In last month’s issue of Shaolin Cowboy, I felt Geof Darrow was playing the equivalent of an internet troll to us comic fans. Personally, I’m a college student who saves every penny so the fact that they were charging $3.99 for a book that took 30 seconds to “read” definitely irked me. Obviously the art was fantastic, but for me what extremely little plot advancement it had didn’t justify giving it anything over the “average” rating. Luckily, in my eyes they took a step in the right direction this issue. There isn’t a ton more story advancement, but it’s more than last issue… and there’s actually dialogue via a flashback. For the first thirteen pages, it looked to me like this issue was going to have the same outcome as the last. It’s been blatantly obvious from the beginning that this comic doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and I don’t think Geof Darrow really cares what anyone thinks about it either way. For example, this issue opens up with a zombie photographer taking pictures of a girl with “hashtag” and “@ symbol” tattoos while the Cowboy is in the background still obliterating this never-ending horde of zombies. I love the perspective that the art puts the reader in; it’s like you’ve just been decapitated thanks to the Cowboy’s dual chainsaw staff thing and you’re watching him butcher every zombie in sight.
A couple of zombie cats were part of the chainsaw fodder in this issue, because why not? The cowboy is wise and realizes his gas gauge is starting to run on empty. So, he takes the staff and shoves one end into one zombie and the other end to another zombie and is able to use it to jump on and propel himself into the air. At this point he’s still killing zombies, but he’s leaping from head to head and smashing them in while he’s at it. We finally see him land, as he turns around and faces the thinned out horde of zombies (although he didn’t seem to make much of a dent, there’s still a ton left). He’s starting to look exhausted, but remembers his training and says the equivalent of “praise be to Buddha.”
Obviously I never want to give the entire story away in a review, but you’d be able to do the same in the comic shop in less time than it takes to read this review anyway.
Score: 4/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Geof Darrow Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/11/13