Shaolin Cowboy is an American comic book

American comic book

An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...

 series

Ongoing series

The term "ongoing series" is used in contrast to limited series , a one shot , a graphic novel, or a trade paperback...

 created, co-written (opening dialog in each issue is written by the Wachowski Brothers), and drawn by artist Geof Darrow

Geof Darrow

Geofrey "Geof" Darrow is a comic artist known for his work on books such as Hard Boiled and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, which was adapted into an animated TV series of the same name.-Character design and Moebius collaborations:...

. The book is published irregularly by Burlyman Entertainment

Burlyman Entertainment

BurlyMan Entertainment is a comic book company created by Andy and Larry Wachowski, best known as the writer/director duo behind the Matrix Trilogy.-History:...

.

The last issue Shaolin Cowboy #7 hit the stands in May 2007, a year after #6 went on sale.

At the 2011 Toronto, San Diego, and New York Comic Cons, Dark Horse Comics announced that they would be publishing three new Shaolin Cowboy comics, starting with a new Number One issue in 2012.

Plot summary

The book is about an unnamed former Shaolin monk who wanders the land with a talking mule named Lord Evelyn Dunkirk Winniferd Esq. the Third. Having been "asked" to leave the Shaolin temple, he has since had a bounty placed on his head, which many are eager to collect. Given the Shaolin Cowboy's prowess in martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

, however, this will be very difficult.

Taking place in an unspecified time setting (as the first issue notes, "the day after yesterday and a week before tomorrow"), the book features extremely detailed artwork and equally violent and absurd action scenes; in one, the main character battles a giant shark with a human head in its mouth using two chainsaws tied on the ends of a long stick -- which all takes place in the canalization in the stomach of a lizard, on whose back a city is located.

Collected editions

The series was translated into French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and collected into a number of trade paperbacks

Trade paperback (comics)

In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...

 by Panini Comics

Panini Comics

Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...

:

• Volume 1: La vengeance du roi crabe (60 pages, May 2008, ISBN 2809402779)
• Volume 2 (70 pages, November 2008, ISBN 2809404135)
• Volume 3 (48 pages, April 2009, ISBN 280940688X)

Awards

Shaolin Cowboy was nominated for three Eisner Awards in 2005 for "Best New Series", "Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team", and "Best Coloring".

External links

• Shaolin Cowboy at Burlyman Entertainment