Tag Archives: james o’barr

The Crow gets its first trailer

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Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of The Crow in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr.

Soulmates Eric Draven (Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right.

Coming to theaters June 6.

Directed by: Rupert Sanders   
Written by: Zach Baylin, and William Schneider 
Produced by: Edward R. Pressman, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida, John Jencks, Molly Hassell
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, and Danny Huston

The Crow
The Crow

A Swing By East Coast Comic Con 2016

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This was my first year at the East Coast Comic Con.  The event, sponsored by Crucial Entertainment at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in New Jersey, attracted a sizable crowd. It was a low key event with a bevy of writers and artists, both old and new. Mark Waid, Ann Nocenti, Cliff Chiang, Mike Zeck, Carl Potts, Simon Bisley, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez,  James O’Barr and many others attended. For the Star Trek fans, Nichelle Nichols, who was cast by Gene Roddenberry as Chief Communications Officer Lt. Uhura, fourth in command of the Starship Enterprise, in the legendary TV series, was present.

Everyone was friendly, and a few artists charged for access and signatures, but most only asked for a donation to charity for an amount of your choice. I managed to get a photo op with Bisley (I suspect the bottle of Knob Creek I gifted him helped smooth things over), and listen on his educational rants– he is entertaining as hell, and a Harley Davidson fan. I got to meet a few new people, and as I attend more and more of these events, catch up with some familiar faces.

Dan Greenfield of 13th Dimension hosted one of  many panels with Mark Waid, the Harvey Award and multiple Eisner Award winning writer, who discussed his career and his contributions to the world of comics, from the groundbreaking Kingdom Come to his ventures in self-publishing. In case anyone out there is wondering, the next issue of Strange Fruit (BOOM! Studios) is due out in two weeks.

Of course there were plenty of cos-players onsite. The best was watching the Marvel and DC players get together for group photos.  I was speaking to one of the players, and learned that there are forums where these folks gather to plan out their get-togethers at comic cons for photo opportunities. Also, for the kids (and some adults) there were lightsaber fighting lessons by New York Jedi.

Check out the slideshow, with pics and some sigs I snagged, below:

 

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Doran, David, Hester, Gilchrist To Attend Wizard World Des Moines, May 13-15

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Walking Dead Variant Cover by Colleen DoranEisner Award winners Colleen Doran, Peter David, and Phil Hester, as well as Guy Gilchrist, Tom Cook, Michael Golden, Clinton Hobart, Danny Fingeroth, James O’Barr, Mark Kistler, and Arthur Suydam are among the leading comics artists and writers scheduled to attend Wizard World Des Moines, May 13-15 at the Iowa Events Center.

Other top Wizard World Des Moines Artist Alley guests include Barbara Slate, Mikey Babinski, Andy Brase, Rob Schamberger, Jeremiah Lambert, Victor Dandridge, Tim Lundmark, Mike Maydak, Jim Mehsling, Todd Nauck, Ant Lucia and many others.

Wizard World Des Moines show hours are Friday, May 13, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wizard World Louisville Attendees to Receive The Walking Dead #1 Cover By James O’Barr

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The Walking Dead #1 James O'BarrWizard World, Inc. and Skybound have announced that The Crow creator James O’Barr has drawn the 22nd in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at Wizard World Comic Con Louisville, November 6-8.

The exclusive The Walking Dead #1 edition will be produced in extremely limited quantities and is available at registration to fans at the Kentucky International Convention Center only while supplies last. VIP attendees will receive an additional black and white sketch version of the comic.

While stationed in Berlin, in the late 70’s O’Barr created The Crow as an attempt to deal with the death of his fiance at the hands of a drunk driver. It took nearly ten years to finish and no publisher was interested in it (“too gloomy, too confusing…”) until, on a whim, Caliber published the first issue in 1989. It is currently the best-selling independent graphic novel of all time at over 1 million copies sold.

In 1993 his book was adapted into the cult film of the same name starring Brandon Lee. O’Barr would like you to know that nearly all of the money made from the film was donated to children’s charities and he had nothing to do with the subsequent 3 sequels or TV show, but he will be a consultant on the new Crow movie that goes into production in 2014.

The Walking Dead stars on the Wizard World Comic Con Louisville celebrity roster are Sonequa Martin-Green and Tyler James Williams . Other top guests include Arrow stars Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, David Ramsey and Paul Blackthorne; Ben McKenzie; John Barrowman; Bruce Campbell; Jason Isaacs and J. August Richards.

In addition to O’Barr, Artist Alley in Louisville will feature Billy Martin, Phil Ortiz, Tom Cook, Michael Golden, Ken Kelly, Renee Witterstaetter, Victor Dandridge, Genese Davis and more.

The Louisville show hours are Friday, November 6, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, November 8, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Crow is back in 2014 with The Crow: Pestilence

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The spirits of vengeance are coming back with brutal force in The Crow: Pestilence, a new miniseries coming from IDW in early 2014. This series marks the comic-book debut of prose author Frank Bill, who first debuted on the scene with the acclaimed and brutally poetic short-story collection, Crimes in Southern Indiana. Bill followed that book with his even more raw debut novel, Donnybrook. On Pestilence, Bill, a longtime Crow fan, will be joined by artist Drew Moss, with Crow creator and vocal Bill fan James O’Barr supplying covers for the series.

Debuting in the spring of 2014, The Crow: Pestilence transplants the spirit of vengeance to the southwest, introducing a brand-new cast of characters and exploring the grim underbelly of greed and betrayal in the deadly town of Juarez, Mexico.

Created by James O’Barr in 1989, The Crow flew to success in comics and on film. After a number of successful books and films spiraling out of the original graphic novel, The Crow landed at IDW in 2012 and has since appeared in three unique miniseries, two by O’Barr himself: Skinning The Wolves and Curare.

Edward R. Pressman, producer of the 1994 smash hit film The Crow, together with Relativity and Dimension Films, is currently in production on a reinvention of the original film, which explores its own unique storyline separate from the comic book. F. Javier Gutierrez will direct from a screenplay by Cliff Dorfman with Luke Evans starring as ‘Eric Draven’. Pressman licensed the comic book rights to IDW. The deal was brokered by Dan Kletzky of Entertainment Licensing Associates.

The Crow: Pestilence is out in next spring, digitally and in print!

The Spirit of Vengeance Returns in The Crow: Curare!

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Proof positive that black wings of vengeance never cease their flapping, James O’Barr is back with another taut, dark The Crow series, The Crow: Curare.

When retired cop Joe Salk can’t shake a little girl’s unsolved murder, his life unravels. Alone in the shambles of his former life, his obsessions with justice and revenge his only propellants, the shadowy spirit of vengeance, and the young victim reach out to him. Over three-issues this June, fans will see just how well The Crow’s supernatural heat can thaw a cold case.

Written and lettered by O’Barr, featuring art by Antoine Dodé over O’Barr’s breakdowns, The Crow: Curare is bathed in furious darkness, but maintains The Crow’s signature quest for solace and hope.

Issue one will feature a painted wraparound cover by O’Barr, as well as covers by Dodé, and painter Miran Kim, too.

O’Barr Returns to Comics with a New Crow Series!

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[The Crow Skinning the Wolves Cover]IDW Publishing has announced that The Crow’s original creator, James O’Barr will be launching a brand-new story featuring the vengeful avian guide, The Crow: Skinning The Wolves, a three-issue miniseries set to debut this December. Fans of O’Barr’s dark signature style will be delighted to see him backed by co-artist Jim Terry with a story woven of the same supernatural mystique that made The Crow a favorite of fans worldwide.

Set in a European concentration camp in 1945, Skinning the Wolves investigates a world where the dark harbinger of vengeance is dispatched in response to one of history’s greatest atrocities and the ultimate evil that perpetrated it.

Full of the dark, challenging questions and ideas that have propelled The Crow to international acclaim, Skinning the Wolves is sure to be a gritty spectacle; one not to be missed by any comics fans, macabre justice enthusiasts, or those in between.

Veteran producer Edward R. Pressman, producer of the 1994 smash hit film The Crow, together with Relativity Media and Dimension Films, is at work on a reinvention of the original film, which explores its own unique storyline separate from the comic book, with F. Javier Gutierrez attached to direct from a screenplay by Jesse Wigutow and Marc Klein. Pressman licensed the comic book rights to IDW. The deal was brokered by Dan Kletzky of Entertainment Licensing Associates.

THE CROW: SKINNING THE WOLVES #1 (of 3) is 32 pages, full color, and will be in stores in December. Diamond code: OCT120354.

The Crow Comic Book flies again

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IDW Brings back James O’Barr’s iconic anti-hero this summer!

[The Crow Cover B]San Diego, CA (May 17, 2012) – Proving that the spirit of vengeance is timeless, Bram Stoker Award-winning author and co-screenwriter of the original The Crow film, John Shirley, has teamed with Eisner Award-nominated, Fishtown artist Kevin Colden, to bring the dark spirit back to comics. Concurrently, the film’s producer Edward R. Pressman, in conjunction with Relativity Media and Dimension Films, is in pre-production on a gritty reinvention of the 1994 cult classic to be directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before the Fall) and written by Jesse Wigutow.

The comic book, which explores its own unique storyline from the film, is set in Tokyo, Japan where the Crow returns in the guise of a foreign exchange student named Jamie Osterberg. When Haruko, the love of his life, is stolen away from him, Jamie must search for answers–ones that turn deadly, and transform him into the spirit of vengeance, the Crow! With a sword that seeks truth, the Crow hunts down those responsible for this crime, discovering a web of horror that may lead him to kill his one true love.

[The Crow #1 Page 1]“I was thrilled to help bring James O’Barr’s The Crow to the screen, and am equally thrilled to rediscover the character in this new incarnation of The Crow for IDW—it’s as if he’s come back from the grave all over again,” said Shirley. “It feels like The Crow is taking me on the journey into some very dark realms. All I can do is come along and hope to survive the trip. It helps to have a great talent like Kevin Colden along.”

“I’m very happy to be able to bring back The Crow with such esteemed creators,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “To be able to lead off with John Shirley and Kevin Colden in a story that takes the concept of James O’Barr’s The Crow in very unexpected ways is as thrilling to me as it hopefully will be to fans.”

Also featuring covers from Kyle Hotz and Ashley Wood, the vibrant, exotic setting and rich mythology of Japan should prove a thrilling and intriguing environment for Shirley and Colden’s fresh take on the beloved hero. The first of the monthly five-issue series will be released in print and digital in July, with more series to follow. Plans have also been announced for The Crow original creator James O’Barr to return with his own new series.

THE CROW #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in July. Diamond order code MAY12 0349.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books. IDW can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/idwpublishing and http://tumblr.idwpublishing.com/ and on Twitter at @idwpublishing.

About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, while Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.