Other-M, "Martyr"
issue #16, 16 pages
Review written by Matthias Johnson, a.k.a. Tergonaut
tergonaut@aol.com
Summary: Continuing from the previous issue, Sonic, Bean and
Predator Hawk are trapped inside the Guardian's inner sanctum,
where there doesn't seem to be any way out, and something
terrible is sure to happen...

Credits:
Cover A: Jonathan "WB" Gray
Cover B: Lady Laguna
Cover C: RONE
Story: Ian Potto
Art: Chibi Jen Hen
Lettering: Chibi Jen Hen
Other-M logo design: Jeffrey "Z-Kara" Houston

Plot: Sonic, Bean, Predator Hawk and Dr. Kintobor have been
surrounded by the Legion and the Chaotix, their hands up and
things looking bad.  But the Legion hasn't begun to move in,
and it seems as if they're waiting for something.
     Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for the rebels, it
isn't too much longer before the Guardian arrives.  He is not
pleased that the rebels have infiltrated his inner sanctum,
and he asks how they had gotten inside.  Sonic, in traditional
mocking fashion, tells the Guardian to figure it out for
himself, referring to the Guardian by his name Knuckles.
     The Chaotix are all surprised at hearing the Guardian's
name used so crudely, and Vector is about to crush Sonic's
face for using the Guardian's name in vain when Knuckles
raises a hand and tells the Prelate to stand down.  Vector is
surprised, but he obeys the will of the Guardian.
     The Guardian turns to Kintobor and tells him of his
disappointment with the good doctor.  It is at this point that
Espio chooses to speak up about an investigation that he's
maintained about Kintobor's activities, revealing that
Kintobor was indeed sabotaging his own projects, although
Espio almost casually states that the investigation turned up
no evidence of direct rebel assistance.
     Kintobor begs for mercy, and in an attempt to show his
true loyalty to the Guardian, he points out that Bean is the
leader of the rebellion and that if he is killed, then the
rebellion will fall.  Sonic makes a demeaning comment about
how even this universe's Robotnik stayed the same as the one
he had known before, just before the Guardian orders Kintobor
to kill the three rebels in exchange for a lenient punishment. 
Kintobor goes over to the Guardian and turns to say that he is
sorry, to which Sonic rudely answers, "No you're not!"
     But Kintobor suddenly gets a smirk on his face as he
says, "O ye of little faith..."  And then he wallops the
Guardian with one meaty arm in a backhanded strike that
actually incapacitates him.  Pressing a button on the hoverpod
that has replaced his legs, a pair of multi-barreled guns pop
out of hidden panels, and Kintobor starts shooting around at
the Legion!  This surprise move scatters the Legion, but
Mighty gets in close to grab the doctor's arm and send him
flying, effectively ending his surprise assault.  Bean then
uses his magic to create a bomb and throw it, using the
explosion to cover their tracks as he, Sonic, and Predator
Hawk make a run for it.
     In the aftermath of Kintobor's distraction, Knuckles is
being helped to his feet by some random Legionnaire and
Vector, Julie-Su is standing in a stunned daze as she holds
her hand to a wound on her arm, and Mighty is shaking up
Kintobor.  The Guardian recovers from the direct blow that he
had received and calls out to his Chaotix, to which Vector,
Julie-Su, and Mighty reply readily.  But Julie-Su asks where
Espio is, as he is not present, and Knuckles grins in triumph
as he notes that Espio is probably after the rebel scum.
     Meanwhile, Sonic, Bean and Predator Hawk are hiding
behind some crates in what is apparently the flying vehicle
bay.  Sonic can't believe that Kintobor risked himself to
cover for the rebels, but Bean practically points out that
they do not have the time at the moment to worry about anyone
besides themselves.  Predator Hawk suggests that the other two
can grab a jet while he creates a distraction, after which he
can get away on his own since he has the ability to fly.
     But before they can put any plan into effect, Espio pops
up right next to them with a pistol in hand.  At this range,
it's clear that he has the advantage and could have shot all
three before they had even known he was there.  But
inexplicably, he deliberately gives them a chance to run.  He
explains that he will count to twenty, during which time they
can run.  He will then shoot one of them, and then begin to
count again, an idea which quickly lends itself to the
imagination as to what happens every time Espio counts twenty.
     So Sonic and crew run for it, Sonic using his speed and
holding on to Bean and Predator Hawk.  They head for the open
vehicle bay doors as Espio counts ten, they are pursued by
Legionnaires and are nearly out the door when Espio counts
fifteen, and in a daring leap outward, Predator Hawk lends his
wings as Sonic hangs onto his leg and Bean hangs on to Sonic's
hand.
     And then Espio counts twenty, and he shoots his gun with
a BANG!
     BANG!  The sound is heard inside the base by Knuckles and
the other Chaotix members, including Julie-Su whose arm has
been bound to cover her wound.
     BANG!  The sound is loud and clear to the three rebels
who have just launched themselves recklessly out of the
Guardian's mostly heavily guarded facility.
     And although the sound is much too far away to be heard,
Bunnie feels something go through her that is louder than any
gunshot.
     Sonic, overjoyed that they have made it out, calls down
to Bean...and suddenly his joy turns cold as Bean's grip
begins to loosen.  Crying out for Bean to hold on, his words
are in vain, as Bean slips from Sonic and falls down,
down...with a bleeding wound in his chest...
     Bean, leader of the second rebellion against the
Guardian, is dead.
     Later, Bunnie is sitting alone in her room, and there is
a knock at the door.  It is Sonic who opens the door, and with
tears in his eyes, he can only say, "I'm sorry, Bunnie."
     Bunnie weeps into her hands, and Sonic sits down nearby,
holding his head with one hand and shaking.

Analysis/Opinion: Okay folks, this is going to bust up the
feeling of the whole last section, but I think we can all
agree that the Guardian's appearance on the scene was ripe
with stereotypical bad guy entrance-type things.  He's wearing
a cape, he's got that "I'm the bad guy, and I know that makes
me sexy" look, and for crying out, where is that wind that's
blowing his cape and dreadlocks around coming from?  If it
weren't for the seriousness of the situation, I'd probably be
laughing at this.
     Okay, actually, I am laughing at it right now.  So sue
me.
     Hmm...wonder why the Guardian stopped Vector from
creaming Sonic after the blue hedgehog used his name in vain? 
Is he fascinated by this rebel who speaks so freely?  Is he
curious as to how this rebel knows his name so well as to use
it casually?  Or was he just going to take care of things
himself and in his own time, i.e. torture Sonic himself later
on?  Who knows, maybe there's something about Sonic that the
Guardian can recognize somehow, a light within the hedgehog
that is not native to the darkness that permeates the Other-M
world.
     It doesn't take much to realize by now that Espio's
basically been keeping tabs on virtually everything within the
Guardian's reach, and then some.  Espio's natural abilities
easily allow him to gain access to information that would
otherwise be unattainable.  But, why does he know so much and
yet only mention his information on a particular subject when
he is ready to reveal it as opposed to immediately when he has
the information?  There have been hints that Espio is working
with the Guardian's ward, Miles Prower, in a joint effort of
some kind to betray the Guardian.  And while we're on the
subject of Espio, he could've killed all three rebels if he
had wanted to.  But he didn't.  Why?  Was it mercy?  Cruelty? 
Part of a very specific plan of his?  Perhaps he has mixed
feelings about his involvement in this big mess that has been
made?  I don't know, I'm a comic reviewer, not a mind-reader.
     Looks like Kintobor's been working out, seeing as how he
knocked out the Guardian with one smack.  This isn't
unrealistic, however, since the Guardian isn't a mind-reader
either and was taken by surprise.  Then Kintobor pulling out
his artillery...I dunno, I just have this thing for multi-
barreled, fully-automatic weaponry.  So cool!  Of course, that
didn't stop Mighty from throwing the doctor for a loop, but it
was cool while it lasted.
     It's interesting how the first thing that Knuckles checks
on when getting up is his Chaotix.  The Chaotix from Sonic
Prime's original universe were Knuckles' friends, and while
that is not exactly true here, there is yet some concern for
the Chaotix held in Knuckles's heart.  Although, notably
enough, that limited friendship obviously didn't extend to
Nack the Weasel.
     Now...the primary event of this issue, the pivotal moment
that now most heavily affects the rebellion, is the death of
Bean.  We have known Bean for a while now, and even though he
was becoming more hard-edged toward the end with his
insistence on terrorism, it is hard not to sympathize with his
death.  He was a good leader, had rallied the rebellion
together with the noble goal of restoring the Acorn Kingdom. 
That takes guts.  He himself led the rebels into action on
various missions, even though he could have just stayed at
home cuddling with Bunnie.  That takes bravery.  Despite his
faults and flaws, despite the magical degeneration of his arm
and the loss of his eye and the damage to his legs, he had
kept the rebellion from scattering even after the destruction
of the hidden mountain base.  That takes courage.
     Let this review stand as a testament to the courageous
leader of the rebellion, who gave his life for the cause that
he had built up with his own hands.  Let this review stand for
Bean.

Artwork: We had three covers for this issue, each done by a
different artist.  The first cover I'll review is the one that
was drawn by Jonathan "WB" Gray.  Now, before I get into the
actual cover, I know WB not only for his personal work on his
twin comic Chip 'n' Walter/Time Trouble, but as former head
Admin at the Sonic Headquarters web site and message board. 
Unlike other artists, I even see him in the SHQ site's chat
room every once in a while, so I'm sure that he'll mention my
review when next we meet.  Or heck, maybe he won't mention it
specifically to annoy me, I already said I wasn't a mind-
reader.
     Anyhoo, the cover he drew is slightly different from the
other two in the sense of the general theme it presents.  On
the cover are Sonic in the center, Predator Hawk just behind
him and to his left, and Bean just behind him and to his
right.  Sonic looks really ticked and is telling whoever it is
he's baring his teeth at to "Bring it on!"  Predator Hawk is
also looking like he's ready for battle, while Bean, with some
obvious wounds on his body, seems more quiet than his
compatriots.  To one side, we can see the faces of the four
Chaotix members, Julie-Su, Vector, Mighty and Espio, all with
varying expressions.  The overall feel is, honestly speaking,
somewhat in contrast with the actual situation presented in
the issue.  In the issue, Sonic and co. are surrounded by bad
guys with lots of guns, and aren't exactly in a position to
fight back.  Their major action event was Bean tossing a bomb
and then the three of them running.  Also, Sonic's feet aren't
clearly mechanical, with only the grayish soles hinting toward
metal feet, and Julie-Su's got a cybernetic dreadlock, of
which the Other-M Julie-Su doesn't have from what I've seen. 
So, while it's a good cover and does gain points for
originality (the other two covers are similar in general
theme), it does go a bit away from the issue's theme and has
some minor errors.
     Well, the next time WB boots me off a cliff in the chat,
at least it'll be for a good reason.
     Next, we've got the cover done by Lady Laguna.  Sonic is
running, clearly freaked out at being shot at by the
silhouettes in the background while going at his super speed
with Bean hanging onto his arm and Predator Hawk staying with
them, his eyes closed and his teeth gritted.  It's a good
cover, but even as I'm writing this, I'm thinking: Huh? 
Predator Hawk is gritting his teeth?!  I've just realized that
I've overlooked one of the greatest nitpicks that I could have
capitalized on if I was that sort of anal-retentive person,
and that is that "birds ain't got no teeth."  I don't think it
was this particular cover that made me think of this, rather
it just happened to be the cover I was reviewing when this
thought came to me.  But ultimately I think it's pretty
pointless to nitpick about this, as expressions for birds with
their beaks is pretty hard as it is without taking away
artistic license.  Besides, we've got a walking talking super-
speedy cobalt blue hedgehog who's been sucked out of his
original cartoony dimension into a darker shade of existence. 
If I wanted realism, I wouldn't be reading a fan comic based
on a fictional set of characters which stars a video game
animal, and I'd probably be bored out of my mind.  But, I'm a
little off-topic with that rant.  Um, nothing that I can see
that needs improvement here...even Sonic's proportions are
great, so I can't poke Lady Laguna about that this time. 
Curse you, Lady Laguna, you win this time.
     Third and final cover, RONE is the artist.  We've got
Bean in the middle, Sonic on the left, and Predator Hawk on
the right, all three running toward us through a metallic
hallway with scared/concerned/freaked out expressions on their
faces.  I noticed that Sonic's quills on the back of his head
and Predator Hawk's head-feathers form an almost symmetrical
shape on this cover, which is a rather subtle and interesting
addition.  In the far background, though, there's something on
the ground that looks like a pair of feet or something, and my
question is, what is that?  Is it Espio momentarily showing a
part of himself?  A cameo of one of Kintobor's misshapen
robots?  I can't figure it out, myself.  And looking at
Sonic's head, I seem to think that the ear is in a slightly
lower position than it should be.  But otherwise, I see no
problem.
     Both Lady Laguna's and RONE's covers were very similar to
each other due to the common theme of the good guys running
away and looking like they don't wanna be there.  They are,
however, both unique do to their respective artists'
particular styles.
     As for the actual issue, this was done by Chibi Jen Hen. 
The one thing that really stands out to me is the precise
timing of the panels and the pages to emphasize the impact of
this entire issue as well as every single dramatic turning
point during the story.  The Guardian's dramatic entrance,
Kintobor's timely distraction, Espio's sudden appearance, and
Bean's death, all of these were executed in a manner which I
consider to be expertly appropriate.  Emotional portrayal was
also very good throughout the issue.  I do have a few
nitpicks, primarily in the form of Sonic's metallic shoes/feet
(which I feel should be more along the lines of Sonic
Adventure 1's shoe style rather than the SOAP shoes that he
acquired in Sonic Adventure 2), and in Bunnie's feet (which
are more like human feet than rabbit feet).  Overall, though,
worthy artwork for a turning-point issue such as this one.

Final Word: Bean is dead.  That is the resounding message of
this issue.  He was the leader of the rebellion, tough,
capable, dedicated to the goals that he had set, yet able to
show other emotions, which is evident by the love that he
shared with Bunnie.
     But what happens now?  This is perhaps an even more
precarious cliffhanger than the last issue, for we now must
ponder what will happen to the rebellion.  Who is the next
leader?  Will Bunnie be able to face life now?  And will the
rebellion even survive such a crushing blow?
     My personal belief is that Sonic will not let the
rebellion fall apart.  Being a hero for another rebellion that
seems so far away now, he has had vital experience that will
be useful, and he has the light of courage and hope inside of
him.  He isn't one to give up, despite the odds, and I don't
think he's going to fail now.  He brings a powerful factor to
the rebellion, and that is a different viewpoint of not only
what things used to be, but of what things should be.  He
won't give up because he has the memories of another time
where giving up wasn't an option, where facing everything was
the only way to live.  He will pull through this because now
the rebellion needs his strength, like it needed the patience
of Bark and the dedication of Bean.
     Keep fighting, Sonic.  An entire world, including two
dead heroes, is counting upon you.