30 Days of Night (2017) #1

Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Piotr Kowalski
Colorist:Brad Simpson
Letterer: Tom B. Long
Publisher: IDW

IDW has started another 30 Days of Night series with the creator of the series, Steve Niles. I have enjoyed everything 30 Days of Night related and was glad to see we would get a new series. Of course I was more excited that Steve Niles is still the writer. However, my expectations were not met with this very short first issue.

There really wasn’t much to this first issue that drew me in to another 30 Days of Night series. They established the town of Barrow, Alaska and that they are preparing for the 30 Days of Night, and a few characters, but they didn’t establish much interest for me to be excited for more. It's not that the writing is bad, because Niles knows how to write comic book dialogue very well. The problem is more that this feels like a rehash of what we have read and watched a lot of times now with 30 Days of Night media.

Along with the great writing, another positive about this issue is the artwork. I personally love the artwork that Piotr Kowalski drew for this issue. It is realistic and detailed and helps tell the story with its beautiful visuals. The panels that take place outside in the falling snow are quite stunning. It is very impressive that Kowalski is able to give you a detailed scene behind drawn heavy snow and it still all look amazing.

Maybe bigger fans of the 30 Days of Night franchise will enjoy this issue and get them excited for what is to come. It’s a short introduction into a new series that will be full of excitement later. This issue is worth reading for Niles' writing and Kowalski's artwork alone.