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“Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign?” #1

By | April 20th, 2017
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The master of intricate linework returns with his hyper violent wandering Monk in a new four part series. Read on for our review, which contains only minor spoilers

Written and Illustrated by Geof Darrow
Colored by Dave Stewart

Who doesn’t like Surf and Turf? Well, what do you do when Surf and Turf doesn’t like YOU??? The Eisner Award-losing and -winning drawing room talkfest, The Shaolin Cowboy, returns and will try to answer those questions as the titular hero of the series finds that his road to hell is paved not with good intentions but old nemeses hell bent on bloody revenge… AGAIN!!!

The Shaolin Cowboy has had a hell of a day. “Who’ll Stop the Reign” #1 picks up mere minutes after the previous four part series from Dark Horse, and does such a good job of following on that this could easily be issue 5 rather than a new number 1. Instead, it’s been a full 3 years since we last saw Geof Darrow’s violent master of Hsing-I School Kung Fu, so what feels like moments in story continuity is a long time for readers. Of course, fans of “Shaolin Cowboy” are no strangers to delays, having waited up to a year between issues previously. One look at the art, however, and you’d understand, and even forgive, such delays.

There’s a slight tonal shift between this and the last time we saw the Shaolin Cowboy. The previous series was practically one extended, meticulously crafted, almost silent action sequence containing such graphic, exhaustive artwork that reading it gave you an emotional response in direct contradiction to the violence on the page. Here though, in “Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign?” #1, there’s a more complex narrative that not only pulls on the previous series, but reintroduces characters and concepts not seen since the initial “Shaolin Cowboy” run from the Wachowski-owned Burlyman Entertainment back in 2004. This complex and drawn out publishing history (13 years for 12 issues) makes such callbacks feel like deep cuts that could potentially alienate new readers; despite that, this level of intricacy in the plot only serves to match the overly elaborate artwork.

Awakening from being shot in the final pages of the previous series, the Shaolin Cowboy dispatches some preying carnivores (bantering vultures the likes of which not seen since The Jungle Book) before stumbling to the nearest highway and finding himself preyed upon by a different beast entirely: Warden Duyu, a 40 foot gatekeeper of hell come to claim the Cowboy’s soul. As the issue progresses we also find that our hero is being hunted by slightly more grounded foes, commanded by an old nemesis out for revenge. While longtime readers will undoubtedly get more of the references and callbacks, “Shaolin Cowboy” has always been a series eager to establish a rich mythology for the character and build the illusion of history (the initial series was marketed as volume 54, for example.) There’s a sense then, that this kind of ‘in media res’ disorientation is just par for the course, and certainly the twists and turns of the plot can verge on the ridiculous at times, so a healthy shrug of the shoulders as you get swept along for the ride can only benefit.

The world of “Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign?” #1 is an ugly one. Every creature, living or dead, man or beast, is a twisted, corrupted being driven by greed or sin. As the cowboy approaches the bustling highway, we’re privy to snippets of conversations and radio chatter overheard from the passing vehicles, and it’s a sordid, cynical mess of evangelical gun-nuts, crass commercialism and terrible parents. And that’s before you get to the ‘Puss N Booty’ bar inhabited by the cowboy’s enemies. There’s not a single redeemable feature about the trash-filled, rotten landscape and the people within, and that only serves to further accentuate our hero’s plight; which is exactly the point. There’s a satirical bite to Darrow’s script (and artwork; the word Trump is graffitied on a rock above a toxic waste symbol) and this permeates through the issue, making the world even more cynical and ugly. The violence and graphically exhaustive artwork accentuates this ugliness, and yet, despite this, the art is utterly and completely captivating.

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As mentioned earlier, the previous series was so meticulously drawn and plotted that reading through it made your senses almost overwhelmed to the point that a sense of zen calm overcame you as you tried to just absorb the sheer intricacy of the line work. The pacing isn’t quite as cathartic here as Darrow adds a more complex aspect to the structure. In fact, it feels like the Shaolin Cowboy has never been as verbose as he is here, as he quotes the laws of hell itself in order to defend his soul (a fact that’s somewhat fitting, on reflection).

Darrow uses every square inch of the panel to tell his story, the backgrounds of every scene teeming with a myriad of creatures, corpses, and detritus. It’s bewitchingly complex, bafflingly comprehensive and almost exhaustingly intricate. Similarly, Dave Stewart’s gorgeous colors are a miracle unto themselves. One can only imagine how such a talent would even begin to approach such artwork, and yet his palette creates a wonderful depth and superb clarity to panels of immense confusion. The dichotomy of wanting to speed through the thrillingly paced action sequences and pore over every meticulous panel is unique to only a handful of creators, and it’s to Darrow’s credit that he manages to take such masterful control of the reader’s pace despite this contradiction, his use of page and panel structure superbly effortless.

“Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop the Reign” #1 is a relatively simple story with complex artwork, and a seeming dependence on backstory that could be off-putting for new readers. Despite this, there’s no denying the sheer magnificence of Darrow’s craft. Every panel is a wonder to behold, a staggering display of intricacy that creates a mind-blowing issue which deserves to be pored over time and again. Setting the artwork aside, this is a funny issue with an engaging plot involving a hero facing constant adversity in a dark and twisted world. There’s a confrontation coming that will bring its own long-awaited catharsis when it arrives, but the joy of Darrow’s work is not in the destination, but in the near mythical journey that the Shaolin Cowboy is on.

Final verdict: 9.0 – Geof Darrow is an almost unbelievable talent, and a new issue from him should always be revered. Welcome back, Shaolin Cowboy.


Matt Lune

Born and raised in Birmingham, England, when Matt's not reading comics he's writing about them and hosting podcasts about them. From reading The Beano and The Dandy as a child, he first discovered American comics with Marvel's Heroes Reborn and, despite that questionable start, still fell in love and has never looked back. You can find him on Twitter @MattLune

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