Real Name:
Eric (surname not given in the comic, only given in movie version)
The Crow
Real Name:
Eric (surname not given in the comic, only given in movie version)
Identity/Class: Revenant
Occupation: Vengeance seeker, formerly musician
Affiliations: (pre-death) Shelly Webster (fiancee, deceased), Sarah Mohr;
(post-death) The Crow, Skull Cowboy, Detective Albrecht, Razor
Enemies: Top Dollar, T-Bird and his gang
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None known
Base of Operations: Detroit
First Appearance: Caliber Presents #1 (Caliber)
Powers/Abilities: Eric feels no pain and heals wounds in seconds, so long as they are caused in his search for vengeance. Injuries taken when he diverts from this path (such as in the movie when he helps Sarah's mother) do not automatically heal. He can see through the eyes of his guide, the crow. He has psychometric abilities, allowing him to feel pain and other sensations from past experience by the slightest touch of an object.
He appears to be faster and more agile than normal humans, and knows some variety of martial arts.
History: "People once believed that when someone dies, a Crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the Crow can bring the soul back and put the wrong things right "
When their car breaks down on a dark road, Eric and his fiancee Shelly Webster are stranded and vulnerable. A gang comes along and savagely rapes and murders Shelly. Eric, dying from his wounds, watches helplessly. Due to the graphic nature of their murders, and the love bond between them, Eric's soul is unable to rest. A year later a Crow brings him back to life to take revenge on the men who murdered them. Eric systematically stalks and kills his murderers. Along the way, Eric learns that the spill of blood does not necessarily ease the pain inside of him. But his mission, which is to avenge their murders, must be completed, so that he can be reunited with Shelly in death.
Comments: Created by and copyright to James O'Barr.
Eric was not given a surname until the movie was made based on the comic. The only clue as to what it might have been up until that point was when a police officer was examining the casefile, which had been removed from the "C-D" drawer of the files.
Eric has two guides - the Crow itself, and an enigmatic being known as the Skull Cowboy, who appears to him in visions three times in the original graphic novel.
I had previously believed that, as with the movie, the comic version of Eric didn't actually call himself "The Crow". However Frank Ortman pointed out "in the comic when he (Eric) meets Albrecht outside Gideons he says "Tell Sgt. Hook The Crow sends his regards.". Also the note he leaves after torching his house is signed The Crow. Implying that he no longer thought of himself as Eric, Eric was dead. He was The Crow." Can't argue with that.
Thanks to Tony Castleberry for correcting me as to where he first appeared.
Eric Draven (Movie Version)
Identity/Class: Revenant Occupation: Musician Affiliations: (pre-death) Shelly Webster (fiancee, deceased), Sarah Mohr; (post-death) The Crow, Skull Cowboy, Detective Albrecht Enemies: Top Dollar, T-Bird and his gang Known Relatives: None Aliases: None Base of Operations: Detroit First Appearance: The Crow (Miramax, 1994) Powers/Abilities: Eric feels no pain and heals wounds in seconds, so long as they are caused in his search for vengeance. Injuries taken when he diverts from this path (such as in the movie when he helps Sarah's mother) do not automatically heal. He can see through the eyes of his guide, the crow. He has psychometric abilities, allowing him to feel pain and other sensations from past experience by the slightest touch of an object. He appears to be faster and more agile than normal humans, and knows some variety of martial arts. History: "People once believed that when someone dies, a Crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the Crow can bring the soul back and put the wrong things right " Eric was a guitarist for the band "Hangman's Joke" who lived in a loft with his fiancee, Shelley Webster. They were murdered on Halloween Eve, Devil's Night, and a year later Eric Draven is resurrected from the grave to seek revenge on their murderers. Painting his face white with a shadow's smile, he dons the black aura of the crow. One by one he hunted down the members of the gang, ending their lives violently. Finally, having concluded his mission and lost his invulnerability, he redeemed himself by risking his life to save Sarah, a young girl who had been close to him and Shelly before they died. In doing so he earned the chance to be reunited with his love in the afterlife.
It should be noted that in the movie, Eric was not actually known as The Crow. That was the title of the film, which was named after his guide, not him. The movie also included the Skull Cowboy, but his role was cut to avoid confusing the viewers. Some scenes were filmed, with actor Michael Berryman playing the part. His role was as a sort of mentor to Draven, spelling out clearly his mission - "ice the bad guys, you receive a reunion with Shelly - but work for the living, you bleed." Thanks to David Baldwin for identifying the city the movie was set in - though the movie doesn't explicitly say the name, T-Bird indirectly identifies it when he refers to his gang as "Motor City Motherf**kers." |
Real Name: Eric Draven (surname given first in movie, then carried on to TV version) Identity/Class: Revenant (specifically refered to as a Crow) Occupation: Musician Affiliations: (pre-death) Shelly Webster (fiancee, deceased), Sarah Mohr; (post-death) The Crow, Skull Cowboy, Detective Albrecht, Dr.John Dorsett Enemies: Top Dollar, T-Bird and his gang, Mace Reyes (an evil Crow), Richard Lee Wilbanks, Rasputin, Nytmare, Lazarus Group, Frederick Balsam Known Relatives: Chris (step-brother) Aliases: None. Base of Operations: Unknown city First Appearance: The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, episode #1 "The Soul Can't Rest" (syndication, 25th September 1998) Powers/Abilities: Eric feels no pain and heals wounds in seconds. He can see through the eyes of his guide, the crow. He has psychometric abilities, allowing him to feel pain and other sensations from past experience by the slightest touch of an object. He appears to be faster and more agile than normal humans, and knows some variety of martial arts. History: "People once believed that when someone dies, a Crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the Crow can bring the soul back and put the wrong things right " A year after his and his fiancee's murders, the restless soul of rock musician Eric Draven walks on to the bridge which joins the Land of the Dead to the world of the living, and takes a literal leap back into the real world. Using the powers of the Crow, the revenant Draven hunts down those behind the killings. Now he is trapped in our world, until he can help others unable to get justice for themselves, with each act of redemption taking him a step closer to reuniting with Shelly, whose soul awaits at the edge of the Land of the Dead, unwilling to move on without him. Comments: The first incarnation of Eric to actually be called the Crow - in the other two incarnations, the Crow was only the name of his guide, not him. The TV version of the character has an origin almost identical to his movie counterpart. The main difference comes after he has dealt with the people who killed him and Shelly. Instead of returning to the grave he is forced to stay on Earth to help the innocent until his soul has become balanced enough again to move on to the land of the dead. Mark Dacascos played this version.
Again, the Skull Cowboy showed up, this time played by Kadeem Hardison. The TV series lasted for one season of 22 episodes:
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CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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