James O'Barr

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James O'Barr (born 1960, Detroit, Michigan) was an orphan and was raised in the foster care system. He is creator of the comic book series, The Crow. He studied Renaissance sculpture, live models and photographic still lifes. He currently resides in Texas. James is the biological father of two children; Erik (born in 1992 from a second marriage) and Noelle (from a fourth marriage).

When James' girlfriend had been killed by a drunk driver, he joined the Marines in an effort to cope with his devastating loss. He was stationed in Germany and illustrated combat manuals for the military. While living in Berlin, Germany in 1981, O'Barr began work on The Crow, as a means of dealing with his personal tragedy. O'Barr was further inspired by a Detroit newspaper account of the senseless murder of a young couple over a $20 engagement ring. After his discharge from the marines, O'Barr continued his painting and illustration as well as doing lots of odd jobs, including working for a Detroit body shop. At first, no-one was interested in The Crow, so it sat on a shelf for seven years, but at last someone wanted to publish it: Gary Reed of Caliber Press. In The Crow, the protagonist and his fiancée die in a similarly brutal crime. He then returns from the dead to hunt their killers.

O'Barr's own hope that his project would result in a personal catharsis went unfulfilled, he told an interviewer in 1994 [1]. "(A)s I drew each page, it made me more self-destructive, if anything," he was quoted as saying. "There is pure anger on each page." "The Crow" is the best selling independent black and white graphic novel to date. It has sold more than a 1/4 million copies world-wide.

The book was adapted into a movie of the same name but it resulted in further tragedy. Brandon Lee, who played the main character to critical acclaim, was accidentally shot and killed during the making of the movie. This was 17 days before Lee's scheduled wedding. James was a close friend and confidant and saw Brandon as a brother figure. On Lee's death, and referring to his fiancée, Eliza Hutton, O'Barr said, "I relived the same pain and anger as before. I wished I had never written the thing."

O'Barr said he felt guilty about the money he made from the movie. He used the money for international children's organisations, and hip replacement surgery for a 10 year old Brazilian girl.

James O'Barr is heralded as a legendary comic icon whose masterpiece changed the face of the Goth subculture. He was the second American to be awarded the coveted "Storyteller Award" by the International Comic Festival held annually in Angoulême, France.

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James O'Barr

The Crow
James O'Barr \| The Crow comic book
Film and television
The Crow (1994) \| The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (1998 series) \| The Crow: Salvation (2000)
Wings of the Crow (2000 fan film) \| The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)
Music
The Crow soundtrack (1994) \| The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack (1996)
The Crow: Salvation soundtrack (2000)