Shaolin Cowboy #1
Written and illustrated by Geof Darrow
Colors by Dave Stewart
Variant Cover by Walt Simonson
Pinups by Simon Roy, Aaron Conley, and Damon Gentry
Letters by Peter Doherty
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 9, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

This isn’t really a number one, but rather part of an ongoing tale, the last issue of Shaolin Cowboy having come out six years ago. With a schedule this spotty, I suppose it seemed smarter to renumber it as a first issue. Because of its sparse text, those picking it up for the first time won’t necessarily be lost, so it’s suitable as an introduction to the character/series.

As noted, the previous issue is six years old, so I can’t really remember the plot (such as it was), and can’t be bothered do dig through my short boxes. I can tell you that the art was insanely detailed and über-violent. And that’s why you buy this comic. For the inventive ways Geof Darrow figures out how to kill people, and for his exquisite renderings illustrating those depictions.

Prophet Vol. 1: Remission
Story By Brandon Graham
Art By Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, Giannis Milonogiannis, Brandon Graham
Cover By Simon Roy
Image Comics
Release Date: August 22, 2012
Cover Price: $9.99

Science fiction films, television, books, and comics are in some way inspired by our desire to explore the unknown. At the core of every Sci-Fi story is the discovery of a place or people that are strange and wholly unknown to us. The metallic monster crushing cities or the alien devouring a ship’s crew one by one kicks our imaginations into full gear. Every day we wake up, go to work, come home, and go to bed, then repeat the whole process again. We gravitate towards the bizarre and unknown because it is simply something different. Prophet is that something different we are all searching for at the end of the day. This is a comic that not only explores the unknown, but also embraces it with reckless intensity.

Prophet #23
Written by Brandon Graham and Simon Roy
Art by Simon Roy
Colors by Richard Ballermann
Letters by Ed Brisson
Cover by Farel Dalrymple
Image Comics
Released date: March 21, 2012
Price: $2.99

I’ve been reading comics for a while and I am always on the lookout for something new, and that is exactly what I got with Prophet #23. Prophet is an insanely cool comic book series that features a warrior who wakes up in a strange future filled with wondrous creatures. His mission? To restart a bunch of satellites that will put the human race back into action. All he has to complete his mission is a knife, a floating robot translator, and a strange piece of clothing that adapts to his every need, even if that need is a new arm. The last two issues have introduced us to the world of Prophet, and with this issue, we start to see the bigger picture of what is going on in this series.