Sidekick #6 Review


Does this series continue to soar? Or is its narrative crashing right in front of us? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

For years, Barry “FLYBOY” Chase has carried the grief and belief that his mentor The Red Cowl was dead, and the guilt that he could have prevented it. Now Julia Moonglow provides all the proof he needs to know that the Red Cowl is alive and well…somewhere. Now comes the task of finding him, and more important still…exacting their revenge.

Sidekick 6_Preview PageThis is not an unfamiliar take on the superhero genre. This comic takes what we know, the classic tropes, and recycles them into a distorted version of reality with a decidedly dark twist. And in my mind after six issues this is easily the best title coming from the recently revived Joe’s Comics. In short: grab a seat, some decent light and watch this dastardly well constructed tale unfold.

J. Michael Straczynski pens the script and the scribe does a marvelous job crafting a believable narrative path. He doesn’t try to overplay his hand when it comes to the dark decent of our once iconic sidekick, instead all the actions taken by Flyboy come off natural and disturbing. The whole event within this saga have been full of depressing revelations, and as the betrayals continued to pile up the author charts a compelling breaking point. It’s hard to look away and he deserves a lot of credit for that.

Since this is a visual medium the art needed to be on par with the text, and the talent behind that once again succeeds with this release. Tom Mandrake takes charge with a sweeping display that’s detailed and reminiscent of the old school style many of us grew up with. He captures the essence of the hero while the colors done by HiFi bring it all to a new level of vibrancy. In short: this is what I expect from this franchise.

Sidekick #6 is more than solid because the creative team charts a descent into madness that might just birth an understandable anti-hero. Highly recommended.

OUR RATING
9
  • + Flyboy's decent is absolutely compelling!
  • + The visuals Tom Mandrake are simply top-notch!
  • J. Michael Straczynski is at home within these dark waters...
  • -  Some minor rocky bits of dialogue.

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