Dark Horse Comics is bringing back the often loved, but inconsistently published, Shaolin Cowboy. Geof Darrow is the storyteller with Dave Stewart on colors. The Shaolin Cowboy was, at one time, an Eisner contender against Brian K. Vaughn’s Ex Machina for best new series. Fans of great comics will be happy to know that Shaolin Cowboy continues to be terrific.
Anyone interested in the comic but afraid of whether or not this is a good jumping on point, should stop worrying. The book takes care of the back story with nearly two pages of written out history of the Cowboy Shaolin monk. Coming into the book as a newbie, it was, honestly, a little overwhelming. The cover was great; the first panel of the monk in front of some Peking Duck was great; and then BAM, two pages of prose. The history is deep though, and funny. Beyond that, I’m sure that Darrow knew the reader would be a little exhausted because the next half of the book is nearly wordless. It’s a tour deforce of sequential storytelling.
I gazed over the art for longer than I read the first two pages. Not to spoil anything, but it’s a great series of panels where the monk wields a double sided chainsaw spear against a horde of zombies. If you think this book would be fun for your kid though, be forewarned that some of the zombies are very graphic. If it’s for you, you’ll be very pleased because some of the zombies are very graphic. That’s not the entire story though; the book is 32 pages! At the halfway point, the book goes into the ongoing portion of the story where the monk is being tracked down because he has been marked for death.
The potential for this book is self-explanatory considering the greatness in Darrow, who is a former Eisner winner for Hard Boiled with Frank Miller. That would be enough on its own, but what makes this book over the top are Dave Stewart’s colors. They give the book a style that is both modern and nostalgic.
Cowboy Shaolin is going to appeal to the kind of comics fan that is hardest to please; the fan that wants something new but won’t like it unless it’s the same old thing. It’s smart and doesn’t talk down because it doesn’t need to. This is simple comic storytelling done by masters of their craft and this time it’s ongoing. Dark Horse has solicited the Shaolin Cowboy as an ongoing series. According the Dark Horse solicitations issue #1 is due next Wednesday on 10/09/2013 and issue #2 is due 11/13/2013.
Writer: Geof Darrow
Artist: Geof Darrow
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Aritst: Geof Darrow
Variant Cover: Walter Simonson
Publication Date: October 09, 2013
Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing
Price: $3.99
Preview Art Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics
Want to talk more about Shaolin Cowboy, what I had for breakfast, or your innermost feelings? Find me on Twitter @MarkAvo or sound off in the comments.