The Crow is a

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series created by

James O'Barr James O'Barr (born January 1, 1960) is an American comics artist, writer and graphic artist, best known as the creator of the comic book series ''The Crow''. Early life O'Barr, an orphan, was raised in the foster care system. Career In 1978, O' ...

revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver, was first published by

Caliber Comics Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...

in 1989. It became an underground success, and was later adapted into a film of the same name in 1994. Three film sequels, a television series, and numerous books and comic books (published by numerous companies) have also been subsequently produced. ''The Crow'' has been translated into almost a dozen languages and has sold around 750,000 copies worldwide.

Publication history

Caliber Press

The Crow first appeared on the back cover of ''Deadworld'' #10 (November 1988); James O'Barr provided a back cover to the first comic book Caliber Press published, which contained an advertisement for the upcoming The Crow appearance in ''Caliber Presents'' #1. (The ads shows The Crow standing with a smoking shotgun in one hand and a samurai sword in the other, with the statement, "For Some Things...There Is No Forgiveness". It mentions The Crow appearing in February 1989.) The Crow's first in-story appearance was in ''Caliber Presents'' #1 (January 1989), in the story "Inertia", which serves as a prequel to the main series. O'Barr again provided a back cover for this issue. The character's first limited series was ''The Crow'' #1–4 (February–May 1989). Four issues, titled "Pain", "Fear", "Irony", and "Despair," take readers through a series of vengeance tales as The Crow cuts and shoots through Tin-Tin, Tom-Tom, Top Dollar, Funboy and T-Bird, the gang members that attacked and killed him and his lover Shelly. In ''A Caliber Christmas'' (December 1989), Eric reflects back on happier times with Shelly in the story "Atmosphere." (In ''The Crow'' graphic novel, this story is placed between issues #2 and 3.) ''Caliber Presents'' #15 (September 1990) contained a key preview of ''The Crow'' #5, titled "Death" which was left unpublished. The preview was a story to conclude the original arc.

Tundra Publishing

Tundra Publishing Tundra Publishing was a Northampton, Massachusetts-based comic book publisher founded by Kevin Eastman in 1990. The company was founded to provide a venue for adventurous, creator-owned work by talented cartoonists and illustrators. Its publicat ...

later reprinted Caliber's first four issues in two double-sized volumes and printed "Death" (also double-sized) as the third volume.

Kitchen Sink Press

In 1993,

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hard ...

collected The Crow into a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

. A limited hardcover edition was also released by Graphitti Designs. From 1996–1998, Kitchen Sink published five

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

and a

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

based on The Crow concept with a new avatar in each series.

London Night Studios

Following the Kitchen Sink series,

London Night Studios Razor is a fictional character from the London Night Studios series ''Razor''. She was introduced in ''Razor'' #1 in October 1992, by writer/creator Everette Hartsoe. Fictional character biography Initially a victim of both of her father and her ...

published ''The Crow/Razor: Kill the Pain'' in 1998, which saw Eric Draven paired with Everette Hartsoe's bad girl character

Razor A razor is a bladed tool primarily used in the removal of body hair through the act of shaving. Kinds of razors include straight razors, safety razors, disposable razors, and electric razors. While the razor has been in existence since bef ...

in five numbered issues (#0–4), plus "Finale" and "The Lost Chapter" in February 1999.

Image Comics

In 1999,

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-o ...

released a new ''Crow'' comic series with yet another take on the Eric Draven story. It ran for ten issues, ending in November of that year.

Pocket Books

In 2002,

Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books. History Pocket Books produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in the United States in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing ...

re-released the original Crow graphic novel after being

out-of-print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...

for several years

Gallery Books

O'Barr stated in a 2004 interview that an Author's Edition would contain at least "60 pages of new material that no one has ever seen. Half of that are pages that had to be removed for space reasons." O'Barr described the additions as including "more romance flashback scenes between Eric and Shelly," as well as sequences that would make the work "more visually interesting."Archived
on 2008-04-24. On January 16, 2010, it was announced on O'Barr's official website that the Author's Edition of ''The Crow'' was indeed going to be released and that O'Barr was currently working on it. On April 7, 2011, O'Barr announced that ''The Crow: Special Edition'' would be released on July 28, 2011, from

Gallery Books Gallery Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster which houses the imprints Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Scout Press, Gallery 13, and Saga Press. Jen Bergstrom is the Senior Vice President and Publisher. ...

IDW Publishing

In July 2012,

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly re ...

published a new five-issue Crow series, ''The Crow: Death and Rebirth'', written by novelist

John Shirley John Shirley (born February 10, 1953) is an American writer, primarily of fantasy, science fiction, dark street fiction, westerns, and songwriting. He has also written one historical novel, a western about Wyatt Earp, ''Wyatt in Wichita'', and ...

(co-writer of the original Crow film) and illustrated by

Kevin Colden Kevin Colden is an American comic book writer and artist developed specialized terminology. Some several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey an ...

. Four more IDW ''Crow'' series followed: ''The Crow: Skinning the Wolves'' (2013), ''The Crow: Curare'' (2013), ''The Crow: Pestilence'' (2014) and ''The Crow: Memento Mori'' (2018).

Plot

The story revolves around an unfortunate young man named Eric. He and his fiancée, Shelly, are assaulted by a gang of street thugs after their car breaks down. Eric is shot in the head and is

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

, and can only watch as Shelly is savagely beaten,

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

d, and then shot in the head. They are then left for dead on the side of the road. Eric later dies in the hospital operating room while Shelly is DOA. He is resurrected by a crow and seeks vengeance on the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

ers, methodically stalking and killing them. When not on the hunt, Eric stays in the house he shared with Shelly, spending most of his time there, lost in memories of her. Her absence is torture for him; he is in emotional pain, even engaging in

self-mutilation Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilati ...

by cutting himself. The crow acts as both a guide and goad for Eric, giving him information that helps him in his quest but also chastising him for dwelling on Shelly's death, seeing his pining as useless self-indulgence that distracts him from his purpose.

Characters

* Eric: The main character. He was shot in the head and paralyzed, having seen all the brutal things done to Shelly, dying shortly after. A year after his death, his soul is brought back into his dead body. Unlike the movie, however, since Eric is basically a walking corpse, he does not heal and is totally invulnerable. The fact that there are no conditions or limitations to Eric's presence or powers gives the character a unique presence that does not exist in any other hero. He is completely unstoppable compared to any other mortal character in his universe. * The crow (bird): serves as a guide to Eric as well as a companion. Unlike in the movie, the crow is not a real bird but a spirit that only Eric sees (and T-Bird, once, at the very end). Given its nature, it cannot be killed. * The Skull Cowboy: a dark character that exists mostly to keep Eric on track in his mission and keep him from becoming too attached to his memories. * Shelly: Fiancée of Eric who gets raped and killed by T-Bird's gang. She appears in Eric's dreams and memories. * Sherri: A young street girl whom Eric meets while going after Funboy. Sherri is shown as upset, due to her mother not being there for her, and even goes so far as to tell Eric that she believes she's been bad and God sent her to Hell. She and Eric seem to bond closely, and feeling sorry for her, Eric gives her Shelly's engagement ring. She's overjoyed, because no one has ever given her a gift before, and she calls him a "clown" while he calls her a "princess". She is renamed Sarah in the film adaptation. * T-Bird: The head of the gang that murders Shelly and Eric. * Funboy: T-Bird's right-hand man, a morphine addict who is sleeping with Sherri's mother. * Top Dollar: A low-level drug dealer who also participated in gang-raping Shelly; in the film adaptation, he is the main antagonist rather than T-Bird. * Tin-Tin: The first of T-Bird's gang to be eliminated by Eric. * Tom-Tom: Another of T-Bird's soldiers and one of Shelly's rapists, whom Eric interrogates over the whereabouts of Shelly's ring. Tom-Tom is absent from the film adaptation and his role is largely rewritten into a new character, Skank. * Gideon: A pawnbroker who fences Shelly's engagement ring after it is given to him by T-Bird; in the film adaptation, Tin-Tin gives him the ring. * Officer Albrecht: A beat cop who confronts Eric outside of Gideon's pawnshop. * Captain Hook: The

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

who originally handled Eric and Shelly's case. Eric sends him his regards through Albrecht.

Critical reception

''The Crow'' is ranked 37th in IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes. In 2005, creator James O'Barr claimed that ''The Crow'' was: *The best-selling independent black-and-white graphic novel of all time. *Translated into almost a dozen languages. *Sold over a quarter-million copies worldwide. *The second American comic book to get its author the "Storyteller Award" by the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after ...

held annually in

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a commune, the prefecture of the Charente department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Angoumoisins ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

In other media

Film

In 1994, a film based on the comic (titled '' The Crow'') was released to theaters by

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lead ...

. The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning $50,693,129 total gross during its 1994 United States theatrical release. A cult following, in part due to the accidental death of its star

Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor and martial artist. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the dark fantasy film ''The ...

on the film's set, has maintained the film's popularity, with a regular staple of movie memorabilia being found at retailers like

Hot Topic Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...

. Three sequels have been made so far: '' The Crow: City of Angels'' (1996), starring

Vincent Pérez Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in '' The Crow: City of Angels'', and starred in ''Queen of the Damned'', playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in ...

(as The Crow),

Mia Kirshner Mia Kirshner (born January 25, 1975) is a Canadian actress, writer and social activist. She is known for television roles as Mandy in '' 24'' (2001–2005), as Jenny Schecter in ''The L Word'' (2004–2009), as Amanda Grayson in '' Star Trek: Di ...

Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Oscars in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' ...

and

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

; '' The Crow: Salvation'' (2000), starring

Eric Mabius Eric Harry Timothy Mabius (born April 22, 1971) is an American actor. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a degree in cinema studies. After working in theater productions, Mabiu ...

(as The Crow),

Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film '' New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her ro ...

and Fred Ward; and '' The Crow: Wicked Prayer'' (2005), starring

Edward Furlong Edward Walter Furlong (born August 2, 1977) is an American actor. He won Saturn and MTV Movie Awards for his breakthrough performance at age 13 as John Connor in James Cameron's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''; which was followed by a mini-seque ...

(as The Crow),

David Boreanaz David Paul Boreanaz ( born May 16, 1969) is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/ UPN ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' supernatural drama (1997–200 ...

and

Tara Reid Tara Donna Reid (born November 8, 1975) is an American actress. She played Vicky in the films '' American Pie'' (1999), '' American Pie 2'' (2001), and '' American Reunion'' (2012), and Bunny Lebowski in '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998). In 2013, s ...

. In the late 1990s, a sequel/reboot to ''The Crow'' entitled ''The Crow: 2037'' was in the works; it would be set in the future. It was written and scheduled to be directed by

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

, but it was ultimately cancelled. On December 14, 2008,

Stephen Norrington Stephen Norrington (born 1964) is an English filmmaker and special effects artist known for his work in the horror and action genres. Beginning his career as a sculptor and makeup artist, he worked under Dick Smith, Rick Baker, and Stan Winsto ...

announced in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' that he planned to write and direct a "reinvention" of ''The Crow''. Norrington distinguished between the original and his remake: "Whereas Proyas’ original was gloriously Gothic and stylized, the new movie will be realistic, hard-edged and mysterious, almost documentary-style." In 2009

Ryan Kavanaugh Ryan Kavanaugh (born 1974) is an American film financier. He co-founded and served as CEO of Relativity Media, where he brokered deals between Wall Street investors and major film studios. He credited his risk-assessment algorithm with Relat ...

Relativity Media Relativity Media is an American media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company was commerciall ...

was negotiating with

Edward R. Pressman Edward Rambach Pressman (April 11, 1943 – January 17, 2023) was an American film producer and founder of the production company Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation. Pressman was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of Lynn and J ...

for both the film's rights and financing. In May 2013, actor

Luke Evans Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979) is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, performing in many of London's West End productions such as ''Rent'', ''Miss Saigon'', and '' Piaf'' before making his film breakthrough in ...

accepted the role of Eric Draven, with F. Javier Gutiérrez set to direct. According to James O'Barr the movie is expected to be much more faithful to the comic including flashbacks, metaphors, horses, trains and barbed wire, making it not suitable for younger audiences. Director Javier Gutiérrez also confirmed that his intentions are to create literally a page-by-page adaptation of the movie. Filming was slated to start in the spring of 2015 but on July 31, 2015, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' reported that production on the reboot stalled because of Relativity Media's bankruptcy.

Corin Hardy Corin Hardy (born 6 January 1975) is an English film director. He made his directorial debut with the 2015 horror film '' The Hallow'', which he also co-wrote. He directed the 2018 horror film '' The Nun'', a spin-off of ''The Conjuring 2'' (2 ...

was the next director to take on the film and O'Barr said in October 2017: On May 31, 2018, it was announced that both director Hardy and star

Jason Momoa Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the S ...

had exited the project. On April 1, 2022, it was announced by The Hollywood Reporter that the

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

is now in production with

Bill Skarsgård Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor, producer, director, writer, voice actor, and model. He is best known for portraying Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the supernatural horror films '' It'' (2017) and '' It ...

will star as Draven and

Rupert Sanders Rupert Miles Sanders (born 16 March 1971) is an English film director. He has directed the movies '' Snow White and the Huntsman'' (2012) and '' Ghost in the Shell'' (2017). In 2021, he directed the pilot episode of the Apple TV+ science fiction ...

will direct the reboot while Edward R. Pressman and Malcolm Gray will co-produce as filming will begin in June 2022.

Television

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

series, '' The Crow: Stairway to Heaven'' (1998), was based on the first movie with

Mark Dacascos Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in '' Hawaii Five-0' ...

replacing Lee in the role of Eric Draven.

Novels and story collections

From 1996–2001, a number of novels based on the world and thematic concerns of The Crow were published, mostly by

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada *Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Illi ...

. Authors of these novels included such notable names as

Chet Williamson Chet Williamson (born 19 June 1948) is the author of nearly 20 books and over 100 short stories published in ''Esquire'', ''The New Yorker'', ''Playboy'', and many other magazines and anthologies. Biography Chet Williamson was born and raised in ...

David Bischoff David F. Bischoff (December 15, 1951 – March 19, 2018) was an American science fiction and television writer. General background Born in Washington D.C., Bischoff wrote science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television. He beg ...

Poppy Z. Brite Billy Martin (born May 25, 1967), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. He initially achieved fame in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. He i ...

, S. P. Somtow,

Norman Partridge Norman Partridge (born May 28, 1958) is an American author of horror and mystery fiction. He has written two detective novels about retired boxer Jack Baddalach, ''Saguaro Riptide'' and ''The Ten Ounce Siesta''. He is also the author of a C ...

, and

A. A. Attanasio Alfred Angelo Attanasio, born on September 20, 1951, in Newark, New Jersey, is an author of fantasy and science fiction. His science fiction novel ''Radix'', winner of the French literary award, the Prix Cosmos 2000, was also nominated for th ...

. In 1998, O'Barr and editor

Ed Kramer Edward Eliot Kramer (born March 20, 1961) is an American editor and convicted child molester. Kramer lives in Duluth, Georgia, and was a co-founder and part-owner of the Dragon*Con media convention. Kramer has also edited several works in the gen ...

asked an array of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

writers, poets, and artists—including

Gene Wolfe Gene Rodman Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and nove ...

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...

, Charles de Lint,

Jack Dann Jack Dann (born February 15, 1945) is an American writer best known for his science fiction, an editor and a writing teacher, who has lived in Australia since 1994. He has published over seventy books, in the majority of cases as editor or co-edit ...

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rol ...

and

—to interpret this

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

phenomenon. ''The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams'' was released by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

on Halloween; and a year later, in a limited signed and numbered volume, by Donald M. Grant Publishing.

Video games

'' The Crow: City of Angels'' is a 1997 action

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

for

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the su ...

Sony PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divi ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

. It is loosely based on the movie of the same title. The player assumes the role of the hero of the film, Ashe Corven. It received negative reviews. Ojom GmbH released a

j2me Java Platform, Micro Edition or Java ME is a computing platform for development and deployment of portable code for embedded and mobile devices (micro-controllers, sensors, gateways, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, TV set-to ...

game called simply ''The Crow''.

Music

There have been five albums of music related to ''The Crow'' and its attendant films: * '' Fear and Bullets'' (1994) – an album created through a collaboration between James O'Barr and longtime friend

John Bergin John Bergin is a writer, illustrator, designer, and musician. As Art Director at Lakeshore Records. He has created and designed packaging for soundtrack albums such as ''Stranger Things,'' ''Drive, Mandy, Mr. Robot, Napoleon Dynamite, The Walkin ...

as a soundtrack to O'Barr's graphic novel ''The Crow.'' It was originally released in 1994 along with a limited edition hardcover copy of the graphic novel. * '' The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (1994) – showcases the film's music by popular artists * '' The Crow: Original Motion Picture Score'' (1994) – original music written by

Graeme Revell Graeme Revell (born 23 October 1955) is a New Zealand musician and composer. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the leader of the industrial/electronic group SPK. Since the 1990s he has worked primarily as a film score composer. Some of ...

for the film '' The Crow''; not to be confused with the soundtrack album, above * '' The Crow: City of Angels'' (1996) – soundtrack to the film of the same name; features a cover of the

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epo ...

song "

Gold Dust Woman "Gold Dust Woman" is a song from British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac's 11th studio album, '' Rumours'' (1977). The song was written and sung by Stevie Nicks and released as a B-side to the " Don't Stop" single (in the UK) and the "You Make ...

" by Hole, as well as tracks by artists such as White Zombie,

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

, and

. Like the original ''Crow'' soundtrack, a song by

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

(one of O'Barr's favorite bands) is covered: "In a Lonely Place," by Bush. * '' The Crow: Salvation'' (2000) – again compiled and produced by

Jeff Most Jeff Most (born September 15, 1960) is an American film producer, best known as the producer and music supervisor of '' The Crow'' film series. Most was co-producer on '' The Crow'' with Edward R. Pressman in 1993, and also produced the film's ...

. As with the soundtrack to ''The Crow: City of Angels'', it includes an otherwise unavailable cover version by Hole: this time of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's "

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his '' Bringing It All Back Home'' album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acousti ...

". Several other notable contemporary artists are also featured on the soundtrack. * Metalcore band

Ice Nine Kills Ice Nine Kills (sometimes stylized in all capital letters or abbreviated to INK, and formerly known as Ice Nine) is an American heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, who are signed to Fearless Records. Best known for its horror-inspire ...

released the song " A Grave Mistake" as part of their 2018 " Silver Scream" album. The song is directly inspired by the 1994 film. A slower, live version of the song was also released with the "Final" version of the album.

Card games

The Crow is an out-of-print

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

by Heartbreaker Press and

Target Games Target Games was a Swedish publisher of role-playing games active from 1980 until the year 1999 when they went into bankruptcy proceedings. Until the mid-1990s they published their Swedish roleplaying games under the brand name Äventyrsspel (me ...

. It is based on The Crow

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

and depicted images from the

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. It was released in November 1995 but initially had a release date of March 1995. It was one of three sets released by Heartbreaker Press and Target Games in November along with

James Bond 007 The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

and Kult. The game did not have starter decks, and instead it had a core set with 122 cards that included 10 foils that had artwork from the comic. The game was sold in

booster pack In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a b ...

s of 15 cards, but no starter packs were available. A promo card called ''The Confident Crow'' was available by mail through proof-of-purchase order. An expansion titled ''Crow: City of Angels'' was announced for an October 1996 release but never materialized. Players control Angel, Devil, and Neutral Bystander cards and then send them into combat with "opposing rsonalities". Action cards allow players to pump or hinder a Personality. Each Personality has an attack and defense value, as well as Virtue, which is equal to the highest value. Players play their Personality card and discard cards from their hands equal to the Virtue of the played card, and then they attack. If a player has a higher attack value than their opponent's defense value, the opponent is wounded. If a Personality would be wounded again, it is killed. A player wins by killing 25 Virtue worth of an opponent's Personalities. Andy Butcher reviewed ''The Crow'' for ''Arcane'' magazine, rating it a 6 out of 10 overall. Butcher comments that "''The Crow'' is a simple game that would serve as a good introduction to CCGs. There's just enough depth to give it some skill, and the game mechanics are elegant. Experienced players may find it limiting and lacking in lasting appeal."

Bibliography

Comics

*''The Crow'' (4 issues, 1989,

Caliber Press Caliber Comics or Caliber Press is an American comic book publisher founded in 1989 by Gary Reed. Featuring primarily creator-owned comics, Caliber published over 1,300 comics in the decade following its inception and is ranked as one of America ...

) by

** Collected with the addition of new material as ''The Crow: Special Edition'' (

, 2011) *''The Crow: Dead Time'' (3 issues, 1996,

) story by James O'Barr &

John Wagner John Wagner (born 1949) is an American-born British comics writer. Alongside Pat Mills, he helped revitalise British comics in the 1970s, and continues to be active in the British comics industry, occasionally also working in American comics. ...

, art by Alexander Maleev ** Collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 1: ''Dead Time'' ( IDW), 2012) *''The Crow: Flesh and Blood'' (3 issues, 1996, Kitchen Sink) story by James Vance, art by Alexander Maleev ** Collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 2: ''Flesh and Blood'' (IDW, 2012) *''The Crow: City of Angels'' (3 issues, 1996, Kitchen Sink) adapted from the screenplay)"Crow City of Angels (1996) comic books,"
MyComicShop.com. Accessed Dec. 28, 2017. *''The Crow: Wild Justice'' (3 issues, 1996, Kitchen Sink) story by

Jerry Prosser Jerry Prosser is an American comic book writer and editor, best known for his work with Dark Horse Comics. Prosser was part of Dark Horse Comics from its early days, and was one of five creators, who as '' Team CGW'' created the Comics' Greate ...

, art by

Charlie Adlard Charles Adlard is a British comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Savage''. Career Adlard began his work in the UK on ''White Death'' with Robbie Morrison and '' 2000 AD'' series including ''Judge Dr ...

** Collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 3: ''Wild Justice'' (IDW, 2013) *''The Crow: Waking Nightmares'' (4 issues, 1997–1998, Kitchen Sink) story by

Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American author of horror, fantasy, and suspense novels for adults and teens. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts ...

, art by Philip Hester ** Collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 4: ''Waking Nightmares'' (IDW, 2013) *''The Crow #0: A Cycle of Shattered Lives'' (one-shot, 1998, Kitchen Sink) story by James O'Barr / various *''The Crow / Razor: Kill the Pain'' (7 issues, 1998–1999, London Night Studios) story by Everette Hartsoe *''Todd McFarlane Presents: The Crow'' (10 issues, 1999,

), story by Jon J Muth, art by Jamie Tolagson & Paul Lee **Issue #1–5 collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 5: ''Resurrection'' (IDW, 2013) **Issue #6–10 collected as ''The Crow: Midnight Legends'' Volume 6: ''Touch Of Evil'' (IDW, 2014) *''The French Crow'' (5 volumes, 2002–2011, Goutte D'Or Production / Réflexions) stories by various, including Isha ("La Mort Sur Le Trottoir"), Christophe Henin ("Medieval Crow") and Yoann Boisseau ("Le Sang des Innocents"), published in France *''The Crow: Death & Rebirth'' (5 issues, 2012, IDW) story by John Shirley, art by

*''The Crow: Skinning the Wolves'' (3 issues, 2012, IDW) story by James O'Barr and Jim Terry *''The Crow: Curare'' (3 issues, 2013, IDW) story by James O'Barr, art by Antoine Dodé *''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

/The Crow: Conspiracy'' (one-shot, 2014, IDW) story by Denton J. Tipton, art by Vic Malhotra *''The Crow: Pestilence'' (4 issues, 2014, IDW) story by Frank Bill, art by Drew Moss *''The Crow: Memento Mori'' (4 issues, 2018, IDW) story by Roberto Recchioni and Matteo Scalera, art by Werther Dell'Edera and Matteo Scalera *''The Crow: Hack/Slash'' (4 issues, 2019, IDW) story by Tim Seeley, art by Jim Terry * ''The Crow: Hark the Herald'' (one-shot, 2019, IDW) story by Tim Seeley, art by Meredith Laxton * ''The Crow: Lethe'' (3 issues, 2020, IDW) story by Tim Seeley, art by

Ilias Kyriazis Ilias Kyriazis ( el, Ηλίας Κυριαζής; born 1978 in Athens, Greece) is a comic book writer and artist. He is widely known in Greece for his comic series '' Blood Opera'' and ''Manifesto'' (both of which published in the Greek comic maga ...

Novels

*''The Crow: Die Krähe'' (Goldmann Wilhelm GmbH, 1994) by Kenneth Roycroft, in German *''The Crow: City of Angels'' (Berkeley, 1996) by

*''The Crow: Quoth the Crow'' (Harper, 1998) by

*'' The Crow: The Lazarus Heart'' (Harper Prism, 1998) by

*''The Crow: Clash by Night'' (Harper, 1998) by Chet Williamson *''The Crow: Temple of Night'' (Harper, 1999) by S. P. Somtow *''The Crow: Wicked Prayer'' (Harper, 2000) by

*''The Crow: Hellbound'' (Harper, 2001) by

Short stories

*''The Crow: Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams'' (Random House, 1999) ed. James O'Barr & Ed Kramer *''Sarah: The Tears of the Crow'' (2020) by Lionel Boulet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crow, The 1989 comics debuts American comics adapted into films Comics adapted into television series Fantasy comics Image Comics titles Fictional undead Detroit in fiction Comics about revenge Self-harm in fiction Fiction about resurrection Dark fantasy Action comics Drama comics Crime comics Gothic comics Thriller comics Caliber Comics titles Kitchen Sink Press titles IDW Publishing titles

Publication history

Caliber Press

Tundra Publishing

Kitchen Sink Press

London Night Studios

Image Comics

Pocket Books

Gallery Books

IDW Publishing

Plot

Characters

Critical reception

In other media

Film

Television

Novels and story collections

Video games

Music

Card games

Bibliography

Comics

Novels

Short stories

See also

References