Well, Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith were certainly the cat's meows after the surprising success of 30 Days of Night, but come on, what are the chances they'd pull it off again with a sequel limited series? I mean, aren't they just milking the same vampiric cow to make an easy buck? Perhaps, but instead of milk, they're getting a fine 12-year-old scotch from that creative teet.
OK, that was one of the weirdest review preambles I've ever written.
Stella Olemaun, wife of the sheriff who sacrificed himself to save the people of Barrow from the feeding frenzy of a throng of vampires, has written a book -- 30 Days of Night -- about the horrible events that occurred in the Alaskan town. While readers are skeptical about its veracity, it's nevertheless a best seller, and Stella and an unusual entourage has travelled to Los Angeles as part of a promotional tour. Stella has more pressing matters to consider, though, as her book has always drawn the attention -- and ire -- of undead readers as well.
Templesmith's dark and creepy style nevertheless maintains a clear tone in the storytelling, and he handles the action quite well. I love how we can see the difference in Stella, comparing the fear that possesses her as she bids adieu to Eben and the confidence and rage that drives her later on. The inhuman, jagged teeth of the vampires remains a shocking and effective visual, as it really sets the seemingly human monsters apart, depicting them as animals rather than people.
Niles brings this fantastic and chilling tale down to earth by focusing the reader's attention on Stella's grief right from the start. We can't relate to the notion that vampires lurk around every corner, just waiting to pounce and destroy us. But we can relate to Stella's sense of loss. Furthermore, the contrast between the opening flashback and the main plot in terms of Stella's state of mind is powerful, and one can't help but admire how far she has come, how she has adapted and thrived in the face of unimaginable tragedy and horro.
The most fascinating aspect of this comic book for me was the fact that Niles seems to have tapped his own commercial and industry success with 30 Days of Night and incorporated that notion of sudden notoriety into this new tale. I love the notion that the popularity of the first limited series serves as an actual plot for the followup tale.
