Crow (comics)

The Crow
Publication information
Publisher	Caliber Comics Image Comics
First appearance	1989
Created by	James O'Barr
In-story information
Abilities	accelerated healing, cat-like reflexes, superhuman agility, resistance to injury or pain and sees through the eyes of a crow.

The Crow is the main protagonist of The Crow comic book series, originally created by American artist James O'Barr in 1989. The protagonist is a fictional undead vigilante brought back to life by a supernatural crow to avenge his own death and that of his fiancee. The character has subsequently appeared in several feature films, a television series, and spin-off novels. In the various incarnations, films, and spin-offs, many people have taken on the Crow persona in order to avenge their own wrongful deaths.

The Crow (Bird)

The Crow itself is a supernatural bird that serves as the protagonists' link between the living world and the realm of death. The magical crow is capable of resurrecting people who have been unjustly murdered, so that that person may be able to seek vengeance on the person or people responsible for their death.

During the person's "rebirth," the crow serves as a guide, helping the individual tap into his or her potential and assisting in tracking down the wrongdoers. To other people, the crow seems to be nothing more than a common bird; but the crow is capable of speaking to the reborn, often helping goad them to exact their revenge.

Powers and abilities

While they are in possession of the Crow's powers, the majority of those reborn possess several unique abilities. Because they are already dead, the reborn are incapable of feeling pain (save for the tortured memories of their own untimely demise), and can instantly recover from any form of bodily harm, no matter how great the damage. Because of their otherworldly strength, the reborn are able to quickly overcome any adversary, even those who would be otherwise untouchable. The reborn's supernatural senses also make them exceptionally skilled at hunting down and eliminating a target, and superhumanly agile with cat-like reflexes. Some reborn can also transform into a crow (bird), as in the case of Alex Corvis in "The Crow: Salvation" (or "The Crow 3" as it is more commonly called). Several common properties are also prevalent throughout the different Crow incarnations: each of the reborn wears some manner of facial make-up except Alex Corvis in "The Crow: Salvation"; having been burned in an electric chair, he was scarred with the crow "make-up" on his face.

Although the person brought back to life by the Crow is physically invulnerable,(In the movies and later Crow comics) he/she does have one weakness: because the magical crow is the source of their connection between life and death, if it were to be harmed or killed, this would leave the reborn vulnerable to attack. Many have attempted to exploit this weakness but only some have been successful (see "The Crow" or "The Crow: Salvation").In the Graphic Novel of "The Crow", Eric is all around invincible from everything, save for self-mutilation.

Characters who have assumed the Crow persona

Eric/Eric Draven

The protagonist of the original comic book. Eric becomes the Crow when he and his fiancée Shelley are murdered by a group of street thugs. He is reborn one year later and systematically hunts down and kills his murderers before returning to the afterlife.

Eric was portrayed by the late Brandon Lee in the 1994 film The Crow, based on the comic book. The film had the same basic premise, except the couple were murdered in their loft apartment due to fighting tenant eviction, instead of being murdered on the side of the road for no real reason. The film is also where Eric was first given the last name Draven and Shelley the name Webster.

Eric was also portrayed by Mark Dacascos in the television series The Crow: Stairway to Heaven in 1998. This version of Eric differed slightly from the other versions in that his mission wasn't about revenge, but about redemption. 22 episodes were produced in which Eric acts as a vigilante helping the needy, before the series was pulled in 1999.

Eric was also in a short-lived 10 issue series by Image Comics.

Joshua

He appears in the three issue series Dead Time, the follow up to the original graphic novel. Joshua is a Native American farmer of the Crow Nation who adopts the "white man's way" and becomes a farmer. Joshua, along with his wife and child, are murdered by a band of Confederate soldiers. One century later, the Crow resurrects Joshua, and he begins his hunt for the soldiers, who have been reincarnated as a biker gang.

Iris Shaw

She appears in the three issue series Flesh and Blood and is the first woman to assume the role. Iris is a Federal Conservation officer who is killed by terrorists, along with her unborn child. The Crow resurrects her to hunt them down.

Ashe Corven

He appears in The Crow: City of Angels, the sequel to The Crow.

Ashe Corven (Vincent Perez) is resurrected by the magical crow to avenge the death of his son, who was killed along with him in a gang hit. Like his predecessor, Ashe successfully kills each of the gang members until he meets the crime boss who ordered his death. The crime boss, Judah Earl (portrayed by Richard Brooks), wishes to obtain Ashe's powers for himself, and will do his worst to gain them. In his endeavors, Ashe is assisted by Sarah (from the original film; now portrayed by Mia Kirshner). Sarah provides Ashe's facial make-up in honor of Eric, and helps him in his mission.

Michael Korby

He appears in the three issue series The Crow: Wild Justice. Michael and his wife are murdered during a car jacking. He is brought back by two crows, and must avenge his and his wife's death before the Gorgon blood running through his veins runs out. The Gorgon god tattoos Korby's body, which gives him the power to regenerate until the blood runs out.

Mark Leung

He appears in the four issue series The Crow: Waking Nightmares. Leung and his wife are murdered by the Chinese Mafia. Instead of going after their killers, Mark gets wrapped up in saving his twin daughters, who have been sold into slavery.

Hannah Foster

She appears in The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Hannah Foster is brought back to life one year after she and her daughter are killed. Like Draven, Hannah has a Spirit Crow, and possesses all of the Crow's powers. However, unlike Draven, she constantly battles between the need for redemption and her lust for vengeance. Also, her methods for dealing with her opposition are far more severe than Draven's.

Alex Corvis

He appears in The Crow: Salvation, the third movie in the series. Alex Corvis (portrayed by Eric Mabius) is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Lauren (portrayed by Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), and then executed. Alex is assisted by Lauren's younger sister, Erin (portrayed by Kirsten Dunst), as they uncover the mystery surrounding the murder.

Jimmy Cuervo/Dan Cody

Appears in The Crow: Wicked Prayer the fourth movie in the series. He also appears in the fifth book of the Crow series (Dan Cody was the character's name in the book).

In both the film and the book, Jimmy/Dan's (portrayed in the movie by Edward Furlong) girlfriend (Lily "Ignites the Dawn"/Leticia "Dreams The Truth" (portrayed by Emmanuelle Chriqui) is hunted down by a gang of Satanists who want to steal her power. They kill her and Jimmy in doing so. Jimmy/Dan then goes on a journey to avenge his and his girlfriend's death and take down the two bikers in the process.

William Blessing

He appears in The Crow: Quoth the Crow, the first published novel in the series. Jeremy Botham, a writer, is killed as his wife is raped. He must now plot his revenge: to kill the goth gang.

Jared Poe

He appears in The Crow: The Lazarus Heart, the second published novel in the series. A controversial S&M photographer is condemned to die for killing his lover in Louisiana.

Amy Carlisle

She appears in The Crow: Clash by Night, the third published novel in the series. A day care owner is killed, along with some of the children she watches, when a militia group tries to kill a senator. To make matters worse, Amy discovers her husband has moved on with her best friend, who survived the blast. Her husband's emotional struggles bring pain to both him and Amy.

Stephen Lelliott

He appears in The Crow: Temple of Night, the fourth published novel in the series. Enter a young American journalist, assigned to expose the latest cover-up. Stephen is about to break the two cardinal rules of journalism: Don't fall in love, and don't get killed.

Popular Culture

The professional wrestler Sting based a later incarnation of his make up on the Crow character.

Slipknot guitarist Jim Root's mask has been described as a cross between The Crow and Batman villain The Joker.