There’s perhaps no bigger tale of comic book post-mortem revenge than that of James O’Barr’s The Crow. Created as a sort of narrative therapy for its creator after a horrific personal tragedy, the series was later adapted into an equally infamous and iconic film. Besides inspiring the now iconic film starring the late Brandon Lee, the original book was one of the first mega-hit independent comics, selling nearly 1 million copies in its several languages of publication.
Beyond the original series, there have been several other Crows and Crow comic books that reimagine the original premise in different and vengefully interesting ways. Despite this, they’re all tied together by themes of vengeance, grim justice, and love. With another film adaptation back in the works, here’s a look at the comic book story behind The Crow and all that the dark bird can do.
Who Is The Crow?
The Crow isn’t just the name of the titular anti-hero, but also the black bird that gives them their powers. These magical birds bequeath those killed through some sort of injustice with preternatural life, empowering them to go out and wreak vengeance upon those who had wronged them. The origin of The Crow from the original series, which is also the version used in the movie, follows a man named Eric Draven. Debuting in Caliber Presents #1, Draven’s story had him dying after he and his girlfriend were brutally attacked on the street by local thugs. After they both die, Eric is resurrected by a mysterious mystic crow, one which empowers with a superhuman drive for vengeance and guides him on his quest.
There have been several Crows besides Eric, however, though they’re all tied together by the shared motif of their mystic avian namesake. One of them is Joshua Zane, a native America Crow from the series The Crow: Dead Time. After he and his family are killed by Confederate soldiers, he’s resurrected as The Crow 100 years later to kill his attackers’ reincarnations. Other versions include Iris Shaw, the first female Crow, Mark Leung, who became The Crow after a Chinese mafia killing, and Michael Korby from The Crow: Wild Justice, whose story had a more “urban mythology” tone. This included concepts such as Gorgon’s blood and his having two guardian crows instead of one. These birds were named Hugo and Manny, clearly refencing Huginn and Muninn, Odin’s crows in Norse mythology.
Typically, The Crow will not have rest in one life or another until after they complete their mission, which is almost always to avenge themselves and their loved ones after their untimely deaths. Other stories, such as the Image Comics retelling of Eric’s origin, have The Crow acting as a vigilante against injustice for people as a whole. This makes The Crow a character similar to The Punisher from Marvel Comics, as well as Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, who The Crow actually predates.
What are The Crow’s Powers and Abilities?
Once brought back to life and empowered, The Crow is essentially a sort of zombie, though they retain their personality and memories. The Crow no longer feels pain or fatigue, though stories vary on their ability to heal. Some versions, like in the movies, have supernatural healing factors, while others do not heal from any further injuries that their bodies may sustain. Their lack of pain also means that they may not even realize the damage that’s been done to them. This was especially the case with Iris Shaw, who lacked the usual protection of The Crow and had to staple her rotting body back together whenever she took damage.
The Crow has tremendous superhuman strength and reflexes, easily taking down multiple opponents in quick succession. There are different explanations for the source of this strength, with it being vengeance and the love for those who The Crow has lost in some cases, whereas personal pain drives others. One drawback that was originally introduced in the movies is that The Crow is tied to their respective spirit animal. If their mystical bird is harmed in any way, The Crow will become weakened and vulnerable. The series The Crow: Waking Nightmares, it’s revealed that if a Crow abandons their mission, their invulnerability will leave them, reducing them to a rotting corpse beset by rigor mortis.
Essential Crow Stories to Read
The Crow has had numerous books over the years, almost all of which Star different versions of the character and are done by different creative teams. This has led to some fairly different stories, though they’re all still driven by the same core premise of revenge. Here are some of the highlights when it comes to The Crow’s publication history across different decades and publishers.
Eric Begins His Quest for Vengeance – The Crow #1-4
The series that started it all was the original four-issue series The Crow, written and drawn by James O. Barr. Created to deal with the death of his own fiancée caused by a drunk driver, the series of four issues (Pain, Fear, Irony, Despair) homage to this saddened mental state. Following a resurrected man named Eric after he and his fiancée are killed, The Crow follows him as he mercilessly destroys everyone who took everything from him. Originally released in the late ’80s, the black and white independent series was an absolute smash hit even before indie comics became more successful. Later reprintings of the book would include a fifth issue, titled “Death.”
Image Comics’ Crow Reimagined the Original Story – The Crow (1999) #1-10
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In 1999, Image Comics, who had come to dominate the decade in the independent scene, released their own The Crow series. This series from Jon J. Muth, Jamie Tolagson, and Paul Lee remixed the story of the classic character Eric Draven, all while incorporating concepts used in the classic movie. In this telling, Eric and his girlfriend Shelly are killed because of the wanton violence of drug lords, and upon resurrection as The Crow, Eric seeks to clean up more than just the injustices done to himself. He also comes up against another vigilante very similar to himself, making the police wary of his actions. Though it only lasted for 10 issues, this book definitely had the makings of a potential Crow ongoing, showcasing a good version of ’90s grit and grime.
The Crow: Dead Time Took Resurrection to a Whole New Level – The Crow: Dead Time (1996)
The Crow: Dead Time from James O’Barr, John Wagner, and future frequent Brian Michael Bendis collaborator Alex Maleev introduced an all-new Crow, one whose resurrection was even more harrowing than Eric’s. Protagonist Joshua Zane was a Native American who took to the “white man’s” life of farming, only for his life and the life of his family to be cut short by racist Confederates. Reborn several years later, he embarks as The Crow in a strange new era where his killers have also been reincarnated as a biker gang. Joshua battles his own self-hatred, blaming himself for what happened to his family while coming to grips with the second chance that he’s been given for vengeance.
The Crow: Flesh and Blood Introduced the First Female Crow – The Crow: Flesh and Blood (1996)
Created by James Vance and the aforementioned Maleev, The Crow: Flesh and Blood showed that revenge can be a mother. It introduced female Crow Iris Shaw, a conservationist who was killed when her office is bombed by right-wing extremists. She discovers upon resurrection that she was pregnant when she died, making her thirst for haunting vengeance even more personal. The art in the is some of the most beautiful to ever grace the series, and the subject matter is eerily reminiscent of topics such as the then still recent Ruby Ridge incident.
CBR’s Best The Crow Articles
In order to read more about the current happenings with The Crow, CBR.com readers can check out the site’s latest news and info on the character. These will keep them up to date on all things Crow while also bringing back to mind some of the franchise’s history.
Jason Momoa’s Crow Footage Proves Why a Reboot Should Not Happen
Jason Momoa’s Crow Reboot Test Footage Surfaces
The Crow Star Brandon Lee’s Family Comments on Alec Baldwin Film Tragedy
Loki’s Tom Hiddleston Is The Crow in Unearthed Reboot Concept Art
The Crow Deserves a Modern Video Game Adaptation
