Every franchise has a bad period, The Crow is facing the best of its entire life. This could go both ways, however, the future could put the nail in the coffin of The Crow franchise, or with the positive and open-minded nature of Crow Fans, The Crow could last a long time. Though, despite a lot of franchises out there, The Crow has one thing that they don’t – creativity. No matter what the medium, be it novels, comics, movies or even television, The Crow draws in a large creative force. Many franchises are solely based on money, and it would be naive to think The Crow isn’t, but not in the sense where a movie is commissioned just for its monetary value. You probably won’t find Crow figurines at McDonalds.

Let’s start with Kitchen Sink Press. When they closed down back in December of ’98, they left some Crow projects hanging. These Crow projects were basically completed and are more than likely sitting in a drawer never to be seen again. However, there’s always a chance. Here’s a little look at what might have been:

"James O'Barr's The Crow features a story by sci-fi author John J. Miller, who contributed to the popular Wild Cards novel series, Millar tells the tale of Dreux Dumaine, the world's newest Crow. Look for it in March" - The Crow Demon in Disguise

If you look through your collection of Crow comics, you’ll find an advertisement for this. The story was about a rock star in New Orleans who becomes the new Crow, the pages were done and the future of the series was set out. Unfortunately, Kitchen Sink was not. Which brings me to my next point. The Crow: Collector’s Edition. Solid gold to anyone who loves the original comics (you’re not a die-hard fan if you don’t!) and this director’s cut was so close to being published, you could taste it. The very month, almost on the day it was to be published, Kitchen Sink announced their downsizing and the collector’s edition was not to be. This project may take flight soon, but it’s all a matter of crossing your fingers.

The future of The Crow lies in Salvation. There is very little doubt about that. And from all that we know about Salvation (which is pretty much everything) the movie shouldn’t disappoint. There are some factors that could spoil it, and that is closed minded Crow Fans who only care for the first movie, or if the movie itself is generally bad. Hopefully, these two are unlikely, but the best thing anyone can do is just go to the cinema with an open mind. If this movie isn’t very powerful, then any chance of a fourth movie could be on its knees. Then again, there’s that rumour of a ‘rapper crow’ but that seems terribly unlikely. File that one with the female 3^rd Crow movie and Rob Zombie’s 2037 for now. So if all goes well, Salvation can deliver, don’t be afraid of new things and enjoy all Crow projects.

And where can The Crow go from here? As previously mentioned, The Crow carries an unstoppable creative force that pulls in writers and film makers from all walks of life. 2000 itself will be the year to watch. With the advent of Salvation, merchandise, comics and novels will follow, if the reaction is positive, Stairway to Heaven might have the response it needs to make a comeback to the small screen. So, with the outlook over the year, 2000 will be the year of The Crow