Steve Niles, the co-creator of the acclaimed comic series 30 Days of Night, is reviving his hard-boiled paranormal detective character, Cal McDonald, in a new collection titled Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories. The collection features ten new short stories penned by Niles, with each tale accompanied by artwork from a distinct comic book artist.
Notable artists contributing to the collection include Cat Staggs, Liam Sharp, Scott Morse, Christopher Mitten, Gyula Nemeth, Steven Russell Black, Francesco Francavilla, Alison Sampson, and Damien Worm. The book is being published under Clover Press's new creator-owned imprint, The Fourth Leaf.
According to Clover Press, the stories will follow Cal and his "undead sidekick" on a journey through a Los Angeles populated by monsters and other chaotic entities, drawing parallels to the noir traditions of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler. Niles expressed his excitement about returning to the character he has been writing for nearly forty years, especially with the collaboration of many talented artists.
A Kickstarter campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories is currently live, offering the collection along with optional bonuses such as prints, lithographs, stickers, buttons, and a slipcase upgrade.