On the face of it, it seems a brilliant idea doesn't it? Those northern towns with their long, dark winters are perfect vampire country. As I was reading 30 Days of Night I thought that the this was a perfect plan, from the vampires' point of view. But I"m wrong; and 30 Days of Night explains why.
As it takes us to why it isn't a good idea for vampires to take over a night-shrouded town - in this case, Barrow, Alaska - the book lingers in the gory, horrifying and brutal vampire takeover. As you can see in the sample panel above, the art pretty much creates a perfect setting for the tale. What is it about this art? It reminds me of that classic German vampire movie from the 20s - Nosferatu. It's gaunt, undead art - bloody and anemic at the same time. I wouldn't tolerate sketchy, slightly ugly art like this anywhere else but its just perfect for 30 Days of Night.
I love the creative ways in which we are shown how Barrow is invaded. It's excruciatingly slow, like a tsunami slowly rising, barely noticeable, and all the more horrifying because of it. It's almost like a movie; and true to the more formulaic movies there's a corny love story right in the middle.
Ok, it's not corny, the portrayal of the love story is actually very good and provides the core of this story's great ending.
30 Days of Night is good enough to have spawned sequels. Someday I'll check them out but right now I'm very happy with these three issues. Solid, if scary, entertainment.
Posted by Pete Albano - January 7, 2012
30 Days of Night Prestige Edition
Creator Steve Niles talks about 30 Days of Night :