Dammit DC, It appears that I reviewed this series in the incorrect order. I reviewed #8, Annual #1 and #9 and I was supposed to read it as #8, #9 and then Annual #9. I totally blame editorial for this mistake. The covers don't even give any indication that we're in the middle of a story arc and honestly I didn't feel like I missed anything.

Sideways #9 is the second part of the crossover with the 7 Soldiers of Victory. In the last issue, Zatanna sent Derek away and he ended up with an assorted group of distorted Superman characters. 

The characters are all apparently surviving by allowing themselves to be leached of their lifeforce by a creature known as Perrus. 

Sideways steps in and tell's Perrus to stop this which leads to his being overpowered, knocked unconscious and discarded in the catacombs below. 

One of the characters avoids detections and manages to give Sideways back his powers. The book ends with the lead into the annual and reappearance of New 52 Superman.

In the last few issues of Sideways, we seem to have turned a corner. The stories have been a lot more consistent and interesting. The comic is ultimately a filler issue but even the minor plot details are a lot more interesting. There aren't any real standout moments in this issue but there aren't any bad ones either. 

Max Raynor's art is serviceable. I'm not a huge fan of the pencils here but the colors balance things out. Its an average issue in plot and art direction. The annual builds on this story and gives the arc a satisfying conclusion despite this issue being meh.