Steve Niles returns to one of his personal favorite creations in the form of hard-boiled supernatural detective Cal McDonald in a new prose anthology collection titled Plague of Evil and Other Stories.
Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories (now available to back on Kickstarter from Clover Press’ The Fourth Leaf) is a collection of short stories featuring a foreword by David Dastmalchian and a painted cover by Joe Jusko.
The 216-page hardcover will features ten brand-new stories, each with a chapter illustration by the likes of Cat Staggs, Liam Sharp, Scott Morse, Christopher Mitten, Gyula Nemeth, Steven Russell Black, Francesco Francavilla, Alison Sampson, and Damien Worm.
We got a chance to speak to Niles once again about his favorite paranormal P.I. in this exclusive interview with the writer.
What are the origins of Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories and your involvement with Clover Press’ new Fourth Leaf crowdfunding platform?
Steve Niles: Whenever I’m between projects or just have spare time I write Cal McDonald for fun. He’s like an old friend I get to hang out with. I just love writing him. I teamed up with Clover because I’ve known them a long time and I thought it would be a great way to get the book out into the world.
You got a chance to work with a number of talented artists such as Francesco Francavilla, Allison Sampson, and Damien Worm. What did each bring to the character and your scripts?
Niles: I chose each story for the artist based on what I thought they’d have fun with, Alison Sampson got the witches in the woods, Liam Sharp got werewolves. It was a fun process and everybody came through.
How has Cal changed (or how has your perception of him changed) since your initial 1990 story “Big Head”?
Niles: Believe it or not he’s calmed down a bit since those early days. He was a heroin addict in Big Head but now he’s just a hard-drinking, pill-popping tough guy. As I’ve grown, I think he’s grown. Hopefully his voice has become a tad bit more mature…but not too much.
You also have a Joe Jusko cover for Plague of Evil. How did his distinct style fit for Cal and his world?
Niles: I was so thrilled to get a cover from Joe. He’s an old friend and one of my favorite artists and he’s perfect for Cal. I told him what I was thinking and he got it immediately. I love that cover so much.
What is the most important element to get right when you are writing a supernatural detective story?
Niles: That’s a tough question. For me it’s a balance of mystery and horror.
Do you have a favorite Cal story?
Niles: Not really. There are so many at this point. I’ve literally been writing Cal since I was a kid. It’s hard to pick one.
Upcoming projects?
Niles: I have two projects coming. One is Take it Back: Life, Anxiety and Gray Matter which is an autobiographical comic about my life and my days playing music. It’s out now from DiWulf Publishing. The other is a massive horror sci-fi book I did with Andea Mutti for The Lab Press. It’s called Callisto. It’s 180 pages and available for pre-order now.
