Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein #4

By Steve Niles, Christopher Mitten & Michelle Madsen

Now that the Eyes of Frankenstein arc has wrapped up, it’s safe to say that it was probably one of the most enjoyable Criminal Macabre stories to date.

The latest installment continues right where we left off last month in quite an odd situation. After quickly revealing some unexpected treachery, the story dives headfirst towards the finish line. Admittedly, the overall resolution was slightly anticlimactic, but new developments introduced in EoF #4 have torn the door wide open for even more intriguing future directions; Cal McDonald hasn’t been having an easy time with his apparent transformation which gets a whole lot crazier by the end of this issue. It seems like there were more factors pulled into the story continuing to make the Criminal Macabre saga bigger and more wide-ranging, while the actual ending is swift and without much happening external to the immediate plot. Steve Niles has been turning Cal’s world upside for a long time now, but this new development in his transformation was unexpected to say the least.

Christopher Mitten continues to produce some of the best Criminal Macabre visuals around; the relatively simple, minimalist approach taken for much of the issue really draws the reader focus to the immediate action by obscuring most backgrounds in a single solid shade. The characters always appear consistent under Mitten’s direction, but Michelle Madsen’s colors really make this particular issue pop. These stories are typically set in fairly dark, grim locales, while The Eyes of Frankenstein #4 occurs amidst a lot of hellfire and magic energy which made the issue very bright compared to usual.

The latest installment in Criminal Macabre brought a surprisingly swift resolution to an overall terrific story arc. However, as with most arcs in this series, the ending brought a lot more questions than it did answers. The storytelling throughout the Eyes of Frankenstein mini-series was fantastic with some particularly deep dialogue. While much of this deeper introspection was absent from EoF #4, the story still explored some interesting new territory and laid the groundwork for future arcs.