Mega Man, and is not seen again. Later, her creator, José Roberto Pereira, stated his intentions were to turn Princesa into the series main protagonist after killing every other character. If he was serious or not, it was never clear. After Pereira quit Editora Magnum, just after issue 5, the new writer from the story, Orlando Tosetto Jr., wrote Princesa out of the plot.
- Alan, Edouard, Celina and Otto: Four rebels that oppose Wily. They are referred to as a "resistance group".
- Neo Mavericks: Advanced robots allied with Wily.
- "The Six": Five Neo Mavericks that work with Dr. Wily. Proto Man was a member of the group, but they continued being called "The Six" even after he quit. Their names were never revealed.
- G-Man: A sumo fighter robot from issue 10.
- S-Man: A red and blue samurai with sword from issue 10.
- MagicMan: A gray robot with a Chinese monk appearance, with conical hat, prayer beads and shakujo staff. He's not the same Magic Man from Mega Man & Bass.
- N-Man: A robot with high speed from issue 10. Was defeated by Roll.
- Holzenbein House: A organization allied with Wily and the Neo Mavericks. The leader of the organization is a bald old man called Mr. Holzenbein. His brief appearances involved tribal clothing, corpses and the removal of the heart of a dead person in some kind of ritual, which may suggests he took part of occult activities.
- Sand Troopers: Pharaoh Man-like robots defeated by Mega Man in the first issue.
- Maludijan: A robot from issue 3 that is the mayor of the ruins from São Paulo. He destroyed Roll's body and was destroyed by X and Mega Man. His name is a combination of three most recent mayors of São Paulo at the time: Paulo Maluf (1993-1996), Luiza Erundina (1989-1992) and Jânio Quadros (1986-1988).
- Jirimum and his gang: A small cangaceiro robot and his group of larger mechas from issue 6. Cangaceiros are members of Cangaço, groups of outlaws in the Northeast region of Brazil in late 19th and early 20th centuries. His gang can combine to form an even larger mecha, and were destroyed by Mega Man and X, while Jirimum was destroyed by Roll in her new body. His name is a misspelling of “jerimum”, a Portuguese-language synonym to "abóbora" (pumpkin), probably intentionally misspelled to emulate the accent of people in Northeastern Brazil.
- Turbo: A robot from issue 7 that works for Princess. He has great speed and can extend his arms, but he was defeated with relative ease by X and Mega Man.
Trivia[]
- This series of comics is considered controversial for changing a lot the games’ story, timeline, concept and even characters’ names, appearances and personalities, as well as for containing gore, swearing and partial nudity (especially regarding Roll in the last issues).
- When the publisher bought the rights to the Mega Man franchise and started doing work on the comic, the licenser sent them the originals for the Rockman 7 manga by Shigeto Ikehara. Instead of publishing a translation, they opted to invest on an original story, noting that it would be better to give a chance for national artists and that the manga was "nothing more than a transposition of the game" and those interested could either import it or play the game.[1][2]
- A Mega Man X miniseries with 6 issues was planned to be released by PPA Studio and Shalon Press,[3] but was canceled.
- For every issue of Novas Aventuras de Megaman, the publishers selected different artists to do the pencils, inking and colors. Some of them were invited while others had to do some tests to be selected . Only a few of them reprised their roles as the main artist for an issue, and as a result, the designs and colors of several characters differ greatly from issue to issue.
- For the first two issues, the four center pages of the comic book brought promotional arts from Ruby-Spears' Mega Man and official art from the games, including a large centerfold poster. In the issues #3 and #4, the centerfold poster was kept, but the other two pages started to publish letters from the readers. From the issue #5 onwards, the letter section was kept, but the centerfold poster was drawn by the same artist of the issue.
- Despite bringing arts from the Ruby-Spears' in the first four issues, the series original writer José Roberto Pereira stated in the leading article of the first issue that he discarded everything from the cartoon because he thought it was “very bad.”
Gallery[]
The main cast of Novas Aventuras de Megaman by Rogério Hanata.
Princess
Sand Troopers
Maludijan
Turbo Man
Jirimum
The Six
N-Man
Magicman
S-Man
G-Man
Edouard, Celina, Alan, and Otto
Mr. Holzenbein
Killer
External links[]
