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James O’Barr lives here in Dallas. I used to work with a guy who’s best friend was his handler… err… assistant. Regardless, the story depicted in the pixels above is actually mine, not Josh’s (but someone had to die and it wasn’t going to be me). “The Crow” really was a pivotal milestone in my young geek development. It was this confluence of comic books, violence, darkness, depression, grunge music, counter culture and anti hero that simultaneously fired off every synapse in my 13 year old boy-brain. I know it’s not a cinematic master piece. “Right place, right time, right emotionally withdrawn kid” is all I’m saying.
Add to the various levels of awkward, outcast kid appeal the fact that the star, Brandon Lee, died during filming when a stage gun was accidentally loaded with live ammo and you have added a layer of all-too-real tragedy, martyrdom and general spookitude. Not to be disrespectful to Brandon Lee (his performance was fantastic), but he died tragically playing a guy that died tragically. Teen angst feeds off that kind of stuff.
I discovered, and latched on to the movie LONG before I ever even saw the actual comic. I knew it was out there but at the time we were all too young to buy it (spoiler: it contains bewbs). When I finally read it in my latter teens, I was certainly impressed with the beutiful artwork and (can I use this word again?) TRAGIC love story, but the shift in style from Kurt Cobain to David Bowie caught me off guard. Now that I’m older, I wish they had actually let Bowie star in it. It would have been “Labrynth 2: Jareth’s Rock and Roll Revenge.”
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Tags: james o'barr, josh dies, movies, the crow
Related posts
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 am
You could totally have used the word "tragic" three or four or seven more times.
Also, Josh needs a hug for dying on a regular basis. He's become the HE version of Kenny.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:00 am
Oh my God!
They killed Josh!
You fancy bastards!
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:01 am
Stunt bacon FTW.
And Eli's impersonation of Josh is eerie in its realism.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:03 am
Maybe it's just people "our age" because I had a very similar story. While I waited a few more years to start dressing the part, I went through the same sort of transition at roughly the same time that I was watching this movie. I don't know if the movie made a new me, or if the new me was in line with the movie but, it was certainly life shaping, regardless of where it started.
Stunt bacon sucks. I want the real thing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:11 am
Eli in "whiteface" is just genius.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:06 am
I just remember watching the Crow 2 and thinking WTF? Sex, blood, guts… awesome.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 am
The Crow > Wolverine, as far as comic antiheroes go.
You know why?
Because the Crow's not taking up space in every fucking Marvel book right now.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 am
I'm calling shenanigans. It was actually "Interview with the Vampire" that made me grow out my hair.
True story.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:26 am
Years ago, when my wife & I were first dating, we saw "Rapid Fire" (the movie he made just prior to The Crow) as one of our date movies. My wife and I thought afterwards that Brandon would end up being a huge star. He just seemed to shine in every scene he was in in Rapid Fire. But I also remember watching him in "Showdown in Little Tokyo" and thinking the same thing.
But I also recall watching interviews with him where he really gushed about playing the character in The Crow – sort of like the way Hugh Jackman talks about loving to play Wolverine. I also remember how he wanted to get away from just simple action movies and
wanted to start delving into more serious acting roles. The Crow was going to be his launching pad to do that – which makes his eerie death all that more tragic.
On another X-men side note, I always thought he would have been a really cool Nightcrawler.
As for the musical influence of The Crow, I never associated it with Nirvana or grundge as much as I always associated it with The Cure for some reason.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:38 am
Wow. I COMPLETELY forgot about "Showdown in Little Tokyo". I watched that with some friends as part of our Crappy Movie Tuesdays we used to have. Best display of homoeroticism involving Dolph Lundgren EVER!
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:10 am
O'Barr quotes a song called The Hanging Garden in the comic. I was on the industrial-goth track at the time, and didn't think The Cure had anything to offer me, but the lyrics to that one actually got me to give them a chance. I still wouldn't call myself a fan, because Robert Smith's voice makes me cringe, but I had to admit that they had something to offer after that…
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:27 am
Do not, I repeat, do not, see the third one. Well, not unless you've had copious amounts of alcohol beforehand and can forget it's Crow-related. Think of it as a SciFi movie of the week and you're good.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:41 am
It's a combination of the two histories.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Like I said, "right place, right time." I was going to end up a weirdo loser outcast anyway, but The Crow gave me an easily accessible guidebook. In pre internet times you have to have an older cooler person introduce you to things like underground comics and zines and obscure bands. The Crow was mainstream enough that I could still get to it without having to be too cool in the first place.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 am
Was it 3 or 4 that had Eddie Furlong and David Boreanaz? Because that one was unwatchable.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:45 am
Lee definitely had a bright future ahead of him. He was a scene stealer for sure. By the music I meant more about the actual soundtrack and the fact that Eric looked the part of the grunge rocker in the film. I know the original comic was inspired by goth, and though the style carried over to the movie, they certainly altered it to fit in with mid 90's music.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 am
You remind me of the babe.
What babe?
Look, I… I really don't like to talk about it. Lots of stuff, you know… -sniff- just… lots of stuff.
Okay, okay then you just take your time. We don't have to talk about it until you're ready.
Thanks man, that, that means a lot. -sniff- I'm okay. I'm, I'm okay.
Not to be irreverent.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:46 am
FRIDAY IM IN LOVE!
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:47 am
Oh, you know what, it was 4 that I was thinking of. Three had Kirsten Dunst in it. I only know that from the poster. Can't imagine it could be worse than 4, though.
Don't forget to mention that Tara Reid was playing opposite poor old David, there. Sad times!
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 am
Goth music was heavily inspired by glam rock and Bowie. Bauhaus was often accused of being a bad Bowie knockoff, and in response, released a (bitchin') cover of "Ziggy Stardust". Coincidentally, this was their biggest hit.
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 am
Aw crap. I hope this never gets put into action.. Even as a demi-goth, I'd rather see this idea get swept under the floorboards.
It's a shame Josh went and died before he got to discover Maple Bacon freakin' lollipops:
http://www.lollyphile.com/maple-bacon.phpwith real bacon in them. Oh Man.
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 am
Ironically, the first one you were thinking of doing as 4 panels has only three panels. And a "lost" 4th panel.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 am
While not spun off into Goth-hood and older than a teen at the time, I remember watching the Crow and thinking – see, you can do this shit seriously. I never got past the second one, and I think a lot of the dark in movies like Dark Knight owe something to the OG Crow.
Can't imagine them adding to this flick in a remake but who knows.
And FWIW – it wasn't live ammo what killed Lee. It was the head of a dummy bullet which got lodged in the barrel. Then the blanks were put in, one was behind the dummy head. The rest is history.
Also FWIW – the actor who pulled the trigger NEVER should have actually had the gun aimed at Lee. It should have been aimed just off his body to give the illusion via the camera he was being aimed at.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 am
Popgoth!
And Love Cats? Swingoth
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
When my wife and I were in our pre-marriage dating phase, we say “Rapid Fire” in the theater. “Rapid Fire” was Brandon’s movie just before he started filming “The Crow”. I knew about Brandon before Rapid Fire – thanks to my one-time gig as a video store clerk where I discovered “Showdown in Little Tokyo” with Dolph Lundgren. But after “Rapid Fire” my wife and I both commented that we thought Brandon was going to be a HUGE star – he just seemed to shine throughout Rapid Fire.
I mention that because I remember seeing interviews with him as he talked about “The Crow” and his love for the character. It was very much akin to how Hugh Jackman gushes about playing Wolverine. I also remember watching Brandon talk about wanting to get away from being “simply” a kung fu action/adventure movie star and really delving into more serious acting roles. The Crow was going to be his launching pad for that.
Which makes his eerily, spooky death all that more tragic.
As for the grunge, emo, The Cure stuff… I never got into all of that. That was my brother’s thing.
-Chris
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:05 am
He just stood there. They did all the magic in post. Its in the directors commentary on the dvd.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:05 am
It's "gay face." Not to be confused with the popular Batman villain.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 am
Your comments still stands. 3 was terrible.
1. Fantastic
2. Basically a rehash of one but with a little of its own style. watchable, even enjoyable.
2.5 The Series… no comment
3. ridiculously bad
4. RIDICULOUSLY BAD
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:10 am
from what ive read, its very close to happening. hollywood is looking for Dark Knight type properties to capitalize on.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 am
Oh shit, that should say "panel 3." I wrote this as a 5 panel comic but forgot what I was doing and only did 4 so that part doesnt make sense. Ill fix it.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 am
It is kind of funny that hollywood is clammering to adapt every comic they can since they finally figured out how to do it right with Spiderman and Batman Begins. I guess they forgot about the succesful earlier comic adaptations like The Crow and (dare i say it) Tank Girl.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 am
Actors?! We don' need no stinkin' actors!
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:21 am
BA-DUM-PSHH
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:22 am
I would pay upwards of $24.99 for a DVD that would be chockablock with those kinds of special features. Yes I would. *nods*
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:25 am
Hey, me too! Did you also start wearing frilly lace cravats and culottes?
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 am
I found a bacon zombie shirt. I thought it was worth posting here for Josh's benefit:
http://www.redbubble.com/people/dennisculver/t-sh...
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 am
While not giving me an outlet to be a goth like it did for others our age, The Crow did seem to speak to me in volumes. It provided the framework for the smiling on the outside, but crushed by loneliness and despair emo-ness on the inside that I pass off for being the incredibly well-adjusted functional adult that I am today.
And trying to imagine Josh with long grey-dyed hair is kinda scary.
January 4th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I found bacon gumballs:
http://www.mcphee.com/items/11871.html
January 5th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
So it isn't supposed to say "Panel 4"?