CHAOS COMICS

Lady Death/Crow Vol #1

Crow Rating: 4 out of 5 Crows

Published: Due out September 2002, preview issue due out August 2002

Cover art: Romano Molenarr & Jay Fotos

Author/Artist:Written by Dan Jolley, pencils by Romanso Molenarr , inked by Walden Wong

Comic Overview
We are introduced to Lady Death and Michael Shaw, the new Crow avatar. Where the Crow/Razor crossover never seemed to give the reader a justifiable reason for the paring of Eric and Razor, here, we are given a premise that makes sense. Love, the catalyst for the Crow avatar, is something that Lady Death has little faith in. Her own history with this emotion has helped to mold this lack of faith. Michael Shaw is back for revenge, yet this time; it is more than just revenge that will be needed. That is why Lady Death enters the picture. There are boundaries to the avatar's power; someone who is not burdened with the catalyst of love can only cross those boundaries.

Personal Thoughts
Dan Jolley has offered up a very intriguing start to the Lady Death/Crow crossover. In the first volume the script is full of potential. Images that are spoken of, if fully brought to life through the artwork, will give Crow fans reason to believe again in comics being able to tell a good Crow story. The last crossover, Crow/Razor, failed to personalize the story and the Image Crow series sacrificed much of the personal story for a worldwide theme. Emphasize on the emotions is paramount when it comes to a Crow story. Jolley seems to have a grasp on this concept and gives the story plenty of it. He has expertly created a lot of the emotions through the use of flashbacks. These flashbacks, if fully realized through the artwork, will be a huge part of the story connecting with the comic readers.

All in all, the script is engaging and smart. If the images that go with it are even half as powerful as the script reads, we will finally get a post-KSP Crow comic that delivers!

(note: Cover photo courtesy of TwistedSpine, webmaster of the ChambeRoom)