Sideways #3 Review

Writers: Justin Jordan & Dan Didio / Artist: Kenneth Rocafort / DC Comics End of the Arc The first story arc of Sideways comes to a close. Ultimately, these 3 issues are a pretty satisfying romp and a teaser of things to come. As the new superhero on the block, Derek brings a good amount of fun and optimism to the DC Universe that you don’t often see with some of the bigger heroes. His nonchalant attitude doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and is even growing on me. It’s a bit appropriate that the follow-up to going against Tempus Fuginaut, the almighty monitor of the boundaries between dimensions, is a by-the-numbers villain like Killspeed. It feels like a nice balance of small and big-time threats for our would-be hero to come up against on his first adventure. We get to not only see what Derek is capable of as Sideways but also see more of his personality as a hero.

Oddly enough, I really like Killspeed as a villain and hope we get to see more of her in the future. Yes, there are a lot of speedsters running around the DC Universe but her backstory is interesting enough to make her compelling. Similiar to Sideways, her powers manifested from one of DC’s crazy events — the speed storm that hit Central City at the beginning of Rebirth. There’s an interesting parallel between how both hero and villain came to get their powers and dealt with the aftermath. For all the fortune Sideways enjoyed, Killspeed was equally unlucky. Backstory Time The best part about his issue is t…