The Delinquents

A treasure map tattooed on the preserved skin of a long-dead hobo’s buttocks ignites a mad cross-country race to claim the legendary, magical bounty of the Big Rock Candy Mountain, in this memorable crossover. The comic throws together the wildly mismatched heroic teams of Archer and Armstrong—a “living weapon” martial artist and a carousing immortal—and Quantum and Woody, a pair of superhero brothers who work as incompetent good-guys-for-hire. The two pairs meet as opponents but then join forces (accompanied by Quantum and Woody’s father, whose mind now resides in the superpowered body of a pregnant goat), contending with the evil machinations of a corporation that has taken GMO to a new level. If all this sounds like utter lunacy, it hardly does justice to one of the wackiest crossovers in recent years. The humor and brisk pace fly in the face of the usual crossover turgidity and bloat, and the results are a lot of fun, even for those unfamiliar with the protagonists’ own series. Bolstered by art that displays Kano’s considerable growth since his days drawing Superman, this one’s a romp from start to finish. (Feb.)