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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
I thought this was a great idea for a vampire tale, and I found the artwork stunning and evocative. The actual execution of the plot, however, left something to be desired -- none of the characters were really more than two-dimensional, and overall the whole book felt too short.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.5*
I really enjoyed this. I watched the movie when it first came out over a decade ago and to this day it’s still one of my favourite vampire movies. I loved how scary they were, cause vampires should be scary. I can’t believe it took me this long to read the graphic novel.
The idea of this story is just fantastic. The Alaskan town and an entire month of darkness. It makes total sense that vampires would go there, and frankly, I can’t believe this concept hasn’t been done a million times before. It’s just so good.
The artwork is also incredible. It’s so dark and creepy, a little messy and very gory, but all of it adds to the atmosphere of surviving in the dark for 30 days.
The only reason I’m not rating this four stars is because, though a great idea, the story did feel a little rushed in places. I would’ve liked to have seen the humans try to survive for a bit longer and really try to understand their struggle and desperation.
I also think it would’ve been really cool if there were dates added to the panels, so we the readers know how many days were left and how far they’d come. There was no real indication of time. For all we know, the events of this comic happened on the first day, rather than over the whole month.
This is something the movie does very well. We really get a sense of just how long these people have been hiding in the dark.
Another big difference between the book and movie – that I think the movie did better – was how the vampires communicate. In the comic they speak English, though their captions are in a different font, suggesting an accent. In the movie, the vamps spoke an entirely fictional and genuinely creepy language. They way they spoke still haunts me now and I think in the comic the vamps would’ve been scarier if they didn’t talk at all. There’s something terrifying about not being able to communicate or reason with the enemy.
Another thing I didn’t really get was the side plot of the guy from New Orleans who helicoptered over Barrow filming them. I know this is probably set up for a sequel, but for this particular stand-alone story, it added nothing, and I can see why it wasn’t included in the movie.
So with all that in mind, I really enjoyed the graphic novel, but ultimately I think the movie conveyed the vibe of this story better.
I did, however, really enjoy seeing part of the original script as an extra in the back of the book. It was really cool and, I can imagine, would be a huge help for people trying to learn how graphic novels are written.
I will be trying the sequel.
I really enjoyed this. I watched the movie when it first came out over a decade ago and to this day it’s still one of my favourite vampire movies. I loved how scary they were, cause vampires should be scary. I can’t believe it took me this long to read the graphic novel.
The idea of this story is just fantastic. The Alaskan town and an entire month of darkness. It makes total sense that vampires would go there, and frankly, I can’t believe this concept hasn’t been done a million times before. It’s just so good.
The artwork is also incredible. It’s so dark and creepy, a little messy and very gory, but all of it adds to the atmosphere of surviving in the dark for 30 days.
The only reason I’m not rating this four stars is because, though a great idea, the story did feel a little rushed in places. I would’ve liked to have seen the humans try to survive for a bit longer and really try to understand their struggle and desperation.
I also think it would’ve been really cool if there were dates added to the panels, so we the readers know how many days were left and how far they’d come. There was no real indication of time. For all we know, the events of this comic happened on the first day, rather than over the whole month.
This is something the movie does very well. We really get a sense of just how long these people have been hiding in the dark.
Another big difference between the book and movie – that I think the movie did better – was how the vampires communicate. In the comic they speak English, though their captions are in a different font, suggesting an accent. In the movie, the vamps spoke an entirely fictional and genuinely creepy language. They way they spoke still haunts me now and I think in the comic the vamps would’ve been scarier if they didn’t talk at all. There’s something terrifying about not being able to communicate or reason with the enemy.
Another thing I didn’t really get was the side plot of the guy from New Orleans who helicoptered over Barrow filming them. I know this is probably set up for a sequel, but for this particular stand-alone story, it added nothing, and I can see why it wasn’t included in the movie.
So with all that in mind, I really enjoyed the graphic novel, but ultimately I think the movie conveyed the vibe of this story better.
I did, however, really enjoy seeing part of the original script as an extra in the back of the book. It was really cool and, I can imagine, would be a huge help for people trying to learn how graphic novels are written.
I will be trying the sequel.
dark
mysterious
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I'm one of those people who saw 30 Days of Night the movie before picking up a copy of the graphic novel - written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Ben Templesmith. And while the movie is rather vague now - I must've watched it at least two years ago - I have to utter the unholy phrase of "I liked the movie better."
Don't get me wrong, the graphic novel's a must read - dare I say, a part of the ever growing canon of Vampire Literature. But it's lacks something that the movie offers: Build up.
Sure, I'm not a fan of plot devices, stringing the audience along and what not, but this leaves us hungry for more. It gives us little to work with. There isn't much character build up, isn't much plot build up and the climax is like an erection that grows flaccid immediately.
And I'm not cutting down on Steve Nile's story. The story is great, which is why I feel starved myself. If he didn't have the ability to tell it, or I felt that he was a hack, I wouldn't be here wishing there was more to this book than what was offered to me.
The edition I have - because I'm not certain that all the editions have this - also features the comic script written by Niles. It's pretty detailed for only a portion of the book. It also bears witness to the fact that he is a great and talented writer. So why is 30 Days of Night leaving me feel incomplete? I read a beginning and an end, but the middle was thinner than an bulimic prom queen.
I'm aware there are other books to the series, not just this one. But shouldn't I have been treated with something more in this novel? Or perhaps the novelization might come in handy, which I doubt as most of them suck anyway.
But to make up for the hunger of more story, I must admit that Ben Templesmith's artwork is beyond anything I've ever laid eyes upon. The man, like his writer counterpart, is a genius. These to are the dream team of Vampire graphic novels.
Don't get me wrong, the graphic novel's a must read - dare I say, a part of the ever growing canon of Vampire Literature. But it's lacks something that the movie offers: Build up.
Sure, I'm not a fan of plot devices, stringing the audience along and what not, but this leaves us hungry for more. It gives us little to work with. There isn't much character build up, isn't much plot build up and the climax is like an erection that grows flaccid immediately.
And I'm not cutting down on Steve Nile's story. The story is great, which is why I feel starved myself. If he didn't have the ability to tell it, or I felt that he was a hack, I wouldn't be here wishing there was more to this book than what was offered to me.
The edition I have - because I'm not certain that all the editions have this - also features the comic script written by Niles. It's pretty detailed for only a portion of the book. It also bears witness to the fact that he is a great and talented writer. So why is 30 Days of Night leaving me feel incomplete? I read a beginning and an end, but the middle was thinner than an bulimic prom queen.
I'm aware there are other books to the series, not just this one. But shouldn't I have been treated with something more in this novel? Or perhaps the novelization might come in handy, which I doubt as most of them suck anyway.
But to make up for the hunger of more story, I must admit that Ben Templesmith's artwork is beyond anything I've ever laid eyes upon. The man, like his writer counterpart, is a genius. These to are the dream team of Vampire graphic novels.
Yes I really did just read this on a whim and it was...interesting. If you're not big on horror movies, I think reading this is a much better option - there's still gore, but it's toned down and not egregious enough to detract from the story.
The story itself is really good for vampire fiction, in my opinion, and that alone might convince me to read future volumes. In addition, there's much more backstory in these comics, and you get a taste of the history behind these vampires that leaves you wanting more. One of my favorite aspects of vampire fiction is their background - how they became vampires, what their vampirism allows/inhibits them to do, the social classes amongst them, etc., and I'm hoping the future volumes give me all of that! But the illustration is what loses me a bit. It's very sporadic and messy, and at times you don't really know what you're looking at despite knowing what's coming in the story. I'm sure this is done intentionally, but it made for a very annoying reading experience.
Will definitely consider picking up the other two in the initial trilogy, but not sure if I can recommend this comic to everyone unless you're into anything vampire-related like me!
The story itself is really good for vampire fiction, in my opinion, and that alone might convince me to read future volumes. In addition, there's much more backstory in these comics, and you get a taste of the history behind these vampires that leaves you wanting more. One of my favorite aspects of vampire fiction is their background - how they became vampires, what their vampirism allows/inhibits them to do, the social classes amongst them, etc., and I'm hoping the future volumes give me all of that! But the illustration is what loses me a bit. It's very sporadic and messy, and at times you don't really know what you're looking at despite knowing what's coming in the story. I'm sure this is done intentionally, but it made for a very annoying reading experience.
Will definitely consider picking up the other two in the initial trilogy, but not sure if I can recommend this comic to everyone unless you're into anything vampire-related like me!
I'm not a big fan of horror but I do love a good graphic novel and this was has everything I like in graphic novels; a good story and good art. Reading the other books in the series for sure!