The X-Files / 30 Days of Night #1
Reviewed by David O' Leary
THE X-FILES/30 DAYS OF NIGHT #1
Cover Date: September 2010
Story by: Steve Niles & Adam Jones
Art by: Tom Mandrake
Colours by: Darlene Royer
Letters by: Ed Dukeshire
Cover by: Andrea Sorrentino
Publisher: IDW/WildStorm
Cover Price: $3.99
Reviewed By: David O' Leary
Book Summery: Two of the most popular horror properties of the last two decades collide in this harrowing 6-issue adventure of epic proportions! When evidence of a possible cannibal killer in Wainright, Alaska, draws the attention of the FBI, Agents Mulder and Scully draw the less-than-glamorous assignment. But all is not as it seems once the agents are on the ground. Not only has the long seasonal darkness begun to fall, but there's something unnatural about a few of the locals. And what does a chilling, mysterious black ship have to do with the murders?
"Chapter 1"
I make no apologies for gushing over this book like a schoolgirl at a pop concert. I am a huge fan of both franchises since their inception. Obviously this cross over is equal to something akin to a JLA/Avengers for horror fanboys. But excitement aside, did it live up to expectations?
It makes sense for Steve Niles to script the story as he is credited for spearheading the revival of horror books for mainstream audiences for the first time in many years about a decade ago with 30 Days. Judging from the first issue I feel that he could have made a similar impact on the X-Files television show as well in later seasons. He pulls off the mannerisms and voices of Scully and Mulder to a very canny degree. Not to get away from the fact that Adam Jones is also credited with scripting the issue. Jones, better know as the guitarist of rock band Tool is an odd choice for co-writing but he was befriended by Niles, offered a number of books to work on with him and chose this one and together they have produced a great piece of storytelling. The first issue reads like the opening teaser and the first act of the show and that makes complete sense for framing the entirety of the series. The sense of you don't quite know what is happening, like the television show is present here. The idea to follow the format of the show fits perfectly as like the teaser part of the show we see the remains of a dozen trucks and their beheaded drivers after being viciously attacked by what local law enforcement think is a serial killer. Having never killed in as large a number as this before, Mulder forms a theory that there is more than one of them. But this being the X-Files you can always expect the unexpected and what is genius about this book is that we don't see a full on vampire until the final page. There is no mistaking which of the two properties gets top billing here. There a couple of golden moments that brings you right back to the heart of the show. One of those moments being when Mulder throws out an obscure fact about something to a person for whom TV Guide is the limit of their reading experience. Another being someone who knows Mulder from Quantico and remembers 'Spooky' and is utterly dismissive of him as a person. And finally, Scully having to keep him in check with the locals who don't really know him. You may notice that it is all the X-Files but that will change very soon judging by that final page.
Tom Mandrake is on art duties here and does a great job. He is almost Georges Jeanty-esque in his likenesses. The characters look enough like the actors that played the characters without you thinking that he cold copied a photograph in front of him for reference. Also the opening scenes of the snow plough in the Alaskan wilderness picked up the vibes of the show very well. My only gripe though was of the last page. If the vampires that are on that last page are those of the 30 Days verse then they bear absolutely zero resemblance to the look of that Universe's vampires. But that is a small thing overall in what was a mouthwatering opening chapter.
Well, the first act is done and oh boy, how good was it. I almost feel like it was a lost episode or something of the television series. Each subsequent issue has a fair amount of pressure on it to maintain the tension and excitement that the first issue has brought but I will be there for it all front and centre.
Rating the Issue
| Story Story: Overall 9 Concept - 9 out of 10 Plot - 9 out of 10 Dialogue - 9 out of 10 |
Art |
Importance |
Reviewer Bio
David has been with CR since June 2008 and started out as a reviewer and has expanded to do a couple of columns for the site also; starting with 28 Words Later with artist Declan Shalvey and later 5 Minutes With... where he talks with the industries best and brightest from Kubert to Moore.
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