30 Days of Night: Red Snow [Paperback]

World War II, Russian Front. With the enemy of the Iron Will in full retreat and soldiers finding themselves both tired and hungry and starved for provisions, what could make both sides forget their climactic ending? Victory - maybe. Too much Vodka - it would have to be some really good vodka. Vampires - hmmm, that might do it.

When I picked up the first Red Snow, I wanted to keep reading and know how the world would end for the people involved. As viewers catching a glimpse of warring factions you see (1) people trying to survive both the terror of the Germans and the fear inspired by hungry forces pushed by the bayonet tips of Stalin's rifles, (2) German soldiers finding themselves trapped in a desert of snow and wondering how they will make it out alive, (3) Russian soldiers that are both hungry and cold and in constant fear that Stalin will find something flawed in their performances, (4) and the enemy that no one expects. It is the enemy that no one expects that makes the story both interesting and odd, too, with fangs finding fields no longer rich and people encountering nightmares that go well beyond sharpened metal and rapid-fire projectiles.
Thinking how terrible that would be; finding yourself on the Russian front and trying to survive only to find out that the stuff of legend is not the stuff of legend. It is the stuff of "right next door."

For anyone that enjoys a different approach to vampires, this is a great story with a lot to offer. It has a plethora of characters, monsters both inhumane and inhuman all thrown together, and a fight for survival that really doesn't come with a guaranteed get-out-of-jail-free card. I found myself really drawn to that and to the way it was presented, with the coloration showing how bleak the situation could possibly be and the shadows showcasing just how deep that place beyond vision goes.
It is a stand-alone story, too, and does not require any background in the 30 Days of Night world. Perhaps that is a good thing for some people that want a good story and do not want the commitment of having to keep up with an ongoing struggle, too, or just something that 30 Days of Night fans will enjoy.
I highly recommend this as both a read and reread.

Well done. I'm a history buff. If you like the dark side of WWII you'll enjoy this story. I was very entertained and I seldom read comics.

First off let me say that since Ben Templesmith is the original illustrator it's wonderful that he got a shot at a story of his own. If you have read Singularity 7 or Wormwood(one of my favourites), you will enjoy the dark grittiness and the complete lack of regard towards the main characters well being. As such it was also nice to see that tragedy comes back in full force, you WILL feel sorry for the poor young Russian boy. I'm not going to divulge the name of all the characters because I think you should get to know them on your own. o.k. Then here we go.

The Story. In a step back from 30 days of nights normal time plot this takes place during WWII in 1941. Hitler ordered a large squadron of soldiers to try to break into Northern Russia by way of Finland. Some get through but as a hole the mission fails miserably, and the remaining Germans, with a horribly masochistic leader, in the story are a result of this. While the remaining Germans are doing all they can eradicate any Russians they find the Russians are trying to survive the cold, warfare, and starvation. You meet a peasant family who have blockaded themselves into a barn who have plenty of food and underground tunnels. The is a brigade of Russian soldiers with a lone English soldier who speaks Russian and German. These are the main Humans in thr story. Then comes the blood thirsty undead led by an extremely creepy little girl and her much older male companion. The rest of the vampire are pretty much just fodder.

The art. Since the story takes place in the winter of northern Russia during the many months of perpetual night there is a lot of snow( freaking duh) and things in the distance are blurred, such as it is during the night. There is plenty of blood and guts and the facial expressions on the characters give you sense of terror. As always I have found Ben Templesmiths artwork unique, and in a world dominated by big breasted anime characters( although nothing wrong with that), super shinny super heroes and horrible pretentious abstract artists, it's nice to see something a little different. His artwork is not by any means pretty but that is what caught my eye in the first place. It's a blend of computer generated colours, and after reading a new interview, painted. The colours in all of Ben's art are from a a collection of pictures he has taken for almost a decade which he then paints, and traditional outlining. If you end up liking his art from this i suggest you pick up Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse and Fell which is written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Ben Templesmith.

If i was going to complain about anything i would have to the length is a little short. Seeing as i grew up with the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen I got used to the length of that. It's also a good thing because it doesn't overstay its welcome. It gets what needs to be done done and it does it well. Overall this is a great addition to the 30 days of night series and I hope that he continues to add his talents to it.

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