The Shaolin Cowboy: Shemp Buffet

Shaolin Cowboy #8-11

by Geof Darrow, Dave Stewart (Color)

"A little less conversation, a little more action!"--Elvis

The saga of one man's fight against the walking dead as you've never seen it before! The action never lets up as a chainsaw of events pits the comic world's favorite Shaolin Cowboy against a legion of gourmets from the fourth level of hell, intent on turning America's finest youth into an endless shemp buffet. Strap on your six-guns, gas up your chainsaw, and hang on, 'cuz you aren't in Downton Abbey anymore.

Collects the complete Dark Horse Comics Shaolin Cowboy series!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Zombies, Westerns, Humor

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is REALLY graphic...but I think that Geof Darrow is tapping into yet another 'undercurrent' in our society. A lot of the problems the Shaolin Cowboy faces are the extremes of an apathetic society that is buying the ticket to a roller coaster heading to the abyss. As such I see the violence as a mirror to a much larger problem; Jean Baudrillard's concept of the hyperreal comes to mind.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shaolin Cowboy destroys zombies in a choreographed ballet of violence. The 2 page fight scenes go on wordlessly for over 100 pages of zombie annihilation. It's incredible in it's audacity and sheer technical artistic brilliance. As a reader though, it quickly get repetitive.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars means: what in the name of hell?! Being loosely translated. This is an oversized art book colored by one of the world's greatest colorists, Dave Stewart, drawn and told, such as it is, about a crazy cowboy who decimates several hundred zombies in a mostly silent comic, the mayhem taking place over more than 120 pages. Choreographed slaughter. The story doesn't make much sense, but the story isn't the point in a story about a shaolin cowboy whose weapon is two chainsaws on a long pole.

I show some of it to the wife, who is in bed reading the Buddhist soul journey The Snow Leopard (that I have also read this past year) and she says, "Augh!! Why did you show me that?! Don't do that again!" :) She's right, of course; when you are contemplating the meaning of life you don't want to see a lot of zombie blood.

Splatterpunk? Is that the category? Like Quentin Tarrantino violence with roots in samurai warrior films. SO much choreographed slaughter, like it is zombie killing poetry. Kinda IS zombie slaughter visual poetry, if you wanna put a positive spin on it. IF.

I initially was going to say I just hated it, but it is my first encounter with this artist, and I expected a certain don't-take-yourself-too-seriously vibe when The Three Stooges (Shemp? Get it) are invoked (the others are named in the book, too, don't worry) in the title. And then all these pages of killing, it's either hilarious or stupid or both. That's what I am getting at with this three star rating. It's like: It might depend on my mood whether it is funny or annoying. I'm kinda on the fence about it. Maybe in an altered state it is genius.

I can say other reviews, Goodreads and professional, either love or hate this, so it has a tendency to polarize. Then I see great artists just gush over the dude's technical artistic wizardry, people such as Mike Mignola, Walter Simonson, Frank Quitely, Stan Sakai--some of the greats of the profession--and since I am sort of a spineless critic who can't stand up to critical lions like this and just say what I think--I bend a little to them and say, uh, I guess it may be vey good seen in a completely apeshit light. . . It's out there, for sure. With lovely Dave Stewart colors.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interviewer
"How do you make each panel different in a fight scene? This is obviously the longest one I’ve seen you do, but you have extended fight scenes in a lot of your work. How do you keep it interesting from panel to panel?"

Darrow
"You just try to find an interesting composition, and I think an interesting thing in this one is the sheer numbers and the idiocy of a guy with two chainsaws on the end of a long pole. Hell, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not interesting. It probably isn’t. But I kept trying to make it look good, I guess. Convincing in an odd, unreal kind of way."

[Estelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start by saying: This won't be for everyone.

There's very little story or character development and our hero is a man of very few words. Basically, this book is just one giant fight (although "ass kicking" would be more accurate) between the awesome Shaolin Cowboy and an Army of heavily tattooed Zombies (and a few dead cats).
136 pages of non stop action might be silly or even boring for some people, but I personally loved it. Every panel of it. It is pretty genius in a very unique, grotesque way and just feels like the coolest movie ever. It also made me laugh A LOT.

I'd recommend this to anyone who, like me, is frustrated with the Walking Dead and wish that show was less about the drama and more about killing Zombies.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in my so called "reading challenge" and they won't come much easier than this. The majority of this comic is a wordless fight between an army of naked zombies and a stout monk with a long pole. A long pole with two chainsaws attached. Across several dozen double page spreads Darrow composes panel after panel after panel of balletic, fiercely detailed gore out of these basic elements. There's no sense of frenzy or energy, just the zen of repetitive action, which in this case happens to be slaughtering the undead with two power tools on a stick. The effect is by turns entertaining, funny, boring, very boring, funny again and finally I was left with a sort of awe at the obsessiveness of it all, mixed with a sense of pointlessness which the ending implies is not accidental. Could be one star, could be five.

[Francis Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is fantastic but makes you a little numb by the end. A cool concept, I wish there was a little bit more dialogue. (Not much)

It's very hard to rate anything Geoff Darrow does less than a 4.

[Ademption · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up. The pun-filled introductory text and character design had me at 4 stars. Much like the double-chainsawed staff running out of gas, the obsessively repetitive gore sapped my attention. It wasn't the gore but the repetition that bothered me. Naked zombies are chainsawed for over 45 pages and only their wounds, gender and tattoos change in static two-panel spreads. Then nearly the same thing, but fist fights in small panels, for another 40 pages. The Shaolin Cowboy: Shemp Buffet is tedious. I kept scanning the detritus looking for any variation as if I were reading a depressing Where's Waldo? full of trash, limbs and rocks. Therefore, I recommend Hard Boiled instead, which is similarly gory and also illustrated by Geof Darrow; however, Frank Miller provided the plot for that book, saving it from such intense repetition. I have no doubt Darrow likes drawing detailed, linge claire gorefests. He is great at it. Unfortunately, all of the plot for The Shaolin Cowboy: Shemp Buffet is contained in the introduction, and nearly absent in the illustration.

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Druhý díl mi po pravdě moc nesednul. Vypadá to pořád hezky, ale příběh tu chybí už naprosto a vlastně je to spíš takový vtip. Něco jako kolik vizuálních orgií můžete nacpat do jednoho souboje a jak dlouhý může být, aby fanoušci nenadávali? No, klidně mohl být kratší, ale jako vtip je to povedené.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wspaniale i szalenie precyzyjnie zilustrowana masakra. Fabuły tu za bardzo nie ma, za to każdy z tych kadrów mógłbyś powiesić sobie na ścianie w pięknej ramce, gdybyś tylko rokował na seryjnego mordercę. Piękne i absurdalne, ale dla mnie niestety jednorazowe.

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the oddest series, ever
A fallen Shaolin Munk wanders
a bizarre barren landscape
that brings to mind a demented
American South West
The Shaolin Cowboy is a martial artist
of John Woo-esque level skill
is brought to ultra violent life
by the gifted art of Darrow
The hyper detailed art is
reminiscent of a Sergio Aragones
but hung over and really angry
this series is really little more than
four issues of The Cowboy
killing ghouls in the most violent
ridiculous manner possible
two chain saws on the opposite ends
of a staff...
it does make for visually engrossing
brilliantly violent art
that just goes on
and on for the better part of four issues

The original Shaolin Cowboy
published haphazardly by
Burlyman Comics in
the early 2000's was
much more clever, witty and artistically
diverse in it's ultra violence
Shaolin Cowboy is a great book
but hardly for the squeamish

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accidentally read the Shaolin Cowboy series out of order. That said, Shemp Buffet seems like an excellent place to start because it really cuts to core of what Geof Darrow is doing here.

Shaolin Cowboy is art. It's not story. It's not character. It's one man with a pole that has a chainsaw on either end. That man is slaughering zombies. When the chainsaws run out of fuel, he begins punching the zombies. There's no dialogue. There's no need for it. Shemp Buffet is pure, violent nonsense. I can't believe it was published.

[Camhayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Sh*t!!!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

No words, all mayhem.

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisitely choreographed, mind blowingly violent.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What stupidity did I just 'read'?

Points for drawing ability but aside from the "previously on" description in 4pt font (which was amusing), this is the most insipid concept. Entire issues were composed of an ongoing repetitive fight with the titular cowboy wielding dual chainsaws vs naked zombies. Shot after shot after shot of dismemberment ad nauseum. Boring, stupid, and pointless.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Show me a graphic novel about a monk with two chainsaws in the desert, insert some roving zombie hordes and sprinkle on glowing art critiques. . .of course you got me piqued. But once I actually had the book in my hands, I became immediately aware that this was not at all the adventure I had imagined. In fact, the adventure faded away abruptly into a front-and-center exhibition of walking corpse massacre and gritty cowboy resolve, stripped down naked, but also embellished with thoughtful tattoos and micro-expressions. Darrow piles on frame after frame of fleshy combat, begging us to take a closer look at the subtleties of this senseless violence. As if to make up for the sagging plot, he ends it with an ironic twist, and then another scene befitting of that all-familiar lone-crusader yarn we all enjoy.

[Turic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Komiks składa się w 54% (197 na 366) z kadrów przedstawiających kopnięcia, uderzenia, pękajace czaszki, wyrywane mózgi, rozrywanie trzewii itd itp.
Wszędzie leje się krew w ilościach, które jednoznacznie zniechęciły mnie do tytułu.

Po prostu Wielkie Nie!
+1 gwiazdka za kreskę.

[Chaunceton Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes. So over the top. Really excellent. Art like I've never seen before. Stellar concept, sharp execution.

[Robert Sienicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most ballsy books I've ever read. I am equally outraged and impressed.

[Variaciones Enrojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edición española que recopila los seis primeros números de este western-oriental experimental del loco Darrow.
Reseñas tomadas de la página de TiendasCosmic:
http://www.tiendascosmic.com/comics_d...

Darrow desencadenado
Por: El Otro - 26/10/2014 10:39:03
Shaolin Cowboy es una obra disparatada cargada de humor y violencia gratuita como sólo Darrow nos la sabe mostrar. Lejos de la ambientación ciberpunk y la carga existencial de otras obras como Hard Boiled, Darrow crea una especie de antítesis de la anterior, poniendo a un vagabundo que poco o nada tiene que perder enmedio del desierto (un escenario que, a priori, poco se presta a aventuras sorprendentes) con un burro parlante y muchas cuentas pendientes con gente de dudosa reputación. Personajes estrafalarios, situaciones flagrantes y muertes mugrientas. El dibujo, como siempre, fantástico. Disfrutable 100%. Camino de convertirse ya en un clásico de culto.

Otra clase magistral de Geoff darrow
Por: yeyo - 25/01/2011 15:19:55
Quizá no sea la persona más adecuada para juzgar este cómic porque no lo puedo evitar, soy fan de Geoff Darrow. Como todas las obras de este hombre, muy recomendable para los amantes del dibujo a línea ultradetallado. El dibujo se impone al guión como en todas sus obras, pero como dice el refrán: más vale una imagen que mil palabras.

[Simon Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from the original Shaolin Cowboy run that was cut-off in its prime, Geof Darrow’s found a new home for his hero at Dark Horse. This new tale does follow on from the original series, but you don’t need to have read it, plus it appears to skip an almighty swathe of the action to bring us to a point in time that Darrow can have some particular fun with. Because, let’s be fair, throughout a little over 130 pages, this is pretty much one incredibly drawn, immensely detailed, and superbly coloured fight with zombies. What it lacks in dialogue it more than makes up with insanely detailed depictions of zombie mutilation, dismemberment and destruction. And not a lot else.

Now that may sound like a rum way to spend your hard-earned money but this is the closest comics get to high definition, and Darrow is such an utter craftsman when it comes to fabulous linework that page after page after page has you absorbing the detail. There are precious little blank spaces that even the naked degenerating cadavers of the undead are adorned with countless tattoos and crawling beetles. Not so much a book you read as one you look at, presented like a coffee-table compendium on carcass combat. Brilliantly executed.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question you have to ask yourself when you read any of The Shaolin Cowboy, but especially when you read Shemp Buffet, is "Is Geof Darrow just fucking with me?"

This is the eternal question of Shaolin Cowboy. Is this the greatest action comic of all time, and one of the most beautifully drawn books ever published, or is Geof Darrow literally just laughing at you, and possibly peeing on your lawn?

This book is one 130-page long fight scene. In one sequence, a single camera angle is held for 84 panels straight. The plot of this book is entirely summed up by the cover image.

If there is one word that sums up Shaolin Cowboy, it might be 'compulsion.' No one could draw this book without a degree of compulsion bordering on insanity.

I've met Geof Darrow. He is awkward but nice. I think he's very earnest, and genuinely surprised and pleased by compliments about his work. He seems like the kind of guy who only leaves his drawing table about once a year.

I also think he'd have no qualms about peeing on my lawn, and when an artist goes as hard as he does, I think he can pee where he damn well likes.

[Reyel2107 · Rating 4 out of 5]

non sense action !!!!

[Jay Feria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story told through the mind of an illustrator, the book tells through it's panels rather then dialog, much like one of Darrow's former comic conspirators, MOEBIUS and his famed Arzach series. Shaolin Cowboy extends the idea of pantomime comics with a zombie-fighting, chainsaw-wielding Kung Fu cowboy. If you like Darrow's other work (Big Guy and Rusty the boy robot, Hard-Boiled), you're sure to enjoy the artwork in this

[Thomas Maluck · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's a whole lot of zombie slaughter. A bit exhausting? Perhaps, but so is Darrow's hyper-detailed method. When he flashbacks to the lesson of his master for inspiration, you'll want the fight to continue, too.

[Jason McKoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geof Darrow never fails to deliver, even in a book with probably 60 words in it if I'm being generous.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again, a great artist wastes paper.
Impressive visuals, bad satire.
The extra star is for the visuals.
I have to stop tuning in....

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun. Reminds me of Prophet and Stokoe's art.

[Robert Foulcant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Comic Artist ever.
Pushin to the limit and beyond.
Big Moebius fan, i just start again to read comics after more than 10 years.
thanks.