Scan barcode
A review by xan_van_rooyen
The Crow: Death and Rebirth by Kevin Colden, John Shirley
dark
fast-paced
2.5
What I think made the first Crow graphic novel so iconic and what turned it into a cult classic is that readers really got to know Eric as the man before he became the avenging crow-spirit. Who he was in crow-form made sense because of who he was in life - a masochistic rockstar with a penchant for all things dark. The original also showed us the depth of his love for Shelly so when he comes back to take his revenge we absolutely rooting for this anti-hero.
For me, all of this was missing from Death and Rebirth. I had no idea who Jamie was as a person and had no real grasp of his relationship with Haruko before things went sideways. Who he was as the vengeful spirit thus just fell completely flat. Also, the whole nature of the situation that turned him into the ikiryo just didn't work for me, it felt a little forced.
I loved that this was set in Japan and the inclusion of Japanese mythology, but I feel like it would've been so much better had they fully committed to that and not given us this 'gaijin' protagonist. Consequently, I didn't feel much of anything for the characters.
The best parts of the story were definitely (view spoiler) I would've loved more of that.
There is some great art in this, particular the standalone inserts by O'Barr and other artists as well as the alternative covers included at the back.
Suffice it to say I knew this wouldn't quite live up to the original and I'm not surprised that it didn't.
For me, all of this was missing from Death and Rebirth. I had no idea who Jamie was as a person and had no real grasp of his relationship with Haruko before things went sideways. Who he was as the vengeful spirit thus just fell completely flat. Also, the whole nature of the situation that turned him into the ikiryo just didn't work for me, it felt a little forced.
I loved that this was set in Japan and the inclusion of Japanese mythology, but I feel like it would've been so much better had they fully committed to that and not given us this 'gaijin' protagonist. Consequently, I didn't feel much of anything for the characters.
The best parts of the story were definitely (view spoiler) I would've loved more of that.
There is some great art in this, particular the standalone inserts by O'Barr and other artists as well as the alternative covers included at the back.
Suffice it to say I knew this wouldn't quite live up to the original and I'm not surprised that it didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence