The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine

Shaolin Cowboy

by Andrew Vachss, Geof Darrow, Michael A. Black

Best selling author Andrew Vachss teams with award-wining artist Geof Darrow to revive the spirit and format of the pulp novels of the 30s and 40s. The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine is the first new hero-pulp to be printed in decades and combines hard-hitting prose with illustrated mayhem. The Shaolin Cowboy: The Way of 'No Way!' is a kung fu gripping tale of high adventure and relentless bloodshed. The Shaolin Cowboy and his trusty mule battle overwhelming odds and inclement weather against enemies thirsting for revenge and retribution in the battle royal to end all battle royals.

* Best selling crime-fiction author Andrew Vachss!

* Geof Darrow co-creator of Doc Frankenstein, Hard Boiled, and The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2012

About the author

Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a “children’s book for adults.” His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, the New York Times, and many other forums. A native New Yorker, he now divides his time between the city of his birth and the Pacific Northwest.

The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is
www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.

Reviews

[Lakis Fourouklas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine No 1 by Andrew Vachss, Geof Barrow and Michael A. Black includes two novelettes that remind the reader of Pulp Fiction (the movie and the genre) and science fiction stories.

I’ll say it right from the start; this is one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year so far. It’s action-packed, it’s funny and it doesn’t take itself seriously. The two stories in this volume are quite different from each other, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the reader can’t enjoy them just the same.

The first story tells what the Way of “No Way” is all about. It is here that we for the first time set eyes on the Shaolin Cowboy, a mercenary of sorts that wanders around an almost deserted land, where the only law is that of the outlaw. The Cowboy is not your usual mercenary though; he does have his own code of ethics, he always wears a Chicago Cubs baseball cap, and he travels on a mule that’s too strong and in its own right has quite an attitude. The two of them definitely complement each other in more than one ways. They are not only partners in crime but they also have a silent understanding that never allows one to get into the other’s way.

As we get to know the Cowboy better we come to realize that he’s not only lethal but also kind. When the need arises he helps the weak and even goes out of his way to find them refuge. The villains though are a different story. They are evil, simple as that, but their characters and the way the author describes their looks is one of the reasons that I really enjoyed this story.

The boss, the big boss of the land actually, is a fat man that goes by the initials T.A. These mean Totally Awesome according to his followers, but what they really stand for is Toxic Amoeba. It is exactly this man that the Cowboy is traveling to meet through the desert, the Terror-tories, a journey that offers the reader a lot of action and some laughs. For instance at a point our hero sees a sign that says: You are now leaving the endless desert, and not before too long he finds another one that suggests: What, you didn’t bring a dictionary? Look up “Endless,” stupid.

Well, Cowboy is about to live the adventure of his life, an adventure that reminds the reader of the movies of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez, and during which anything can happen.

The second story in this volume Time Factor is written by Michael A. Black, and it more than less belongs to the Sci Fi genre. This is the story of Dr. Riley and another couple of men who are assigned a mission into the jungles of New Mexico. They have to find the members of an expeditionary force that went missing. However, in order to accomplish that, they first have to travel back in time, and the Cretaceus period, where the scenery is to say the least imposing.

What happens to them while there gives birth to too many questions into the mind of Dr. Riley, but the truth is that the answers he will not like; answers I will not provide, because when it comes to spoilers this is as good, or as bad, as it gets.

In this story too there’s plenty of action and some great characters that are not so easy to forget. It is violent, but it’s also funny in a way, especially when one of the heroes insists on doing his own thing, putting everyone else into trouble.

I really look forward to the second edition of The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always knew that Andrew Vachss' writing could be funny. He used to squeeze some really dry puns into the Burke novels, but they weren't as obvious as his humor is within this Shaolin Cowboy story. There's still some serious truth underneath the story, but on the surface it's just plain fun to read. His writing is highly sophisticated, but never complicated. Awesome illustrations by Geoff Darrow and another nice story by Michael A. Black make this book a pleasure to read.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given how much of the appeal to Geof Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy comic series is based on the illustrations and not the actual story, I was actually taken aback by my general enjoyment of the pulp treatment towards the legend behind SC. Collected in this small paperback are two Shaolin Cowboy stories, with a few illustrations from Darrow himself. The first and longer story, "The Way of No Way", is by Andrew Vachss and is pretty funny as he engages in some enjoyable puns and captivating world-building. We learn more about SC's background and personality - more than you'd take away from any of Darrow's actual comics. The overall pulp like quality to the story makes this a quick, fun read, and overall a fun addition to the mythos.

The second story, "Time Factor", by Michael A. Black, is a more high concept sci-fi time traveling story about an expedition into a jungle in search of a missing expedition team. The campy storytelling fits the cheap sci-fi pulps from days past, and as such was a pretty fun read. Gary Gianni provides some illustrations, but nothing that really adds much to the story.

This is a silly yet charming addition to the Shaolin Cowboy series. Not essential reading by any means, but definitely something worthwhile to check out if you're a big fan of the character.

[John Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

PART 1: The Way of "No Way!" by Andrew Vaches

"Having chosen The Way of 'No Way!', his soul was obligated to follow only the most meaningless of paths. This is known as The Choice of No Choice."

Once a reader begins this story they are obligated to read to the very end, following the most meaningless of paths - The Choice of No Choice.

It's not garbage if you like blood-soaked, mentally ill pulp fiction with highly detailed illustration by the odd and talented Geof Darrow.

Bizarre nonsense in a fun way. "... speaking with the Trans-Continental Condescension accent favored by those who speak Advanced Liberal."

PART 2: Time Factor by Michael A. Black,

Time Factor is an unrelated time travelling tale of T Rex love. Not bad, but I would have preferred more adventures of The Shaolin Cowboy.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love and revere the late Andrew Vachss but I could not get into this one - I'm not a 13 year old boy - probably the intended audience for the Shaolin Cowboy. All weapons and violence all the time. Enjoyed many of the pictures but even the featured Mule, dog, crab and something like a Komoto Dragon couldn't catch much less hold my interest. So next month I'll continue my one Vachss a month project by rereading a Burke book.

[Jonathan D McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun romp

There's some great lines in both stories, you'll especially like the first if you are a fan of the Chaplin Cowboy comic

[Микола · Rating 2 out of 5]

Скіпнув.
Заради арту прогортав до кінця, але з якогось розділу зрозумів, що я не буду читати цю маячню. Мабуть, в іншому віці й у інших умовах могло зайти — мова щільна, для відпочинку десь на вакаціях можна купити замість жуйки. Ну але якщо в основному корпусі домінує арт, який уже своєю якістю здатен генерувати нові значення, то спроба замінити його текстом не приводить до аналогічного ефекту.
Словом, це просто не моя книжка.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story was pretty funny, and had illustrations by Geoff Darrow. It made me want to read the Shaolin Cowboy comic more. It was also nice to see Andrew Vachss not be so serious. He can have some fun you know. The second one was a much more serious time travel story. Short and sweet. I liked it.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pulp replica based on a fairly popular comic book property, and written by a famous author, but it just didn't do anything for me. There was never any tension. The antagonists seemed like spoofs, and the action, though gory, was wanting.

I don't really know what they were shooting for here, but they missed it completely.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read. This is "pulp fiction" which means the action is over the top. It's worth a read simply because of the white mule in the first story. Hilarious! The second story is equally enjoyable, but entirely different. Great story-telling in the 20's pulp style.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

nothing short of amazing. Witty, funny, sometimes obtuse, but never dull.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Babs]

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