"If you are not familiar with Geof's work be prepared. It is filled with detail--lots of detail. Detailed does not begin to describe the detail.
It is for mature audiences, graphic imagery and all.
This is probably his best Shaolin compilation to date.
It is ambitious and complex, running several narratives.
In one you find the Shaolin Cowboy with recollections of his past, and sound advice from his mentors, this section is in monochromatic tones.
In another, you find the Shaolin Cowboy tailed by the infamous Crab.
One of the mentors bears a likeness to Robert Mitchum, the actor, if you do not know his work--check out his movies, especially the "Night of the Hunter."
If you are not familiar with Geof's work be prepared. It is filled with detail--really.
On the surface the work appears to be a violent adventure strip, to say the least, but it filled with layers of deconstruction. In part it has quite a bit of visual acknowledgements to the deconstructive westerns from the 60s, and early 70s, the samurai movies from the 60s and 70s, and other genres mixed in as well.
Vintage samurai and western movies were often shown at an old school movie theater (with the awning, light bulbs, and movable letters) on Santa Monica Boulevard and I am almost certain that Mr. Darrow probably saw some of the classics there.
Darrow is the modern day Heironymus Bach, tearing down the facade of society, the establishment, and of the consumer, drone-like, world. He stitches together several cultures, world views, and eastern philosophy onto a world all his own.
There is humor to all the madness as well.
The coloring by Dave Stewart works well. It compliments the narrative with vibrant and, yet, very subtle hues throughout the book. This is challenging as the amount of detail, from the line work, allows for multiple possibilities of what to color and how to color it. Dave manages this complex work with steady choices of hues, monochromatic colors, and expert coloring of many of the consumer packaging items throughout each page, or the subtle hues of a desert scene during the day or night.
Stewart also uses dichotic choices, such as the varying, painterly, application to Zombie heads.
There are many challenges with color and Stewart succeeds on every page.
Shaolin Cowboy is published by Dark Horse, and available wherever books are sold. Check it out!"
Emilio Soltero
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