Review - Criminal Macabre: Final Days of Night - The 30 Days of Night Crossover #1

When war wages among the undead, it's us lowly humans caught in the middle. The options are limited and fear is high. Werewolves will rip us to shreds, vampires will drain us and zombies will just eat us. When two of the three aforementioned factions war though, things get real, as in Criminal Macabre: Final Days of Night - The 30 Days of Night Crossover #1 from Dark Horse Comics.

The issue is written by Steve Niles, with art by Christopher Mitten, colors by Michelle Madsen and letters by Nate Piekos.

In a slightly different LA, Cal McDonald is a ghoul with a private investigator streak in him. He's known by both ghouls and vampires throughout as a man who gets things done, making him the perfect person for FBI Agent Alice Blood to seek out for assistance in stopping Eben Olemaun.

Eben is the vampire supposedly behind an attack on an FBI building, which Agent Blood thinks is linked to Barrow, Alaska. Yes, THAT Barrow, Alaska, where the 30 days of night make for a buffet for vampires. It's now up to Cal's investigative skills and Agent Blood's experience to find Eben and stop him before he gets out of control. Like commanding an army of vampires set to take over LA.

Firstly, this is a crossover between Dark Horse and IDW...just getting that out of the way. Cal McDonald is entering into Niles' world of 30 Days of Night and looks to be having a rough time of it. Pitching ghouls against vampires is interesting, not just because of the factions involved, but also because ghouls are the only ones who side with humans.

Second, Niles does a brilliant job establishing a story here. McDonald and Blood are poised to be sort of an odd couple, Mo'Lock is another ghoul seeking revenge against the vampires, another vampire named Lord Westminster represents Eben in seeking the "bug eater" (presumably Cal) and Eben is getting feisty. It's a lot for sure, but it's all setting to converge and make for fantastic reading.

The art by Mitten is equally as impressive. It's done in a way that feels a little seedy--if that makes any sense--and really impressed upon the reader this feeling that things are about to be bad. Like, gory, blood-sucking bad. Lord Westminster is a fat, slovenly vampire, while Cal is a ghoul always on the mend. It all adds to the atmosphere in the book and looks great.

For a first issue, Criminal Macabre: Final Days of Night - The 30 Days of Night Crossover #1 has a lot going for it. There's a strong storyline being established and Cal McDonald is an equally strong lead character. Fans of 30 Days of Night will definitely want to check this series out. Fans of good comics will also find something to like here as well.

Criminal Macabre: Final Days of Night - The 30 Days of Night Crossover #1 is available now.

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