The Crow: Memento Mori #1 Review

The Crow: Memento Mori #1

Writer: Roberto Recchioni
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Colorist: Giovanni Niro
Letterer: Giovanni Marinovich
Publisher: IDW Wrestling

Review by Greg Brothers

The Crow is one of those franchises that has always been up and down. The original movie of course became a bit of a cult classic. Meanwhile, the sequels were less than spectacular. Much like the movies, the comic series have been hit and miss.

The Crow: Memento Mori #1 introduces us to David, who recently met his demise while he was an alter boy. Now that he has met his death, David has returned to seek out revenge.

Much like previous versions of the Crow, The Crow: Memento Mori has an undercurrent of religious themes throughout. The first four pages are filled with the classic darkness and rain that one would expect, with several religious quotes dispersed throughout. It is after the introduction that it is laid out what happened to David and how he came to possess the Crow persona and why he needs revenge.

The first half of The Crow: Memento Mori #1 is done perfectly. By the time I was half way through this book I was hooked. The introduction, the attack, and the mystery behind them all click. Unfortunately, the story was not able to keep its momentum beyond the halfway point. Nothing is established in the second half of the story that hooks the reader and leaves them wanting to come back for more.

The art overall in The Crow: Memento Mori fits the story. The art is dark and gritty with perfect use of shadows.

Verdict: Skip it.

I am going to be completely honest. As I read The Crow: Memento Mori #1, I had no idea what to say about this book. I have honestly never experienced a comic that had such a drop off from the beginning to the end of the book. All the things that went right in the first half were destroyed in the second half. By the end of the book, nothing is done to hook the reader and leave them wanting more.