Criminal Macabre: They Fight by Night

Written by: Laura Hong-Tuason, CC2K Comics Editor

Are you tired of the same cop dramas that networks keep pushing out on TV? Me too. But have I got a cop drama for you that you don’t want to ignore! Actually, drop “cop drama” and throw in “Detective Comics” (sorry, not Batman) and “monsters”. That’s right, it’s Dark Horse’s “Criminal Macabre: They Fight by Night”.

Writer: Steve Niles

Artist: Christopher Mitten

Let me introduce you to Cal McDonald, a detective who fights monsters such as vampires and werewolves alongside his ghoulish sidekick, Mo’Lock. By “ghoulish”, I mean a real ghoul. Yes, Cal’s pretty tight with the ghouls. You know who Cal’s really not tight with? Cops. But that’s okay because I don’t like cop dramas.

“Criminal Macabre: They Fight by Night” is a one-shot comic in which you don’t need to know the background of the series to enjoy it like I did. The story begins with Cal settling into his new life after being killed and resurrected as a ghoul. Mo’Lock shows him a recording of a councilman candidate who is decapitated on live TV. Cal deducts instantly that this was the act of a monster and that a war is brewing. He therefore sets off with Mo’Lock to get answers, teaming up with another detective along the way. Can they catch the culprit and get to the bottom of the decapitation, or is there an even bigger problem just up ahead? Read this one-shot and find out.

Normally I don’t like one-shots since they tell me things I already know, but “Criminal Macabre: They Fight by Night” is a good one to read. Cal is an entertaining fellow. He’s got a sarcastic attitude and acts rather nonchalantly before stirring up a fight. He’s a straight-to-the-point kind of guy who never seems fazed out by a bad situation. Fortunately he’s also paired up with the equally amusing, but levelheaded and collected Mo’Lock. Lost his gun? No problem, Mo’Lock uses his hands.

While the one-shot storyline does conclude in a way, it also leaves things open. That’s because it is a prelude to “Criminal Macabre: Final Night – The 30 Days of Night Crossover #1”. This crossover is four issues long, with the first issue to be released on December 12, 2012.

“Criminal Macabre: They Fight by Night” satisfied my appetite, but I am quite thirsty. I don’t know about you, but I’ll need to quench my thirst come December.