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A Boy and His Bird News December 1999
 December 31st, 1999 (New Year's Eve Special) 1999, the worst year for The Crow? or, The Year The Crow Was Cancelled Web sites, magazines and Crow Fans across the world touted 1999 as ‘The Year of The Crow,’ but 1999 wasn’t the bed of roses it was made out to be. Certainly, things have happened for the benefit of Crow Fans, Salvation finally came through and the franchise has had another chance to live and breathe again. However, 1999 became a year in which The Crow was cancelled in nearly every medium. So begins, 1999… The December of 1998 saw the end of Kitchen Sink comics, where projects that were so close to being published never made it. Crow Fans were about to delight to the uncovered Crow pages of the original comics in one hardcover and a new beginning was set for Kitchen Sink. The Crow, by Kitchen Sink, never saw the light of 1999, as these projects were shelved. But more about them tomorrow. Things weren’t totally wrong, some Fans cringed and some fans enjoyed the idea of Image comics picking up the rights to The Crow and being able to publish comics and develop action figures. Die-hard fans felt that Todd McFarlane (the man who picked up the Crow rights for his company) would publicise The Crow just for his commercial benefit, like the Spawn comics under his name. This would almost ring true later in 1999. Rumours swirled about the release of the new comics, most claimed the comics were based on the hit television show ‘The Crow: Stairway to Heaven,’ but the comics focused on a merging of the Eric Draven Crow and the movie version. Fans took to the series, the first issue had two variant covers which sold out in the space of a day. The dark colouring and familiar story saw fans enjoying the run, though there was a sales decrease. The comic began to lose the interest of the fans at large and Todd McFarlane’s ‘Goth loving’ phase was over, as low sales and disinterest by Todd himself saw the demise of the title in November. Todd axed the comics just after the San Diego Comic Con. Back to January, and Stairway to Heaven grew a Crow fan base large enough to match that of the movies. And what killed off this series? On June 3rd, Universal pulled the plug on Stairway to Heaven, people claiming that on April 20th, when two students shot their way through their school in Colorado, Universal began to pluck the more violent shows out of their slate. Other rumours were of financial difficulties, but what ever you believe, the decision was made from a higher source than the producers of the show. "This is the post I have never wanted to write. I was told this morning that Universal has decided not to continue the series. I'm sure it boils down to financial issues, not creative ones." – Bryce Zabel Incidentally, at the San Diego comic con, producer Ed Pressman told audiences that he was trying to buy the rights back from Universal and start again with other backers. But would this work? The actors were gone and so were the sets. Bryce Zabel shot down the rumours claiming he hadn’t heard anything of this. Possibly, this rumour can be stored with the ‘female Crow’ and ‘Crow through history’ ideas. Time will tell. Two down, one to go. Once again, in January, reports flew in of a director and actors for the new movie, which was beginning to shoot only one month away! Fan reaction around the world (and until this, there hadn’t been much communication through web sites or magazines) buzzed, who was Eric Mabius? Many hired out his old movies to take a look at the new Crow, but most people still ask the same question they do today – ‘when is Rob Zombie’s 2037 coming out?’ People hung onto their seats for a October 31st 1999 release, but this was not to be. Salvation was pushed back further and further, despite the movie being finished in mid year. Even today the movie is being pushed back. James O’Barr has claimed he loves the movie and preview audiences seemed to enjoy it. But all we regular Crow Fans can do is wait. ABaHB Articles I'm Irony Despair, see you in the new year, decade, millennium. December 30th, 1999 By 1996, the hype for the first movie was slowly beginning to simmer, as the casual fans made way for the true, hard-core fans that we see today. Yet City of Angels failed to touch the hearts of the hard-core fans it was supposed to. With early reported disappointment from the producers and a negative fan reaction, The Crow was not the powerful franchise it once was, but still remained a vast audience of loyal viewers of the comics, first film and many Brandon Lee fans who felt that he was The Crow. The Crow can’t succeed with the competition it received from the fans wanting a figure like Brandon back in the title role, yet the fate of The Crow didn’t lie just with City of Angels. The comics at the time were published by a small company called ‘Kitchen Sink’ who produced mini-series by mini-series of The Crow, each unique in their own way, and fans found a true creative outlet for The Crow, rather than falling to the hype of City of Angels. Things were good, City of Angels still made good money, the comics sold well, merchandise was better than ever and the producers started talking of new projects for a third movie, such as a female Crow, or even a Crow series in history. The producers had earlier been asked to do a series based on the first movie, and felt that it would be a wrong thing to do, but this tone was soon lightened in early 1997. 1997 saw things go smoothly for The Crow. There were no major upsets and the comics were selling fine. Though a musician who just returned from tour began writing a third Crow film, with his own brand of horror. This man was Rob Zombie. His story of a boy and his parents being killed by a Satanic priest in a wasteland future won the hearts of producers, but some thought otherwise. The movie, titled ‘The Crow: World of Gods and Monsters’ (later called ‘The Crow: 2037) touted a nameless bounty hunter Crow, wandering into town and eventually climaxing with a war between heaven and hell. 1998 put and end to that. In April 1998, the writer of the ‘Millennium’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ writer Chip Johannessen wrote a script (from a story by co-producer Matt Greenberg) which turned the favour of the Crow producers and just when Rob Zombie was scouting for locations in Prague for 2037, the producers slit the throat of 2037. (They tried to kick Zombie into the project ‘Black Rider X,’ which was the same script, but using different names. Zombie has stated that won’t happen.) "He (Rob Zombie) said that the whole thing was "a disaster" And a small television series named The Crow: Stairway to Heaven began leaking teaser posters and pictures onto the Internet with a mixed fan reaction. Was Mark Dacascos going to be just a Brandon Lee wannabe? Was the series going to work? Thankfully, the preview screenings of the series met with a healthy fan reaction, mostly saying it was a lot like the ‘X-Files.’ The series sprung into televisions and the show built itself a massive fan base, and the ratings were looking good for the show. Producers were finally happy, they had a successful show, a soon to be made movie and the comics weren’t doing too badly. December 29th, 1999 A police detective enlists the aid of The Crow to investigate the murder of a child. The evidence overwhelmingly points to the detective's estranged son who was abused by his stepfather and has a violent past. Will The Crow find further evidence to free the boy or will he uncover more clues linking him the murder? Step into the muted world of the undead Crow in his quest for retribution. The Crow fans will also enjoy interviews and pictorials with actors from the third movie, Salvation and photos and quotes from other Crow fans. 56 pages, $4.95. Coming in April Thanks to; Comic Book Continuum Past, Present and Future! December 28th, 1999 Thanks to: Crow's Nest and JP December 27th, 1999 December 26th, 1999 (Christmas Aftermath) Well, the latest Crow poll has completed. Each week the number of responses keeps increasing, keep it up! It looks like everyone would like to see Eric rest in peace. Over 60% of you said his story was complete. Over 30% wanted another movie with the same characters from the first movie. For a time early in the week, the people wanting a sequel were way ahead of those wanting Eric to rest. For sure I was surprised to see that (though myself, I did vote for a sequel). But the numbers flip flopped once the middle of the week hit. There were 8% that did not care either way. Thanks for responding to the poll. The new one is out there, waiting for your reply. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, and God bless each of your families. LLcruize December 25th, 1999 (Christmas Day Special) From all of us here at the hardest working Crow site on the net, have a fantastic Christmas and remember to come back soon for some more juicy Crow News! Crow Collected NOTE: Due out in March thanks to: CSN December 24th, 1999 (Christmas Eve Special) With instalment three of The Crow series, Salvation, due out in March, talk of a fourth Crow movie is already in the air. For a long time rumours have held that James O'Barr would pen the fourth script but it is as yet unconfirmed, as are stories stating the plot of the film will revolve around the death of a gangsta rapper, a character possibly inspired by Tupac Shakur. Thanks to: Cinescape Fan Fiction December 23rd, 1999 December 22nd, 1999 Just got back and I'm sorting out everything here at the moment, but tomorrow, there is going to be some fantastic Fan Fiction, other updates and news, so come back very soon for that, though in the meantime, chew on this page of the Salvation Script! December 21st, 1999 (Holiday Special #10) December 20th, 1999 (Holiday Special #9) December 19th, 1999 (Holiday Special #8) 28 Apr........The Crow: Salvation - third installment with Eric Mabius & Kirsten Dunst ABaHB Poll Results December 18th, 1999 (Holiday Special #7) I've been looking for the fangoria magazine with the Salvation article, no luck yet. I was in Barnes and Noble and found this magazine called Cinefantastique cause it said The Crow 3 on the cover, it has Tom Hanks and Stephen King pictured on the front btw. 2 new pics one of Kirsten Dunst and a new pic of Eric Mabius posing with the crow bird on his shoulder, pretty cool. It also has a 2 page article and mentions interesting stuff like that Mabius admitted he never saw COA , the director asked him not to. Those of us who have read the Image comic books know that the first role Mabius ever auditioned for was in The Crow. He revealed he was glad he didnt get the part cause that part was the one who actually shot Brandon Lee. Its a cool read. Theres a little more in it, such as the release date is March 3rd. O’Barr’s Original Sins (published Dec 99) Sins is comprised of a two-part story, written and drawn by James O’Barr, entitled, "Silo". Barbed Wire Halo Studios originally published the story in 1989. Silo follows a day in the life of a semi-futuristic U.S. Army troop headed across a jungle terrain. The enemy is a robotic looking Russian Army. Silo follows the plight of 5 members of this U.S. troop who, despite their very obvious differences, are brought together to fight a common foe. Can these misfits overcome personal and physical restraints to overtake the Russian Army? Or will they become headstones in an Army graveyard somewhere? Also included in the comic is a Crow gallery of previously unpublished of drawings by O’Barr dating from 1993 through 1994. Personal Thoughts This story, by James O’Barr, is very different from The Crow. I think that is what I like about it. Although the O’Barr touch is evident in the storyboards, the premise is totally different from that which we normally equate with him. O’Barr has ventured into territory, which obviously necessitated him to call upon his knowledge of Army life and lingo. This is evident in the dialogue between the characters and the detailed storyboards. At times, it is difficult to keep up with the characters. The story follows an afternoon trek that takes the characters into harms way, to a confrontation with the enemy. There is no time period specified in the story. Readers are presented with images from the past, present, and future. Given the shortness of the story, it makes you wonder if there is more to come. Possibly future Sins volumes? The comic also contains a Crow gallery of 7 drawings, not previously seen. In one of the drawings, the subject has a very strong resemblance to Eric, from The Crow film. The others tend have more of the look and feel of Eric in the graphic novel. My only complaint, with the comic, is that the ink and paper used makes some of the story boards hard to see, and, especially in the Crow gallery, takes away from the quality of the work. Other than that, I enjoyed this issue of Sins and hope that there will be others. December 17th, 1999 (Holiday Special #6) Crow 4 Rumblings Here is a scoop on the 4th Crow film (thats right, Salvation isn't out, but already talk about the 4th one is buzzing) that Hangman pointed us to from the movie site, Corona: December 16th, 1999 - As Paula Guran reports in the tasty Dark Echo newsletter, a long with word about the 3rd installment in the franchise, talk is already out about a 4th film "If there is a 4th 'The Crow' movie, it MAY be loosely based on the death of a gangsta rapper (shadows of Tupac), and would feature a 'Hip Hop' Crow..." Other word about future franchises over at Comics2Film said that not only would they be able to show a Crow in almost any time period, but that O'Barr himself would screenwriter this project. Whether any of this has changed as a result of recent revealings remains to be seen, and let's not forget one thing-if the 3rd Crow takes at the box office, then it may not be able to bring itself back from the dead. {Originally appeared in Darkecho, Comics2Film; reported by Widgett} Three things to keep in mind with this scoop from Corona. It has long been rumored that O'Barr would script the 4th installment of The Crow (he was also rumored to be doing the 3rd movie, which did not pan out). As far as the reference to the avatar being a gangsta rapper, according to O'Barr's book "Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams", his short story contained in the book, "Spooky, Codiene" is/would be the basis for a Crow script he was working on. Yet the story is not about a gangsta rapper. So, along with all the rumors, we will have to wait and see on this one. The fact that a 4th film is already being considered is actually old news. Back in March of 1999, while the 3rd film was still shooting, Jeff Connor stated during a radio interview that a fourth film was a foregone conclusion. So, the box office may not determine the fate of a 4th film. Connor's statement back in March would lead us to think a 4th movie will happen no matter what Salvation does at the box office.......Take care LLcruize ABaHB Problems December 16th, 1999 (Holiday Special #5) Technical Difficulties December 15th, 1999 (Holiday Special #4) December 14th, 1999 (Holiday Special #3) Science Fiction 2000 #2 December 13th, 1999 (Holiday Special #2) A new series of script pages is starting up, check back soon for regular updates as usual! Be aware that the next series is full of spoilers, but for those who just can't wait, click here! December 12th, 1999 (Holiday Special #1) December 11th, 1999 Crow on TV Crow Rants #4 December 10th, 1999 Poll Results A Murder... A Murder of Crows December 9th, 1999 December 8th, 1999 Fan Fiction Crow on TV Thanks to: Comic Continuum December 7th, 1999 SALVATION NEWS: December 6th, 1999 More of the stark world of The Crow is revealed and collected in this second volume. The tale of The Crow's vengeance unfurls to create a series of underlying sub. This volume collects issues #4 as well as #7 through #10. 120 pages, $10.95. TODD MCFARLANE PRESENTS: THE CROW MAGAZINE #2 Written by Jon J Muth, art by Jamie Tolagson and Tommy Lee Edwards, colored by Mark Nicholas, cover by Ashley Wood. Vengeance walks among the graves as The Crow seeks answers to violent questions. In this edition of The Crow magazine, Jon J Muth, Jamie Tolagson and Tommy Lee Edwards create another leg of The Crow's journey to revenge and redemption. Laid out in a stark world of muted colors, The Crow must feel the pain of the past as well as mete out the suffering of the future. Fans of The Crow will also enjoy the information from the making of the third Crow movie, including exclusive interviews of the cast and crew. 56 pages, $4.95. Thanks to: The Comics Continuum December 5th, 1999 The Crow: Ashes to Ashes; part 2, Book 10 (published Nov 99) Story Premise Story written by Jon J Muth, and John Kuramoto. Cover drawn by Simon Davis. Pencil and ink illustrations by Paul Lee. Shelly’s remains have been stolen from the cemetery. Eric is in search of the people responsible for this horrendous act of thievery. His pursuit leads him to a man referred to by some as Mr. Dark. A man who, even without eyes, has considerable insight into human suffering and pain. Mr. Dark has given parts of Shelly’s body to certain individuals. The only way for Eric to get back the body of his eternal love is to kill these individuals. Eric’s quest culminates in a final showdown that helps put an end to his thirst to set the wrong things right and opens the way to him being reunited with Shelly. Personal Thoughts Volume 10 completes the longest running comic adaptation of the Eric Draven story. What started out, in Volume 1, as a compelling tale of revenge and retribution ends with considerably less force in Volume 10. The final story arc seems a bit rushed. Perhaps another volume would have allowed the writers to put a more satisfactory closure to the story. Except for the first story arc, which used 3 volumes, all of the story arcs were completed in 2 volumes. Three volumes would have given more justice to each storyline. It almost seems that Image decided that 10 volumes would be the limit, no matter how much it compromised the stories. This is unfortunate. Although I have nothing against the artists used to illustrate many of the 10 volumes, I felt that the work of artist Jamie Tolagson was, by far, the best. He seemed to have more depth and feeling in his drawings. For me, a perfect scenario would have been Tolagson doing the storyboards and Simon Davis doing all the covers (by the way, his cover for volume 10 is the best of the series) for the entire series. Jon Muth did an excellent job giving us an alternate view of the Eric Draven story. His writing talent along with John Kuramoto’s, in the final volumes, meshed very well. Overall, I enjoyed the series, but given the things I mentioned, it could have been stronger. This final volume contains no Salvation article or interview. However, there are more pictures to whet our appetite for the movie. The question now is: Who, next, will pick up the Crow mantle in the comics? O’Barr is working on a 6 volume story, so that may be our next opportunity to enjoy more about the world of The Crow. Check out the rest of the Reviews here! December 4th, 1999 6. CROW (Movie Maniacs-McFarlane Toys) If you need proof that toys can be art, look no further. It's kinda eerie how well this toy captures the late Brandon Lee. Poll Article December 3rd, 1999 We will be reprinting the comics in a magazine format. There will some news from Pressman Films on their films and such, but for the most part it will be reprints for the mass market. SOON: More on the magazine and the action figure! December 2nd, 1999 NOTE: this poster is a re-issuing of the Ashe Corven poster that is of his face. THE CROW SPLIT IMAGE POSTER There are two sides to everyone, and that even includes the people who are brought back from the dead. Get this full-color poster that features a 'happier' and more pensive Crow. This is a great moody poster showing the true spirit of this modern-day hero! NOTE: This poster is a re-issuing of the poster with a crouching Brandon Lee and a smiling Brandon imposed behind him These items are subject to change, but should ship no later than 90 days after their release date. Crow on eBay Crow items are being sold on eBay and any Crow Fan should not miss it! "I'm auctioning off a ton of Caliber CROW comics on EBAY. December 1st, 1999 On the Salvation front, check out the Salvation page with the most Salvation pics on the internet and the largest Salvation news data base! All you need to know is there! Want to recollect The Crow: 2037/World of Gods and Monsters? Well, check out ABaHB's Crow 2037 section with the official pin Rob Zombie was giving out as a promotional item! A bit behind in Crow News? Well, visit ABaHB's Q and A section, which is updated regularly on everything from STH to the comics! Still not satisfied? Then you can always ask us a question or just say hi at abahb@xoommail.com or get to me at irony_despair@hotmail.com either way, we're sure we can answer any one of your Crow related questions! Reviews from every form of Crow media, including comics, novels, movies and music is what you want? Go to the Crow Reflections section, where just about everything you could possibly want on The Crow is reviewed! Give it a look over! Not enough for you yet?? Then go to ABaHB's Discussion Board and have a chat with some of the delightful Crow Fans that dwell within, everyone is always wanting to hear from a new Crow Fan! Looking for old news? Then go to the Archives section of ABaHB, where the largest database of Crow News is found on the planet, dating back to '96! Want to read up on some though provoking articles? Glad you asked, because A Boy and His Bird is proud of it's 'Winged Messenger' section! Inside lies the thoughts of ABaHB's writing staff. The latest articles can be accessed through the top of the News Page! |
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