Geof Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy seemed to, at least temporarily, ride off into the sunset in 2007, leaving fans of the Hard Boiled and Big Guy and Rusty artist's hyper-detailed, gorgeously choreographed fantasy western adventure with only seven issues to savor. Fans needn't say "thanks for the memories," any longer, however, as Dark Horse Comics will release three more issues of Shaolin Cowboy in 2012. Judging from Dark Horse's new promo art for the issues, which will kick off with a new number one, they'll have everything fans of the original books had grown to love. There's strange bounty hunters, monster-sized mounted animals, dinosaurs, and the book's unnamed former Shaolin monk-turned cowboy poised for what will surely be explosive battles.From Dark Horse's press release:

"Geof Darrow's relationship with Dark Horse goes back to the early days of the company. I can't tell you how excited I am to again be publishing his amazing work" said Dark Horse president, Mike Richardson. "Geof's art literally stopped me in my tracks when I first met him more than two decades ago and his work is every bit as stunning today. Geof has influenced a generation of artists and I am proud and excited to have him back partnered with Dark Horse."

To date, Shaolin Cowboy's seven issues from Burlyman haven't been collected in English. Superfans who read French and/or Spanish have access to Panini's releases, but so far there's not an easy way to pick up the previous titles. Dark Horse hasn't announced plans to collect the previous material yet, which means now is as good a time as any to start begging them to.

One minor difference between the original Shaolin Cowboy series and the upcoming issues is that the opening dialogue won't be written by the Wachowski siblings. Depending on how you felt about the last two Matrix movies, it may not feel like a huge loss (though most CA staffers are unabashed Speed Racer fans).

Check out the latest Shaolin Cowboy promo image, along with select images from Dark Horse Presents below: