Movie Update
As we have been sure to point out, and Moviehole.com confirmed recently, there are no plans to drop "The Crow" from the Wicked Prayer promotion in the states. All this fuss was started when the overseas poster was unveiled. It does not contain the words "The Crow" in it. Fans assumed this meant the stateside release would follow the same promotion. The Crow shall fly with Wicked Prayer.

There was some recent talk over at the ChambeRoom that we could see a trailer for Wicked Prayer attached to possibly Kill Bill 2 and/or Jersey Girl in February and March of 2004. Both of these are Miramax releases, so would make sense. However, the latest Crow film will not be delivered to Miramax/Dimension until mid February. With the release of Kill Bill 2 being February 20th, this trailer information may not pan out. Possibly, they may have a short teaser type of trailer. Given that the film won't be delivered to Miramax/Dimension until mid February, there wouldn't seem to be enough time to create a substantial trailer. We will just have to wait and see. For sure, do not expect the film to be released until mid or late summer of 2004. All indications are it will be a theatrical release. We caution everyone to take this news with the usual grain of salt. As we learned with Salvation, promises of a theatrical release are not a guarantee. Wicked Prayer making it to the theater will depend on the success of early screenings and the confidence Miramax/Dimension has in the film (all indications are at this point, confidence is VERY high). As always, we will stay on top of this and other information in regard to Wicked Prayer. Make sure to check out our Crow 4 section which has every single update ever posted on the film, a long with a cast listing and character glossary. Also, you will find our very positive review of the international trailer as well as the script. Both of these are exclusive to ABaHB.

Merchandise
Merchandise continues to flourish for The Crow. Fans of the comic have been treated to some fantastic items created by DragonFly Productions. You need to get over and check them out. Their latest statuette, Dance of the Dead, is a beauty. They will be at Megacon (which starts March 5th) along with James O'Barr. We HIGHLY recommend you check out their booth. Also, we have another fan contest in the works for more items from Dragonfly, so keep a look out for that. We have heard nothing but praise from our winners of the last contest.

The folks over at CrowFanClub continue to offer fantastic items officially endorsed by James. They continue to have a sale on a lot of their items in stock. Now is the time to take advantage of some fantastic bargains CrowFanClub is offering. Not only merchandise, CrowFanClub offers a direct link to The Crow creator James O'Barr, so keep up with them for updates directly from James. They will be announcing the winners of the Croween 2k3 on January 15th. Some fantastic prizes are on the line. Also, look for an announcement from them that is said to be BIG!

Dynamic Forces and NECA continue to offer quality Crow items, with more planned for the coming year.

As far as merchandise directly related to the newest Crow movie, Wicked Prayer, no official news on that yet. Salvation was tremendously under-promoted through merchandise. Hopefully fans are given more in the line of merchandise this time around.

Books & Comics
Not a lot of news to report on the book and comic front. Everyone is aware of the failed crossover Crow/Lady Death comic series. Other than that, there has been no word on another Crow comic, either standalone or crossover. There is the hope that the latest Crow movie will have a comic adaptation, but nothing substantial to report at this time in that arena. Same goes for novels. The only real possibility of anything new on that front would be an adaptation of the Wicked Prayer script, which differs substantially from the book it is based on. The possibility of the Harper series of novels being republished is always lurking in the dark. Jeff Conner, the editor of Top Dollar (the printing house for Pressman Films), has moved on to another company so there is some transition taking place in that area. We will keep up with things on the print side and let you know anything we learn.

TV & Animated Crow
There continues to be talk of coming up with another Crow TV series, though the prospects of that happening in 2004 is very unlikely. For certain, an Eric Draven led storyline for such a series is not part of the discussion. Once there is something of substance to report, we will let you know.

On the animated front, it moves VERY slow as it has in previous years. Heavy Metal still has the rights to create the series, with some input from James, but the project is just not on the top of the priority list (when it ever will, who knows). We hope that 2004 brings more substantial movement for this long in the work project (FYI, the Crow animated project has been talked about since 1994, so perhaps, 10 years down the road, we might see something happen).

State of the Crow & Final Thoughts
So what does all this mean? Will we see resurgence in the franchise we have followed for 10 years? Personally, I feel Wicked Prayer can breathe new life back into this once proud franchise. Is it the "second coming", so to speak, that will totally save the day? No, it will take more than just a great movie to do that. However, it firmly places the franchise in a position to regain the respect it has lost through the years.

We look towards 2004 with a sense of hope, something we haven't looked forward to for some time. It is my hope the fan base becomes more involved than in previous years. We have become a bit lazy in our support for this franchise. We need to be vocal and let the folks at Miramax know that there is a pulse out here and that it is alive and well. So as you look toward 2004 and the hope of the new movie, look for ways that you and I, the average fan out there, can make a difference.

We hope that you and your family have a safe ringing in of the New Year. I hope and pray that 2004 is a safe year for you and that it is a prosperous one for you. It has been a distinct pleasure and honor to work with Irony these past 8 years and I look forward to another 8 years of service to you, our fellow fans. This thing we call ABaHB could not and would not survive without the continued support we receive from our loyal visitors, some who have been with us all these 8 years. I thank you for your input and your friendship. Here is a toast that we continue this great relationship in 2004 and the best is yet to be.

Take care…..LLcruize