Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Sideways #3
DC Comics
Written by Dan DiDio & Justin Jordan
Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Colors by Daniel Brown
Sideways finds himself hurt, practically naked and trying to defend his mother and friend against a super-villain determined to kill him where he stands. After teleporting her out of the hospital, he decides to follow in order to stop her. As she gets away, he decides to push his powers to open rifts with the hope that she runs past and he can catch her. When he catches up to Killspeed, he learns something tragic about the young woman.
Giving Killspeed a sympathetic back story works for this moment, but it does get a little sappy when we start getting into her backstory. It’s an interesting aside that calls back to the Speed Force storm in Central City, but that’s about it. Her villain turn during their talk is a little too abrupt, but it works. It is nice to see that the kid does have some skill and is written to be mildly resourceful when the need arises.
From a writing standpoint, there is some great dialogue between the characters and the monologues never feel overdone, even if some of the moments feel rushed. The moment at the end of the main story seemed to come out of nowhere and it was jarring, but also made sense given the narrative. Hopefully, that moment plays out in a fun manner.
There are some additional pages at the end of this issue that explain Derek’s backstory and it helps seeing the connection between Derek’s powers and the events of Metal highlighted again for those unfamiliar with his story. It’s a little campy, but it helps to establish that the character is still a kid and that the events shaping his experience and the people around him have a broader appeal.
