Cal McDonald is a hard living, hard drinking, son-of-a-bitch that takes no crap from anyone, living or dead. He'll take any case as long you pay, from finding lost dogs to exorcising ghosts. Unfortunately for him, it's usually the latter of the two. CRIMINAL MACABRE has been a staple of creator Steve Niles’ repertoire for as long as he’s been writing. His first appearance in 1990 has since spawned several limited comics series and three books, making Cal McDonald everyone's favorite supernatural detective. CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE IRON SPIRIT, is a new addition to the mythos, once again shoving Cal into the strange and unknown world of ghosts, ghouls, and grudges.

As the comic opens, we find Cal curled around a bottle of Jack, nursing a raging case of insomnia while cursing the slow passage of time. Suddenly, a knock at the door draws him out of his half-awake state to reveal a badly bruised old man looking to hire the detective for a case. Dressed to the nines in military attire, the old man begins explains that there is a secret bunker built right under the feet of LA, a place where the government did experiments away from the prying eyes of civilians.

After being coaxed to the sewers, the detective gets an unexpected surprise deep down under the city; the failed result of a government job gone wrong. Now it's up to him to bring peace to the world below while helping the General fight some demons of his own.

THE IRON SPIRIT is both a great starter kit for those who have just discovered the series, and a perfect addition for longtime fans. Niles’ writing is as fresh and hard-boiled as ever, while artist Scott Morse adds a little something new to the book. Instead of a traditional comic styling, the book uses large, one page art pieces surrounded by text more akin to art books than the comic world. Each piece is a water-colored splash of dark hues superimposed over beautiful, but simplistic, pencil drawings reminiscent of old crime comics such as Will Eisner's THE SPIRIT. The comic will be released in an oversized, coffee-table book perfect for smashing ne'er-do-wellers in the face and has some fun pencil tests and commentary at the end from the artist. Make sure to grab it when it comes out, before it becomes as hard to find as real ghosts.

Criminal Macabre: The Iron Spirit is out September 12 from Dark Horse Comics.

            

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