Seriously, what?

Maybe he's hiding off panel?

That seems vaguely absurd enough to work.

I think he duped some wall and is hiding behind it.

Maybe, but remember that sprites don't have the third-person view. Only Alex (and maybe the touched) has that.

I add my voice to the chorus of, "Whaaaa?"

The wall idea's an interesting one, and no other thoughts are forthcoming. So... giant question-mark, here.

Maybe Bob added Alex to his party, and then everyone refrained from saying anything about coffee... lol i have no idea...

I think only the player, or in this case Alex, can have parties like that. Though, if that's what happened...where did Alex go?

He just has to be anywhere that's not visible from the door. (Such as the ceiling - which he can reach by using the controller's "jump" button, or perhaps with Mode 7.) Then when the guards look in and see him missing, they open the door and let Alex out for real. (In Metal Gear Solid, you can pull the same trick by hiding under the bed.)

No controller.

I assumed it was just an example.

What's the thing in his right hand? I thought he only had the mystic mouse.

Head-on barrel view of the superscope.

No, it seems dependent on a character-to-character basis. Palom and Porom couldn't see outside of their cell, but Bubsy couldn't see the card/hooker when she turned sideways.

Which is honestly what I thought Alex meant when pausing -- as though something had dawned on him -- after considering his items of power. I was half-expecting a repeat of the 'blow open an entrance' tactic that marked his arrival in Nexus. So, when that didn't seem to be the case? Glad as I am he didn't repeat the tactic that caused him so much trouble, I don't really know what to make of it.

If he duped the back wall (from our perspective) that wouldn't make a difference.

Remember, he has more resources than what is listed there. He has Psycho Stalker Lisa in his party, and she can pause time...but keep her and Alex out of it. And if you look at the door in the 4th-to-last panel, you'll see two dots of light. On first view, I thought they might've been eyes, but remembering Alex's height, that's unlikely.

My thoughts are that he got out with her help.

She's also suicidal, insane, and unconscious, so I really don't think that's it.

I'm with the "duplicated the wall" team.

He was looking at the mouse before executing his plan, and he JUST learned of the mouse's abilities, so I'm pretty sure it involved the mouse.

I'm really not counting on Lisa. She's unconscious, for one thing, and -- as has been mentioned -- really Touched. It's not impossible, but it feels like a stretch.

As for an inability for Alex to get to the bars... You'd be surprised. And, before assuming the different look means the two dots are anything other than Alex's eyes -- which I freely concede could be true -- I point out they could also just be a special effect.

EDIT: And I can't remember. Does Alex still have a shot left on the Super Scope? Because, while it may not be relevant here, if he does have one last ammo, and it happens to count as a 'mundane item,' then... Hell, even if he doesn't have one, now: snazzy Mouse is snazzy.

Alex's shots aren't measured in bullets. They're measured in energy, the D-Cells powering the Scope. We don't know how many shots he has left because the storm of profanity he let out at the Sinistrals may or may not have restocked the D-Cells' energy completely, or it may have just boosted the one shot.

Not-so-side question: How would a material such as, oh say, corduroys, work as rope?

Pants ladder!