×

The Crow

by James O'Barr

The Crow is a supernatural dark fantasy comic book series created by James O'Barr 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 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.

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, and can only watch as Shelly is savagely beaten, raped, 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 murderers, 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 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 who originally handled Eric and Shelly's case. Eric sends him his regards through Albrecht.

Click on image to enlarge(img1)

The Crow (1994 film)

with Brandon Lee

Remake of the comic book's series "The Crow" by James O'Barr(img1)

Click on image to enlarge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crow_(1994_film)

The Crow is a 1994 American superhero film directed by Alex Proyas and written by David J. Schow and John Shirley. It stars Brandon Lee in his final film appearance as Eric Draven, a murdered musician who is resurrected to avenge the deaths of himself and his fiancée. The film is based on James O'Barr's comic of the same name. Production on The Crow was struck by tragedy when Lee was fatally wounded during filming. As Lee had finished most of his scenes before his death, the film was completed through script rewrites, a stunt double, and digital effects. The Crow is dedicated to Lee and his fiancée, Eliza Hutton. After Lee's death, Paramount Pictures opted out of distributing the film, and the rights were picked up by Miramax, who oversaw The Crow's completion. The Crow was released to positive reviews, with the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus praising its tone, visuals, Dariusz Wolski's cinematography, the production design, and Lee's performance. It also grossed $94 million on a $23 million budget and attained a strong cult following. The film's success led to a media franchise that includes three sequels and a television series. The sequels, which featured different protagonists and none of the original cast members, were unable to match the success of the first film.

Plot:

On October 30, Devil's Night in Detroit, Sergeant Albrecht is at the scene of a crime where Shelly Webster has been beaten and raped. Her fiancé, musician Eric Draven, lies dead on the street after having been stabbed, shot, and thrown out the window. The couple had planned on getting married the following day, Halloween. As he leaves for the hospital with Shelly, Albrecht meets a young girl, Sarah, who says that she is their friend, and that they take care of her. Albrecht reluctantly tells her that Shelly is dying. One year later, a crow taps on Eric's gravestone; Eric awakens and climbs out of his grave. Meanwhile, the street gang who perpetrated the deaths of Eric and Shelly, headed by T-Bird, is setting fires in the city. Upon returning to his old, now-derelict apartment, Eric experiences flashbacks of T-Bird and his gang (Tin Tin, Funboy and Skank) committing the murder. Eric soon discovers that any wounds he receives heal immediately; guided by the crow, he sets out to avenge his and Shelly's murders by killing the perpetrators. The crow helps Eric locate Tin Tin; Eric kills him (by stabbing him in every major bodily organ in alphabetical order) and takes his coat before going to the pawn shop where Tin Tin pawned Shelly's engagement ring, forcing the owner, Gideon, to return it. He then blows up the shop with gasoline, sparing Gideon so that he can warn the others. After finding Funboy with Sarah's drug addict mother, Darla, and killing him (by magically making him overdose), Eric confronts Darla, squeezing the morphine from her veins, making her realize that Sarah needs her to be a good mother. In the meantime Top Dollar, the crime boss who controls all the street gangs in the city, and his lover/half-sister Myca have become aware of Eric's actions through various reports from witnesses. Eric visits Albrecht, explaining who he is and why he is here. Albrecht tells him what he knows about Shelly's death and that he watched her suffer for thirty hours before dying. Eric touches Albrecht and feels the pain Shelly felt during those hours. Sarah and her mother begin repairing their strained relationship, and Sarah goes to Eric's apartment to tell him that she misses him and Shelly. Eric assures her that although they cannot be friends anymore, he still cares about her. T-Bird and Skank stop at a convenience store to pick up supplies, and Eric arrives and kidnaps T-Bird. Skank follows the pair and witnesses Eric kill T-Bird by forcing his car into the river; he escapes and goes to Top Dollar. Top Dollar holds a meeting with his associates where they discuss new plans for their Devil's Night criminal activities. Eric arrives, looking for Skank, and a gunfight ensues, with nearly everyone present being killed including Skank. Top Dollar, Myca and Grange, Top Dollar's right-hand man, escape. Eric, having finished his quest, returns to his grave. Sarah bids him farewell, and he gives her Shelly's engagement ring. Grange then abducts her and takes her into the church where Top Dollar and Myca are waiting. Through the crow, Eric realizes what has happened and goes to rescue her. Unfortunately, Myca has already divined that any injury suffered by the crow will harm Eric and Grange shoots the crow after it flies into the church, sapping Eric of his immortality. Myca grabs the wounded crow, intending to take its mystical power. Albrecht arrives, wanting to pay his respects to Eric, just after Eric is shot and wounded. Top Dollar grabs Sarah and climbs the bell tower as a fight ensues, and Albrecht kills Grange. The crow escapes Myca's grip, claws out her eyes, and sends her down the bell tower to her death. When Albrecht is wounded, Eric climbs to the roof of the church on his own. There, Top Dollar admits ultimate responsibility for Eric and Shelly's deaths. In their fight, Eric gives Top Dollar the thirty hours of pain he absorbed from Albrecht; the sensation sends Top Dollar over the roof of the church to his death. Sarah accompanies Albrecht to the hospital, and Eric is reunited with Shelly at their graves. The crow, carrying Shelly's engagement ring in its beak, later lands on Eric's grave and drops the ring into Sarah's hand before flying off over the city and into the night, while Sarah's monologue affirms that while people die, love lasts forever.

(img1), Click on image to enlarge