Vengeance

The Crow - Image Comics #1

by Jon J. Muth, Jamie Tolagson, Paul Lee

When Eric Draven's life is ended by a street gang, no one has any idea that it will lead to his resurrection as The Crow, least of all those who killed him. But as each one is brutally killed, they learn that Eric Draven has had his soul wrapped in the supernatural cloak of The Crow, giving him the power to wreak vengeance most victims only dream about.Jon Muth's thoughtful and poignant story about the injustices of the world force the reader to decide if vengeance is really the right solution to any problem.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jon J. Muth is an American comic artist. His works include J. M. DeMatteis' graphic novel Moonshadow, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: The Wake (along with Michael Zulli, Charles Vess), Mike Carey's Lucifer: Nirvana and Swamp Thing: Roots. Muth has gone on to an award-winning career as a children's book writer and illustrator. He received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for his illustrations in Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse.

He has also created a version of the Stone soup fable set in China.

Reviews

[Laura Laufman]

my lil emo heart had to read it 😂

[Krim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OKAY. I didn't love it but didn't mind it either. It was jarring having the plot follow the original comic with bits of the movie splashed in, just for it to then go a whole other direction. Some of the extra elements were a bit too edgy for me as well. One of the gang is now a pedophile, and necrophilia is implied more than once. It just makes me roll my eyes. The artists that were chosen were great. Conceptually I like the idea of Eric going too far and exploring the consequences of that, but this didn't work for me. I don't have it in me to believe that the police were *this* close to shutting down the biggest crime syndicate in Detroit but were foiled by 5 guys being murked over a weekend. It's the 90s and the war on drugs is alive and well I don't trust the cops for shit 🙄

[Weslyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I definitely like O’Barr’s work better, but this was still enjoyable. The first half of this work is essentially a retelling, but the second half took off in a completely different direction. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I was slightly confused by the new story when it began, but I think that has more to do with the complete change in story. Overall, I enjoyed this and I will be reading the second volume.

[John Ekleberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

While most other Crow tales have simply been variations on a theme, this is a variation of the central myth. In this 5th telling of the Eric Draven legend (proceeded by the original comic, the film, the tv series, and John Shirley's Wings Burnt Black) Jon J. Muth coalesces what has come before and fearlessly resurrects a powerful new tale.

What if The Crow was wrong? Thought provoking, with excellent art throughout. See Book 2: Evil Beyond Reach for the rest of the story...

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at the concept that inspired the cinematic doomed love story, this volume shows how much better the film is than the actual collection - a rare feat indeed.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art in this is phenomenal and the story line holds its own too.

[Yves · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh...
The art is great and gorgeous at times, but the story just sucks. The first three issues butcher O'Barr's brilliant original tale and the rest is just an attempt to cash in on the trademark.