Review by Comix
Cal McDonald has been shot, stabbed, bitten by creepy, grimy ghoulies, probably set on fire, and survived death itself, but now he’s facing something that many who have fought a horde of blood-sucking vampires rarely get to face. ANOTHER GODDAMN SERIES! That’s right, he’s back! After a nail-biting fight between Steve Niles’ two most beloved works, with which he promised one of them would not come back, fans have breathed a sigh of relief that Cal McDonald has risen to the top and left 30 Days of Night to die a warrior’s death. After taking the summer off, Cal McDonald has returned to the comic world with the newest mini-series Criminal Macabre: Eyes of Frankenstein, where the tough-talking detective has to help an old friend who eyes are literally rotting in his head.
If you haven’t been on the up and up with the series, Cal McDonald is dead… technically. Long story short, McDonald got super-crazy injured and his ghoul pal Moloch did some crazy, demon shit and made him a ghoul as well. While he was happy for his new lease on life, he inevitably got caught up in a “monster war,” which, to his disappointment, fizzled down to ghouls vs. vampires (aka, The Final Night story-arc), in which him and his pals came out the winners. This leads into Eyes of Frankenstein, where in the inaugural issue, McDonald is, well, pissed off. Not only is he still “dead,” he lost a good friend in the war, and the ghouls were still, for some mysterious reason, dying. As he propels himself once again into the strange world of the weird and spooky, he gets a call from a cop who needs his special “expertise.” Turns out a mysterious character has turned loose on a library and McDonald is the only one who can help. I won’t tell you who it is, but his name is in the title.
Eyes of Frankenstein is a solid welcome back for Criminal Macabre. It dives right back into the action without skipping a beat and really pays off on the long wait from the last story arc (comic industry politics unfortunately dictate it to not be an on-going series, but a collection of short works.) Personally, I’m excited for the Frankenstein spin, especially since this the same Frankenstein monster from a previous comic he worked on with the amazing Bernie Wrightson, titled Frankenstein Alive, Alive! Niles had always aimed to be faithful to the Mary Shelley version of Frankenstein’s monster and has managed to create a smart, empathetic creature that truly reflects the original author’s vision.
Steve Niles has also managed to write just a solid continuous story. Though new characters come and go, there is always the shifting tide of war just under Cal’s feet, giving Criminal Macabre an interesting layer of depth. With the addition of Frankenstein’s monster, it feels like the story is truly starting to catch flame and leads to fan speculation of bigger names appearing in upcoming arcs. I wouldn’t mind seeing Dracula, maybe Satan, or even, dare I say it, a Hellboy appearance? We can only hope. Also, let’s not forget the artist that is bringing this series together either.
Christopher “Kitten” Mitten adds his signature, sketch style art bringing the madness that is Criminal Macabre alive, giving us a plethora of eye-popping ghouls and monsters to drool over. Be sure to grab it!
Eyes of Frankenstein drops September 25 at your local comic book store!