Is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 24mm f/5.6 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens set to 24mm f/5.6 sharper than the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens set to 21mm f/2.8? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.