Worlds Unite

"Worlds Unite" is an upcoming twelve part story arc epic comic crossover between the Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man comic series published by Archie Comics, and the sequel to "Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide". In addition, the worlds of Sonic Boom, Mega Man X and other popular franchises from both Sega and Capcom will be involved as well.

This crossover will span across four comic book titles, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Universe, Mega Man and Sonic Boom. It is scheduled to begin in May 2015. This story continues from where the Mega Man storyline "Dawn of X" left off.

Development
Like in the previous crossover "Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide", the story will be written by Ian Flynn and all cover artwork for the issues partaking within the crossover will be drawn by Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante. According to Paul Kaminski, Worlds Unite will be an even bigger than the previous crossover, making it the biggest crossover event in Archie Action history, and that this time "no universe will be safe..."

On December 12, 2014, a promotional image of Sticks the Badger with Mega Man X appeared. Paul Kaminski explained that the universes of Sonic Boom and Mega Man X will collide along with the Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man series for this crossover which would begin in spring 2015. Kaminski also quoted that this revelation was "only the tip of the iceberg…"

As part of the lead-up to the crossover, beginning with Sonic Boom #5, Sonic the Hedgehog #271, and Sonic Universe #73, the respective series will have a countdown timer of how many issues are left before the start of the crossover on the covers, each being two issues. Mega Man #47 will also feature the same countdown on its covers, only it is three issues before the crossover in its case.

On February 23, 2015, it was revealed that "Worlds Unite" will not only include the traditional Mega Man and Sonic casts and the characters from the Mega Man X and Sonic Boom games, but also a number of other popular franchises from both Sega and Capcom, which would be revealed over the course of the next few days. For this, a teaser image was released, showing Sonic, Mega Man, Sticks and Mega Man X along with silhouettes of the other cast members. It has been explained that bringing together the drastically different worlds of Sonic Boom and Mega Man X will add a combo of comedy and action to the crossover, and that the villain Sigma from Mega Man X will play a key role in the crossover to test both the resolve and might of the heroes. Also, according to Ian Flynn, because they had established both Sonic and Mega Man in "Worlds Collide", the story will dive right into the action of the story from Act one.

On February 24, 2015, an update to the teaser image was given, showing the characters Alex Kidd, Billy Hatcher, Viewtiful Joe (Viewtiful Joe) and Nina (Breath of Fire), and as well an insight in the crossovers plot: Following the formation of reality-traversing "Genesis Portals", the heroes will be taken to new worlds from throughout the Sega and Capcom universes to do battle with Sigma's forces. Ian Flynn disclosed that Alex Kidd and Billy Hatcher was included due to their significant roles for Sega and that Viewtiful Joe's wild and colorful franchise fit perfectly into this epic.

On February 25, 2015, another update to the teaser image was revealed, revealing the characters NiGHTS, Tyris Flare (Golden Axe), Red Arremer (Ghosts 'n Goblins) and Amaterasu (Ōkami). Ian Flynn disclosed that Golden Axe and NiGHTS were two iconic Sega franchises on opposite ends of the timeline while Ghosts 'n Goblins and Ōkami were Capcom's classic and newer masterpiece. On February 26, the final characters on the teaser image was shown, revealing Ryu (Street Fighter), Vyse (Skies of Arcadia), Base Wing (Panzer Dragoon) and Gore Magala (Monster Hunter 4). Deeming them the best franchises saved for last and legendary in their own right, Ian Flynn disclosed he especially looked forward to work with Vyse again after Sonic Universe #45.

On March 17, an interview with Vincent Lovallo, the lead editor on Worlds Unite, unveiled the Worlds Unite Battle Books, a miniseries of stories that will run parallel to the main storyline of the crossover. According to Lovallo, this miniseries will tell the stories of other major characters in the crossover when they are not appearing in the main storyline, thereby allowing the staff to give the many characters that will appear, but would otherwise not get much screen time, the recognition they deserve and expand upon them. The staff behind these books will include a mix of veteran members and newcomer employees to the Archie Comics.

List of "Worlds Unite" issues
Like Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide, "Worlds Unite" is split into three acts each consisting of four parts. Unlike the previous crossover however it spans over four titles: the initial three involved in the first crossover, plus the Sonic Boom comic series. Preludes to the crossover also appear in the Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2015 and in Sonic Super Special Magazine #15.

Prelude

 * Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2015
 * Sonic Super Special Magazine #15

Act I: Deadly Fusions

 * Part 1: Sonic Universe #76
 * Part 2: Sonic Boom #8
 * Part 3: Sonic the Hedgehog #273
 * Part 4: Mega Man #50

Act II

 * Part 5: Sonic Universe #77
 * Part 6: Sonic Boom #9
 * Part 7: Sonic the Hedgehog #274
 * Part 8: Mega Man #51

Act III

 * Part 9: Sonic Universe #78
 * Part 10: Sonic Boom #10
 * Part 11: Sonic the Hedgehog #275
 * Part 12: Mega Man #52

Worlds Unite Battles
Along with the main entries, a sub-series named "Worlds Unite Battle Books" will be released during Worlds Unite. This mini-series features side-stories connected to the main storyline of Worlds Unite that showcase more battles during the crossover that cannot be included in the main story.


 * Sonic: Worlds Unite Battles #1
 * Mega Man: Worlds Unite Battles #1

Graphic Novels
Like Worlds Collide, the story is set to be collected in graphic novel form. The collection will consist of three volumes for each act:
 * Sonic the Hedgehog/Mega Man: Worlds Unite Volume 1: Deadly Fusion (November 2015) (Sonic Universe #76, Sonic Boom #8, Sonic the Hedgehog #273 and Mega Man #50)

Trivia

 * "Worlds Unite" was hinted in Mega Man #44 where Xander Payne, while insanely ranting about the future he saw and etching his visions onto his cell wall with a makeshift shiv, ominously states that "worlds will collide again."
 * Like Worlds Collide, this crossover will have two anniversary issues cross through the series with Mega Man #50 and Sonic the Hedgehog #275. As well, like the original, Sonic Universe #75 will be the last issue of that title before the jump into the crossover.
 * While Sticks has been confirmed to make an appearance, it's unknown if the rest of the Sonic Boom Characters will appear in worlds unite.

Trivia

 * This story arc holds the record in the Sonic comic series for the largest series of interconnecting covers: twelve of the variant covers connect to make a giant 4x3 image.