Originally published in the 1980s, James O’Barr wrote The Crow as a means of coping with the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver. Since then it’s seen numerous imprints, spin-offs, movies and even a TV show. The comic’s protagonist, Eric, mirroring O’Barr, is consumed by grief and the desire for vengeance against those who killed him and his fiancée Shelly when their car broke down.
The narrative in The Crow alternates between the present day, where Eric methodically hunts down and dispatches the miscreants responsible, and the past, where Eric and Shelly were building a life together. Although it’s never explicitly stated, Eric was resurrected by a crow, specifically to kill his murderers: he has no other purpose for existing. Kill them he does, in spectacular fashion, spouting dark poetry and philosophy along the way. And when he’s done? Well, it’s time to join Shelly.
As far as straight-up vengeance stories go, The Crow delivers plenty of come-uppance, violence and blood and if that’s all you’re after, then it’s awesome. However, if you desire some depth to the protagonist, or nuanced villains, or a story that does more than careen from one splatterpunk scene to the next, then The Crow falls flat. Sure, we see that Eric was — is — madly in love with Shelly and that they had something good. But that’s all we know about Eric. He’s not a full-fledged character, he’s a goth death machine sporting KISS makeup and a killer mullet. But at least he has his memories; the villains are nothing but cannon fodder, stereotypical street junkies and hustlers with no redeeming qualities. Sure, it makes it easier to accept that they die in various horrible ways, but it doesn’t make for engaging reading.
And as for the Crow itself . . . why did it bring Eric back? Does it bring back every wronged soul to wreak vengeance? Why is it so bent on Eric’s vengeance, but gets annoyed when he dwells on the past. Wouldn’t such contemplation fuel his anger all the more? Much is left unsaid that could have added to the story.
The high point of The Crow is the art. It switches between stark pen and ink drawings and soft, watercolor paintings, usually indicating a change from the present (or memories of the event) to flashbacks of happier times for Eric and Shelly. This contrast works very well, rendering the Eric’s tortured existence in black and white — no middle ground — and his gentle past in dreamlike muted tones.
In July of this year, a special edition of The Crow was released, containing a new scene, a new ending and additional sequences throughout. O’Barr has stated that this previously deleted material would add to the visual appeal of the comic, which doesn’t give much hope that it would add depth to the narrative.
(Pocket Books, 2002)
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