As a fan of the original cartoon series back when it aired on Saturday mornings, this series solidifies the beginning of the C.O.W.-Boys and how Marshall Moo Montana got his start in Cowtown. Full of puns and action, this is an incredibly fun read that strikes a cord between serious and silly. The art lends itself to the original, but is more matured and thematic. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Power Ranger fans, this should be your next read.

I really believe that Matt Hotson wrote “Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa” just to give him an outlet for all of his Dad Jokes. And it is Moovelous!

But it is not just for all the puns and creative animal references, the story and the art are great. Actually, the artwork is amazing.

So hoof it on down to your favorite dealer of graphic novels and buy you a copy.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

(Review copy courtesy of Oni Press, Matt Hotson, Juan Gedeon, and NetGalley.)

5⭐

You know when you’re just grazing in the pasture and all of a sudden a beloved franchise from your childhood, dormant for the last 34 years, suddenly crops up on NetGalley with a brand-new graphic novel? That’s what happened to me, and I’ve never lasso’d a title so quickly in my life!

The original Moo Mesa show has a deeply special place in my heart, even if almost all the details have faded for me over the last three and a half decades. I didn’t bother with any refresher research before moo-ving right into the comic. (Too hyped to mosey!) Because of that, I’m not actually sure how much of the story is faithful to the source material and how much is fresh hay. Is the villain of the piece part of the original cast? IDK. Doesn’t matter. It was legen-dairy!

As for the comic itself? Whey fun. While I can’t separate my enjoyment from the nostalgia enough to definitively say, “This is an excellent comic that stands completely on its own two hooves,” the pun-riffing alone makes me think it would be a great time even for kiddos with no knowledge of the wild west that was the early 90s. Plus Gedeon’s bombastic art style has the exact kind of Saturday-morning-cartoon energy a story like this needs. The whole thing is bright and kinetic without being a full-on chaotic stampede.

Then there’s Hotson’s laugh-out-loud-funny writing. The story is delivered with absolute sincerity—from Marshal Moo Montana’s Code of the West sayings (one for every possible situation) to the approximately 1,000 cattle-based puns udderly crammed into every page, there’s something here that will make you chuckle. If that doesn’t moo-tivate you to read this comic, I dunno what will.

📌 TL;DR: Have you herd? Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is an un-bull-ievable work of nostalgia and bovine punnery, with enough sincere western adventure energy to make your inner child go, “Yee-haw!”

Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is a great nostalgic read for 90s kids. I watched the show as a kid and enjoyed this new comic as an adult. The story is interesting and the artwork is good. All ages will enjoy this graphic novel.