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When an Alaskan plow driver stumbles across the grisly remains of a dozen truckers in the wintry barrens of Wainwright, Special Agents Mulder and Scully are summoned to the scene. Decapitated, drained of blood, and inexplicably bound together atop a 40-foot pole, these ravaged corpses are almost certainly not the work of a lone serial killer. Further investigation leads the agents to a derelict century-old freighter, a limbless man who speaks in riddles and claims to be more than 100-years old, an ancient artifact, and a young girl covered in third-degree burns (and then…not so much). Matters are further complicated when the FBI duo is forced to contend with a 24-hour darkness that leaves the town and its people essentially cut off from the rest of the world.

How fitting that these two worlds should collide, particularly when one considers how The X-Files frequently delves into harrowing monster stories (not unlike the kind featured in 30 Days of Night). This graphic title makes for an unexpectedly ideal crossover and a thrilling one at that. There’s a sense of dread permeating the early pages of this book, and readers will be riveted at seeing the agents pitted against a coven of feral vampires amidst the dark Alaskan tundra. On the other hand, there's something immanently crass and commercial about fictional crossovers. The stories rarely feel organic and something is invariably lost in translation—most often it’s the little nuances that make the characters feel true to form. Surprisingly, though, most of the pieces seem to jive here, including Mulder and Scully's wry humor and intellectual banter. Conversely, I’m not sure why Mulder is reluctant to divulge his theory that vampires were responsible for these gruesome deaths. The Agent Mulder we all know and love is quick to show his hand and usually with a slideshow presentation to support his otherworldly conjectures. More to the point, the agents have encountered vampires on several occasions during the life of the TV series.

Although the likenesses of Mulder, Scully, and A.D. Skinner are not to my liking, the ferocious depictions of the vampires more than make up for it. Props go to Steve Niles, Adam Jones, and Tom Mandrake for their skillful capturing of the tone and spirit of both franchises, even if the character artwork isn’t top-notch. 30 Days of Night: The X-Files is a satisfactory hybrid comic for fans of either series.

This series is great. The drawings by Ben Templesmith are beautifully grotesque. A fresh take on the vampire myth.

Not my favorite graphic novel to date, but still very interesting as I have already seen the movie while it was in theaters.

30 Days of Night (volume 1) is about Barrow, Alaska, a little town that for 30 days in the winter the sun does not rise, which catches the attention of a clan of vampires who decide to go on a feeding frenzy.

It was a very interesting story, and the fact that it continues will help motivate me to read some of the other volumes, and I imagine it only gets better. And who doesn’t love a vampire story now and again?

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
dark funny fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Holy creepy! A different take on vampires for sure. The movie actually stuck pretty close to the real thing.

The art was absolutely fantastic but the character development just was far too rushed.