THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Released the same year when people were comparing life to a friggen box of chocolates, this film got slapped in the face at the Oscars (along with PULP FICTION I might add) by a guy named Gump more times than a dominatrix on a bad date. Later on down the line though, Forrest would stop running in the hearts and minds of movie lovers, and instead, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (and PULP FICTION) would eventually be considered the greater film. But we’re talking about SHAWSHANK specifically here to meet the parallel with the CRIMINAL MACABRE: CELLBLOCK 666 miniseries. Think of Andy as an alcoholic badass that kills bad guys and Red as an undying ghoul, both best buds for life (and death), cleaning up the streets after escaping jail, one supernatural freak at a time. Or, one could be cruel and say, one “Forrest Gump” at a time. I don’t mind. The shrimp boater had it coming to him.
CRIMINAL MACABRE: CELLBLOCK 666 – Issue #4 of 4
Dark Horse Comics | Written by Steve Niles | Art by Nick Stakal
CELLBLOCK 666 can be compared to THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION in that aspect, but I’m stretching more for humor than accuracy. Our antihero Cal McDonald casts a spell in prison; unleashing dead prisoners somehow buried on prison grounds, and having them tear up the place like THE WALKING DEAD invaded the book. Cal McDonald learns the truth about the warden, and like our boy Andy Dufresne, lets him have it like a cold-hearted snake. (Yep, just try and get that one out of your head now!) After all the prison guards impersonate Chef Boyardee for the zombie horde, Cal sends them back to the eternal dirt nap and clears his name. Finally, the detective is cleared of something he didn’t do! And like our friend Red (only turned around a bit here), Mo’Lock the ghoul awaits Cal’s release with a bouquet of flowers (hiding a bottle of booze in them) and a pack of cigarettes. It’s heartwarming and clever. They drive off into the sunset together, happy as freebirds could be, and the end credits roll. The end.
Well, not really the end. More like the beginning. Writer/creator Steve Niles says there will be more comic books of CRIMINAL MACABRE at Dark Horse, but will now concentrate on the prose side of Cal McDonald with his own Bloody Pulp Books label. If fans read the CRIMINAL MACABRE: THE COMPLETE CAL MCDONALD STORIES put out by Dark Horse Books last year, they’ll know how great this venture will be with Steve Niles using more words than pictures to create a mysterious and creepy world around Cal McDonald. This was kind of the trouble with CELLBLOCK 666. Nick Stakal’s art got a little messy at times, really bringing the reader out of the story and into more of a “that’s a weirdass looking prison mate if you ask me” feeling. The reader questions the panel a little too much, not allowing it to coincide with the reader’s imagination and causing conflict with the idea and tone of the book. Michelle Madsen’s colors are also at fault for this, filling in the space with a more avant-garde approach rather than a sensible, dark environment. Granted, it’s a supernatural monster book for the most part, it’s also a detective story where film noir almost always follows. The art team here doesn’t allow Steve Niles to tell what is a very consistent story from start to finish. It’s a shame because Andy and Red deserve an ending on a beach, smiling like a bunch of crazy fools, and I think Forrest Gump would agree. Well, if he wasn’t still sitting at the bus stop waiting for Jenny.
GRADE: 
ADDED TIDBIT: Check out more Cal McDonald adventures in prose when Steve Niles own Bloody Pulp Books arrives later this year.
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