Why “The Crow” is important

James O’Barr’s The Crow is a story that has been adapted and changed many times since its first publication. However, many forget the story originated as a graphic novel, and that the story changed the medium forever.

The Crow stands out among many of it’s contemporaries. Originally published in 1989, the first four volumes of The Crow was flanked by other major comics like X-men and the critically acclaimed Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.

The Crow fit right into the edgy, bleak and exaggerated worlds DC and Marvel were building at the time. However, it was able to subvert the genre by telling a genuinely compelling story of grief, loss and revenge.

A funeral march

Image Credit: Caliber Press

James O’Barr was 18 when his fiancé was struck down by a drunk driver. This moment inspired O’Barr to create The Crow.

During his time as a marine, O’Barr worked on The Crow solely by himself. He wrote the story and drew the art. His dedication fueled by his grief.

The first four parts of the story were finished long before O’Barr presented it to publishers.

At the time of its creation, O’Barr believed it was his fault his fiancé died, this feeling is key part of Eric’s journey in The Crow.

When reading through The Crow, it’s clear the story is a reflection of O’Barr’s grief and self imposed guilt.

The Crow has been republished and changed many times since its first publication. It’s widely accepted that the 2011 “special edition” is the complete vision O’Barr had for the story.

Every decade until 2011, O’Barr returned to The Crow to add more pages and mostly to build out the story of Eric and Shelley, and to add an epilogue for Eric.

The story follows Eric Draven, he is brought back from the dead, unkillable and unstoppable. His only goal is to take revenge on the people that killed and assaulted his fiancé.

Eric isn’t alone in his one-way journey, he is accompanied by the crow that resurrected him. A spirit that guides him to his next target, but also keeps him in pain.

Eric is unable to rest until he avenges his fiancé. At multiple points Eric breaks down, remembering moments he and Shelley shared, this grounds Eric and prevents him from becoming unrelatable.

Many of the personal moments shared by Shelley and Eric in flashbacks were moments O’Barr and his late fiancé shared.

The flashbacks show a different art style; instead of the chaotic and striking panels of the typical chapters, they have a more traditional painted style.

Dead Souls

Image credit: cbr.com

After Eric’s introduction, he hunts down the men who assaulted and murdered Shelley. Starting with Tin Tin and ending with the man who killed him, T-Bird.

The structure of the five books is simple. Eric hunts down a different person each book and kills them in the end, along the way he runs into people from his life and attempts to help them.

The part that makes the structure so interesting is its disjointed nature. Many moments are interrupted by flashbacks or introspective moments between Eric, the crow and a skeleton cowboy.

Throughout the years O’Barr went through and added the cerebral moments. These movements elevate The Crow above many other books.

The Crow is a staple of goth culture and was born from Gothic influences. Eric is named after The Phantom of the Opera characters, Eric. Shelley is named after the author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley.

The chapters titles are mostly song titles from bands O’Barr cited as influences for the story. The most prevalent being Joy Division and Iggy Pop.

The influence of goth even stretches into Eric himself, his look was inspired by Peter Murphy from Bauhaus and his mannerisms were heavily inspired by Iggy Pop.

The final chapter was published in 1992 by Tundra Books. From the first page it’s clear how much O’Barr’s art has changed, he utilises more professional techniques compared to the simple but effective hatching and cross hatching of the first book.

The story concludes in a satisfying, albeit unceremonious fashion. Eric kills T-Bird off panel. The reader never sees what Eric does to him.

Most scenes of violence are almost glorified and heightened within the entire five book run. Arms are cut off and heads are ripped apart. It’s all done brutally and there is never any mercy shown to the criminals.

However, Eric does show mercy to a fair few people throughout the books. Lending a hand to a drug addict and preventing a young girl from going homeless. By grounding Eric it prevents him from becoming some edgy, brooding antihero like The Punisher or Spawn.

The epilogue begins with another dream sequence. Eric and the crow wander through the woods, confronted by a flaming horse caught in a fence.

It’s at this moment the true point of the story reveals itself to the reader, and to Eric. It’s not about revenge, it’s about forgiveness.

Eric has to forgive himself and accept that he couldn’t save Shelley, and at the same time, O’Barr is begging himself to accept he couldn’t have stopped what happened to his fiancé.

After Eric kills the horse, a symbolic representation of his guilt, he is able to move on and rest in peace.

Passover

Image credit: cbr.com

The Crow is often misunderstood as a revenge story built on bloodshed and led by a brooding maniac. When in reality it’s a story born from grief that seeks to educate its reader base on the power of forgiveness.

Since book five wrapped up in 1992. There has been many adaptations of The Crow. Multiple follow up comics exploring different characters within the same world, as well as the tragic 1994 film adaptation.

The story is deeply personal, at times this makes it a hard read but it’s incredibly valuable.

People often write off comic books as stories for children or media below traditional forms like books. The Crow is a comic that goes above and beyond to prove naysayers wrong.

The Crow proves that comics can tell a deeply personal story, whilst still remaining entertaining enough for general audiences.

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