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Criminal Macabre: Cell Block 666 #1-2

Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Nick Stakal
The man that would be nicknamed “Timex” continues his quest to rid the world of supernatural scum. His real name? Cal McDonald. His real job? Drink, swear, do drugs, and kill said supernatural scum. In reality, a guy like that would eventually end up in a place most don’t want to be in. A place where the baddest of the bad go; to get put down or put away. So when the cops finally catch our favorite detective with a bad attitude, is it no surprise that he finally ends up doing the “Jailhouse Rock”?

Steve Niles finally turns the corner with his favorite character to write as Cal McDonald has been begging readers to put him in jail. So now he’s there, along with four solid brick walls around him at all times and no ghouls to watch his back. Time for Cal to really man-up and kick some ass. Niles appears to welcome this change in the first two issues, and manages to give Cal something he hasn’t experienced in awhile: defeat. I’d be excited to see the third issue bring Cal to a realization that some changes need to be made in his life... that is, if he’s going to be Earth’s protector against the supernatural, all the while trapped in long shadows of metal bars looming across his lost eyes. Sounds deep, I know, but I think it’s time Cal went there. Niles needs to richen up his baby boy with some inner conflict along with purpose in life, and appears to be on the right path here.

The art is much cleaner than the previous series, CRIMINAL MACABRE: MY DEMON BABY, and thankfully artist Nick Stakal doesn’t let his pencils run wild as much here. In fact, with Niles telling the story seemingly with his hands in his pockets and a big smile on his face, Stakal pumps up the words with some energy in his art, and Michelle Madsen’s colors really add to it like an old Zenith on at midnight. CELL BLOCK 666 is lively and kinetic, something rarely seen in the CRIMINAL MACABRE series. I’m digging it.