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Dark Horse Comics
Written by Steve Niles
Art by Kyle Hotz
Review by Mike Fish
If you were a detective on the case, and you saw a ghoul start talking to you like the crazy flower lady on the bus, what would you do? Drink is my first guess, and that’s exactly what Cal McDonald did. Add werewolves, vampires, and golems to the mix, and you got yourself an alcoholic. Definitely gives “beer goggles” a new meaning!
The ongoing series of Criminal Macabre featuring supernatural detective, Cal McDonald, continues under writer-creator, Steve Niles, master horror writer of today’s fan favorites like 30 Days of Night and The Cryptics. The Criminal Macabre stories are usually contained in four issue stints, so if you’re not there from the start, you might get a little lost on the train from Deadsville. It’s sort of like jumping onto a show like Heroes in mid-season. The recap is there, and the subtle ticks and origins are retold quickly, but the total embrace is more cold than a polar bear without its dinner. To truly enjoy the character of Cal McDonald, you have to travel every road he’s been down, and that’s hard for those just hitchin’ a ride.
Two Red Eyes is a four issue stint that has Cal McDonald take on the legendary vampire, Nosferatu. It’s a thrilling concept, and made me rush to the story to buy all four. But by the end of the series, I was a little letdown. Niles does a great buildup to the eventual Cal McDonald/Nosferatu battle, but when the time and place arrives, it’s not even a battle. It’s a massacre, and I believe Nosferatu’s legend deserves a little more respect than what he got. Not only without substance, Niles Nosferatu seemed out of character as well, text messaging threatening messages to Cal from his partner’s phone, and leaving riddles in words a little too modern for such an old vampire to use. And while it’s cool to see how Cal disposes of Nosferatu, in probably one of the most crude and vicious ways to kill a vampire at that, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I expected a little more from the rat-toothed bloodsucker. And you, Mr. Niles!
Kyle Hotz does an amazing job on art duties, and really brings the gore and violence to the page. You can tell he loves to draw for Steve Niles, and just let’s loose like a wolf at the moon. (Hellraiser fans would love this book for sure; watching skin peel of like it was sunburned to death!) Fantastic paneling, crazy monster designs, and a creepy atmosphere added to the Hotz blood and guts show is truly a gift to horror fans and the highlight of this series.
Niles does a good job with the details in writing, but doesn’t seem focused on the total story nor the legend of Nosferatu. Thousands of goblins, ghosts, and ghouls show up to support Cal against the evil Nosferatu, but for some odd reason, they all don’t KNOW it’s Nosferatu. How could you not know? You’re supernatural! So if you’re looking for a book that has awesome fight scenes, major badass attitude, and supernatural killing, then this book is for you. If you want the complete Cal McDonald story, then don’t hop on the bus here. You need a train for this ride, one with all the cabins attached.
GRADE: B-
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