Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign #1
Writer/Artist: Geof Darrow
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Publisher: Dark Horse
A review by Josh Rose
This is the first time I’ve picked up a Shaolin Cowboy book, and from the first panel I knew it would be chaotic and hilariously outrageous!
Vultures are flying overhead when they see the Shaolin Cowboy lying among thousands of dead zombies. Like fully dead zombies. After making comments about not having Sashimi in a while, one of the vultures flies in close to him and the Shaolin Cowboy proceeds to kill all three vultures with one’s eyeballs. After some motivational flashbacks from an old monk, an American cowboy, and a talking mule, the Shaolin Cowboy uses a unique martial arts technique to help heal his wounds. From there he goes on to continue wandering the American desert, graffitied and littered, effortlessly dodging traffic and ready to fight anything that might come his way
Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign #1 isn’t especially fast paced, Geof Darrow seems to be taking things easy on the Shaolin Cowboy, but when things do get crazy he turns it up to an 11 for a couple panels. Darrow also does an excellent job of building the story for future issues and showcasing how crazy these characters are. The series pokes fun at American society with some dialogue about guns and Jesus, the latest smart phones and their apps. It’s so over the top you can’t help but laugh.
The art is incredibly detailed, there seems to be very little room for empty space. Trash is flying around as traffic goes by and litters (pun totally intended) the pages throughout. The story layout flows quite nicely and is easy to follow. The colours do an excellent job of drawing your eyes and focusing them where they want them.
The Verdict
Buy It! Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign #1 is a crazy ride of a book and has plenty of funny moments. It’s a great introduction to the character and his world. This series is off to a great start and it’ll only get more chaotic from here.
