Years before he co-created 30 Days of Night, Steve Niles introduced the world to the hard-boiled paranormal detective known as Cal McDonald. Nearly 40 years later, Cal is making a big comeback, as Clover Press gears up to publish the new collection Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories.
With the Kickstarter campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories live now, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the book. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a look at the book’s title story:
Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories Preview Gallery
Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories features ten new tales written by Niles, each accompanied by an illustration from a different comic book artist. The artists involved include Cat Staggs (John Carpenterās Tales of Halloween Night), Liam Sharp (Star Henge), Scott Morse (Soulwind), Christopher Mitten (Hellboy and the BPRD), Gyula Nemeth (Criminal Macabre), Steven Russell Black (Magic The Gathering), Francesco Francavilla (The Black Beetle), Alison Sampson (Werewolf By Night), and Damien Worm (October Faction).
The book will be published through Clover Press’ new creator-owned imprint, The Fourth Leaf. The company’s press release teases, “In the tradition of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler, Niles sends Cal and his undead sidekick on a strange journey through a Los Angeles populated by monsters, freaks, ghouls, and all kinds of new creatures hell-bent on causing chaos.”
āItās hard to believe but Iāve been writing Cal McDonald in one form or another for almost forty years now,ā said Niles in a statement. āThe last short story collection came out almost 20 years ago, so I am excited to have Plague of Evil coming out through Clover Press. Cal has always been my favorite character to write and it feels good to be back in the saddle again. I am especially thrilled with this volume because I have so many friends along for the ride; some of my favorite artists in the industry have added their talents. I hope readers enjoy this collection because Iām aching to do more.ā
You can check out the crowdfunding page for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories. Optional bonuses include prints, lithographs, stickers, buttons, and a slipcase upgrade. For more, check out our exclusive interview about the upcoming finale of Star Trek: The Last Starship and see a bleak preview of The Amazing Spider-Man #1000.Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.Ā
