One man’s quest for the fabled Hobo Nirvana, with the Hobo Mafia standing in his way and the literal devil on his tail: read on for our review of the latest creation of Kyle Starks, which contains some spoilers
Written and Illustrated by Kyle Starks
Colored by Chris Schweizer
Design by Dylan ToddSERIES PREMIERE Eisner-nominated comic creator, KYLE STARKS (SEXCASTLE), would like to invite you to enter the magical world of hobos. The world’s toughest hobo is searching through post-World War II America for the mythological Rock Candy Mountain, and he’s going to have to fight his way to get there. Lots of hobo fights. So many hobo fights. A new action-comedy series full of high action, epic stakes, magic, friendships, trains, punching, kicking, joking, a ton of hobo nonsense, and the Literal Devil. Yeah. The Literal Devil.
There’s a wonderful dichotomy going on between the covers of “Rock Candy Mountain” #1. Several in fact. The first concerns the assumption that from the style, from the tone, hell from the solicitation, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is nothing more than a fun cartoon about a bunch of Hobo’s fighting and making jokes. Yet, much like Starks’s previous works, scratch the surface and there’s a deeper story. Driving that point home is the essay at the back of the issue written by Eric Newsom Ph.D that delves impressively deep into the origins of the folk song the book is named after.
You might not know the song Big Rock Candy Mountain off the top of your head, but if you search online for it there’s every likelihood that you’ve heard it before – maybe from the soundtrack to Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? Either way, if you know it or don’t, I guarantee that you’ll learn more than you ever thought you would about the song by the end of this issue. And that’s important. It’s a rich history that is crucial to the plot of “Rock Candy Mountain,” and it makes the protagonist’s quest all the more fantastical. The song centers around the mythical, titular Hobo utopia, and central character Jackson is on the true Hero’s Journey to locate it, despite the fact that it’s widely believed and accepted to have been made up. Newsom’s essay explains that the purpose of the song was to either sell people on the romantic ideal of the Hobo lifestyle, or rather a comforting depiction of what awaits aHobo in the afterlife.
This sort of detail may seem superfluous, but the world-building at play only deepens the story Starks is telling. What would possess a man to begin a quest to find what is widely believed to be a fictional construct? Certainly he’s seen as mad by the characters around him. You could lean into the content of the essay and claim that he’s begun a journey to the afterlife, a mission that will see him reach the fabled nirvana only upon his inevitable death. You could also claim that he is actually crazy and there’s nothing out there waiting for him but danger and disappointment. There is, however, thanks to the opening pages of “Rock Candy Mountain” #1, a third option; one that presents the second dichotomy of the book.
Straight off the bat we learn that the actual Devil is hunting down our hero. As “Rock Candy Mountain” #1 opens we see the literal Devil ploughing through Hobos, demanding they tell him where Jackson is, and it’s this kind of story beat that sets Starks apart as a creator. In a book that is so dedicated to developing a realistic approach to Hobo culture, going so far as to include a whole essay of back matter and a cast of characters that use fully researched and authentic Hobo slang, to then learn right on page one that this is also a book where anything can and most likely will happen, opens the series up in untold directions. Which is an inspired move, as it means that the hero’s quest may not be entirely fruitless. In a world where the Devil is hunting you down, why can’t there be a Hobo paradise out there?
Continued belowStarks’s humor is always spot on when it comes to snappy one liners, a brief Tumblr search will show you just how quotable his previous work “Sexcastle” is. Yet his artwork is where his brand of comedy shines. His expressive, cartoonish characters and bold line-work belies a deceptively complex sense of comedic timing that’s engagingly paced throughout. A common theme throughout Starks’s work is the bombastic action-movie fight scenes, and “Rock Candy Mountain” #1 doesn’t disappoint. Rather than delve too deeply into choreographing the page, Starks sets the scene with a couple widescreen panels that flow seamlessly, and then cutting to multiple smaller panels – in the central fight scene of this issue there’s a 16-panel page at one point – that each depict snapshots of the action. A punch here, a kick there, a dodge, a grab, a throat chop, a groin punt, all with pitch perfect sound effects to boot. It’s in these sequences that Starks demonstrates a keen style that not only captures the frenetic nature of a fight sequence, but his pacing, characterisations and sound effects maximise the comedic pay offs.
Joining Starks in his first ongoing series is Chris Schweizer on colors. Not primarily known as a colorist, Schweizer nonetheless brings an extra something to the book that even “Sexcastle” and “Kill Them All” lacked. His bold palette matches the art style well, and his strong hues that switch from scene to scene help set the tone of the narrative. The previously mentioned fight sequence takes place at night in a moving train carriage, and Schweizer’s deep blues, blacks and purples help to establish a norm that is then contrasted with the light of the moon or trains coming in the opposite direction. Similarly, the opening sequence with the Devil is tonally underplayed, the realistic browns and greys only serving to accentuate the absurdity of the scene.
“Rock Candy Mountain” #1 is everything fans of Kyle Starks are looking for. It’s hilarious, fast and fun with fantastically plotted fight scenes and wonderfully crafted characters. When given the scope and narrative room that the ongoing comic book format provides, Starks has stepped up to the plate and presented a book that feels less like the opening chapter of a graphic novel, and more like the first step on what promises to be an epic journey.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – An issue that sets the scene well and begins to build an immersive engaging world, “Rock Candy Mountain” #1 offers up thrilling and hilarious Hobo adventure.
