Archie Comics has been publishing Mega Man comics for quite some time now -- including an epic crossover with Sonic the Hedgehog dubbed Worlds Collide -- but the one question that they can't seem to avoid from Mega Man fans is: "Where's Mega Man X?"

The answer is in Mega Man #34, which will hit in February 2014. Starting in that issue, Archie will begin exploring the X universe with a back-up feature in the pages of the regular Mega Man comic. To get the scoop on this big announcement, I talked with Archie's Executive Director of Editorial Paul Kaminski and writer Ian Flynn.

Mega Man #34 X Variant Cover

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When I was told we were getting the Mega Man license, I had three questions, in this order: 1.) Really?! 2.) Did we get X too? 3.) How likely is a crossover with Sonic?Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Collide was just the beginning! From day one we knew we wanted to get to Mega Man X it was just a matter of how and when. X is almost a completely different animal from the classic Mega Man franchise. You need to approach it from exactly the right perspective, style, and build-up. Now that all the pieces are in place, we can finally do all those things and make the X stories that the fans have been demanding! And they do – a quick glance at the letter columns in the back of the Mega Man monthly comics will show you that!The world of Mega Man X is a bit darker, more complex, and tackles some deeper questions. Mega Man, Rock, is a much more innocent and naïve than X, so it’ll be interesting to see how they tackle their challenges in their own ways.It's a harder edge than the classic series, and I think that's why it has been so popular with fans of the series. It's a dystopian future where the stakes are higher and the evil even more potent. Looking forward to getting hardcore!Absolutely. Our first stories take place in the months before the first game, setting things up for Sigma’s revolution.First and foremost, we are respectful to the Mega Man franchise -- and that goes for both classic and X. The stories are all set within the game universe. Fans of the games will see the world they know and love – and readers looking for more will find that we elaborate on some characters and locations here or there to flesh out the story in a way that's interesting to read in the comic. If it ain't broke, why fix it?Most definitely! We really want to bring people a Mega Man X book, so we need the people to demand it. Be passionate and be loud, people!The back-ups serve to set the stage for a story we've got slated for Spring/Summer 2014. If fans and readers support it, you will see more X, plain and simple!Mega Man #34 and #35 will feature X backups with some interior art from the incredible Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante! Anyone who has read a Sonic or Mega Man comic book in the past 20 years has seen Spaz do some incredible work, including Sonic Genesis, Sonic/Mega Man Worlds Collide covers and the first Mega Man comic book story arc! Spaz is the best and we're so happy to have him kick off the X universe in these special backup stories!

I’m game for just about anything. Dead Rising? Phoenix Wright? Okami? Breath of Fire? Bring it on.Mega Man X is only the beginning! Stay tuned!I’m very excited to get to the X universe, and I’m hoping it will one day open the door to more Mega Man stories. But it’s all up to the fans. The more you demand, the more we can provide!The response to Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Collide was easily the biggest tidal wave of support I've ever witnessed on either of these two comic franchises, maybe of my whole time here at Archie. You guys came out and supported us and made that storyline into the juggernaut that it became, and for that I thank you. Everyone who loved what we did on Worlds Collide is going to flip over what Ian and Spaz have in store for Mega Man X! The best is yet to come!

Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito , or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN . He thinks Catwoman is swell.