PixlBit

Since Mega Man and Sonic were under the same publishing roof for a while and written by the same person, we got to enjoy TWO big crossovers between the franchises (and the second one then brought in all kinds of Capcom and Sega goodness). The first crossever, Worlds Collide, came out in three trades and then one large omnibus, which is what I bought. The first two trades of the second crossover, Worlds Unite, came out before Archie dropped the ball and I had to buy the remainder of the series as used single issues.

When I ran out of Mega Man comics to read, I shifted over to Sonic. Writer Ian Flynn got his start with Sonic before being given Mega Man as well and while I don't think Sonic ever reaches the heights of the blue bomber, it is still quite enjoyable. Archie was still bungling publishing. Trades came out something like two years after the issues they collected. If I had the time and money (I don't have enough of either), I could hunt down all the single issues that didn't make it into trades, but that's a pipedream.

I think I've mentioned before that Archie's Mega Man comic is my all-time favorite comic, and that hasn't changed. I have very strong feelings about how Archie ran and published the comic (i.e., lousy and not fan-friendly) but I think what writer Ian Flynn accomplished with it is nothing short of astounding. There is no reason an adaptation of an 8-bit action game should have such deep characters and satisfying plots.

Here's a few miscellaneous picks. Destiny and Mass Effect have great art and info on their respective universes. Shovel Knight is just a visual feast, both fully drawn illustrations and delectable pixel art. Finally, I'm not the biggest Tomb Raider fan (though I do like the series), but I got this well-reviewed series overview and retrospective new for $5, so I really couldn't pass that up.

The Legend of Zelda series has enjoyed a wealth of supplementary material in the last decade. I don't even have the Arts and Artifacts book! I have, however, read through most of the Hyrule Historia, which I did right after playing Skyward Sword, the game that figures most prominently into the book. Hyrule Historia is most famous—or infamous, perhaps—for providing an official timeline for the series. The other books here were all gifts. I wish I'd had a chance to really dig into Creating a Champion. It's such a huge book! The book on the lower left book is from Fan Gamer and is all about the items and enemies in the series and is written like a field guide. Neat book. The other is an art compilation my younger brother put together one time and sent me a copy. So much good art.

Final Fantasy has long been a favorite series of mine, even if I am woefully behind in actually playing them. I haven't worked all the way through that first Ultimania book but it's been a treat so far. I'd love to get the other two. My wife found that FFXIV book somewhere...a garage sale, maybe?...for a couple bucks. And the Yoshitaka Amano books were both given to me. I love his distinctive style. Nothing else quite like it.

I always liked Mega Man as a kid but didn't really get into the series till I was an adult and I found that it kind of stood in for the things I missed in gaming. I really wanted the MM/MMX and MM Zero books but ended up getting the other two because I got them for a ridiculous steal (note: no actual theft involved).

Games Beaten

Happy New Year!