Other-M, "Mentor" issue #6, 16 pages Review written by Matt Johnson, a.k.a. Tergonaut Summary: Sonic and Bark have a discussion about reality, the meaning of the universe, and about some pieces of recent history. Credits: Cover: True Flyer Story: Ian Potto Art: RONE Other-M logo design: Jeffrey "Z-Kara" Houston Plot: The story opens up with Bark, standing in the middle of some rays of sunshine that come through the ceiling of one of the main caves. He is noticeably apart from the other rebels in silent solitude, and seems to be asleep. Sonic walks out of a side cave and walks toward Bark until the partially-roboticized polar bear greets him. Sonic is surprised because he thought Bark was asleep, but Bark assures him that he is merely recharging his metal half, which is solar powered. He also uses this recharge time to think, since there is not much time to do it otherwise with the rebellion going on. Sonic, in his short-sighted manner, points out that they've got to think on their feet to stay alive, but Bark specifies that he meant thoughts about life, existence, and the meaning of such things. Sonic then tries to use a reference to clarify what Bark's talking about, and Bark agrees that Sonic is on the right track, if nothing else. After a moment of silence, when Sonic asks him what he's thinking about, Bark says, "The idea of other worlds." Sonic, with a noticeably uncomfortable expression on his face, then asks what his verdict is on the subject. Bark says that he isn't sure, and that such a thing cannot be understood at the current time. "Then why try?" Sonic asks? "Why not?" is Bark's rebuttal. There's another moment of silence, and then Sonic asks if Bark really believes that there might be a place where things in the current existence never happened. Bark says that for the sake of those who have died, he hopes that there is a place elsewhere for them to be happy. And then he brings up a more disturbing idea: what if existence is merely a dream, and when the dreamer wakes, everything vanishes? Sonic contests that idea, saying that it can't be possible because he knows that he exists, and that he knows things that other people don't. But Bark's reply is: what if that is only because the dreamer wishes to dream Sonic's story? Sonic has to agree that the whole idea is creepy. Then Sonic asks Bark about how bad he (Sonic) was before he started helping. Bark then explains that Sonic had been bad enough to become a serious issue, and about the vote for his fate. It turns out that Bark opposed Sonic's exile, Bunny never spoke for it, and Fiona tried everything except direct opposition. So that leaves Bean, Antoine and Rotor, and Sonic decides he just has to earn their respect. Bark reminds him that he has already done so, with his duel with Antoine and his life-risking attempt of dropping the bomb at the Legion's headquarters. When Sonic wonders why saving Bean's life wasn't enough, Bark explains that while Bean is thankful, it was Sonic's daring to put himself on the line for the mission that impressed Bean. As Sonic and Bark trade dialogue, we learn that the current rebellion has only been fighting for at most three years, although it definitely feels longer than that at times. Then Sonic asks Bark about his roboticized parts, and then Bark details the disastrous mission that butchered him, and the results afterward when they reached Dr. Kintobor. To save his life, Kintobor used roboticization to hold Bark together. In getting Bark there, Sonic and Fiona also were injured, and Fiona decided to take the opportunity to get an edge against the Legion by having her arms and Sonic's feet roboticized. Bark also explains that the Legion doesn't use the process of roboticization because Dr. Kintobor keeps a low profile and lies about the capabilities of the roboticizer. Sonic asks about Bark's need for a recharge, and Bark tells him that if he didn't recharge, he could move around for a while longer, but would eventually die. Another moment of silence, and then Sonic asks if there was anything he missed while he's been healing from his head wound (reviews #4 and 5! -Tergonaut). When he learns that Bean decided to hold all operations until Sonic was fully healed, he feels more like he belongs in the rebellion, a fact which Bark assures him was always the case. As Sonic goes off to continue healing, Bark thinks to himself: "At last, you are with us my friend." Analysis/Opinion: The roboticization process is one that has been debated over by tech heads, and although I have my own theories about it, I'll stick to the facts that we have seen from all available official sources. Roboticization transforms a Mobian into a robotic duplicate of him/herself, gives them micro-tools and other technological edges, and does not appear to need recharging, as in solar power or recharge booths (Tergo-note: I don't have access to all the comics, so I may be wrong on this). And Bunnie, who is partially roboticized in the Archie comics universe, seems to generate enough power on her own to maintain her roboticized left arm and legs. Why do I bring this up? Because I found it interesting that Bark would need solar power to recharge. It may not make sense, since most roboticization seems self-sufficient, but in Bark's case, many of his internal organs were probably damaged so heavily that they could not provide the energy to maintain the roboticized parts, and thus Dr. Kintobor did a little impromptu reprogramming and redesigning to make up for that deficiency. Of course, we can assume that Sonic and Fiona can provide enough energy for their roboticized parts just by eating and getting enough rest, although the question may still be asked. The philosophical discussion's first part about other worlds hits home for Sonic, once again reminding him and us that he's been somewhere else. There's no way he can forget his past. And he shouldn't, because regardless of what actually happened his memories have driven him to be better than anyone thought he could be in the current reality. As for the idea about the dreamer dreaming our existence, my personal opinion is: hey, when existence stops, you can come and tell me about it, but 'til then, if I can hit myself in the chest, then I'm for real. I believe there's more to life than just this physical realm, but at the same time, we can't ignore our material reality, because it directly affects our lives and development. Oops, that skirts the edge of religion and stuff, so back to my opinion. On page 9, there are a coupla things that bug me. In the middle panels, it says at the bottom, "Rotor is more lead than leader." Yeah, but how does that fit in with everything else? It's out of the way enough to not be noticed unless you're careful, and that doesn't tell us much about Rotor's perspective. If you try to follow along the line of logic and conclude that the statement is saying that Rotor is okay with Sonic if Bean and Antoine are, then I suppose it's clear enough, but it doesn't seem to be portrayed in the best way. And Sonic didn't drop the bomb inside the headquarters, he put it right outside the building on the sidewalk (Other-M issue and review #2! - Tergonaut). Of course, this last bit may not be the contradiction I find it to be, but it looks a bit like it. Final Word: Bark cares deeply for all those around him, and he especially seems to keep watch over those who are not brave or strong enough to support themselves, which explains why he has befriended Sonic. But even Bark is realizing that Sonic has become more competent, although he does still need a hand, considering his lost memory. A minor note about the cover: I'm not quite sure what the point of having the echidna there is. The discussion touched briefly on the Legion, but it didn't seem to be important enough to have a part of the cover. Just a thought. Sonic will not be able to forget his past, because there will always be something there to remind him, through the casual comment or his newfound love for Fiona. And well he shouldn't forget, for things have become as they are because of the strength he has in those memories.