Night Terror vs. The Crow ... Brothers in Arms?

Renowned comic creator James O'Barr published a wonderful story in 1989 that became and continues to be an icon in the entertainment industry. The Crow tells the story of Eric Draven, a musician who, along with his fiance, is murdered and returns from the dead to bring justice to the guilty. "True love never dies" became the tagline for that tale which was made into a major motion picture in 1994 starring Brandon Lee, son of legendary Kung Fu movie star Bruce Lee. Brandon's tragic death on the set (killed by a dummy bullet lodged in a prop gun that was fired into his abdomen) added a sense of true sorrow to this tragic tale that became a critical and commercial success and spawned numerous sequels, a television series and dozens of books. Plans are now underway to relaunch the movie with a new cast and story, no doubt only adding to the overwhelming success of the series. Since the release of the original film, many other movies have explored the possibilities of life after death, i.e. of a murdered spirit returning to the land of the living to seek justice and/or tie up loose ends. The commercial success of Ghost (1990) starring Patrick Swayze is just one example of such tales. And who among us who watched Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense (1999) will ever forget the emotional rush we felt when his true identity was revealed? The success of ghostly characters can be attributed to many things ... we all eventually lose someone we love. The grief of letting go and accepting that person to be gone forever is more sorrow than anyone can digest without suffering long-lasting sorrow. So in our efforts to cope, we like to believe that departed person still exists, lingering in their familiar places to offer a word of hope or compassion when our life burdens become too heavy for us to bear. And in that glimmer of acceptance, we also wonder if those whose lives were taken wrongfully and never resolved can rest in peace? If they cannot, what can they do about it? While I originally developed the concept for The Night Terror (the avenger from beyond the grave in my book, I Know Why the Dogwoods Blush) as a teenager in "pre-Crow" 1973, I had certainly already been exposed to such characters by that time. A particularly compelling episode of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone (1962) starring Lee Marvin dealt with a bounty hunter in the old west fearful of the dying threats of a gunman. Comic characters like The Spectre, The Phantom and The Spirit either dealt with an actual ghost hero or a man who wanted his enemies to believe he was a ghost to provide a psychological edge. While countless characters have used the "return from the dead" premise, I always think of O'Barr's Eric Draven, aka The Crow, as the type of character I intended for Jeremiah Bronson in Dogwoods Blush. In both cases while the avenger himself is a weapon of unstoppable vengeance, his motive is much less sinister ... true love never dies ... it continues to grow and evolve even when the body no longer exists. When my good friend George Roussos passed away in 2000, I was comforted by a story that surmised the possibility that finding a penny on the street was a sign that a loved one in heaven was thinking of you and wanted to let you know. As a result, every time I find a penny on the ground I pick it up, look skyward and say, "Thanks, George. I miss you, too." Do I really believe that George left me that penny? No, but it does prove one thing ... true love never dies. For people like George, my Mom, grandmother and countless friends and family members who have passed on before me, my love remains unchanged. I believe that's what James O'Barr felt when he penned The Crow and that's absolutely what I felt when I unleashed Jeremiah Bronson on the land of the living in Dogwoods Blush. The two characters may be vastly different in many ways but they have one thing very much in common ... the body may die, but the love in our hearts goes on and on. Hey, wasn't there a Celine Dion song about that?