Location: Booth 1221
Writer, Award-winning creator of The Crow
James O’Barr is the award-winning creator of The Crow, and writer of the two hit series Curare and Skinning the Wolves from IDW Publishing.
James likes to lament that he was born in a trailer in Detroit just in time to see Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy die, but claims no responsibility for either. He spent his first seven years in an orphanage and foster care where he spent most of his time drawing. When he was adopted, he brought along his crayons and has been using them ever since.
While stationed in Berlin in the late 70’s, he created The Crow as an attempt to deal with the death of his fiancée at the hands of a drunk driver. It took nearly ten years to finish and no publisher was interested in it (“too gloomy, too confusing”) until, on a whim, Caliber published the first issue in 1989. It is currently the best-selling independent black-and-white graphic novel of all time with over one million copies sold.
In 1993, his book was adapted into the cult film of the same name starring Brandon Lee. He would like you to know that nearly all of the money made from the film was donated to children’s charities and he had nothing to do with the subsequent 3 sequels or TV show, but is currently a consultant on the new Crow movie in theatres this August.
James has worked for every major publisher. In Italy, 1995, he won the Academy Award for Comics and the Yellow Kid Award for Best Storyteller.
Recently returned from a record-breaking signing tour for the Italian Edition of The Crow, his most recent book is James O’Barr: Uncoffined, a new sketchbook from Eva Ink Publishing.
