Nick Stakal

If good intentions pave the road to hell, then Cal McDonald should just get in the handbasket already and buckle up for the ride. He's no do-gooder--not by far--but he does everything he can to keep supernatural forces of evil from harming humans; and it always comes at a great personal expense, taking everything and everyone he's ever owned or cared about. Now he's being set up by the cops and a vengeful D.A. to take the fall for a pile of bad news. There's no way he's getting out of this one without serving some time at the graybar hotel. A little time in lock-up would be like a vacation compared to what Cal's been through lately, but forces both human and monster alike are lining up to make sure Cal's trip to the slammer is the last trip he ever takes.

Caught. Cuffed. Convicted. Cal McDonald has had more tangles with the law in recent years than he can count, but he's never been a truly wanted man until now. Apparently all it takes is one dirty D.A. with a Cal-shaped chip on his shoulder and a horde of L.A.'s finest on his side to frame and sentence a (mostly) innocent man on a series of trumped-up charges. But what happens when the grittiest former cop in the world checks in for a long stay at the Graybar Hotel? And exactly how long do you think Cal will last in the general population before he gets thrown into solitary? Place your bets, boys and ghouls--the odds are stacked against Cal on this game, but don't expect him to fold.

What's life like behind bars for a guy framed for the death of the D.A.'s wife? Ask Cal McDonald. He's a guy who knows a thing or two about misery from first-hand experience, but miserable doesn't begin to describe what's ahead for the disgraced private dick whose only friend on the planet is a dead guy. Now Cal's in lockup at the darkest time of his life with no connection to the outside world except through the random contact he makes with other prisoner. Luckily for Cal, it turns out his reputation proceeds him . . . and the reputation of an ex-cop-gone-wrong who runs with ghouls might be just the thing to keep him alive against all odds.

Most people will never understand the nightmare of being framed for a friend's murder and sent to prison on trumped-up charges by reckless, power-rabid cops. Cal McDonald isn't like most people, and he never has been. But now, in some of the bleakest moments of his life, the things that make him different from the rest of the world might be the only things capable of keeping his sorry butt out of deeper trouble. Because it turns out that the things that would make most people want to give up and die--the strange, inhuman voices coming from adjacent cells, the mysterious visitors, the unlikely saviors in demonic disguise--are the things that have kept Cal alive long enough to see a way out .

Cal McDonald faces his greatest challenge yet -- hard time! Framed in the death of a cop, Cal finds himself at the mercy of a sadistic and corrupt police force. But now, in some of the bleakest moments of his life, the things that make him different from the rest of the world might be the only things capable of keeping his sorry butt out of deeper trouble. Because it turns out that the things that would make most people want to give up and die -- the strange, inhuman voices coming from adjacent cells, the mysterious visitors, the unlikely saviors in demonic disguise -- are the things that have kept Cal alive long enough to see a way out. And just when Cal begins to unravel the conspiracy behind his own downfall, he uncovers a nightmare world of murder and corruption at the prison that has dozens of former prisoners turning in their graves . . . and clawing their way out!

To say that Cal's been through hell and back would be a misstatement. He's been to hell, all right, and he seems to be stuck there for good. When we last checked in on Cal, he and Mo'Lock had just witnessed the vile, horrifying transformation of Cal's lovely ex, Sabrina Lynch, into a minion of the vampire Nosferatu. After that Cal disappeared for a bit, and at the start of our new series, Mo'Lock finds him just in time to lure him off the filthy couch in an abandoned house with an offer he can't refuse-either he gets up and takes a new case, or Mo'Lock will kill him before the drugs can. And what a case it is. Devil worshippers in sunny SoCal are doing their best to bring Satan into the world, and by the looks of things, Cal's already too late. What does one feed a bouncing baby Beezelbub, anyway?

Cal McDonald has faced down all manner of monsters from bloodthirsty zombies to ancient vampires, but his newest case is the thorniest yet. Cal has to find out if a devil-worshiping cult has succeeded in their quest to bring Satan to earth, dodge vengeful cops, and stay one step ahead of a group of vicious priests in possession of a terrifying secret weapon.

Cal McDonald: drug-fueled paranormal private investigator, friend of ghouls and werewolves, vampire slayer . . . babysitter? Cal finds himself protecting a baby who has a good chance of growing up to be Satan's representative on Earth, while facing down a bunch of devoted devil worshipers and a relentless, reanimated Templar Knight ready and willing to slay anyone in his path!

So, let's see. Where were we? Let's get everyone up to speed on Cal McDonald's most recent exploits. Last we saw of Cal and his ghoul buddy Mo'Lock, they'd snuck into a secret compound of Satanists who were having a birthday party for a cute little baby whose papa is the devil himself. That was right before Cal nabbed the baby and Mo' got himself chopped in half by a thousand-year-old Templar Knight who's been waiting for his curtain call since about 1118 A.D. With his partner sliced to oblivion and a sweet little Satanic bundle of baby girl in his arms, Cal's got to think fast or he and his new charge will be sharing Mo'Lock's bloody fate

To say that Cal's been through hell and back would be a misstatement. He's been to hell, all right, and he seems to be stuck there for good. When we last checked in on Cal, he and Mo'Lock had just witnessed the vile, horrifying transformation of Cal's lovely ex, Sabrina Lynch, into a minion of the vampire Nosferatu. After that Cal disappeared for a bit, and at the start of our new series, Mo'Lock finds him just in time to lure him off the filthy couch in an abandoned house with an offer he can't refuse-either he gets up and takes a new case, or Mo'Lock will kill him before the drugs can. And what a case it is. Devil worshippers in sunny SoCal are doing their best to bring Satan into the world, and by the looks of things, Cal's already too late. What does one feed a bouncing baby Beelzebub, anyway?

Cal McDonald, the pill-popping, alcoholic antihero of the hit Criminal Macabre series, is back! Teamed with his undead partner Mo'Lock, Cal protects the sin-infested streets of Los Angeles against a growing horde of zombies, vampires, and occultists! This trade collects Criminal Macabre Volumes 4-6, the one-shot story Feat of Clay, "The Creepy Tree" and "The Trouble with Brains" from MySpace Dark Horse Presents, and "Hairball" from Dark Horse Presents #102-#105, featured in color for the first time!

In modern-day New York City, a ragtag group of rebellious teens throws its annual raucous Weimar bash filled with debauchery, booze, and bloody knuckles. Going for the first time is Locke Vinetti, a newcomer to this band of bored rich kids -- a loner who usually prefers to escape into the world of his alter ego comic book creation, Deadlocke. Under the tutelage of the group's charming but unpredictable ringleader Casey, Locke has learned to express his art, and his angst, in ways he never thought possible. As the violent energy of Deadlocke continues to storm up inside of him, Locke must learn to control his newfound strength at the risk of losing Renee, the darkly beautiful girl of his dreams. Determined to prove that Deadlocke's rage will overpower Locke's love, Casey provokes Locke in a brutal rooftop battle where their lives, and their souls, hang in the balance.