LIBRARY JOURNAL -- Hobos, bums, tramps, vagrants-the
song “Big Rock Candy Mountain” promises enticements such as
“cigarette trees” and a “soda water fountain” to these
downtrodden itinerants. Yes, it's only a song, but Jackson the hobo believes
it's real, and he's going to find it. Impediments include a middle-class,
down-on-his-luck sidekick; the hobo mafia; the FBI (notably, kickass assistant
director Babs Bardoux); and even the devil. But Jackson hacks and punches his
way toward his dream by laying low whole squads of attackers, jumping freight
cars, and getting himself and “Pomona Slim” in and out of trouble.
Getting back to his family is at the root of his journey. Starks's (<i>Rick and
Morty</i>; <i>Sexcastle</i>) chunky art is perfect for this two-volume caper,
with Chris Schweizer (<i>The Crogan Adventures</i>) bringing out the dirt and
malevolence of Jackson's world through dusty coloring leavened with fighting
reds and nighttime blues. VERDICT An entertaining blend of martial arts action
and oddball humor, Jackson's epic quest will appeal to readers of American tall
tales in comics or prose. Rated Mature for amusingly uninhibited language and
graphic if cartoony violence.-MC<br /><br /><br /><br />