The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I.Live #1
Creative Team
writer/artist: GEOF DARROW
colorist: IAN HERRING
letterer: NATE PIEKOS
publisher: DARK HORSE COMICS
A.I. has been a real problem as of late. People have been using A.I. to create their own comics. There’s even been a few instances of the Big Two using A.I. Thankfully, it seems that the majority are pushing back on A.I. Calling out and rejecting any use of A.I. as it pertains to art. But it is still ever present, and it affects all of our lives. And that’s what makes the latest storyline of Shaolin Cowboy so relevant.
Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I. Live #1, is the newest storyline in this arguably modern classic from Dark Horse Comics. Every issue is self-contained stories, with no need to read the prior material.
The series focuses on a former Shaolin Monk turned cowboy, after being “asked” to leave his temple. Ever since then, he’s had a bounty on his head and now travels the land of an unspecified time and place.
There is modern clothing, cars, buildings, and technologies, but also teradactyls, giant turtles, talking animals, and skeletons everywhere. It makes for a world that is familiar but distant at the same time.
Geof Darrow is the creator, artist and writer of Shaolin Cowboy. With coloring by Ian Herring and lettering by Nate Piekos. Darrow’s signature style has remained the same since the beginning. Extremely detailed artwork, with minimal but funny dialogue and fast paced action. Every little detail from the dirt and rocks on the ground, to the decay of skeletons and the ruffles of clothing are on display.
The Shaolin Cowboy is a stoic character that says very little, only speaking when necessary. The other characters' dialogue can be hilarious but absurd. And the action is explosive with no dialogue, shattered glass, mangled faces, and blood spewing out of mouth. Herring’s coloring really helps the pencils stand out. Blues, greens and browns are more muted, but they’re contrasted by bright reds, yellows, pinks and oranges.
The story reflects our modern times, with shops downtown filled with guns, pornography and fast food. The populace is spewing hatred against immigrants, and most importantly, relying too much on A.I.
The story kicks off when the Shaolin Cowboy finds a skeleton holding a message in a bottle. They ask that whoever finds this message bring it to their mother. The Shaolin Cowboy, having nothing better to do, decides to embark on this journey. He enters into a local diner, to ask the locals about where the mother might live. While there, the tv is displaying a news story about a family massacre, and that the police have used A.I. to generate a photo of the supposed killer. Funny enough, the image looks similar to our Shaolin Cowboy. The locals begin a manhunt, but unlucky for them, our Shaolin Cowboy is versed in martial arts. Can he find the mother before the locals kill him?
Final Verdict
Shaolin Cowboy is a funny and timely comic that doesn’t bash readers over the head with its message. Rather, it weaves themes in the artwork and dialogue in a series that is thought-provoking and full of commentary on overpopulation, misinformation, A.I., and fear.
| Criteria | Score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 10 |
| Story/Plot | 10 |
| Art/Line Work | 10 |
| Colors | 10 |
| Final Score | 10/10 |
