Comic book stories aren’t always fun romps with colorful-suited, optimistic heroes that thwart the villains without actually killing them. Some are darker and grittier, with raw emotions and morally messy storylines.
The Crow, a popular title among those entries, turns 35 this month. Created by James O’Barr, the Crow was first published by Caliber Comics, debuting in Caliber Presents #1 (January 1989). The original series was the tragic story of Eric Draven and his fiancée, Shelly, who are attacked by a gang of thugs when their car breaks down. Eric gets shot in the head and consequently paralyzed and Shelly gets beaten, raped, and shot in the head.
After the horrifying events, Shelly dies before reaching the hospital and Eric dies in the operating room. Eric gets resurrected by a supernatural Crow that has the ability to bring murdered people back to life so that they can exact justice on those responsible.
The Crow guides the resurrected during their rebirth process by helping them uncover their potential and track the guilty. People who possess the Crow’s powers can no longer feel pain, they do not tire, and they have supernatural ability to heal from injuries. They are stronger than humans, have enhanced reflexes, can handle multiple opponents at the same time, and can catch fast moving objects like throwing knives. In movie versions and later comics, people brought back by the Crow lose their power if the Crow is harmed or killed or when their missions are completed.
In the original comic, Eric seeks revenge against the gang by hunting and killing them as an undead vigilante. But, he isn’t the only resurrected person imbued with the Crow’s power. Several people have taken on the persona of the Crow to avenge wrongful deaths. Other characters who became the Crow include Joshua, a Native American farmer killed by Confederate soldiers; Iris Shaw, a Federal Conservation officer killed by terrorists; Mark Leung, who was killed by the Chinese Mafia and returned to save his daughters rather than seek revenge; Jamie Osterberg, a student killed because he learned of a possession racket; and Carrie, a girl killed by a child predator. Additional series feature stories set in France, at a Nazi concentration camp, with a boxer in Mexico, and an altar boy in Italy.
The first limited series, titled The Crow, had a four-issue run in February-May 1989. After the Caliber series, Kitchen Sink Press published five miniseries and a one-shot in 1996-1998. Image Comics ran a 10-issue series in ’99, Titan Books compiled the previous books into one volume in 2002, and IDW Publishing released five limited series from 2012 to 2018.
The character has seen several film adaptations over the years, starting with The Crow, which was released in ’94, starring Brandon Lee as the titular character. It was followed by three sequels – The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005). A new film adaptation is in the works, starring Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven. The movie is scheduled for release sometime in 2024.
The character has additionally appeared in other forms of entertainment media. On television, Mark Dacascos took on the role for the 22-episode TV series that ran in 1998-1999. The series was novelized in the late ’90s with entries written by Chet Williamson, David Bischoff, and Poppy Z. Brite, among others. A collectible card game was released in ’95 and a video game came out in ’97.
In a field of capes, the Crow is set apart by the darker subject matter, falling somewhere between superhero, supernatural, action, and horror. It’s a story commended for its artistic expression and creative gothic mood.
