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Sideways #1-6
Sideways, Vol. 1: Steppin' Out
During the events of Dark Nights: Metal, high school junior Derek James accidentally fell through a rift into the dark matter dimension! Now, as Sideways, he can create rifts in midair to leap through dimensions at will!
But with that much power comes great liability--and cracks are starting to form in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Each leap that Derek takes brings the new hero one step closer to succumbing to the allure of his new power and its dark origins.
From artist Kenneth Rocafort (Red Hood and The Outlaws) and co-writers Grant Morrison (The Multiversity), Justin Jordan (Green Lantern: New Guardians) and DC's Publisher Dan DiDio, Sideways emerges as a part of New Age of Heroes! Collects issues #1-6.
The DC Universe just got bigger! In the New Age of Heroes, DC introduces a bold new line of comics starring a thrilling array of heroes--some you know, some you may have glimpsed in the pages of Dark Nights: Metal. They embody a spirit of epic, adventurous bravery--the kind you may remember from another era, but updated in an exciting way for today. Illustrated by DC's Master Class of artists, including legendary names like Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, John Romita Jr., Ivan Reis, Tony S. Daniel and others, these new series are great entry points for new readers and a welcome addition for longtime fans of the DC library.
But with that much power comes great liability--and cracks are starting to form in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Each leap that Derek takes brings the new hero one step closer to succumbing to the allure of his new power and its dark origins.
From artist Kenneth Rocafort (Red Hood and The Outlaws) and co-writers Grant Morrison (The Multiversity), Justin Jordan (Green Lantern: New Guardians) and DC's Publisher Dan DiDio, Sideways emerges as a part of New Age of Heroes! Collects issues #1-6.
The DC Universe just got bigger! In the New Age of Heroes, DC introduces a bold new line of comics starring a thrilling array of heroes--some you know, some you may have glimpsed in the pages of Dark Nights: Metal. They embody a spirit of epic, adventurous bravery--the kind you may remember from another era, but updated in an exciting way for today. Illustrated by DC's Master Class of artists, including legendary names like Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, John Romita Jr., Ivan Reis, Tony S. Daniel and others, these new series are great entry points for new readers and a welcome addition for longtime fans of the DC library.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2018
8 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 19, 2018
What a poor imitation of Spider-Man's origin. There is absolutely nothing to like about this series except for Sideways's costume design. A self-centered, entitled, a-hole of a teenager gets teleportation powers and tries to become a YouTube star. That's pretty much the entire extent of the first 6 issues if you throw in some cardboard cutout villains with zero character. This series makes Blue Beetle look good. I'll be shocked if this makes it more than 12 issues.
Received a review copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from DC and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
July 26, 2018
0.5
This book derivative, poorly written and just plain bad.
World: I don’t like this art, it’s scratchy, it’s messy and the colours are bland and flat. The characters don’t really convey emotions all that well as the art does not give personality to the characters. The world building is half assed, uninspired and frankly a copy of Peter Parker, Blue Beetle all wrapped into one with barely anything creative about it. The powers are wispy washy and not a lot of time is spent on it. It’s like Didio decided to mash things together and think that he made something new and great, but what he’s created is a hot piece of turd.
Story: The story is choppy as hell, it’s poorly written, it’s janky, the dialog is stilted, the characters are cliched and paper thin and it’s just bad. The story of Derek is uninspired, his antics annoying, his friends and family illogical, these characters don’t work and that’s why this story does not work. How can I express this story? It’s a rip off of Peter Parker and Jamie Reyes and young heroes all wrapped into one and then there’s the character problems. The stuff with Ernie the stuff with Mom and the heroing and the YouTube. It’s SOOOO STUPID! There are no redeeming qualities to this book, there is no reason you should be reading it, it’s a mess, it’s stupid, it’s a copy and don’t waste your money.
Characters: I don’t mind characters that have an arc, Peter Parker needed the Ben incident to push him but wow Derek James (I hate names with two first names, it’s sounds odd) is just an ass, all aspects of his character are unsympathetic. He’s terrible to to his family, he’s selfish to his friend, he’s lazy, he’s entitled, he lacks not even a little bit of sympathy from readers. At least Peter was a nerd and was picked on but at the core he was a good kid, he was a bit selfish but he was a good kid. Derek is just a punk ass entitle asshole and I don’t like reading about him. There are some great characters that are flawed and interesting this is not one of them. The dialog is painful to read, it’s an old white guy trying to sound like a teenager and failing so utterly miserably. Didio’s idea of a troubled kid is exactly the stereotypes the older generation have for this generation and it’s pretty bad when you read it on paper. Then there are the slew of villains that show up and don’t do anything and suddenly stuff happens and we are suppose to feel for them. Killspeed was half baked and her end was terrible and Derek was a monster but oh well we’ll just brush that off (said this creative team), Replicant what happens to him, same thing. Then Showman, a dumb character. Terrible. Mum and Ernie deserve better writing, they are good to a fault and it doesn’t suit this book. These characters are terrible.
This is really bad. It’s worst than Rebirth Blue Beetle bad. The writing is terrible from start to finish and the character is just someone I don’t want to read. I don’t care if he gets redeems I don’t. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE CANCELLED.
Onwards to the next book!
*read individual issues*
This book derivative, poorly written and just plain bad.
World: I don’t like this art, it’s scratchy, it’s messy and the colours are bland and flat. The characters don’t really convey emotions all that well as the art does not give personality to the characters. The world building is half assed, uninspired and frankly a copy of Peter Parker, Blue Beetle all wrapped into one with barely anything creative about it. The powers are wispy washy and not a lot of time is spent on it. It’s like Didio decided to mash things together and think that he made something new and great, but what he’s created is a hot piece of turd.
Story: The story is choppy as hell, it’s poorly written, it’s janky, the dialog is stilted, the characters are cliched and paper thin and it’s just bad. The story of Derek is uninspired, his antics annoying, his friends and family illogical, these characters don’t work and that’s why this story does not work. How can I express this story? It’s a rip off of Peter Parker and Jamie Reyes and young heroes all wrapped into one and then there’s the character problems. The stuff with Ernie the stuff with Mom and the heroing and the YouTube. It’s SOOOO STUPID! There are no redeeming qualities to this book, there is no reason you should be reading it, it’s a mess, it’s stupid, it’s a copy and don’t waste your money.
Characters: I don’t mind characters that have an arc, Peter Parker needed the Ben incident to push him but wow Derek James (I hate names with two first names, it’s sounds odd) is just an ass, all aspects of his character are unsympathetic. He’s terrible to to his family, he’s selfish to his friend, he’s lazy, he’s entitled, he lacks not even a little bit of sympathy from readers. At least Peter was a nerd and was picked on but at the core he was a good kid, he was a bit selfish but he was a good kid. Derek is just a punk ass entitle asshole and I don’t like reading about him. There are some great characters that are flawed and interesting this is not one of them. The dialog is painful to read, it’s an old white guy trying to sound like a teenager and failing so utterly miserably. Didio’s idea of a troubled kid is exactly the stereotypes the older generation have for this generation and it’s pretty bad when you read it on paper. Then there are the slew of villains that show up and don’t do anything and suddenly stuff happens and we are suppose to feel for them. Killspeed was half baked and her end was terrible and Derek was a monster but oh well we’ll just brush that off (said this creative team), Replicant what happens to him, same thing. Then Showman, a dumb character. Terrible. Mum and Ernie deserve better writing, they are good to a fault and it doesn’t suit this book. These characters are terrible.
This is really bad. It’s worst than Rebirth Blue Beetle bad. The writing is terrible from start to finish and the character is just someone I don’t want to read. I don’t care if he gets redeems I don’t. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE CANCELLED.
Onwards to the next book!
*read individual issues*
November 9, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Following the events in Dark Nights: Metal, new and old heroes are given the opportunity to make a memorable impression within the DC Universe and on fans. This New Age of Heroes attempts to fill in a gap in DC’s repertoire by offering readers new story arcs to dive in and enjoy. This colossal task was oddly approached with the launch of so many different series almost simultaneously, but also with so many different creative teams working on each project, looking to hit the jackpot among fans. To top it off, the artists were given much more credit in these new line-ups, even though all the series so far features multiple artists working on the same project; nothing like a rocky experience, right? However, so far, the new heroes introduced have failed to leave a good impression with them all showing significant resemblances to Marvel’s superheroes. With Damage being the Hulk, the Silencer being the Punisher and the Terrifics being the Fantastic Four, things weren’t looking too good for these comic book series. Is it any different with Sideways?
Unfortunately for us, Sideways is the latest rip-off by DC Comics and this time—if the costume alone doesn’t give it away—it takes our friendly neighbourhood superhero, Spider-Man, and merges his character with Doctor Strange's ability to open portals to create our new dimension-jumping Puerto Rican teenage hero. This is the story of high school junior Derek James as he wakes up one morning after falling into a rift to another dimension during the Metal DC Comics cosmic event and returning with the power to open rifts to wherever he thinks of. Known around school as the kid who needs his adopted mom for absolutely anything, he secretly wishes to gain fame and popularity through Youtube videos where he does live-commentaries as his superhero-self known as Sideways. What he doesn’t know is that there are larger powers at work who doesn’t appreciate the manipulation of dimension that he carelessly indulges himself in.
I’m not going to lie, the ideas put together here, while disgraceful after having read the past three series in this New Age of Heroes line-up, still convey some potential. A teenage kid with the ability to open rifts that can ultimately have great repercussions if not used properly really brings into play a nice setup for stories that can build the character’s personality and help develop him from innocent and careless to mature and wise. However, there’s far too little reward in this first story arc as it fails to sell Derek James as a worthwhile character. His attitude is despicable and his mentality is beyond childish. There’s also no hooks thrown our way to connect with him as he continuously makes horrible decisions that lead him to realize too late all of his mistakes. And to make matters worse, the writing blatantly ignores these faults and skims over them, to lead the stories in directions that should never have even been possible. In fact, the role of the time and dimension guardian known as Tempus Fuginaut is a fine example of the many inconsistencies in this story. His motives dramatically change from his first to second appearance, and the explanation is quickly skipped over. All that came to mind was… Thank you, next.
The other issue that arises from this volume is the rough and ragged pencilling. The artwork is actually quite fine throughout the volume, but there’s something about the style, in addition to the colouring, that makes everything feel faded and old. The worse thing about this artwork has to be the facial expressions as every person seem like they have the flu or are high on some kind of psychoactive substance. However, the suit design remains intriguing, but its resemblances to Spider-Man takes away any originality from it. And then there’s the villains in this story arc. None of them truly stand out, and some of them are actually quite bad and unmemorable with dialogues so basic that you’d think it was a joke at first. In fact, the only times this story actually started being interesting is when it revolved around the Tempus Fuginaut character and his dimension. Besides that, the world in which Derek James lives is as plain as it can ever be.
With Sideways being the latest rip-off of Marvel’s property, it makes you wonder why DC Comics would believe that these new characters would honestly help complete their arsenal when anyone could and would be better off checking out the original classic heroes over at Marvel or simply stick to the canonical series within DC’s collections. If anything, I doubt any of these new line-ups will survive the long run for now.
P.S. In a recent episode of Arrow on the CW Network (season 7), the Silencer makes her debut as a villain. Quite interesting to see the character actually find itself as a Z-list character before even finding its own footing in the comic book world. Oh, and yes, you read that right: Z-list. I mean... They actually even changed her character, where her powers were just the result of a gadget.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Following the events in Dark Nights: Metal, new and old heroes are given the opportunity to make a memorable impression within the DC Universe and on fans. This New Age of Heroes attempts to fill in a gap in DC’s repertoire by offering readers new story arcs to dive in and enjoy. This colossal task was oddly approached with the launch of so many different series almost simultaneously, but also with so many different creative teams working on each project, looking to hit the jackpot among fans. To top it off, the artists were given much more credit in these new line-ups, even though all the series so far features multiple artists working on the same project; nothing like a rocky experience, right? However, so far, the new heroes introduced have failed to leave a good impression with them all showing significant resemblances to Marvel’s superheroes. With Damage being the Hulk, the Silencer being the Punisher and the Terrifics being the Fantastic Four, things weren’t looking too good for these comic book series. Is it any different with Sideways?
Unfortunately for us, Sideways is the latest rip-off by DC Comics and this time—if the costume alone doesn’t give it away—it takes our friendly neighbourhood superhero, Spider-Man, and merges his character with Doctor Strange's ability to open portals to create our new dimension-jumping Puerto Rican teenage hero. This is the story of high school junior Derek James as he wakes up one morning after falling into a rift to another dimension during the Metal DC Comics cosmic event and returning with the power to open rifts to wherever he thinks of. Known around school as the kid who needs his adopted mom for absolutely anything, he secretly wishes to gain fame and popularity through Youtube videos where he does live-commentaries as his superhero-self known as Sideways. What he doesn’t know is that there are larger powers at work who doesn’t appreciate the manipulation of dimension that he carelessly indulges himself in.
I’m not going to lie, the ideas put together here, while disgraceful after having read the past three series in this New Age of Heroes line-up, still convey some potential. A teenage kid with the ability to open rifts that can ultimately have great repercussions if not used properly really brings into play a nice setup for stories that can build the character’s personality and help develop him from innocent and careless to mature and wise. However, there’s far too little reward in this first story arc as it fails to sell Derek James as a worthwhile character. His attitude is despicable and his mentality is beyond childish. There’s also no hooks thrown our way to connect with him as he continuously makes horrible decisions that lead him to realize too late all of his mistakes. And to make matters worse, the writing blatantly ignores these faults and skims over them, to lead the stories in directions that should never have even been possible. In fact, the role of the time and dimension guardian known as Tempus Fuginaut is a fine example of the many inconsistencies in this story. His motives dramatically change from his first to second appearance, and the explanation is quickly skipped over. All that came to mind was… Thank you, next.
The other issue that arises from this volume is the rough and ragged pencilling. The artwork is actually quite fine throughout the volume, but there’s something about the style, in addition to the colouring, that makes everything feel faded and old. The worse thing about this artwork has to be the facial expressions as every person seem like they have the flu or are high on some kind of psychoactive substance. However, the suit design remains intriguing, but its resemblances to Spider-Man takes away any originality from it. And then there’s the villains in this story arc. None of them truly stand out, and some of them are actually quite bad and unmemorable with dialogues so basic that you’d think it was a joke at first. In fact, the only times this story actually started being interesting is when it revolved around the Tempus Fuginaut character and his dimension. Besides that, the world in which Derek James lives is as plain as it can ever be.
With Sideways being the latest rip-off of Marvel’s property, it makes you wonder why DC Comics would believe that these new characters would honestly help complete their arsenal when anyone could and would be better off checking out the original classic heroes over at Marvel or simply stick to the canonical series within DC’s collections. If anything, I doubt any of these new line-ups will survive the long run for now.
P.S. In a recent episode of Arrow on the CW Network (season 7), the Silencer makes her debut as a villain. Quite interesting to see the character actually find itself as a Z-list character before even finding its own footing in the comic book world. Oh, and yes, you read that right: Z-list. I mean... They actually even changed her character, where her powers were just the result of a gadget.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
October 14, 2018
You know what DC failed to do in its initial brace of New Age of Heroes books – apart from exactly entertain us? It failed to justify the post-Dark Nights Metal badge emblazoned on the cover. Here we have a cocky teenager who was caught up in that claptrap, and as a result can BAMF anywhere he wants. At last – a tie-in to the non-event Event that killed off the latest DC reboot. This re-reboot re-launch re-ohwhatthefudgearewesupposedtocallit hasn't exactly shone. And neither does this book. In amongst all the self-doubt, self-interested yack and slim pickings on the action front, we get the sole delight of him BAMFing while holding on to someone. That provides the only blink-and-you'll-miss-it joy here. Elsewhere he faces a loathsome speedster, and one of those characters that nicks other people's powers. Oh and he doesn't turn up for an internship interview, which swallows TEN pages. There might have been other things to mention, but they all got forgotten when a new character that looks like the bastard son of a Guardian and Guinan turns up for a second time, and says 'sorry I wanted to kill you in issue one, now you're the saviour of everything. Please meet the Fuginauts.' And you know what? That was when I bailed. I bet they don't even look anything like Lauryn Hill or Pras, for a start.
This is inane claptrap of the highest order. He left me with the utmost sense of boredom and non-interest. He is supposed to hate his mother, ie we're supposed to hate her. She was the only character with any novelty and interest about her, damn her. DC do scrape the bottom of the barrel at times, but seldom do I DNF one of their books. This scraped the bottom of the barrel and then presented all the dregs for our delectation. No thank you. Oh, and for god sake stop calling the artist a "storyteller" – WTF is that childish bastardisation of the language all about?
This is inane claptrap of the highest order. He left me with the utmost sense of boredom and non-interest. He is supposed to hate his mother, ie we're supposed to hate her. She was the only character with any novelty and interest about her, damn her. DC do scrape the bottom of the barrel at times, but seldom do I DNF one of their books. This scraped the bottom of the barrel and then presented all the dregs for our delectation. No thank you. Oh, and for god sake stop calling the artist a "storyteller" – WTF is that childish bastardisation of the language all about?
October 29, 2018
This was terrible. A blatant rip of Spidermans origin. Plotting and story were the same. Artwork was meh. The dialgoue was super cheesy. Wouldnt reccomend this at all.
February 10, 2019
Sideways is one of the New Age of Heroes volumes and introduces a new character who is a high school kid who obtained his super power during a visit to Gotham City with his mother on the night it was hit by a storm from Dark Metal. His power: the ability to open portals. With the help of his cosplaying best friend Derek decides the the will capitalize on his new found powers to become an internet celebrity and proceeds to create a traveling carnival show. However, his ability attracts attention, not all of it positive and various bad guys appear including a god like being who life duty is to control the fabric of reality, He is dying and needs Derek’s help, thus setting up future volumes, which I now understand have been, unfortunately, canceled as I thought this series had one of the brightest futures of this otherwise rather uninteresting series.
October 21, 2022
This is not good. It’s more that the writing is clunky with cheesy dialogue rather than actively offensive, but it all feels second-rate. This is clearly a Spider-Man clone with all of that character’s inherent goodness scrubbed off, complete with a similar group of supporting characters, including a blonde bully in the mold of Flash Thompson. Sideways’ outfit even resembles Spidey’s.
Giving him a version of teleportation akin to Nightcrawler or Cloak doesn’t really disguise the fact this is the petulant Peter Parker. There’s even an analogue to The Watcher called a Fuginaut. (That name, ouch.) Fuginaut’s character is incredibly inconsistent, almost as if it’s more than one person. But there’s no hint of that, it just seems due to bad writing.
The idea is fine, it’s just poorly executed.
Giving him a version of teleportation akin to Nightcrawler or Cloak doesn’t really disguise the fact this is the petulant Peter Parker. There’s even an analogue to The Watcher called a Fuginaut. (That name, ouch.) Fuginaut’s character is incredibly inconsistent, almost as if it’s more than one person. But there’s no hint of that, it just seems due to bad writing.
The idea is fine, it’s just poorly executed.
January 14, 2019
Alright...I'm not saying that people giving this a one star review and saying it's a rip off of Spider-Man are openly biased, but.....these people must just be biased. Lol.
DC Comic's New Age of Heroes banner is something I am really excited for. Some comics have familiar characters, but there are a bunch of new characters with a lot of potential. To be honest, Sideways was the most interesting to me off the bat because of the cool costume design. I love it. Naturally, it is the first New Age of Heroes comic line I picked up.
So, let's go into this volume, which collects issues #1 through #6 of Sideways. I think this is a good start to the series, and I'm definitely going to be buying the next volume when it comes out.
Derek James, a high school sophomore, wants to use his newly found powers to become an internet star. Along the way, he deals with a protector of reality, a speedster, a metahuman with "copycat" powers, an emotional vampire, and um...his mother. I like where the story line is heading, and I liked the focus on the relationship between Derek and his (adoptive) mother. I'd also be very interested to see if he ever joins the Teen Titans, since they were mentioned in this story.
As for the art, it's fine. I used to be a fan of the art style when I started reading the New 52, but I'm not so much a fan anymore. It can be a bit busy as parts. Was it the best comic I ever read? No. But it didn't really have any parts that were BAD, to me.
Also...
Sideways: High school student has encounter with a Dark Multiverse which leaves him with powers to open rifts (portals) in reality. Decides to use his powers to become an internet star. Realizes he should (also) use them for good. Is tasked with closing dangerous rifts in reality.
Spider-Man: High school student has encounter with a radioactive spider that leaves him with special powers. His uncle dies which pushes him to become a hero and protect his city. Swings around the city & has a multitude of varying stories.
Sideways is not a Spider-Man ripoff just because he's a high school dude with powers who makes jokes sometimes.
I just want to clear this up, because it does really irritate me when people say thing A is just a copy of thing B, and there is no real correlation.
DC Comic's New Age of Heroes banner is something I am really excited for. Some comics have familiar characters, but there are a bunch of new characters with a lot of potential. To be honest, Sideways was the most interesting to me off the bat because of the cool costume design. I love it. Naturally, it is the first New Age of Heroes comic line I picked up.
So, let's go into this volume, which collects issues #1 through #6 of Sideways. I think this is a good start to the series, and I'm definitely going to be buying the next volume when it comes out.
Derek James, a high school sophomore, wants to use his newly found powers to become an internet star. Along the way, he deals with a protector of reality, a speedster, a metahuman with "copycat" powers, an emotional vampire, and um...his mother. I like where the story line is heading, and I liked the focus on the relationship between Derek and his (adoptive) mother. I'd also be very interested to see if he ever joins the Teen Titans, since they were mentioned in this story.
As for the art, it's fine. I used to be a fan of the art style when I started reading the New 52, but I'm not so much a fan anymore. It can be a bit busy as parts. Was it the best comic I ever read? No. But it didn't really have any parts that were BAD, to me.
Also...
Sideways: High school student has encounter with a Dark Multiverse which leaves him with powers to open rifts (portals) in reality. Decides to use his powers to become an internet star. Realizes he should (also) use them for good. Is tasked with closing dangerous rifts in reality.
Spider-Man: High school student has encounter with a radioactive spider that leaves him with special powers. His uncle dies which pushes him to become a hero and protect his city. Swings around the city & has a multitude of varying stories.
Sideways is not a Spider-Man ripoff just because he's a high school dude with powers who makes jokes sometimes.
I just want to clear this up, because it does really irritate me when people say thing A is just a copy of thing B, and there is no real correlation.
December 23, 2018
This was really fun. It’s not going to win an Eisner or anything, but I enjoyed reading it and I look forward to Volume 2.
That’s all that matters to me: I had fun reading it.
That’s all that matters to me: I had fun reading it.
June 15, 2019
Enjoyable.
March 30, 2025
The main character gets something which tries desperately to be an origin story. Derek got his powers in a recent DC event. There is no mention of anything traumatic, any 'with great power comes great responsibility' or any lofty goal. The guy has powers, so... there. People actually compared this guy to Spider-Man?! Parker is leagues ahead of infantile Derek, seriously. This comic barely has a leg to stand on, other than the cool costume.
Derek can travel to any place on the planet with his rift ability. So what does he do? Use his powers for good? End wars? Help research? No, he vlogs. So an alien named Tempus Fuginaut sentences him to death. Sounds about right. I'm rooting for the alien. With this volume done, I'm moving onto something else. I can easily find something less annoying.
Derek can travel to any place on the planet with his rift ability. So what does he do? Use his powers for good? End wars? Help research? No, he vlogs. So an alien named Tempus Fuginaut sentences him to death. Sounds about right. I'm rooting for the alien. With this volume done, I'm moving onto something else. I can easily find something less annoying.
March 27, 2022
After falling through a crack in dimensions during Dark Nights: Metal, Derek James gains the ability to open teleportation rifts, as well as super strength. So of course, what's a teenager to do but try and become an internet sensation/superhero? Enter: Sideways!
Sideways' first two issues lay all the groundwork for who he is, where his powers came from, and what his motivations are. They're a tad shallow, but Derek's a stupid teenager, so it's to be expected. Outside of his overprotective mother and put-upon best friend Ernie, there's not much in the way of supporting cast, which does hurt the book a bit, especially since the villains of the piece are either the mostly-faceless Dark Star Science Labs or one-and-done morons who don't have much personality either.
The more interesting aspects of the book come later, with the addition of the Tempus Fuginaut (I love saying that out loud, it's just so stupidly comic-booky) and some bleedover from the Dark Multiverse itself. It's nice to see Derek struggle (which sounds mean, but you know what I mean), and he's clearly setting himself up for a Spider-Man-esque fall which lands in the final few pages of issue 6. It takes a little while to get going, but I'm intrigued as to where Sideways' plot is going next.
The artwork does a lot of the heavy lifting, which is no surprise when Kenneth Rocafort draws 4 of the 6 issues. Not only are his visuals zany as ever, but there are some hyper-detailed cityscapes that were so interesting to look at that I didn't even mind having to turn my comic sideways (hey!) to see them all. Robert Gill takes issue 4, which is...fine, while Carmine Di Giandomenico takes issue 6 for a much closer likeness to Rocafort's original art.
Sideways has some teething problems, but he manages to find his feet by the end of the volume. Some parts of the story are stronger than others, but I have faith that something good will come out of the other end. Considering Dan DiDio's track record for monthly comics, I'm genuinely surprised this was as good as it was.
Sideways' first two issues lay all the groundwork for who he is, where his powers came from, and what his motivations are. They're a tad shallow, but Derek's a stupid teenager, so it's to be expected. Outside of his overprotective mother and put-upon best friend Ernie, there's not much in the way of supporting cast, which does hurt the book a bit, especially since the villains of the piece are either the mostly-faceless Dark Star Science Labs or one-and-done morons who don't have much personality either.
The more interesting aspects of the book come later, with the addition of the Tempus Fuginaut (I love saying that out loud, it's just so stupidly comic-booky) and some bleedover from the Dark Multiverse itself. It's nice to see Derek struggle (which sounds mean, but you know what I mean), and he's clearly setting himself up for a Spider-Man-esque fall which lands in the final few pages of issue 6. It takes a little while to get going, but I'm intrigued as to where Sideways' plot is going next.
The artwork does a lot of the heavy lifting, which is no surprise when Kenneth Rocafort draws 4 of the 6 issues. Not only are his visuals zany as ever, but there are some hyper-detailed cityscapes that were so interesting to look at that I didn't even mind having to turn my comic sideways (hey!) to see them all. Robert Gill takes issue 4, which is...fine, while Carmine Di Giandomenico takes issue 6 for a much closer likeness to Rocafort's original art.
Sideways has some teething problems, but he manages to find his feet by the end of the volume. Some parts of the story are stronger than others, but I have faith that something good will come out of the other end. Considering Dan DiDio's track record for monthly comics, I'm genuinely surprised this was as good as it was.
April 16, 2020
I know this is what everyone is talking about regarding this hero, so let's just say it and keep going: yes, Sideways is basically DC's Spiderman. Suit reminds of Parker's, the tone of the adolescent hero is similar, family situation is as well (and even more if you take into consideration the SPOILER turn this volume takes in its last chapter SPOILER) and even their jokes and wit during battle kind of follow the same path.
But aside from that... Sideways is AWESOME. It's been a long time since I didn't discover a superhero that I liked that much. The reading feels so fresh and natural, DiDio does an amazing job at writing, and you actually feel that you are reading about a young guy trying to control his powers. That, by the way, are SO cool.
The plot is nothing over the top, and this feels like it should: an origins story. The deal is complete with a couple flashbacks (and a bit of mystery) to his inception in the pages of "Dark Knights: Metal", and a few amazing secondary characters (his best friend Ernie, and his master/cosmic guardian Tempus Fuginaut). The scope of the story has a lot of room and potential to growth, and even though I didn't like that twist at the end, that felt predictable, I'm eager to see where it goes. Rocafort's art is also awesome (but i HATE how he draws characters that half of the time seem to be looking God knows where), and the fact that the main character is Puerto Rican, in a superhero world in dire need of diversity, is always something to celebrate.
Absolutely recommended to everyone.
But aside from that... Sideways is AWESOME. It's been a long time since I didn't discover a superhero that I liked that much. The reading feels so fresh and natural, DiDio does an amazing job at writing, and you actually feel that you are reading about a young guy trying to control his powers. That, by the way, are SO cool.
The plot is nothing over the top, and this feels like it should: an origins story. The deal is complete with a couple flashbacks (and a bit of mystery) to his inception in the pages of "Dark Knights: Metal", and a few amazing secondary characters (his best friend Ernie, and his master/cosmic guardian Tempus Fuginaut). The scope of the story has a lot of room and potential to growth, and even though I didn't like that twist at the end, that felt predictable, I'm eager to see where it goes. Rocafort's art is also awesome (but i HATE how he draws characters that half of the time seem to be looking God knows where), and the fact that the main character is Puerto Rican, in a superhero world in dire need of diversity, is always something to celebrate.
Absolutely recommended to everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2020
DC, why must you hurt me? From the outside, this series seemed like exactly what I wanted. A new hero, new suit, new power that sounds interesting, and no connection to a prior superhero. None. Six issues and no guest appearance of a super or bat man. It was a breath of fresh air. Then I finished the sixth issue and groaned that I may have to read seven more.
Sideways is a poorly conceived series from most angles. I don’t think the Spider-Man comparisons are as blatant and disgraceful as other reviewers have made them sound. The hero at the center of Sideways is a socially awkward teen struggling with the balance of his old life and superhero life. A pretty cut and dry formula that can work. But everything around it is directionless. Side characters have little to no development, let alone their own story. Our hero doesn’t really want to be a hero and has little personal motivation to be one (and isn’t good enough at it to warrant continuing). There is no overarching narrative to sustain the six issues. Weekly villains who are unmemorable. Why is a speedster in here? An online ‘troll’ baddie? Maybe it could work in a longer story. But because each villain is done in an issue they have no time to develop or become interesting.
And that’s really what summarizes Sideways the best. It doesn’t have the time to develop and become interesting. Mostly because it’s trying to do everything at once and doesn’t succeed at any of it.
Sideways is a poorly conceived series from most angles. I don’t think the Spider-Man comparisons are as blatant and disgraceful as other reviewers have made them sound. The hero at the center of Sideways is a socially awkward teen struggling with the balance of his old life and superhero life. A pretty cut and dry formula that can work. But everything around it is directionless. Side characters have little to no development, let alone their own story. Our hero doesn’t really want to be a hero and has little personal motivation to be one (and isn’t good enough at it to warrant continuing). There is no overarching narrative to sustain the six issues. Weekly villains who are unmemorable. Why is a speedster in here? An online ‘troll’ baddie? Maybe it could work in a longer story. But because each villain is done in an issue they have no time to develop or become interesting.
And that’s really what summarizes Sideways the best. It doesn’t have the time to develop and become interesting. Mostly because it’s trying to do everything at once and doesn’t succeed at any of it.
December 23, 2018
Another title from the "New Age of Heroes" stemming out from "Dark Nights" Metal"...
This time we meet Derek James, a high school student who fell into the Dark Multiverse while in Gotham during the Dark Batmen invasion, developing a power to open rifts through space. Dubbing himself "Sideways", due to stepping sideways through his rifts, this teen only wants to increase his social media presence. But can you ever just try to be famous when you have powers?
Fighting Killspeed (a speedster created during the Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice event, whose speed actually accelerates her cancer, killing her the more she uses it), interfering in a fight between Replicant and Hot Spot (two other new metas), training with Tempus Fuginaut (a huge golden cosmic being who offers to help Derek understand more about his powers), and dealing with a mind controlling bully at school who goes by "The Showman", Sideways is learning being a hero is hard.
How will he react when he finds out his adoptive mother has been killed by her company for digging too deep into their research into tracking and studying Derek and his new powers? Only Volume 2 can tell...
For a new title, I liked this one a lot and hope it continues. Great combination of unique art and humor. Love the twist of the best friend who is a cosplayer making his costume for him.
This time we meet Derek James, a high school student who fell into the Dark Multiverse while in Gotham during the Dark Batmen invasion, developing a power to open rifts through space. Dubbing himself "Sideways", due to stepping sideways through his rifts, this teen only wants to increase his social media presence. But can you ever just try to be famous when you have powers?
Fighting Killspeed (a speedster created during the Flash: Lightning Strikes Twice event, whose speed actually accelerates her cancer, killing her the more she uses it), interfering in a fight between Replicant and Hot Spot (two other new metas), training with Tempus Fuginaut (a huge golden cosmic being who offers to help Derek understand more about his powers), and dealing with a mind controlling bully at school who goes by "The Showman", Sideways is learning being a hero is hard.
How will he react when he finds out his adoptive mother has been killed by her company for digging too deep into their research into tracking and studying Derek and his new powers? Only Volume 2 can tell...
For a new title, I liked this one a lot and hope it continues. Great combination of unique art and humor. Love the twist of the best friend who is a cosplayer making his costume for him.
June 11, 2019
This is another character that spins out of the event Metal. Sideways is the hero name of a young boy who was visiting Gotham when events went crazy and he woke up with the power to RIFT, which is jump from one location to another through tears in reality.
As this volume opens we see him trying to learn about his powers and develop a superhuman identity.
With the help from a great friend who designs him a costume.
But trouble comes with powers and Sideways encounters a villain who wants him to stop using his powers and hiding his secrets from his family. I loved the art in this volume and the friendship between the characters.
Coyer Scavenger Hunt
Read a Book With a One Word Title 2 pts
As this volume opens we see him trying to learn about his powers and develop a superhuman identity.
With the help from a great friend who designs him a costume.
But trouble comes with powers and Sideways encounters a villain who wants him to stop using his powers and hiding his secrets from his family. I loved the art in this volume and the friendship between the characters.
Coyer Scavenger Hunt
Read a Book With a One Word Title 2 pts
December 21, 2018
I mean the story is fine.
But it's a 2.5.
DC wanted a Spider-Man so they created Sideways.
They wanted Miles Morales...so Sideways.
They thought Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle would be awesome in their lineup...meet Sideways, wait what, they own him not Charlton!
In short, this from the look to the story is really a Spider-Man clone expect in powers. The bad thing is I remembered the name of his Ganke (wait she's a cute nerd and blonde so not Ganke but totally Ganke) but I can't remember his!
It's a new age of heroes for DC...but copying what Stan Lee did in the 60s and Bendis did at Marvel and what they did in their own lineup with Blue Beetle.
But it's a 2.5.
DC wanted a Spider-Man so they created Sideways.
They wanted Miles Morales...so Sideways.
They thought Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle would be awesome in their lineup...meet Sideways, wait what, they own him not Charlton!
In short, this from the look to the story is really a Spider-Man clone expect in powers. The bad thing is I remembered the name of his Ganke (wait she's a cute nerd and blonde so not Ganke but totally Ganke) but I can't remember his!
It's a new age of heroes for DC...but copying what Stan Lee did in the 60s and Bendis did at Marvel and what they did in their own lineup with Blue Beetle.
December 11, 2018
Derek James gained the ability to travel through created rifts in space after falling into the Dark Multiverse. Does he use his powers for good? Not really. Instead the high schooler is more interested in becoming a YouTube sensation, but that does not work out as planned. And then there is issues with his adopted mother not to mention the sinister corporation sneaking around. Some of the storylines are decent, but the art was off in a weird way. Have to wait and see if Sideways is worth following.
June 7, 2023
I'm not sure about this book. Its a basic superhero origin tale for a teen who gets powers and has to deal with learning about powers, secret identity, and family drama. In that aspect its super basic. In another aspect, there were some interesting and unexpected developments that might be worth something. The art, starting with Kenneth Roccafort and continuing with his clones is rough and sketchy. Overall, DC tried for something here but it didn't hit. This wasn't a bad book but was entertaining enough.
November 18, 2018
0/3 so far for me on the DC New Age of Heroes series. I haven't tried the existing stuff like Terrifics or New Challengers yet, but these new characters have all been just blatant rip offs of Marvel characters. Is that supposed to be part of the bit? They aren't even interesting ripoffs. Sideways is their take on Spider-Man, but if I wanted to read a compelling story using the Spider-Man formula I'd just read Spider-Man.
November 10, 2020
Interesting concepts dragged down by an unlikeable character. Sideways is immature and childish, and while that could make for some good long term character growth, there’s nothing about him that makes me want to read more about him. All that said, his teleporting powers and costume are VERY fun and used in some really cool and interesting ways. I can see potential in Sideways, just maybe not with this writer.
August 20, 2021
The reason I read this is because of Kenneth Rocafort's art and because I was intrigued by the character's design and powers.
I didnt hate the character of Sideways. I know he's a rip-off of Spiderman but they didnt get the essence and core of Spiderman. The writers tried their best to show the flaws and problems of today generation. I believe there is more for this character and with a proper writing they can do him justice.
I didnt hate the character of Sideways. I know he's a rip-off of Spiderman but they didnt get the essence and core of Spiderman. The writers tried their best to show the flaws and problems of today generation. I believe there is more for this character and with a proper writing they can do him justice.
October 14, 2024
Sideways was the series that, from what I heard, was the one really good new character from an otherwise forgettable line of comics DC put out after one of their major crossovers. And yeah, this was a fun series about a teenager who gains the power to open portals to anywhere in the multiverse and how he decides on how to use it. Yes, it is a lot like the Spider-Man story. but Spidey's story works, and so does this one.
January 1, 2019
I liked it very much. I will admit, there were a few minor similarities to Spider-Man, but I feel this story will be greater and more original as it progresses. In this day and age, hardly anything is 100% original. The best writers use what they like and make it their own. Anyhow, I look forward to more of our hero Sideways.
March 26, 2020
Definitely not a bad book but not exactly original either. Its kinda a fine line between being a rip of if several classic characters but at the same time very ‘modern’ and ‘hip’. We have text messages conversations and youtube references throughout.
Art went weird in the middle where is costume is white accents instead of green but overall is fine.
Art went weird in the middle where is costume is white accents instead of green but overall is fine.
August 5, 2021
I miss this book.
Really, at the time it was being published, DC *really* needed quality teen hero stories. They got that with Sideways. They even had Kenneth Rocafort doing the freaking book! But oh my, it was canned. This one's for both volumes, too. I don't want to flood my Goodreads with comics.
I miss my boy Derek, they did him dirty.
Really, at the time it was being published, DC *really* needed quality teen hero stories. They got that with Sideways. They even had Kenneth Rocafort doing the freaking book! But oh my, it was canned. This one's for both volumes, too. I don't want to flood my Goodreads with comics.
I miss my boy Derek, they did him dirty.
November 27, 2021
Not a fan of the artwork, nor the 1D characters. I like the rifting power and how it was used but there were some unanswered questions. Like SPOILER BEGIN after the arm was severed, what happened to Killspeed? SPOILER END
Overall, not great, but maybe with a new artist and writer it might become something of a dimension-tripping comic? The kid needs a mentor!
Overall, not great, but maybe with a new artist and writer it might become something of a dimension-tripping comic? The kid needs a mentor!
December 21, 2021
Spoiler alert:
The characters were so normal but I liked the character development of the MC and especially after his mother's death , I think without that event, the MC wouldn't be better , but now Im waiting for the next sequel of this comic book because the ending was so thrilling, I wish they do another story for this character because it has a bright future in the heroic world of DC
The characters were so normal but I liked the character development of the MC and especially after his mother's death , I think without that event, the MC wouldn't be better , but now Im waiting for the next sequel of this comic book because the ending was so thrilling, I wish they do another story for this character because it has a bright future in the heroic world of DC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2024
The art is amazing and I connected with Sideways (as an idiot teenager) right away. Yes, it's obviously like reading Spider-man with a different power set, but I don't care about that. DC and Marvel have been copying each other for ages, anyway. I'm sad that the few good new series DC introduced were all cancelled.
October 30, 2018
Another decent cape hero idea compromised by terrible execution. The cliffhanger ending was slightly affecting, but doesn't compensate for the rest of the book. I was torn between this and The Silencer in giving the new DC Heroes a shot, and it appears I chose poorly.
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