Cal’s changed . . . and maybe not for the better. Locked away and drowning himself with booze and aspirin, Cal feels the evil consuming him. Will he be able to withstand its pull or will he become the monster war’s greatest weapon of destruction?
The first issue of this arc could not have played out more perfectly had the gods of perfect comics written it themselves. Christopher Mitten was born to illustrate Cal McDonalds world. His art is gritty, loose, hazardous. It feelslike the most terrifyingly accurate representation of Niles mind. Theres some deep shit here. Like Niles said, its going to get intense. This emotional river runs wild and I have a feeling well be touching on issues like self-acceptance, addiction, forgiveness, and most importantly, redemption. Read Full Review
Criminal Macabre: The Third Child may have some way to go plot wise, but the mystery nature behind this tale, along with Cal facing his inner demons and the sudden return of Jason Hemlock definitely have me excited for the next issue. Highly recommended. Read Full Review
The Third Child is an intense example of how drama can work in a horror story and finds a great balance between tragedy and redemption. While this scares by nature, this is a book that all comic book fans can read with enthusiasm. Read Full Review
The artwork by Mitten is solid; bold, clean lines, as dynamic as Cals wings coupled with dark, Gothic-inspired colours and bright red blood. I like it. Admittedly, and perhaps controversially because a lot of people dont like his suggestive, ethereal art, I do prefer Ben Templesmiths art for Criminal Macabre. I would love to have seen what Templesmith made of Cals raven wings. Its almost the perfect marriage " Niles and Templesmith. But you cant have everything and Mittens work is pretty good. One to keep up with. Read Full Review
This issue is pretty damn close to perfect. My one and only gripe was the demon babies as I feel like they didn't do enough to make their presence felt as a threat. There are some brutal scenes around them, but they themselves didn't feel threatening to Cal's story. Time will tell though. Read Full Review
Well I can't say this series really had a huge effect on me either way. I know there is quite the voluminous backlog of material to pick up and start reading if I want to learn more about Criminal Macabre. After this first issue I don't really feel much either way. Perhaps things will get pretty crazy in issue #2. I'll skim it most likely and see where it goes from there. I suppose I wasn't sure what kind of story I wanted when I opened up the pages. Was I looking for something more crime or macabre? Criminal Macabre offers both but it kind of left me with a shrug. Not a bad series but perhaps a bit late in the life of Cal MacDonald to start reading for the first time. It's not you it's me! Read Full Review
There is one negative thing about this comic, and its that I cant stand the artists facial renderings. Christopher Mittens has clean, sharp lines and there is a ton of detail in his work, but the faces lack depth and character. Its hard to tell who characters are from one page to the next, with Cal McDonald being the exception. I want to like the style, with the colors all dark and muted and line work a little wild, but the lack of detail in the characters faces really kills it for me. Read Full Review
Criminal Macabre: The Third Child #1 missed the mark for me and I highly doubt I'll be back for a second issue. The flat characters and lack of hook left me feeling like I was simply reading a story go through the motions and I was completely detached. The series very well may turn around from this start point, and for fans of the series I hope it does quickly. Niles and Mitten are veterans who can spin a tale, but this installment of Criminal Macabre wasn't for me. Read Full Review
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