Sideways #6 Review

Writer: Dan Dido / Artist: Carmine di Giandomenico / DC Comics This issue starts off pretty weird, especially considering that during our last visit into the life of Sideways saw Derek resolve his misgivings about being a hero. Instead, it feels like Derek’s small arc of self-discovery never happened and we are back to square one. It’s a little weird and frustrating to see Dido roll back the character to his somewhat depressed state when you devoted a whole issue to get him out of that funk.

From the start, the writing is on the wall that something terrible was going to happen. While Dereck tries to work out his issues, his mother begins to unravel. It’s understandable when she has just discovered that her son has superpowers and the company she works for is keeping tabs on his every move. And with Derek pushing her further and further away in an attempt to escape his issues, she goes digging back to the source for more answers. I’ll be honest, I don’t like where this issue ends. It was something that I was hoping that the book avoided doing because its a tired and used trope. While it may have worked in the classic stories of old, it feels like a cheap narrative device to motivate the character. I can’t say that I didn’t see it coming but I just wished that Dido and company would have done something different with Derek’s mother and her story.

Aside from that, we get to see Derek looking for a shoulder to lean on without the help of his usual partner in crime Ernie, which …