News can exclusively reveal a special preview of Steve Niles’s new short story collection, Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories. The upcoming collection is a part of Clover Press’ new creator-owned imprint, The Fourth Leaf.
In the exclusive preview, Oppenheimer and The Suicide Squad star David Dastmalchian writes a foreword, diving into his admiration for Niles’s work.
Niles is known for penning several comic books, including 30 Days of Night, Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl, and the Cal McDonald franchise. The upcoming collection will see the antihero detective 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.”
The 216-page hardcover will feature illustrations from various artists, with Joe Jusko painting its cover.
Dastmalchian and Niles previously collaborated on Dark Horse’s crossover comic, Criminal Macabre/Count Crowley: From The Pit They Came. The duo has also separately contributed stories to Monstrous Books’ Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters.
What does David Dastmalchian say in the Plague of Evil and Other Stories preview?
Written in the winter of 2024, Dastmalchian recounts his battle with alcohol addiction, noting that he has completed 22 years of sobriety. The actor compares his struggles with Cal McDonald’s, while noting his deep connection to the comic book universe that Niles created almost 40 years ago.
He also writes about finding comfort in Mo’Lock, McDonald’s undead partner, who “represents every person who’s looked me over after yet another relapse, another slip, another fall-down, drag-out, kick-myself-to-shit bender and still says, ‘I’m still here. Let’s go get after this thing.’”
The actor promises the reader that the adventure they’re about to embark on will “venture into tunnels so dark and hopeless that you may begin to hear scratching sounds at your window, nails dragging across your bedroom floor …” However, he also notes that Niles’s writing will bring readers back to safety with a “little flash of light.”
Fans who wish to support Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories and help bring it to life can check out its Kickstarter campaign.