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The Crow
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List Price: $18.00
Our Price: $13.14
Your Save: $ 4.86 ( 27% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Manufacturer: Star Trek
Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9780743446471
ISBN: 074344647X
Label: Star Trek
Manufacturer: Star Trek
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: 2002-09-03
Publisher: Star Trek
Studio: Star Trek
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Editorial Reviews:
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Murdered along with his fiancTe on Halloween eve by a vicious street gang, Eric Draven returns from the dead and led by a crow, seeks vengeance on the killers who wronged him, in a new edition of the classic graphic novel. Reprint.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: james obarr dose excelent work
Comment: I saw this book at a book store right upfront, and i had just spend the last of my money on a different book i needed. i was upset but said id get it later, my boyfriend bought it with out me knowing it and gave it to me before we walked out. i opened it and began reading it as soon as i got home. i wasn't disappointed. the ink work was fantastic, the emotion was present, i still read it all the time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gothic Classic Worthy of its Reputation
Comment: The Crow is one of those graphic novels that is so renowned (The Dark Knight Returns, The Watchmen, etc.) that one often wonders if it's actually as good as its hype. In the case of The Crow, I think it certainly is.
It seems more people know the story of Erik Draven and even the life of James O'Barr than have actually read the original comic. Most of this comes from the wide popularity of the movie starring the late Brandon Lee, but it also has to do with two decades of word of mouth.
Despite working in a comic book store from 1993-1995, I actually first experienced The Crow through the movie and then sought out the comic. The movie was emotional, powerful, and consuming--pulling me entirely into its world from start to finish. At that point, I knew I had to go to the original source.
There are things in the movie that I loved that I did not find in the comic, but the same can easily be said vice-versa. The movie changed Sherry's name to Sarah, which for me weakened the idea of the Sherry-Shelly parallel, but I suppose it would help distinguish the two characters for some casual movie watchers. I did like that Erik and Shelly knew Sarah/Sherry previously in the movie, and that the young girl mourned them on top of her miserable home life. I missed this aspect in the comic.
***Mild Spoilers Ahead***
I did miss the crow (the bird) not talking/guiding Erik in his flashbacks in the film. I think O'Barr did a wonderful job with this in the comic. I miss the crow saying, "Don't look back" whenever I watch the movie. The pleading of the crow for him not to watch is a powerful element in the story. Erik had to know what happened to her in detail. He had to relive it to be able to get justice for her.
I also love that Erik was willing to lay down his life for her when the gang approached their broken-down car. He didn't seem to want to hurt anyone, but he wasn't going to let anyone hurt Shelly while he was still alive. Add to it all that he wasn't quite dead while she was being violated, and it makes the scene all the more tragic.
The graphicness of the rape scene (not nudity but the situation) is far stronger in the comic. The fact that Shelly is a continued victim of rape even after she is dead and half her face is blown off is necessary to fully feel the horror of the crime. For me, this leads to more sympathy for Erik and less (if there was any at all--there was none from me) for the rapists/murderers.
A cool, subtle part of the comic that is not explored in the movie is Erik's roughness in their relationship. He was a guy who sometimes had trouble with intimacy, but he loved Shelly so passionately that he fought it for her. I liked that his character is a little more complex in the comic; it makes him more interesting than being the flawless boyfriend as portrayed in the movie.
Erik is also compared to Christ at several moments in the comic that are not subtle at all. I didn't get this strong analogy in the movie, and I think it is an important element to the story. Erik is a martyr figure. He laid his life down trying to protect a woman whom he loved more than himself. The analogy to Christ strengthens this idea.
The interaction with Fun Boy is much deeper and a bigger part in the story than that it was in the movie. I did enjoy getting to know his sick character a little more. His conversations with Erik add another layer. Fun Boy is a junkie who is not in the least remorseful, but one who understands how Erik must feel and doesn't blame him for wanting revenge. It's interesting in that Fun Boy is a deplorable character, one for whom it is nearly impossible to garner any sympathy from the reader, but he knows that he is a monster and makes no effort to claim he is any better. Although his character is nothing like Hannibal Lecter, his awareness and acceptance of his innate evil is reminiscent of Thomas Harris's famous serial killer.
The Crow is a poetic, emotional journey that is beautifully depicted. The artwork is truly breathtaking and something beyond what is typically portrayed in comics. I'm a huge comics fan, so I'm not knocking the genre at all. I just found a bitter-sweet, melancholy feel to the art in The Crow that I haven't felt elsewhere.
If you're a fan of the movie, you have to check this one out. I'd recommend it to any comic fan who wouldn't mind the dark, graphic nature of the story. Its status as a modern classic is well-justified. Its appeal is in the emotion that is packed into every panel, every word, every drop of ink.
Both the graphic novel and the movie have been an influence on my creative life. If you appreciate lost love in a dark atmosphere (Poe's "The Raven"), The Crow is a sure hit for you.
Lewis Aleman, Author of Cold Streak
Customer Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Comment: If you're a fan of The Crow but aren't aware of how this gothic masterpiece was created, then you owe it yourself to either rent or buy the collector's edition of the movie. On the special features disc there is a Profile of James O'Barr which is an interview. During this interview Mr O'Barr discusses the personal tragedy that he was dealt and how The Crow came to be. I love this novel, but it is not for mass consumption due to the graphic violence and drug references depicted in it. If you enjoyed the movie then I highly recommend the novel. The novel's contents are in black and white by the way, but in my opinion this does not detract from it's richness.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So many memories tied to this book.
Comment: Like the movie of the same name, I was obsessed with this title for several years. While I was fortunate in that I had never experienced a tragedy like Eric Draven's, I came across The Crow just as I began struggling with my own battle with depression. The message of love transcending death was one that haunted and fascinated me, and I suppose that in some strange way all the pain that lingered in that work was something that I felt akin to for much of my adult life. While this may seem a bit extreme to some, there are many who can confirm how powerful the idea behind The Crow is to them in their own lives. Despite all that Eric endures, there is some hope at the end of it all. Love does transcend death. Some things never change. The Crow was a sort of spiritual / emotional experience for many and became the defining story for those who either lived or battled with the darker half of life. The art is exceptional, and each panel reveals so much detail and depth that sometimes it's hard to remember that you're reading a graphic novel. And though the book has little written compared to a standard novel, what is written is done so beautifully and it only compliments the images. A thought also to those who criticize this work, I must mention that there are many musical, literary, and artistic references through-out, and serves to remind readers that this work is more than just a haunting picture. The Crow is a love letter. Listen. Listen close.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Love is not sane...
Comment: The Crow is a masterpiece of love and the insanity it can cause when love is torn from us. Many say that this graphic novel is only in the range of interest of young goths, but then a person who has said this probably doesn't understand what love could do to a person. Usually when we find a piece of art to be good or even spectacular it's because we can relate to it. Basically what I'm saying is that if you want to read this book you must know what is to be madly in love with someone and then think what your reaction would be if they we're to be taken away from you. Your reaction might not be sane or logical, but it is The Crow. Common story line you might say, but the way it is told is beautiful and dark and would make any person who enjoys the romance of torn hearts fall in love with this book for the way Barr tells it in his demented fashion of words. I guess you have a little bit of a gothic feel to yourself, but hey, who doesn't like The Cure? ^_^
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