The following is a writeup about DC Comics Sideways, spoilers and bad jokes ahead.
It is my sincere belief that beneath every great superhero, lies a inner struggle that sets the foundation for the character. This dilemma not only informs the character’ motivations, but when done right can add a timelessness to character. A man raised to do good, fighting to do so in a world growing darker and darker. A young child, their parents taken tragically away from them, driven by guilt becoming a force for good. A young man learning that with great power, comes a great responsibility to others. Someone abused as a child, struggling to hold in earth shattering rage that dwells within them.
These all transcend genre, take any one out from the superhero pantheon and put it into a thriller story, a science fiction story, a fantasy story, and these struggles still serve as compelling pieces of character.
It’s one of the reasons why i believe Ms Marvel ( Kamala Khan) has become such successful character and resonated with so many. ( having a constantly enjoyable solo title does help though) From the start of Ms Marvel #1 we are made of aware of her struggle, caught between her culture, her family, her hopes, and herself, lies Kamala Khan. By which we see the story of person trying to juggle who they want to be with who they are expected to be, making her turmoil a compelling one to follow that goes beyond the Superhero genre itself.
This brings us to January 6th 2018, a New Age of Heroes was upon us as DC published eight new titles with all but one being made from new characters. Enter Derek James, Aka Sideways. Cards on the table, from the moment i heard about this new initiative Sideways was the one title that i was most hyped for. His wonderfully designed costume, cool power and the fact he was a teen all had me eagerly waiting for the first issue to drop. And when it finally did, i liked it, but i didn’t love it. But the more and more i read, the more i felt Sideways wasn’t living up to what it could be.
Don’t get me wrong i was having plenty of fun with the title, but i feel for Sideways the sky really was the limit. I mean he’s got a attention grabbing costume, a visually interesting power that coupled with Kenneth Rocafort’s art becomes breathtaking, an interesting origin, and he has two five-letter names! ( That alone should have this guy rolling with the big dogs!)
All of this of course is surface level stuff, the icing on the cake if you will. As we dig deeper however the cake stops being so sweet.
Derek James on paper is a young man who was brought into an adopted family, a fateful day where he was granted dazzling powers, craving attention he at first uses it to gain popularity only for him to learn through tragedy to become a hero. Not bad right? The potential for compelling character drama is undeniably there, the problem is how this was conveyed in the story. In many ways it could be said Sideways is a enjoyable title in spite of the main character, with pacing and execution being the biggest issues of how he was handled.
Sideways takes far too long, gets way too sidetracked and does too little when it comes to this story it’s trying to tell. Given the title’s proud emulation of the Spider-man template i think it’s fair to compare the two to help illustrate my point.
In Amazing Fantasy #15 we see the struggles of peter parker, gifted youth with a knack for science, mocked by his peers, and a loving family waiting for him at home. One day he is bit by a radioactive spider, does what a spider can yada yada, uses this newfound power selfishly with his actions coming back to bite him when his uncle is killed and it is revealed to be the same person he could’ve stop when he had the chance. With that Peter comes to the realization that with great power must also come great responsibility!
A timeless story that set the foundation for a character that’s still going strong nearly sixty years later, all told in about eight pages. Whereas in Sideways we don’t get a full grasp of the main character until issue ten. In the first issue we learn that Derek James is adopted, he’s a outcast at school, his origin and that he’s using his power to livestream for some reason. Not a particularly bad introduction, but there’s nothing to hook a reader to, no Dilemma to grab onto. The reason why Derek James wanted fame so badly is finally explain a full nine issues later. This mild revelation does cast his earlier actions in a more engaging light but at the cost of dragging out what should’ve been a core element of Derek. It’s not hard to imagine that if this element had been conveyed from the start of Sideways, more people would have grabbed on to Derek James as a character.
But hey there be many a story where the storytellers need some time with the title before they really start pumping out the good stuff, as long as you nail the big moments right? And Sideways, well.. uh doesn’t really. Spoiler, not spoiler, cause can’t have a kid with superpowers without having a dead parent or two! Derek’s mom dies. To the titles credit they do a good job of establishing the twos relationship and dynamic, making sure it’s clear that this mother/son share a lot of love for each other. ( erotic fanfic writing intensifies) Which makes all the more of a shame when they fail to capitalize on the tragedy of her passing.
In issue #7 Derek learns that his mother is dead because of (reasons), he is guilt ridden due to his refusal to answer her repeated calls because of (reason), when suddenly six of the seven soldiers approach him freezing time ( and the plot) to ask for his assistance because of (reasons), and thereby save the world. With Derek basically responding to this plea like “ Don’t wanna i’m sad bout my mom, wait never mind she probably wants me to go anyway.” And off he goes on dark multiverse shenanigans for another two issues plus an annual. It’s not till Issue #10 where he comes back to Earth and has to face the music, changing him by!.. Well that’s the thing, he really doesn’t change.
A good death is one that permanently changes the character, giving them new purpose or stronger motivation. There’s a reason Uncle Ben’s death is such a powerful facet of Spider-Man’s origin, in not stopping the burglar Peter inadvertently caused the death of one his loved ones. Causing him to develop this inherit sense of responsibility towards others, it forever changed him. You can’t tell the story of Spider-Man with this element. By not having Derek’s mom mean more the storytellers botched what should have been Sideways defining moment.
All of this is to say Sideway really could’ve been something, with just a little more focus on the main characters internal struggles, a little better execution of the titles big moments, add in the costume, the cool powers, the Branafold Interior, the Dark Multiverse and Kenneth Rocafort’s art, it could have been spectacular, amazing even. But with the titles end in sight and only three more issues left, i can only hope that someone else at DC can see the enormous potential Sideways/Derek James still has and will give the character another shot at greatness that i believe he deserves.
https://waddlesdpig.tumblr.com/post/180786258725/sideways-gone-sideways-or-the-rift-between
Thanks for reading
Submitted December 04, 2018 at 06:11PM by Waddles-inc https://ift.tt/2E17COn
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