As you may recall, I recently interviewed Ian Flynn, the writer of Archie's Mega Man comic. When I was trimming down the Skype text dump so that it didn't run 50 pages, I chopped off a bit towards the end when Ian briefly mentioned the story arc following the Mega Man 2 adaptation. It was very vague and I figured we'd hear specific details in the near future, so I left that part on the cutting board. Lo and behold, cover art and a synopsis for issue #13 has arrived!
The new arc is entitled "Spiritus ex Machina" and will be an original tale that introduces some new characters plus familiar faces that technically don't appear in the Mega Man canon at this point. Dr. Cossack and Pharaoh Man make their debut appearances as will Rush, then there's newcomer Dr. LaLinde, who is possibly Dr. Light's love interest. About time ol' Tommy boy got some action!
Now, what's this about a black sheep? Apparently, Dr. Wily will be exploring the Lanfront Ruins, a location featured in the Japan-exclusive Super Adventure Rockman, an ill-fated FMV game that Keiji Inafune has deeply regretted. Ian was totally serious when he said he'll be referencing every corner of the Mega Man universe, even the red-headed stepchildren. Also, "Emerald Spears"? Clever girl...
Oh, and if you are hitting up the TMMN link below, go on and give their interview with Ian Flynn a read! They were a whole lot more professional than I was, let me tell you!
Cover and Solicitation for Archie’s Mega Man #13 [The Mega Man Network]
Contest:
2:00 AM on 01.21.2012 | 
Right here, buddy, and it won't break the bank.
Now, I know and fully understand they aren't canonical or anything like that, but they wrote in a love interest for Dr. Light into their Mega Man Rock opera, and I was wondering (grasping at a hope, really) that that had something to do with his choice to -possibly- put one into the comic. He did sort of dodge the Protomen part of your question in the interview, it seemed, after all.
A whole random side comic based on the Protomen's albums would be pretty awesome, now that i think about it.
Every so many issues get compiled into a softcover book, which can then be purchased on Amazon. That's another option.
You've convinced me; ordered a new copy of Volume 1 through Amazon : )