At long last, Sumerian Comics has re-published The Crow: Dead Time, the lesser known 1996 follow-up to James O’Barr‘s The Crow comic that was one of the most successful independent comics of all time and inspired the cult 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee. O’Barr only has a story credit on the book with Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner and future art superstar Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Infamous Iron Man) handling the visuals in his first American comic book work. The Crow: Dead Time #1 isn’t an instant classic like its predecessor, but it shows the elasticity of The Crow concept and shows Maleev going from being an O’Barr to developing his own fine arts-meet-film noir style that would earn him two Eisners and make him one of Marvel and DC’s go-to pencillers in the 21st century.
The Crow: Dead Time #1 has a similar concept to the original Crow comic with a man being brought back from the dead to avenge the unjust murders of a loved one and gaining invulnerability thanks to the power of the Crow’s spirit. But, instead of an alternative rocker, James O’Barr, Wagner, and Alex Maleev resurrect a 19th century Native American farmer named Joshua who was killed by Confederate soldiers in the 1860s along with his wife and son and is back to take on a biker gang that bears a resemblance to them. In a bit of an awkward/”you can tell that this comic was written by two well-meaning white men” moment, Joshua is also a member of the Crow tribe. However, the evocation of the injustices done to the indigenous people of North America as well as how the Confederate army treated Black and indigenous folks during the Civil War creates a sense of pathos and multi-layered thirst for revenge. There aren’t song lyrics in Dead Time like there are in The Crow, but the lyrics “Imperalistic house of prayer/Conquistadors who took their share” to “Dead Souls” by Joy Division (Covered by Nine Inch Nails in the film soundtrack) that appeared in that comic definitely apply to this narrative, especially when the soldiers arrive at Joshua’s house to rape and murder his family.
The Crow: Dead Time #1 has a fragmented, dream-like tone that puts you in the shoes of a man whose suspended between the realm of the living and the dead. Wagner’s dialogue comes in starts and stops from the casual racism and cruelty of the bikers and Confederate soldiers to the agony that Joshua feels both in the past and present. This is all tied together by the directions of The Crow that helps Joshua make sense of his new reality and also helps readers get used to the new setting/avatar. I love that Dan Burr doesn’t use tails on his word balloons for the Crow’s speech showing that it’s just a voice inside Joshua’s head that makes the people around think he’s losing his marbles.
The Crow: Dead Time #1 is truly an immersive reading experience with Maleev using two distinct black and white art styles for the 1860s and the present. The present day reminded me a lot of James O’Barr’s artwork on the original Crow with a grindhouse type setting, play of light and shadows, and its protagonist having a muscular Iggy Pop/Peter Murphy type body that is ready for suffering. The 1860s are more like a black and white representation of Alex Maleev’s actual art style with realistic anatomy (Even for the horses!), but not in a stiff way. Maleev simulates motion through classic speed lines, bullet trails (When Joshua’s wife shoots one of the soldiers), Burr’s sound effects, and constantly changing camera angles and panel shapes.
Taking on the role skilled film editors, Alex Maleev, O’Barr, and Wagner splice in scenes from the past and present to make for a pleasing or powerful transition in the story. Probably, the best one is when horses transform into motorcycles, and Maleev uses white space to simulate the blinding headlights’ in the rain. There’s also an almost Gustave Dore-esque shot of Joshua being riddled with bullets juxtaposed with a hippie/Goth drug dealer getting shot to show the senseless nature of violence and might makes right hasn’t changed in the centuries. Not every sequence of scenes work, but cumulatively, they flesh out Joshua’s backstory and set up a cathartic revenge quest in the upcoming two issues.
The Crow: Dead Time #1 shows the power of black and white comics to tell emotionally resonant stories through captivating visuals from Alex Maleev and a serviceable script from John Wagner that brings the pain and grief-stricken vision of creator of James O’Barr to life. Those Lionsgate execs really should have adapted this story for their 2024 The Crow film instead of doing a retread of Eric Draven’s arc.
Story: James O’Barr Script: John Wagner
Art: Alexander Maleev Letters: Dan Burr
Story: 7.4 Art: 9.4 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy
Purchase: Zeus Comics
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