Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby

Criminal Macabre: A Cal McDonald Mystery #5

by Steve Niles, Nick Stakal

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?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror

104 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2008

About the author

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

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this episode, Cal mopes a lot. People do tend to die around him and it's legit that he form a complex about it... but I still don't want to read about it. Not in a short-form work at least. I'd rather angry vs whiny. Especially when none of the deaths in this series are his fault.

As for the plot of this one, "This is such cliche bullshit" is a direct, and accurate, quote from Cal.

2.5

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of satanists have birthed the antichrist, and Cal McDonald is sent to track the baby down. Unfortunately, the church sends a zombie member of the Knights Templar after the child as well. At least Cal has his ghoul friend Molock as well as his Christine like haunted car to help him out.

Another good volume of the series.

[Holly Interlandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cal McDonald rocks my socks.

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Steve Nile's Cal MacDonald character, a hard-boiled detective of the occult and monstrous. He reminds me of John Constantine/Hellblazer in that both are substance-abusers and smart-ass cynical observers. Their narratives are full of wry comments. However, while Constantine solves his problems with magic, Cal McDonald pulls out the guns.
McDonald is wallowing in his misery and hiding out, abusing alcohol, drugs and whatever mind-numbing substance he can find when his ghoul buddy Mo'Loch pulls him out of the funk to take on a new case - - helping the Catholic Church rescue a baby girl, the embodiment of Satan into the world, from the devil-worshipping cult that conceived her.
McDonald has to maneuver between the cult followers (including a few vampires) and a resurrected Knight of the Templars bent on destroying the child and anyone in the way.
It's a fast-paced romp through the eerie world that McDonald inhabits, full of amusing commentary, dialogue, and laughable moments. After being struck by a vehicle piloted by the mad knight, Cal shares his feelings: "I felt a rib snap, and that wet going down my back was just warm enough to be blood. . . . Plus, guess what? Mustard in an open wound hurts like a bitch! . . . It was nights like this that made me wish I had a pez filled with Vicodin."

[Robert Hultman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entry that ultimately feels rushed or underdone. Cool art and story idea, but almost zero time take to make me care about what is happening or know anything about anyone other than Cal Macdonald. The demon baby is silly, but not silly enough if that’s what this is. Enough to make me like it, but feel like something is missing too.

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Niles' Cal McDonald stories - no matter how many times Cal "wins" vs. the baddies and saves the day, things continue to get worse for the guy.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me some Criminal Macabre. There is gun play and swearing and booze and Satan's baby and swearing..wait..Satan's baby?!