Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out / Z-View
Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out is a four-issue mini-series and paperback published by Dark Horse Comics. .
- Writer: Steve Niles
- Artist: Gyula Nemeth
- Colorist: Gyula Nemeth
- Letters by: Nate Piekos of Blambot
- Cover Artist: Gyula Nemeth
*** Beware – spoilers may be found below ***
I first became aware of Steve Niles nearly two decades ago. Niles was the author of two novels (Savage Membrane and Guns, Drugs & Monsters) featuring Cal McDonald that I highly recommend.
McDonald is a tough as nails detective who deals with things that go bump in the night. After the two novels, McDonald appeared in a number of comic book mini-series written by Niles teaming with different artists. And that brings us to Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out…
Supernatural detective Cal McDonald, found wandering the streets as a disheveled vagrant, is ripped from his self-imposed retirement to resume his monster-killing career.
But Cal is reluctant to return to the fray. What has the hard-bitten investigator so shaken? It’s a long story that begins with a beautiful woman who happens to be a vampire . . . and ends with a bang.
It’s great to have Cal McDonald back. Who doesn’t love a cynical tough guy who sees the real monsters that walk among us?
The Big Bleed Out follows McDonald as he meets and begins to fall for a mysterious woman who happens to be a vampire. The romance doesn’t seem to have much of a chance since McDonald is normally a vampire killer. Meanwhile, Mo’Lock, McDonald’s quasi partner, has gone into the sewers of LA to see if he can discover who/what is down there killing people.
Being a Cal McDonald fan I was excited to see his return. This was my first time seeing Nemeth’s art and I liked quite a bit of what he brought to the table. It was interesting to see McDonald falling under the spell of a vampiress and unintentionally venturing into a nest of them. The romance and its eventual outcome moved at a pretty quick pace with a few surprises along the way. And let’s not forget that Mo’Lock has his hands full with a sewer monster! Overall, this was a fun read.
Criminal Macabre: The Big Bleed Out is a nice addition to the Cal McDonald universe.
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