Sideways (DC)
Sideways is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Derek James
He was with his mother in Gotham during the Dark Multiverse crisis when Challengers Mountain appeared in the city. During the resultant chaos, Derek fell through a gap in reality and disappeared for a time where he re-appeared on the other side of town where he was found unconscious. (Sideways v1 #1)
Initially, he sought to use his powers to become a celebrity superhero and attempted to livestream his adventures. Whilst at a lake, he then heard a voice telling him to cease his activities with Sideways rifting to another location thinking he escaped it. However, the voice continued to persist with Derek rifting to various locations but was unable to shake his pursuer. In desperation, he rifted to a rooftop where he nearly fell off the ledge when he was confronted by his pursuer who was Tempus Fuginaut. (Sideways v1 #1) Derek attempted to escape using his powers, but Tempus revealed his staff renders Derek's powers inert, and decided to escape through freefall. Regaining his powers, Derek escaped but not without breaking his arm. Rushed to the hospital by Ernie, Derek's short stay was interrupted by the angered Killspeed breaking free nearby. (Sideways v1 #2) Driven outside the two would combat across the streets of Gotham. Reaching Gotham Pier, Derek's attempt at reason failed, their fighting continuing with James eventually winning as the Gotham City Police Department neared, but not without accidentally taking Killspeed's arm into one of his rifts. Unbeknownst to him, a close eye watched from above. (Sideways v1 #3) Sometime later, Derek, still looking for fame, would take on the rampaging Replicant with Hot Spot, unaware of a planned meeting with his mother and Dark Star Sciences CEO Leto Dominus. Replicating his powers, Replicant rifted himself apart, leading to opinion backfiring on Derek. Thinking of quitting, such thoughts were dashed aside by the pleading Tempus Fuginaut within his bedroom. (Sideways v1 #4) Apologizing, the Fuginaut explained to Derek his true role of sealing disruptions, through showing him the Branefold Interior. Pulled by responsibilities, Derek would later fight the Showman following the latters call-out and enthrallment of his school. (Sideways v1 #5) Continuing his duties as Sideways after an argument with his mother, Derek would join Tempus in cleaning existence of its sickness. Unknown to him, Helen had figured out his identity, later passing within Crime Alley later that day. (Sideways v1 #6)
Broken and disgruntled, his relationship with his father and Ernie would slip, ultimately leading to him nearly drowning many students at school if not for the interruption of Zatanna and the mystical Seven Soldiers, needing his aid in a threat against humanity. Attacked, he came to be separated from the team yet was later saved by the Unseen. (Sideways v1 #8) Stuck within the dungeons below, he freed a version of Superman from a kryptonite cocoon. Together the duo, later with help from the Unseen and the Seven Soldiers would defeat Sheeda, returning home with a strengthened pride in himself. However, during this time he would miss his mother's funeral. (Sideways Annual v1 #1)
Devastated by his own actions, he and Ernie would take a journey to Paris to clear his mind. Dealing with the local threat of Leviathan Organization terrorists. Returning to Ernie, he found her caught by a mysterious teleporter. Quickly saving his friend with a rift, Derek was unable to best Bolt. Placed within the hands of the Black Star Sciences, believing it was the actions of Leto and the group led to his mother's death. (Sideways v1 #11) Forcibly used to open a portal to the multiverse, the corrupted rift would unleash dark beasts within the laboratory. Broken free, Derek attempted to close the rift by opening another within causing a cascading gravity well and explosion, however he was saved by the intervention of the Tempus Fuginaut. Returning home after a talk with Detective Hopkins and his father he would meet his biological mother. (Sideways v1 #12) Re-establishing a relationship with both his adoptive father and biological mother his meeting was interrupted by a call by Detective Hopkins. Figuring out who truly killed his mother, Derek attacked Sandy Bridwell on the highway, forcing a confession out of the woman by balancing her car upon a cliff. Angered, he would rift the woman away to the police. Later meeting with Ernie they would discuss his future as a hero, mentioning various teams at the time. With a cleared mind, he responded to the last late texts of his mother and moved on, rifting away with his close friend. (Sideways v1 #13)
Overview
Personality and attributes
His adoptive parents were Helen James and David James. Derek's mother had worked in publicity for Dark Star Sciences where she was with the company for 10 years. (Sideways v1 #1)
Derek's best friend was Ernestine Edgars who he confided in about his new powers. She had a twin sister named Emeline Edgars who was unaware of Derek's secret and had a completely different temperament to her sister Ernie. (Sideways v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Originally, Sideways was a ordinary human being until his exposure to the energies of the Dark Multiverse. An aspect of his abilities was that he became stronger where it was said that hitting him was like hitting a brick wall. Similarly, his strength had increased as well whereby he was able to lift an entire table up with ease. (Sideways v1 #1)
Sideways power allowed him to create rifts whereby he was able to travel point to point through a tear that allowed one to travel sideways through reality. Initially, he suffered from nausea, blurry vision, and headaches from the use of his powers but after a week of practice and use he began to get used to his abilities. Sideways could open a rift to simply look through the tear or travel through it to the other end. A rift though was blurry making it difficult to see the other end properly which could cause Derek to incidentally fall into water that he did not see through the tear. (Sideways v1 #1)
Derek is also capable of opening multiple rifts in various different locations, allowing him to look through them like windows. (Sideways v1 #3) He eventually learned to open the rifts to another universes with his power. (Sideways v1 #6)
The edges of Derek's rifts are solid and indestructible, meaning he can use them as shields to block enemy attacks. (Dark Crisis: The Dark Army v1 #1)
His costume was created by his best friend Ernie Edgars that masked his identity when he was operating as a hero. (Sideways v1 #1)
Notes
- Sideways was created by Dan DiDio, Justin Jordan and Kenneth Rocafort where he made his first appearance in Sideways v1 #1 (February, 2018).
Appearances
- Sideways v1: (2018)
- Sideways Annual v1:
- Young Justice v3:
- Dark Crisis: The Dark Army v1:
External Links
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