30 Days of Night is a 3 part comic released in 2004 by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. This is one of the most famous vampire comics and has gained a cult following.
Quick Info
- Title: 30 Days of Night
- Writer/Artist: Steve Niles (Writer), Ben Templesmith (Artist)
- Publish Date: 10th January 2004
- Genre: Horror
- Sub-Genre: Vampires
- Format: Graphic Novel
- What to Expect:
- Vampires
- Cold Climate
- Trippy Art style
– Rating: 3.5 stars –
Trigger Warnings
Violence, death, death of a child, gun violence, torture, fire and fire injury, car accident.
If I have missed any out or you feel like something should be added, please leave a comment.
Synopsis
In the Alaskan town of Barrow, the sun sets and doesn’t rise again for 30 consecutive days. But this year a darkness rises from the cold, an evil which will feed on the sleepy town. The only hope for the town is Eben, the sheriff, and his wife, the deputy. But what will they have to sacrifice to save their doomed town?
My Thoughts
Whilst, I enjoyed this and had a lot of fun watching it. I definitely think there are a few issues I have which lower the score for me.
Firstly, the atmosphere in this was dark, cold and truly menacing. The art style really added to this by creating uncanny and often trippy effect. The blurring of the backgrounds, the boundaries between objects are slightly blurred. It makes it feel like a dreamy nightmare. It does take a minute to get used to but once you do it really makes 30 Days of night what it is.
The setting also is perfect for this, not just from a plot perspective but the foreboding sunset creates a sense of menace. We know what’s coming. Choosing such a remote place, the characters are helpless, it takes very little to disconnect them from the rest of the world. There truly is no way out, it’s truly terrifying.
The story is solid yet simple, it doesn’t try to push the genre in any ways instead focusing on the aesthetic and atmosphere. The characters are pretty archetypal both in their roles as sheriff and deputy but also in their relationship. The vampires are menacing and seeing them appear from the darkness sent a chill down my spine. The way they are drawn truly makes them seem monstrous. These are not your romantic vampires, they are here for the slaughter.
Despite the story and characters being solid, I wish we had a little more. There was so little in regards to characterization other than an archetypal sheriff and deputy (as well as being married) that I was wanting more. There were moments, especially later, which were so good, I wanted more of that.
So whilst I did enjoy this I ultimately felt it was style over substance, which makes this a very well drawn graphic novel but not one that I will revisit often.
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