Other-M, "Confrontation"
issue #9, 25 pages
Review written by Matt Johnson, a.k.a. Tergonaut
Summary: The rebels score big on a raid, but it's a setup by
the Guardian so that they have to face the Chaotix in a fight
to the finish.

Credits:
Cover: True Flyer
Story: Ian Potto
Art: Inazuma Hengeyokai, pages 1-7 and 18-25; Jimi "NoOman"
Newman, pages 8-17
Lettering: Ian Potto, pages 1 and 15-17
Other-M logo design: Jeffrey "Z-Kara" Houston

Plot: The rebellion has just managed to get a major score of
food, medical supplies, and even weapons!  But weapons are
extremely hard to come by, and since the mission went so
easily, Bean gets suspicious quickly.  Just as they are
leaving the warehouse in their pirated truck, however, Bean
gives the order to stop, and they all get out and find
themselves faced with the Chaotix.  The supplies were bait,
and they were in a trap!
     Okay, let's be honest, this issue is a major brawl, so
I'll skip the play-by-play.  Basically, it turns out that Nack
was the guy who killed Rotor's parents, and so Rotor goes one-
on-one with him, and the other rebels and Chaotix pick their
man and stick it to 'em.  End result for the brawl: everyone
except Vector, Mighty and Sonic are knocked out, due to blood
loss, shock, or concussion.
     Vector is about to squash Sonic when Mighty smacks the
alligator from behind, and then explains that there are many
others among the elite of the Guardian's forces who sympathize
with the rebellion.  That confirms what Remmington said back
in issue #4.  And Mighty also warns Sonic that the rebellion
is starting to push a little too hard, and that Knuckles might
try something desperate to crush the rebellion once and for
all.
     After agreeing not to interfere with each other and
getting back to their respective bases, the rebels and the
Chaotix separate, and the Chaotix get back to base and deal
with Knuckles.
     Boy, he's not happy about this!  His anger is so great
that he nukes Nack with his magic, and replaces him with his
ward, who of course we know is Tails.  Overall, things aren't
very pleasant in the Bad Guy Camp after such a debacle.

Analysis/Opinion: I can't really say this is my favorite
issue.  The brawl takes up pages #8-14, and I got really
confused as to who was who in some of the panels.  Then again,
I guess the brawlers were just as confused as I was, as combat
is never an organized issue.
     Unwittingly, Mighty has pointed out the location of the
rebel base to the Guardian.  He thought that the rebels
wouldn't be stupid enough to be on Angel Island, but that's
exactly where they are.  True, they use some areas of the
Launch Base zone, but it's not their real base.

Final Word: If Knuckles was really hurt so badly by the
rebellion when they stole stuff like medical supplies and
weapons, then perhaps he doesn't have as many resources as he
would like to have us believe.
     Of course, Sonic was the guy who came out on top for the
rebellion's side, but that was probably because his fighting
style is unique to this world: hedgehogs aren't common,
especially supersonic hedgehogs, and the Chaotix have never
dealt with such a fighter before.
     Then again, Sonic has a fighting spirit that the
rebellion will need when Knuckles decides to push back. 
Knuckles himself is extremely powerful at the moment, and
surely he has more tricks up his sleeves in a world where
there are many secrets yet to be revealed.