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A review by jdhacker
The Crow: Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams by James O'Barr
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A more iconic collection of 90s angst and goth would be difficult to imagine. With contributors ranging from the creator of the Crow himself (James O'Barr, maybe you'll come back home to the mitt now that Texas can't keep the power on?) who is also editing, to obvious genre fans from the musical world like Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop (with music being such an important factor in the Crow's film success), to some of the biggest names in genre fiction at the time. The one glaring omission in terms of contributors I would have liked to see was Michael Moorcock, conspicuous not just by his absence, but by the fact that he is mentioned in the introduction and a multitude of the contributors have connections to him. It would have been interesting to see his take on Crow, given that in many ways the Crow's greatest weapon is fear and rage, some of the things the black sword personifies.
This collection had the feel of the best of the 'zines from this era...a mix of poetry, art, and short fiction raw and sometimes over-the-top in its descent into self-indulgent angst, depression, and rage. And I mean that in the best possible way. Thoroughly enjoyable. My only complaint is that it doesn't feel much like a Crow collection? There are some great Crow stories here: obviously O'Barr's 'Spooky, Codeine, and the Deadman', Nancy Collins' 'Variations on a Theme', Alan Dean Foster's 'Procrastinator', Rick Reed's 'Moving Towards the Light', Charles de Lint's 'China Doll', and John Shirley's 'Wings Burnt Black'. But they're in the minority. By and large, while there are some amazing pieces here like A.A. Attanasio's 'Hellbent', Rex Miller's 'Spike Team', Christopher Golden's 'Lament for the Gunwitch', S.P. Somtow's 'Red as Jade', Edward Bryant's 'Shuttlecock', and Chet Williamson's 'Blood-Red Sea' the majority of the fiction, poetry, and art isn't really Crow related other than fitting the general 'feel' of the era. Or as the kids might say these days, 'the vibe'. It contributes to the sense that this is a novel length 'zine of the time, with contributors far above what a zine generally would have been able to draw.
A good collection, just know going in that Crow material is limited.
This collection had the feel of the best of the 'zines from this era...a mix of poetry, art, and short fiction raw and sometimes over-the-top in its descent into self-indulgent angst, depression, and rage. And I mean that in the best possible way. Thoroughly enjoyable. My only complaint is that it doesn't feel much like a Crow collection? There are some great Crow stories here: obviously O'Barr's 'Spooky, Codeine, and the Deadman', Nancy Collins' 'Variations on a Theme', Alan Dean Foster's 'Procrastinator', Rick Reed's 'Moving Towards the Light', Charles de Lint's 'China Doll', and John Shirley's 'Wings Burnt Black'. But they're in the minority. By and large, while there are some amazing pieces here like A.A. Attanasio's 'Hellbent', Rex Miller's 'Spike Team', Christopher Golden's 'Lament for the Gunwitch', S.P. Somtow's 'Red as Jade', Edward Bryant's 'Shuttlecock', and Chet Williamson's 'Blood-Red Sea' the majority of the fiction, poetry, and art isn't really Crow related other than fitting the general 'feel' of the era. Or as the kids might say these days, 'the vibe'. It contributes to the sense that this is a novel length 'zine of the time, with contributors far above what a zine generally would have been able to draw.
A good collection, just know going in that Crow material is limited.