Comics
Review: ‘Shaolin Cowboy’ #4
Who says you can’t learn things from comic books? For example, in “Shaolin Cowboy” #4, I’ve learned that monks aren’t too chatty. In fact, I think our hero has only uttered the same mantra once per issue at least. Do actions speak louder than words? This Cowboy’s actions are surely a sight to see but is there more going on in this series? Let’s find out.
WRITTEN BY: Geoff Darrow
ART BY: Geoff Darrow
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 8 January 2014
Our resident badass zombie fighter has been literally going through a gigantic herd of them from the get-go. Geoff Darrow has put his creation onto a bloody and incredibly detailed path of destruction and decapitation. I think Darrow got all of his writing out of his system in the first issue with his essay about what has happened previously. The only other dialogue we get is the kind no one likes to hear: young and ignorant people banter. I guess that officially makes me an old person.
Each issue has been more about the visuals than any real dialogue or quips that regular comic book readers have become accustomed to. Honestly, The Cowboy’s double-chainsaw-bo-staff has spoken the most so far in this story. This has been one, big, extended fight scene that has lasted I think the entirety of this title thus far.
Perhaps Mr. Darrow is trying to plot a new course about how comics can tell stories. This is why we all love this medium, right? It is one of the greatest places to let your imagination run absolutely wild. However, nowadays I can’t help but think of comics sometimes as storyboards for TV of film. This would be one of, if not THE longest fight scene ever in any form of entertainment.
Our Cowboy is really hands-on in this chapter, popping heads, faces, and everything else off of these walking corpses. You really see the path our hero makes through all the bodies. Darrow is the preeminent artist when it comes to details and you get every single one of them in this series. Why are they all naked? Did this zombie outbreak start at a nudist colony? Food for thought for another day. This series makes me try to read into the actions more closely than anything actually said. Actions are the words for Shaolin Cowboy. That’s the impression that I get.
3.5/5 Skulls
Reviewed by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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