… Holy shit.
Written & Illustrated by Geof Darrow
He came, he “sawed,” but will he conquer?! The Shaolin Cowboy proves—in 40 pages of gas-powered mayhem—that the undead and kung fu don’t mix as they mix it up in issue #2. No “low T” in this one!
The word Shaolin comes from the monastery in China on Mount Song which is famous for teaching Chinese martial arts and Buddhism. Buddhism is a spiritual practice that, through meditation, shall lead to an insight to the world and, ultimately, to enlightenment. The word cowboy came to be a word associated with outlaws, horse thieves and smugglers across America in the 1800s. A Shaolin Cowboy, then, is surely someone who gains enlightenment and peace through meditation in the midst of violence. Thus, as we see in “Shaolin Cowboy” #2, Geof Darrow shows us a glimpse into this meditation through violence. By making a comic that is 33 pages of nothing but double-page spreads of one man slicing an endless hoard of zombie-esque creatures with a double-sided chainsaw staff. And I’m here to tell you why this is the most beautiful comic ever set to print.
At first glance you may think “Shaolin Cowboy” #2 has no story. There’s nothing in the way of dialogue and each panel simply builds on the next to create one, long action scene. But perhaps a story in comics doesn’t need a huge, cinematic plot and narrative to work. Perhaps just a series of sequential panels that tells the events over the course of the issue that fits within the serialised narrative of the series as whole is story enough. This is the experiment that Darrow partakes in as we see every page, including the cover, tells the story. The issue is a dance, a performance, a meditation that exudes serenity through violence and gore. It’s an exercise in beauty through simplicity and yet it’s over thirty pages of evisceration. Much like the title, the issue itself is an oxymoron: a contradiction that reveals a truth. And that truth? That truth is that Geof Darrow is a master artist.
So this issue might be a little light on story, but you know what it’s not light on? Zombies. Oh, and Geof Darrow’s art. Trust me when I say that every single page save for the cover and the first page is a double page spread of two horizontal panels and every single one of those panels deals with the Shaolin Cowboy slicing through zombies. Literally all of them. And you know what? It’s gorgeous. Every panel is a work of art in and of itself with unparalleled detail and definition in it’s action. From the bones and dust kicked up from the the Cowboy’s feet to the tattoos and insects littering the zombies’ flesh to the rust on the metal of the chainsaws to the viscera flying through the air. There is so much crowding every panel that you could pour over each one just to take it all in. And that’s just in the single panels. The true beauty of this issue is how Darrow has choreographed each panel to create a fluid sequential action scene where each panel flows beautifully into the next. It’s a simply marvel to look at and even feels like it could be key frames for an animation.
What makes this issue a true paragon of comic storytelling despite not having a single word balloon or caption is how every image adds to the story. Even from the cover to the first page we see sequential storytelling in how the Cowboy leaps from the rock on the cover and is held in the air on the first page only to land amidst the zombie hoard the next page. Everything about this issue is about showcasing this one scene and the story it tells of a man who finds the ultimate peace through sheer, unadulterated violence. This is the kind of comic that eschews every rule that has been set up by the medium to tell a raw story about the human condition. This is a story about how simple it is to find peace amid chaos if you simply search for it. This is a showcase of the beauty of sequential storytelling and how it has evolved in time.
Continued belowThis is in the upper echelon of comic book storytelling. Not only that, but this is an example of the genius of Geof Darrow. An artist who takes the simple idea of man just destroying a mindless hoard with two chainsaws at either end of a staff and makes it a work of art. This is beautiful, there is simply no other word for it. This is a work of genius that has been handed down from on high for us lowly mortals to worship at. This is life-changing.
Or you just spent $3.99 on a comic where nothing happens, you know, it swings in roundabouts.
Final Verdict: 9.8 – I wasn’t kidding about the work of art thing, this needs to be seen to be believed.
