The real-world tragedy that inspired The Crow

The two real world tragedies surround the James O'Barr's comic masterpiece, The Crow.

*Reading Guide*

The Crow:
(beware that some copies have a misprint that puts the chapters out of order)

The Crow Movie on 4k:

Other comics to check out if you like The Crow:

Stray Bullets - Dark Violent Indie Crime

Sandman - Literate & goth-y:

Deadworld - Violent, Zombies, Underground, also from Caliber:

Creepy & Eerie - the horror anthologies that most influenced The Crow:

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

James O’Barr Videos Referenced:

Credits:

Everything Else: matttt

[bene]

I can't help but feel for James O'Barr. He went thru the pain of losing the love of his life and then he lost a good friend in Brandon Lee.

[midniteauthor]

That "if, if, if..." quote is haunting.

Beautiful video and the clip of Brandon reading the poem was amazing.

[ledgekindred]

In college I had brought the full graphic novel over to my gf's dorm for her to read. She left it sitting on the bed while we went out for a bit. When we got back to her dorm, her roommate was curled up in a ball on her bed, bawling her eyes out, having finished it literally minutes before we got back. The raw emotion and honesty of the comic had left her shaken. We sat with her for about an hour and talked, about what, I don't even remember. But she finally got herself back together, and told us it was an amazing story. I know it doesn't sound like much of a story, but it affected all of us to some extent right there, with how much emotional impact it was capable of.

[llynnmarks]

Brandon and Bruce Lee are buried next to each other in Seattle. It's been 31 years and people still visit their graves all the time.

[danlewis]

James O'Barr wrote and illustrated his most horrible and painful memories but he also included his most cherished. That is an unparalleled gift given to the world.

Thank you sir. Great video as always Matttt.

[ElectricDoktorLand]

In less than 15 minutes you’re able to give us this portrait of the artist and the vision of his work. We’re dealt all the emotion of real life and the comic. Even knowing this story you still can’t help but feel for O’Barr.

[reprintranch]

It’s worth mentioning that the band Joy Division abruptly ended in May 1980 when lead vocalist Ian Curtis ended his own life.

It’s easy to understand how O’Barr might have started to feel like everything he cared about was destined to go away.

[suisilas]

This channel is an inspiration. Just appeared out of nowhere making some of the best comic documentaries.

[brokenwithin]

11:20 I agree on all points. Sometime while I was 17, I moved out of the home of my abusive father, and into the home of my loving mother. By the time I turned 18 she had died under sudden and mysterious circumstances. This forced me to have to move back in with my abusive father until I completed school. It was in this period of time I found the O Barr comics. The story understood everything inside me on a primal level. It (and early death metal) are what I turned to when it became too much to carry. It was one of the reasons I survived, and am still here at 50 to tell my story. I owe James such a HUGE "thank you".

[willkirwan]

Around 2016 or 2015, I found a then new reprint of the Crow at my local Borders (RIP). I didn't know O'Barr's backstory when I read it but just oozes with tragedy and rage that I knew it had to come from a real place. About a year or two later he did a panel at con near me and asked him where that mood of the Crow came from. He told the story of his girlfriend and even when he was telling it you could tell it still hurts him. Then he talked about he use to have a sign on the outside of his booth that said "Only ask about a new Crow movie if you have a good dental" (;. What a legend!

[theghettogourmet]

Something freaky about Brandon Lee's death: If you watch Game of Death, Bruce Lee's last movie, there's a scene where there on a movie set and the 'director' is explaining how you never point the prop gun at the actor to avoid an accident. Seems prophetic; your last movie containing a scene that confronts the issue that would later kill your son.

[TelepathicBunnyComics]

Not sure you read these but here goes. I have had a lot tragedy in my life, felt the survivor's guilt the sense of being left over when I should have been the one who died. I've carried the guilt and shame that wasn't mine because of the mindless grief of those around me not thinking of a 9 year old kid who made it home. I am a comic book writer because that medium speaks to me in a way nothing else does, so when I say your writing about James's pain and triumph touched me I want you to know what that means. Thanks for all you do, Mattt docs are a first day watch for me. God Bless you and what you are doing I hope it continues to prosper you.

[TheHiddenNarrative]

The song "Burn" by The Cure should also be mentioned. They wrote it for the soundtrack to The Crow, but they based it on the book, which they loved, and its lyrics reflect that. There's the opening lines that say "Don't look, don't look!" which the crow says to Eric while he's dying, and another line that says "Don't wake at night to watch her sleep." In the book, Eric sadly reminisces that he used to wake up at night sometimes just to watch Shelly sleep, and it's one of those moments that you just know that O'Barr took from real life.

[subversive]

"Darkness by it's very nature, implies the existance of light".
This is the quote I will get a tattoo of. I have been in the dark for the majority of my life. I met a woman that was pure light. She brought me out of the darkness and showed me that not everything is shit. We had a few short, great years together and cancer took her from me. I try with every fiber of the soul I have left, to make her proud of me. I am not going to lie, it's a struggle.

[GartheKnightReturns]

I haven’t thought about that passage from Brandon Lee in years. I was enamored with the comic The Crow and the film of its namesake back in high school in 94.

I was not fully aware of the trials and tribulations of J. O’Barr. I knew about his girlfriend’s passing and how it was funneled into The Crow. I just didn’t know about the rest. With all of the things he went through he sounds like he’s got his happy ending.

I think of the Crow film often and listen to the amazing soundtrack to it regularly. Plus, it’s hard not to think of Brandon Lee when I share the same name with him except for where Lee is middle name.

Thanks for sharing this.

[cartoonraccoon]

F... man. that "It can't rain all the time." line still gets me every time. I was really on the edge in high school and a few years after. I had such rage and violence at the pain in me, I very nearly lost myself. Somehow, this book brought me back.

[FanGirl]

0:02 Berserk, I feel like that’s going to be most people’s answer.

[JackKirbyFan]

I will share this as I got to meet him in person at a comic convention (right around when the Crow III came out):

Super sweet guy but clearly sad inside. I asked him about how he felt about the Crow films. He said (as I remember) 'they ruined my baby'. Stating that they made three films and didn't pay him a dime arguing they are always losing money.
I still remember him stating that 'they flew me out to Hollywood to attend a meeting where they were thinking of hiring Michael Jackson as the Crow and make it a musical. " I laughed and thought he's kidding. Nope. He corrected me and told me it was true. Sigh, no wonder the man was depressed about it. (:
I did see the cover of the Batman comic he was working on. Brilliant artist. A friend he had there told me 'he's a perfectionist'. Either way, I never forgot that encounter.

[unrealnews]

I'm so glad you exist. Thank you for putting together this history in an intelligible and intelligent manner.

[CatWithGoggles]

I have an original story for a comic that I’ve been working on, and it’s also been art therapy for me. The story behind the Crow is so heartbreaking, but at the same time it’s uplifting, and that same form of art therapy through my storytelling has helped me through a lot of difficult times. James obarr’s story made me feel and cry. And maybe someday I’ll share my own stuff, but for now, it’s just for me to heal.