Review: Rock Candy Mountain #5

November 8, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

Rock Candy Mountain has been one of my favorite books of the year. In it, Kyle Starks has created a world that is weird and full of history and life – and hobos, bums, tramps, and Satan. He’s decided to focus the attention of the book on a population and community that is never really looked at favorably, either in fiction or in the real world. I don’t really know where I’m going with this, other than to say Rock Candy Mountain with issue #5 is back, my dudes, and I am super freaking excited about that.

Review: Rock Candy Mountain #4

July 6, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

I know what you’re thinking. Here’s me giving Kyle Starks a verbal blowjob in the form of another glowing review for a book I clearly love that is super fucking awesome and blah blah blah. Okay. Well here it is. I guess. I don’t know. But Rock Candy Mountain #4 is out and it’s the last issue in the first story arc. And, yes, I’ll just come out and say it. It’s great, like the rest of the issues. And here is my review of it.

Review: Rock Candy Mountain #3

June 7, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

Living in Chicago, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with hobos. (Although, by Kyle Starks’s definition they would technically be bums, since they neither work nor travel). I’ve worked in social services for years, specifically in the treatment of substance abuse, and I’ve even come to know some hobos, or bums, or tramps, or whatever the hell you want to call them. (I just call them people, but that’s besides the point). I’ve helped them get sober, and get jobs, and get housing. And while I think that is important work, it is in no way as fun or funny or amazing as Rock Candy Mountain. But this isn’t a book about homeless junkies that frequent one of Chicago’s many methadone clinics. It’s a book about hobos riding the rails and running from the devil and looking for a mythological Rock Candy Mountain. And this is my review of the third issue, I guess.

Review: Rock Candy Mountain #2

May 10, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

Rock Candy Mountain is back in all it’s awesome punch diarrhea goodness. Issue #2 takes us back into the hobo camps and rail cars with our boys, Jackson and Slim. They are still making their way to the mythical Rock Candy Mountain, and really, Slim is realizing that he is in over his head out in the world like this. He doesn’t understand hobo-speak, he’s traveling with a man who is probably a little crazy. And there’s still the thing with Satan, whatever it is. I’m going to get this out of the way early on in my review so I can forgo all formalities. I loved this issue. I loved the first issue too. Rock Mountain Candy is great and fun and I just love it.

Review: Rock Candy Mountain #1

April 5, 2017

By Daniel Vlasaty

I know of Kyle Stark through his amazing and ridiculous and fantastic Sexcastle. That book hit me out of nowhere. I had never even heard of it until I saw it on the shelf in the shop I was working in at the time. Just seeing the title on the spine, I knew I was buying that thing immediately. And I finished it in like an hour. It was so good. An homage to all the so-bad-they’re-actually-kind-of-good action/comedy movies of the 80s. I loved it. Anyway, what I mean to say is that Kyle Starks has a new book! And this is my review of the first issue!