New To You Comics #131: Beware Red Snow In ’30 Days Of Night’

Everyone has different tastes in comics. Here at New To You Comics, we explore that as Tony and Scott dive into comics that, well, it’s right there in the column title. This week, we continue all-horror October with an indie classic that birthed a movie franchise.

30 Days Of Night takes the notion of vampires and throws them in the last place one would expect to find them. Steve Niles, Ben Templesmith, and Robbie Robbins classic horror miniseries from IDW Publishing takes the bloodsuckers to the cold reaches of Alaska. 

Welcome to the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska, a place so far north that it loses all sunlight for an entire month of the year. A whole gang of vampires decides this would make the perfect hunting ground in order to satiate their eternal hunger. All that stands in their way is the town’s husband-and-wife Sheriff team. 

Scott Redmond: We’re back Tony!

Once more we’re actually diving into one of those stories that we’re both familiar with but never actually fully read. It’s also another story with vampires, and it’s funny how our choices for this month’s column theme worked out, in various respects. 

I have to say, the concept of sending creatures of the night to one of the places where sunlight goes away so they can peacefully hunt is pretty darn solid. Execution wise it was definitely not what I was expecting. Thinking about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever actually read anything by Niles. Makes quite the experience. 

Tony Thornley: I’ve read a few things- some of his Marvel work, a few one-shots, and I think an issue or two of the spin-offs to this series. Oh, and Brendan and I covered Winnebago Graveyard early in the column. But this… this is the story that put Niles and Templesmith both on the map. And it’s easy to see why. This is a smart, unique and tight thriller. If you’ve heard anything about 30 Days of Night, just know that it’s completely true.

Scott: Overall there is a certain flow to this story that is kind of unique, even for other indie style comics. Quite a few times I found myself sort of unsure about the timing, scenes would just sort of happen flowing into each other. Strangely, it wasn’t an issue really though. Not a ton was developed outside of the main husband/wife duo, but that was the point. It’s brutal, swift, and heartbreaking. It’s strange that there are other books where this would bother me, feel flat, but I dunno, it just kind of works here. 

Tony: It’s almost like it was inspired by traditions of oral storytelling. It’s slightly disjointed in the same way that your parents telling you about their life is. I did like that.

I really liked the relationship between Eben and Stella. It felt very natural, with the dialogue telling you a lot about them. But Templesmith also showed it in their body language- how they looked at each other, leaned in, even the heartbreaking last page. I really liked that.

Scott: Though I will say there was one beat that did feel out of place. That would be the mother and son beat. Overall it felt kind of, pointless might be the best word. Yeah, the crash played into the vampire’s horrifying plan but something felt off. Like if you take those moments out, the story loses nothing. None of it is paid off either, we have no clue if the footage got to the mother and what became of that. A helicopter explosion wasn’t even needed for what the vampires were doing to the town, being so isolated and far out there doubtful the investigations would have been long/thorough. 

It’s a minor quibble though. Mostly just a “Huh wonder what that was meant to do” which doesn’t mar the overall tale.

Tony: So that’s one of two things that sort of bugged me about this one. That bit, I assume, was entirely a set-up for a sequel. But if you’re going to seed a sequel to a story like this, I feel like you need to do more during the story or save it for a cliffhanger at the end. In this case, it was totally not enough to do more than confuse.

But the other is that the pacing here was weird. There was SO MUCH that happened off page that seemed important. Like the one survivor who got bit trying to rescue his girlfriend? That would have been a captivating sequence, and on-page it was a brief mention before he turned. I know this was a tight three issues, but it could have used a fourth to give some of those elements some time to breathe a bit, to give the characters time to develop. Instead, we got some really cool stuff that was only given a panel or a page, instead of more.

But then, this was some of Niles’ earliest comics, so it can definitely be attributed to growing pains.

Scott: Oh yeah, totally agree. That bit guy scene worked, but also entirely read as a setup piece since they needed a way for the sheriff to get the blood. 

Everything that Templesmith and Robbins bring to the page screams monsters. It’s exaggerated, almost painted like in some cases, making characters elongated and horrifying. The setting and space feel isolated, just like they are meant to be. 

Tony: I loved this art. It did get a little too impressionistic at a few points (a couple of the kills were unclear, and some of the big reveals took me a minute to comprehend). Overall though, it’s gorgeous. I love the shark-like design of the vampires. It’s all just a gorgeous visual feast.

Scott: Perfect description for the vampires. I think I’m to the point where super pretty vampires are okay but not what I’m looking for (as that usually means romancing the vampires). Gimme the pure horrific monsters ready to rip you to shreds just by looking at you type vampires all day. 

This definitely falls into that realm of art that is interesting and unique but a bit murky at times. Seems like sometimes that is the trade-off for the really out there artwork, is that some of the stuff is just going to be a bit harder to understand or view. Overall I can definitely see why this series was adapted and birthed a bunch of other stuff, along with launching these guys forward.

Tony: Absolutely. I really enjoyed this book. I think I told you, I may have read the first issue, and I knew the overall story from osmosis, but so glad to finally read it.

Scott: So next week we have first-time guest, and Comicon family member, Anton Kromoff, joining you! What’s on the menu for the continuation of the spooky offerings?

Tony: Anton is going to bring us something from the Hellboy Universe! Koshchei In Hell, I believe, is what we settled on!