Image courtesy of @briantruitt.

UPDATE: Kotaku has posted up details confirming the comic crossover. The series will see Mega Man and Sonic teaming up to take down the nefarious duo of Dr. Wily and Dr. Eggman in their combined bid to take over the world.

Just over a year ago, Archie Comics – the comic book publisher behind the well-known Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series (among others) – released a new series based on Capcom’s Mega Man franchise, penned by head Sonic author Ian Flynn and featuring pencils by other Sonic regulars such as Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante and Ben Bates. Due to the overlap between staff members, today’s otherwise surprising news may have been somewhat foreseeable: USA Today writer and self-described comic geek Brian Truitt has tweeted the above picture with the caption, “Hmmm. Just got this in a super-duper top-secret email from @archiecomics. Wonder what this could be about?”

The image, which depicts trademark items worn by both of our favorite blue video game mascots, makes the clear implication that we’ll be seeing the two characters’ comic book universes cross over sometime in the upcoming calendar year. It should be interesting to see how Flynn combines the two series to create one overarching story, as well as how many ill-conceived jokes people can make regarding the state of both franchises. Archie hasn’t released any further information right now, but given the 2013 date hinted at in the image, expect more details on the crossover in the coming months. In particular, San Diego Comic-Con is this weekend, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for any announcements Archie may make at the event.

[Source: Twitter]