How cruel are your kin? In the new Shaolin Cowboy graphic novel, Geoff Darrow makes a passionate statement as he says goodbye to longtime friend and collaborator Andrew Vachss.

 

If you are familiar with Geof Darrow and his long running series Shaolin Cowboy, you know what to expect from his latest outing. If you are not, then buckle-up buttercup and get ready for a brilliant visual assault in the form of an oversized and beautiful hardbound work of fiction by a master illustrator.

Shaolin Cowboy has always been an absurdist clown car ride through Geoff Darrow’s mind. His main character – a Shaolin Monk – walks the neverending desert as most everything living and dead attempts to kill him.  The bald Monk is unmistakable, dressed in John Wayne’s classic red cowboy shirt, Stetson hat, and (usually) a six shooter strapped to his hip. His shoes are classic Chuck Taylors – identical to the Cons worn in many a Frank Miller comic.

As always, Darrow’s art is on a level all its own. Every panel on every page is infinity focused hyper detailed line art that will at times draw out involuntary laughter from the viewer – the art being so intricate it seems impossible to achieve using a squad of talented illustrators, let alone one man.

Reading a Darrow comic generally boils down to scanning pages, stopping on  as many panels as your mind can process, and then scanning through those in an almost Where’s Waldo fashion. What is the flow and action of the image alongside the page, and what has Darrow hidden? Tucked away in every panel are gems of absurdity floating around among all those shell casings, wrecked mechanical machines and body parts. It becomes a marathon of attention.

 

“Watch where you point that thing, pilgrim.” One of the most epic Shaolin Cowboy stories by Darrow.

 

My “reading” of a comic consists of three viewings. This has been true my entire life. First, a quick scan of each page – not reading but observing the movement of the page and the characters – letting the art tell me the flip-book story all on its own. Second, I “read” the book, taking in the story, reading the dialogue, and allowing the page rhythms to deepen. Third, is a quicker full read and is more savoring pages and panels that really stand out.  Working through a comic in this way played a significant role in my understanding of Darrow’s latest. The title (or is it subtitle) Cruel To Be Kin should have been enough to give me pause. But it was the book’s dedication to Andrew Vachss that really set me back and informed much of my reading of this chapter of the Shaolin Cowboy’s story. It reads, “For My Brother, My Teacher, and My Hero, Andrew Vachss” and includes a link to an organization they both respect, The Legislative Drafting Institute for Child Protection – ldicp.org.

Andrew Vachss (October 19, 1942 – November 23, 2021) was a lawyer who spent his life fighting to protect children from abuse. He would not represent families or parents – he would only represent the child. He did this due to the shocking number of times he was required to redirect the court case to include the parent(s) in his charges of abuse. He supported his law practice by writing books, mysteries mostly. His works directly or indirectly analyzed abuse as well as what a FAMILY is and should be – and what he landed on was to be safe. To be specific, what you need is a Family of Choice – a term he coined – a term used freely in many child rights circles now –

“It Is The Family You Choose That Counts.” – Andrew Vachss

Reading The Shaolin Cowboy: Cruel To Be Kin it quickly became apparent that Geoff Darrow is telling the story of his relationship with friend, mentor, collaborator, and brother – Andrew Vachss.

[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]

The book begins with an old Komodo Dragon on the roof of a restaurant. The Dragon recognizes The Shaolin Cowboy on the street below. The Dragon tells his son that the cowboy monk below is the very same man that raised him – and begins to tell the story of the Monk and the Dragon.

Long ago, off in the desert, the Old Dragon hatches from an egg and immediately has to flee from his own father – the large Komodo Dragon attempts to eat his baby hatchling as he yells at the infant, “… here’s your first life lesson!”

The young hatchling scrambles away asking, “What did I do, what was wrong with me?” This first event is a cornerstone of abuse and Darrow knows it – the young victims always blame themselves.

At which point the young Dragon runs across The Monk.

The old Cannibal Dragon yells at the Monk, “You think you can keep a father from his son?” And the answer is, yes. The Shaolin Cowboy (ala Vachss) spent his lifelong career saving children from their abusers. And after dispatching the old abuser Dragon, the baby Dragon says to the Monk, “You could be my new dad.” And here the young Dragon begins to make his own family – a family where he knows there will be no lies.

The bookended story of the Dragon’s life – where, as an infant his first life lesson is to eat his own young, and later as an Old Dragon who raises and teaches his children how to be good and proper Komodo Dragons – shows that the Monk helped the Dragon break the cycle of abuse. This is the first of many Vachss references.

The next villain to dispatch is a Babyman who sits atop a beautiful Giant Jellyfish. Babyman is dressed in a giant purple furry outfit, he has long rubbery Gumby arms and he robs others of their CHI. During their battle, another life lesson reminiscent of Vachss is delivered by the Old Dragon telling this story,

“In my experience all churches have at one time or another come up with new ways of hurting others, founded in love, twisted by hate and power or greed or all three.” – Old Dragon raised by Monk

The placement of Babyman in his new monsterous form is no accident.

This is later perfectly illustrated when, after being knocked from the towering heights of the giant floating desert Jellyfish, the Babyman calls upon “CHEESUS” and begins the transformation into his final monstrous form as our hero Monk explains, “The evil Chi he has cultivated is manifesting itself.” And after a raging battle, the Jellyfish returns with the realization of what an abusive character Babyman is – and ends the skirmish on “JellyBITCH” terms.

Some of Vachss’ history is told on pages 99 through 101, couched in metaphor and a variety of cartoon characters. Of the few events I am aware of as Vachss fought with lawyers, judges, and abusers of all stripes – the history depicted by Darrow shines through in these few pages.

The Children of the Secret, as he coined it – are survivors of all forms of abuse. It is impossible to imagine today, that a mere few decades ago, when Vachss’ practice was gong full tilt, the idea of pedophiles and familial abuse was considered unmentionable and akin to ghost stories. He fought for better, less antiquated laws. He fought against the idea of “owning children”.

He also fought against witch hunts and the equally horrific notion of FALSE ACCUSATIONS. His fight against abusers was as noble a war as there has ever been, and his life was lived as intensely as one could imagine. It was a life that continues to reverberate today – as Darrow plasters the name of TRUMP throughout his latest Shaolin Cowboy book. The sickening QAnon pedophile lies are as damaging to the cause as any since the  Daycare Pedophile Witch Hunts of the 1990’s.

 

More brilliant art by Darrow – words to live by from Vachss

Vachss fought for clear laser-focused investigations to suss out the truth, rather than using the innocent as political cudgels – as is so often the case.

Vachss’ mission impacted many around the world. He changed laws and woke people up to many sad truths, and inspired thousands to join the cause.

It appears that Darrow was impacted – having drawn covers for some of Vachss’ work as well as illustrating the seminal work, “Another Chance To Get It Right.”

 

And now that Vachss is gone – Darrow has tipped his hat in this brilliant and respectful manner. Showcasing his talent and respect for Andrew Vachss, a true force of nature and force for good in a world that cries out for more of these honorable warriors willing to fight for the only cause worthy of the name holy war.

And finally, on page 103 The Dragon says about being raised by The Monk, “I’d only known him a few days but ‘IT’ (the Monk) taught me ‘ITS’ discipline and more importantly what a real dad should be. How you should be protected, not eaten, by your parents.”

Cruel To Be Kin is Darrow at his best.