NYCC 2018: ‘Shaolin Cowboy Could Kick Iron Fist’s @ss’ – Conversations With Geof Darrow
by Tito W. James
While perusing Artist Alley at New York Comic Con I struck up a conversation with Geof Darrow, the creator of Shaolin Cowboy and concept designer behind The Matrix.
Tito W. James: Shaolin Cowboy has three volumes out right now. ‘Shemp Buffet’ is one long fight scene that lasts for twenty minutes in the story’s time. ‘Who will stop the reign?’ takes about a day. ‘Start Trek’ is maybe a couple days or a week.
Geof Darrow: Yeah, a couple days story time.
TWJ: So what’s next for the Shaolin Cowboy?
GD: It starts almost immediately after ‘Who Will Stop The Reign?’ The idea is to put the books together and read them as one long, long, promenade.
TWJ: To fit within the ever-expanding time scale of the previous books, will the next volume cover a year of Cowboy’s time?
GD: I don’t know. It depends on how long I live.
[Laughs]
TWJ: Shaolin Cowboy is known for being incredibly action packed. How do you go about choreographing the fight scenes?
GD: I just draw it. It’s like jazz skating with a pencil.
TWJ: Are there any martial arts movies you use as references?
GD: I like Tsui Hark’s films like Once Upon A Time In China. Then Jimmy Wang Yu in Master of The Flying Guillotine. I also like Stephen Chow’s movies.
TWJ: If you could have a crossover between the Shaolin Cowboy and any other character who would you pick?
GD: Oh boy, that’s hard. Zatoichi (The Blind Swordsman), Usagi Yojimbo (The Samurai Bunny), or Hellboy. There’s so many. But you know what? I’d like to have him fight Iron Fist and kick his ass!
[Laughs]
TWJ: How would the Cowboy kick Iron Fist’s ass?
GD: Superior skills.
TWJ: Is it possibly because the Shaolin Cowboy has a chainsaw?
GD: He wouldn’t have to use a chainsaw. He has much more Chi than Danny Rand has.
TWJ: Do you think Hellboy could beat the Shaolin Cowboy?
GD: Probably yeah.
TWJ: Why’s that?
GD: [Mock indignant] Because Hellboy is the son of the Devil and he’s got a big giant stone hand.
TWJ: What about Zatoichi? Who would win in that context?
GD: I think they’d wind up being friends. They’d probably bond over food.
I’d like to thank Geof Darrow for taking the time for this fun conversation. The adventures of the Shaolin Cowboy are on store shelves now.
