THE SHAOLIN COWBOY #1 REVIEW

[Al Harahap]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/ShaolinCowboy1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/ind/ShaolinCowboy1t.jpg" align=left alt="Kade #1"></a>Reviewer: Al Harahap, al_harahap@comixfan.cjb.net
Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Untitled
Contains graphic nudity and violence


Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh…
Everybody was kung fu fighting, those jerks were fast as lightning!
In fact it was a little bit frightening, but they fought with expert timing!


Colors & letters done by: Peter Doherty
Everything else done by: Geofrey Darrow
Editorial: Spencer Lamm
Editorial Assistance: Sharon Bray
Shadowy figures behind the scenes: Andy & Larry Wachowski

CAST:
"The Shaolin Cowboy": Our unnamed enigmatic hero.
His mule: The Shaolin Cowboy's transportation.
Thomas "The Frenchman" Filet: One of many outlaws seeking vengeance on the Shaolin Cowboy.
"The John Boys": a.k.a. John, Juan, and Jon, a trio of outlaws also after The Shaolin Cowboy.
The mysterious crab: A mysterious crab…


Mixing genres in narratives has always been an admirable attempt to find something fresh, be it in prose, film, or in this case, the comic book. It can work very well, like Fables or The Princess Bride. But it can also be unforgettable, or plain out flop. What, then, is the deciding factor? Quite essentially, the creators and producers of the work - more specifically, their creativity and ability to think outside the box. Fortunately for readers, this book has just that.

Geof Darrow (The Matrix conceptual designer and comics, Hard Boiled, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Spooktacular) mixes elements from the Western, kung fu (or if you prefer, "wire fu"), with a high dose of dark comedy. If your first impressions in hearing of this book are of David Carradine's 70s Kung Fu telly series or the more recent Shanghai Noon movies featuring Jacky Chan, you're not quite there. These works throw the similar genres into the melting pot, but that's where the similarities end. Instead, Darrow cooks up something more like mixing the noir-action of Chow Yun Fat's Hard Boiled (unrelated to Darrow's aforementioned graphic novel with Frank Miller), the attitudes and dialogue of a Quentin Tarantino movie, the weirdness of the old black and white Twilight Zone, and the surprisingly misplaced (but welcome) comedic sensibilities of Army of Darkness. It also has the pulp qualities of Burlyman's other book, Doc Frankenstein.

The second of two new ongoing comic book series from the Wachowski Brothers' Burlyman Entertainment, The Shaolin Cowboy chronicles the misadventures of a former Shaolin monk in a "Wild West" setting. Tagging along for the ride is his poker-visor-wearing, trash-talking mule. But wait, if you think that's weird, that's hardly touching the surface. For some reason, the Shaolin Cowboy has a band of around 100 various personalities hot on his trail. The Shaolin Cowboy's pursuers consist of a black man with an afro hairdo complete with tussle comb lodged in, a quite well endowed pantsless outlaw with swastika tattoos, and a bespectacled samurai with katana and geisha fan. Another is a sophisticated blonde in a beautiful cyan dress with a beauty mole on her face and a mini pistol between her boobs. Yet another is a gun-toting half-covered-face businessman with a heart tattoo on his forehead and a pink latex prophylactic tied around his collar. And let's not forget all the dogs, cats, birds, and monkeys in the mix, especially the angry crab ending the issue with one of the funniest cliffhangers I've ever seen.

All this is presented in a whopping 10-page spread setup. Yes, 10 PAGES of people pissed off at the Shaolin Cowboy. It's quite a visual feast. In fact, that describes the whole book. Darrow may be a conceptual artist, but he has also proven himself to be an artist who pays attention to the most minute details, from each strand of hair and tattoos on characters, to each plant and rock in the desert setting, it's all very awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time. Click on the cover image, and you can see a Swiss Army Knife hanging by the Shaolin Cowboy's belt and a small green lizard at his feet. It's not just the cover; the whole interior is filled with extremely detailed artwork like such. I mean, who takes the time to do these things? Geoff Darrow, that's who. It's also what sets apart each of the dozens of characters in the book. They're each virtually unique - at least in the limited way Darrow can convey them in the span of 10 pages. They're certainly not the typical posse of similar-looking outlaws, as you've probably gathered by now. And if you're worried such a meticulous art style means stiff sequential art, don't be. Darrow's panels could easily translate into the flow of a movie. I don't hand out perfect ratings for art like peanuts, but this book truly deserves it.

So, a great concept, an eclectic cast of unique characters, perfect art, this can't be the best find of the century, can it? Well, it's not. The story is lacking in several aspects. First of all, people are trying to kill the hero. That's it. That's the story. At least, so far. I'm not so inconsiderate as to brush off a whole book just because of one issue. But if you plan on trying this book, you should be aware of the story's pacing. At the same time, it's also not a "padded" issue that has become trend of mainstream superhero comics as of late. Darrow does fill the moments with some exhilarating fight scenes and wacky comedy. The interactions between the Shaolin Cowboy and his talking mule alone are worth giving this book a chance. I have confidence that, once the book settles into several issues, it will create its own mythos because of the high quality creative mind behind it.



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Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save!

[Jon Hancock]

I really didn't like this. Apart from the SPOILER! steak/neck thingy the whole issue just seemed like a book of pretty pictures. The action wasn't even that good. Not a patch on Doc Frankenstein

[captainmarveljr]

Loved this comic, one of the most fun new books I've tried in a while. Great review!

Max.

[cry4life]

This comic was pretty terrible.... i don't care how pretty the artist's work is, even liefeld books have more plot than this. I have no reason to want to pick up issue 2 because i got nothing out of issue one to even make me care about who this guy is or why he's doing what he's doing. And a 10 page splash panel? Sure it was a funny gag at first but it took up space that could have been used for real content like backstory or something.

It's like Andy Kaufman-esque humor tho... a comedy writer may get a laugh out of making an entire episode of their tv show nothing but one long shot of a jar of mayonaise, but the viewers just feel exploited.