Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery

Series · 8 books · 2004-2014

By Kyle Hotz, Tim Bradstreet, Eric Powell, and more

Books in series

Criminal Macabre

2004

Steve Niles is the writer of the hit comic 30 Days of Night and the Cal McDonald horror/noir novels, Savage Membrane and Guns, Drugs and Monsters. Niles is also the writer of the monthly comic book Dark Days for IDW Publishing. Steve got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited, and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison. He has also worked as a writer for Todd MacFarlane Productions and Image comics, creating the series Fused, and contributing to titles such as The Dark Ages, Hellspawn, and most recently 9-11: Artists Respond.

Last Train to Deadsville

2005

Supernatural private eye Cal McDonald thinks he's seen it all, at least until a couple of rampaging rednecks bust through his door hootin' about demonic possessions. Thus begins Cal's most spine-chilling (and side-splitting) case yet, as these Beverly Hellbillies take him down a trail of terror into the heart of a Southern California backwater brimming with monsters and mullets. Can Cal and his living-dead partner Mo'Lock save an entire town from the nastiest spirit this side of the river Styx? Will Cal's girlfriend Sabrina forgive him for forgetting Valentine's Day before they're overcome by a demonic horde? And just how did little Billy Ray end up with a portal to Hell in his bedroom? All will be revealed in this collection courtesy of uber-scribe Steve Niles and fantastically frightful art-meister Kelley Jones.

Criminal Macabre

Supernatural Freak Machine

2007

Escaped mad doctors and possessed muscle cars are all in a day's work for supernatural investigator Cal McDonald and his undead sidekick Mo'Lock. When an old enemy Cal sent to prison escapes, his sights are set on exacting cold revenge on the guy who put him there. And it looks like he'll have to cut through everyone Cal loves to get to him . . . perfect!? Cal knows what he's up against, and he's hardly batting an eye. He's already put this guy away once, and it's not like prison makes people bitter, right? And besides - things are looking up. He's even got a new car to brag about - a spiffy 1973 Nova. Too bad the guy who died in the car before Cal bought it has no intention of leaving!

Criminal Macabre

Two Red Eyes

2007

Cal McDonald, boozer, druggie, private dick who hangs with dead dudes - welcome to Rock Bottom. Your only friend in the human world is dead, your girlfriend just dumped you and moved to another city, and the district attorney has a chip on his shoulder the size of a Chevy Nova with your name on it. When that chip turns into a nasty case of police brutality, Cal ends up fighting for his life in the intensive care unit and wakes up days later... sober. And what's Cal been missing since he went under? Only the most horrifying convergence of sheer monster power ever to emigrate from the old world. Cal McDonald, meet Nosferatu.

Criminal Macabre

My Demon Baby

2008

To say that Cal's been through hell and back would be a misstatement. He's been to hell, all right, and he seems to be stuck there for good. When we last checked in on Cal, he and Mo'Lock had just witnessed the vile, horrifying transformation of Cal's lovely ex, Sabrina Lynch, into a minion of the vampire Nosferatu. After that Cal disappeared for a bit, and at the start of our new series, Mo'Lock finds him just in time to lure him off the filthy couch in an abandoned house with an offer he can't refuse - either he gets up and takes a new case, or Mo'Lock will kill him before the drugs can. And what a case it is. Devil worshippers in sunny SoCal are doing their best to bring Satan into the world, and by the looks of things, Cal's already too late. What does one feed a bouncing baby Beezlebub, anyway?

Criminal Macabre

Cell Block 666

2009

Cal McDonald faces his greatest challenge yet - hard time! Framed in the death of a cop, Cal finds himself at the mercy of a sadistic and corrupt police force. But now, in some of the bleakest moments of his life, the things that make him different from the rest of the world might be the only things capable of keeping his sorry butt out of deeper trouble. Because it turns out that the things that would make most people want to give up and die - the strange, inhuman voices coming from adjacent cells, the mysterious visitors, the unlikely saviors in demonic disguise - are the things that have kept Cal alive long enough to see a way out. And just when Cal begins to unravel the conspiracy behind his own downfall, he uncovers a nightmare world of murder and corruption at the prison that has dozens of former prisoners turning in their graves - and clawing their way out!

Criminal Macabre

No Peace for Dead Men

2011

Cal McDonald's ex-girlfriend-turned-vampire has been plotting his demise since she was first bitten. After a deadly bout of psychological warfare, the ensuing battle ends Cal's life. But Cal's not done yet, and rises from the grave! The first of three events leading to the War of Darkness. Featuring a crossover with Eric Powell's The Goon!

#10

Criminal Macabre

The Eyes of Frankenstein

2014

With ghouls dying all around him and the mystery of his own violent illness racking his body and mind, occult detective Cal McDonald takes on a new case from an old friend—Frankenstein's monster. To solve the case, Cal seeks help from a man billed as "the world's foremost authority on the supernatural." Cal must trust this wealthy entertainer to save his friends and cure his illness. But that trust leads down a dangerous path that will leave Cal changed forever. Steve Niles, the original creator of the comics series that spawned the film 30 Days of Night, returns with another of his ongoing series, Criminal Macabre, and the psychic detective, Cal McDonald.

Authors

Eric Powell has contributed work on such comics titles as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Hellboy: Weird Tales, Star Wars Tales, The Incredible Hulk, Black Panther, The Avengers, The Hood, MAD Magazine, Devil Dinosaur, Swamp Thing, the Avengers, She-Hulk, the Simpsons, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Action Comics. Although eking out a meager living in the comics field since 1995, Eric didn't find true success until he launched his critically acclaimed dark comedy series The Goon. The Goon was subsequently picked up by Dark Horse Comics and boasts a diehard cult following.

Kelley Jones

Author · 2 books

Kelley Jones is a comic book artist best known for his work on Batman with Doug Moench and The Sandman with Neil Gaiman. A critically acclaimed artist throughout his career, Jones’ recent work includes Swamp Thing: The Dead Don’t Sleep

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years." Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison. Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea. —from the author's website