"The Crow" by J. O'Barr
The first incarnation of "The Crow" was a series of three comics written by James O'Barr after the tragic death of his fiancée. This story, a eulogy for his own soul, was the only way for him to deal with all of the pain and anger he felt at the loss of one he loved. The creation of the comic itself took nearly a decade as O'Barr worked off and on at it. During this time he was influenced obviously by his pain, but also heavily by music. This is easily seen by his use of song lyrics throught the story. It is hard to imagine what it must have felt like for O'Barr to bare his soul like this to anyone and everyone, harder still to imagine how he must have felt at the loss of his love. The anger is obvious, as is the pain...he made quite sure of that.
"God, you bastard. How could you do that to her? How could you make something so soft and innocent and beautiful and then destroy it? How could you do that? How could you make her suffer like that? You bastard." ~ EricThe comic version carries more impact for me than the movie in some ways. There is more insight into Eric's mindset, and also into just how hard he struggles to stay in control. The crow itself, the bird, is more of an active character in the comic. The crow talks to Eric, and only to Eric, guiding him in a much more noticable way. It also tries to make him avoid thinking about Shelly and all that he has lost, but not always in a kind way. When Eric does think back to old memories, the crow is quick to make sure that he has a vision of Shelly's death. These images which appear in Eric's mind are troubling to say the least, fraught with symbolism and intertwined with his own memories, but they are also another way that the crow communicates with him. Another character that Eric interacts with in the comic version is the skeleton. The skeleton appears alongside the crow, but it seems more to try and make Eric remember what he has lost. Whereas the crow is Eric's practical guide, his "rational voice" as Brandon Lee once put it, the skeleton is there to keep Eric's pain and anger alive. These are the emotions that he needs to fuel his mission of revenge against those who wronged him while he lived."I know pain at the molecular level...it pulls at my atoms...sings to me in an alphabet of fear...I am the boiling man...come to break the bones of your sins, meat puppet." ~ Eric
The three comics were condensed into a single graphic novel (cover art shown) which contains more artwork done by J. O'Barr at the end of the book. I would recommend buying this to any fan of The Crow as it will provide you with the original creation so you can see for yourself where the movie came from. It also is a wonderful story in and of itself, without any sort of comparison to the movie. The graphic novel version also provides a wonderfully written introduction by James O'Barr's friend John Bergin, and afterword by A. A. Attanasio. The book itself is dedicated by James O'Barr to Brandon Lee with the words "In memory of Brandon Lee. You'll be sadly missed. Love, James". The first paragraph of narration that O'Barr writes is a wonderful opening to the story, a great way to set the stage for the carnage that is about to occur. I can think of no more appropriate way to end my tale than to quote the beginning of his."Still, so still, in the city tonight, twelve o'clock tick-tock, when all that is good slinks away like a beaten dog and the black black shadows are alive with the dead, twisted poetry in broken english, flesh and blood and staring faces...So grey and despairing, strong as steel but collapsed inside, The Crow laughs under a street light, a voodoo smile of one who lived and died and still yet lives...
He makes his way home where he can be shapeless in the dark and paint his face in the colors of joy...
Tonight, hell sends an angel bearing gifts..."
"There is a man...playing a violin...and the strings...are the nerves in his own arm. A twisted soul - the mortar...despair - the bricks...to build a temple to sadness."
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All images and quotes are the Copyright of Kitchen Sink Press 1995Used without permission, but with the hope that all sins can be forgiven...
More of James O'Barr's writing can be found in my poetry section...