I can’t decide if Darrow’s being hostile.

This issue of The Shaolin Cowboy consists of approximately thirty-two double page (horizontal) and half page (vertical) panels of the Shaolin Cowboy fighting zombies in the desert. There’s a single page spread of him jumping to attack opening the issue.

After maybe five or six pages, I started to wonder if Darrow was going to go for the ultimate in all action issues. But it’s not an all action issue; the Cowboy’s basically just spinning around, slicing up zombies. It’s not some kind of decompressed narrative, Darrow’s not trying to tell a story here. He’s trying to show the reader some art. There’s no argument about whether the comic’s worth the cover price… based on the art, it’s more than worth it. Darrow works hard.

But he’s created something to look at, not something to read. It’s a portfolio of related illustrations.

CREDITS

Writer and artist, Geof Darrow; colorist, Dave Stewart; letterer, Peter Doherty; editors, Ian Tucker and Brendan Wright; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

The Shaolin Cowboy opens with two pages of text apparently explaining the series to the reader. I say apparently because I did not read it. It’s a whole lot of text to read at the beginning of a comic book, especially one where it turns out there isn’t very much text at all.

Cowboy is Geof Darrow art. It’s great art, if the content is a little silly. And the jokes at neo-con expense are forced. One of them would have been funny five years ago, the other funny maybe ten. Darrow only goes after easy targets too.

There are zombies, there are bros tweeting, there are chainsaws. There’s also the Shaolin Cowboy jumping all over the place.

The comic’s awesome in spite of itself. Anything derivative or silly, Darrow’s art excuses. His sense of visual pacing is astonishing. It’s a marvelous read, even though it’s very content light.

CREDITS

Writer and artist, Geof Darrow; colorist, Dave Stewart; letterer, Peter Doherty; editors, Ian Tucker and Brendan Wright; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.