Other-M, "Through the Looking Glass" issue #1, 21 pages Review written by Matt Johnson, a.k.a. Tergonaut Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog is sent flying through a dimensional portal by Eggman as a part of his latest scheme and lands in an alternate reality, in an alternate Sonic's body, and is introduced to the rebel movement against the Guardian. Credits: Cover: Ian Potto Story: Ian Potto Art: Ian Potto, pages 1-5; John T. Fell, pages 6-14; NoOman, pages 15-21 Lettering: Ian Potto Color: Ian the Potto, pages 1, 3 and 5, with color retouch for pages 2 and 4 Other-M logo design: Jeffrey "Z-Kara" Houston Credit also goes to: Crazy C. Lea, work appreciated Plot: The story opens with an aerial view of Eggman's stronghold in Robotropolis, and Sonic Hedgehog is infiltrating the fortress. But just as he gets inside, he's caught, surrounded by several SWATbots, and Eggman gloats over him as he reveals his newest plan to eradicate the hedgehog: by tossing him into an inter- dimensional portal, ensuring a defeat by hackneyed plot! And surprisingly enough, even though Sonic puts up a valiant fight, Eggman succeeds! After getting thrown into the portal, Sonic awakens on the Floating Island in the Mushroom Hill zone, only to be saved from a grenade blast by a mysterious ninja-suited Mobian who disappears from sight before Sonic can even think about what just happened. He immediately recovers from this latest shock when he's smacked across the face by a mysterious one-eyed duck with a skeletal right arm that, by all rights, shouldn't even be still attached, save for the mystical fire that surrounds it. Sonic's surprised reaction to this new face is only treated as stupidity by the duck, and both of them start running away from the laser fire that has been shooting in the background. After seeing the echidnas on hover-boards hunting after them (the Legion of Justice, as the duck calls them), Sonic grabs the duck and makes a dash for it at a higher speed than he could normally go at. Only after they are out of danger does he notice that not only is he wearing a vest, but his feet have been roboticized! The duck, who obviously doesn't want to deal with a hysterical hedgehog, gives him another smack to the face, and then begins interrogating him with questions to test his memory. Some of the answers give him pause, and then he asks where Sonic's loyalties lie. When Sonic replies, "King Acorn, of course," the duck tells him to follow closely and watch himself. Leading him to a nearby mountain, the duck then proceeds to tell Sonic the way to remember the entrance to their secret base inside the mountain, and then compares several small flows of water to the rebels and those like them, seemingly small and unsubstantial, but they all lead to one large waterfall that fills up a pool, which he compares to the restoration of the kingdom. And then he deftly jumps into the pool, leaving Sonic standing on the edge. He comes back and expects Sonic to follow him, and when Sonic tells him that he isn't the best of swimmers, the duck loses his patience, grabs Sonic by the vest, and drags him under the water, swimming through an underwater tunnel, and surfacing inside a cavern. Taking a look around, Sonic can see that there are Mobians of various types within this cavern, and then the duck surfaces with an almost casual flair. One of the Mobians, a female rabbit who appears to Sonic to look a lot like Bunnie, turns her head and shouts "Bean!" and embraces the duck, expressing her anxiety about his safety. But Bean (which is obviously the name of the duck at this point) tells her that he's all right, thanks to Sonic. The revelation that Sonic did something useful seems like news to just about everyone nearby, including some more familiar faces for Sonic in the form of Rotor and Antoine. Antoine's reaction, a condescending remark, is met with Sonic's short temper, and the two almost have a face-off in front of everyone assembled... Almost. But then another new face enters the picture, a face that is attached to a particularly large body, a body which is quite capable of breaking up the fight before it actually begins. This is Bark the polar bear, another character that Sonic has never seen before. Antoine still wants to deal with Sonic, but Rotor cools him down with a remark that also seems to make Sonic appear incompetent. A few words from Bean break up the gathering crowd, and Sonic is led to his bunk by Bark. Sonic, now trying to get comfortable in his "bunk" (which is literally a hole in the wall), has the time to think about the events of the day. He has seen enough familiar faces and places to know he's in an alternate reality/dimension, but his physical body has changed as well (the vest, the roboticized feet, and the few loose quills poking away from his head). The evidence that he isn't in his original body leads him to ask himself: "But...if I was transported here, then why do I have this vest? And what happened to my feet? If it's not the actual me that came through that portal... "Then who am I?" Analysis/Opinion: Before being thrown into the portal, Sonic traded some classic dialogue with Eggman, and I especially thought Sonic's cocky replies were well done while remaining in- character. While I thought that Eggman's blow to Sonic was a little unrealistic (I mean, hitting a living buzz-saw with a gloved hand? Can you say 'chopped fingers?'), redirecting the hedgehog's speed was a pretty smart idea. Underneath the portal where Sonic is being held up by the forces drawing him in, we can see a cloud of smoke that obscures a shadowy form that vaguely resembles a hedgehog's silhouette. This may be a clue to what actually happened to Sonic, but there isn't enough evidence at this point to do much more than speculate. The color, artwork and playful attitude of the characters is immediately dropped on page 6, where we change artists over from Ian to John. The world where Sonic seems to have been dropped in is drawn in black-and-white, a stark contrast to the rich color of Sonic's original reality. And immediately, things seem to take a more serious turn, as if this world is not only drained of color, but also of light-heartedness. On page 6 alone, the first page of this alternate reality, he gets up with a head wound from Eggman's backhand, is saved from a grenade blast by a mysterious ninja-suited person (who we don't see for the rest of the issue), and is struck by another mysterious character. If that's not fast-paced action, then I need to get another pair of shoes. Sonic's continued series of surprised reactions are completely justified. Think about it, if YOU were suddenly teleported to another reality/dimension where you were wearing different clothes, had a different hair style, and even had different feet, don't you think you'd be at least a little concerned? Add some laser fire and explosions, and there's a lot to be worried about. Fortunately, Bean was clear-headed enough to try to keep Sonic from going completely hysterical, and it's obvious from his reactions to the answers that Sonic gave him that the answers to most of those questions are slightly different in this reality. Speaking of one of those questions, the first one he asked Sonic was, "What year is it?" The answer, "3224," seems in conflict with the Archie comic continuity upon which this is based. Heck, back around the infamous "Endgame" (Sonic the Hedgehog, Archie Comics, issues #47-50), it was clearly stated that the year was 3235, and since the comic has now run past ish #101, I think it's even later than that. 3224 was back when Sonic was five years old, so what's up with that? I don't believe time was warped after the Ultimate Annihilator was used, so I believe this is a mistake of reference. Bean seemed surprised, however, when Sonic saved both of their skins with his super-speed (pages 8-9). That, combined with the confused reactions and insulting remarks of the other characters later on, almost spells out the fact that Sonic did indeed exist in this reality, but without such competence and daring that he now shows. In fact, Sonic is treated as if he had been a coward. Bean's analogy on page 12 is surprisingly hopeful, considering his no-nonsense attitude. The rebellion in this reality doesn't seem to have much in the way of spirit, which is ironically another point in Bean's favor. After all, if he was able to round up these guys and keep them together for however long the fighting has been going on, with many of them not having a firm belief in the cause, he's gotta have some skill in leadership. Sonic's reluctance to swim was, again, very in-character. In just about every continuity, he hasn't been a good swimmer, and has been explained in about as many ways as there were continuities. A subtle touch, but appreciated nevertheless. When I first saw Bark, I'll tell you the truth, I could have sworn he was a kangaroo! After reading up on the Other-M site's FAQ and profiles sections, however, I learned he was a polar bear. Even though this doesn't have much impact on anything, I just thought I'd like to mention it. Sonic's thoughtful speculation on the last two pages may seem uncharacteristic of the cobalt-colored hedgehog to some readers. Sonic had never been much of a thinker. Fast witted, yes, comes up with cool ways to use his speed, yes, but technical stuff is over his head, and he generally never spent the time to wonder about his place in the universe. However, he has just entered an alternate reality of Mobius, and his physical changes are enough to prove that he didn't just teleport through the portal. After the fast pace earlier in the issue, and all the shocks and surprises that he's experienced, even the impulsive Sonic has to stop and think about his situation. The things he's seen have affected him so deeply that he's even beginning to question himself. Was his previous existence just a dream? A delusion? Has he been stuck, mind and soul, inside another Sonic's body? Does he even know who he is anymore? If anyone remembers, there was an issue of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic where Sonic went to an alternate reality where everything was backward--the Freedom Fighters were the bad guys, and the robots were the oppressed. Well, the Other-M reality isn't like that. It's more as if things have stepped sideways, because while there's still a rebellion, the circumstances have changed, and so have the people. Sonic himself has roboticized feet and an otherwise new look that's pretty cool. Bunnie isn't partially roboticized like she was in the Archie continuity. Antoine is more like Sonic than the cowardly creature from the Archie universe, and he wears pants instead of a uniform shirt (a subtle reversal of clothing). Rotor appears tougher and not as easygoing. And things don't seem as hopeful as with the Freedom Fighters that Sonic once knew. Final Word: While some of the pages confused me as to the flow of action, and some of the lettering on the earlier pages was spotty, on the whole, a good start to a good comic. Overall, this was an interesting issue that gives us enough information to know that this is an alternate Mobius, as well as a brief glimpse at current events, but we don't know enough yet to realize what exactly happened to make the world like this. With Sonic's appearance in this world, we can only wait to see if he will become the shining streak of hope that this world needs to recover from the savage hand of the current dictator.