Other-M (1999-2006) - Other-M #30

As Ians first real forray into comics, his flavor of storytelling is all over the plot here. Desperate emotional moment and constant pressure on the characters have always been a trademark of his for better and worse, and here we see the true limit of how far he can push these characters. But it also shows his mastery of getting you attached to every character concept. No one ever feels like they’re just filling a slot. Alpha and Beta are mysterious, Kodos, Hershey and Big are all different kinds of scary, and you can see the seeds of Kit/Anti-Miles and Starline/Finitevus in Tails and Knuckles’ relationship.
Is it perfect? God no, Fiona is actually at her most selfish and unlikable here, and the moral debate between Bean and Sonic is so ungodly onesided that it makes Bean look worse as a character, making his revival near the end a little gross considering there were more morally sound characters that would be less bittersweet.
That being said, as a first work, its a heck of a testament to Ian’s strength as a writer, I was never bored, even if I ended up disliking something or finding a hole in the character’s logic.

Seeing these characters get a happier end in Sonic Universe will mean much more to me now than it did when I thought they were just a weird AU.