30 Days of Night, Vol. 9: Eben and Stella

30 Days of Night #9

by Steve Niles, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Justin Randall (Illustrator)

In the waning moments of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, Stella managed to bring her vampire/husband Eben back from beyond... only he came back hungry. Now, for the first time, see what happened next in this collection that fills in the black gaps between that tale and Return to Barrow. Co-creator Steve Niles and Kelly Sue DeConnick co-write this twisted tale of love, depravity, and hunger, moodily brought to life by artist Justin Randall.

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Vampires, Fiction, Comix, Supernatural

104 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2007

About the author

STEVE NILES is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of it's "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years."

Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image and Dark Horse. He got his start in the industry when he formed his own publishing company called Arcane Comix, where he published, edited and adapted several comics and anthologies for Eclipse Comics. His adaptations include works by Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison.

Steve resides in Los Angeles in his bachelor pad with one cat. While there's no crawlspace, there is a questionable closet in one corner and no one is quite sure what is hidden in there...but we have an idea.

--from the author's website

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this story. Obviously. I wouldn't have bought seven volumes of the Days of Night comic if I didn't like it.

But there's a problem, half the time I really have no idea what is really going on.

The artistic style is cool. Visually distinct. Visceral. But I have a lot of trouble telling the characters apart. Which is really odd because so many of the characters look nothing like one another. Sometimes during the action scenes, I find myself wondering, "Who just shot that guy? Who just got killed?"

These aren't little things, obviously. They're major plot points. And it's not like I'm confused for a moment then I figure it out afterwards. Sometimes no matter how hard I look over the page I still can't figure out who just died, or who just killed them. Not knowing that sort of thing can really effect (affect) your comprehension.

Maybe this is just me, and it has something to do with how I process visual information. I know I don't identify faces the same way other people do.

Even so, as much as I love this story, the overall experience of reading it usually leaves me frustrated and at least slightly confused. Not what I'm looking for in a story....

[Ken W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoying this series. The art is a bit different but it fits with the tone of the stories. I will eventually continue this series. 3.75 stars!

[Tony Vacation · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing can sour a marriage like death, resurrection and turning the SO into a vampire without their consent. Space is needed and should be granted. Separate aimless road trips help. Take up with a pack of crusty bloodsuckers with a strange sense of entitlement about world domination; or steal a car with an infant vampire on board and then bond with the little fellow over a dinner of a dick-ish motel manager. Meet again by chance but try not to kill the amiable husband-and-wife team of vampire hunters. Now it is time for reconciliation and the adamant vow to one another that all of this hasn't just been filler for a slipshod franchise. Fade to back.

[Paul Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 30 days of night series Eben & Stella returns to events that took place at the end of Dark days and the missing chapter leading up to the climax of Return to Barrow.

The end of Dark Days sees Stella acquire the knowledge to resurrect the love of her life, her husband Eben, the only problem being when Eben awakes as a vampire his insurmountable hunger for blood causes him to feed on his wife.
The next time we see the couple is at the end of Return to Barrow, both now vampires they come to the rescue of the town, turning the tide and the remnants of the vampire horde are violently despatched after all there is no other way in the 30 days of night saga.

Stella unable to digest the fact that she is now a member of the undead, runs out on Eben and immediately steals a car. Unfortunately the car has an occupant, a baby and not just any baby, the baby is possibly the oldest vampire alive and who ever has the baby controls the future. Now the group that had the baby instead have Eben to use as collateral and they want the child back at any cost.
Right in the middle of this are Alice and her husband Kevin, a family of vampire hunters, they are searching for the next vampire queen to put an end to the race forever and its great reading as these plot lines intertwine.

This has rescued the series for me, my only complaint is sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between the three main female characters but there are some stand out moments particularly Stella succumbing to the blood lust and the climax is extremely chaotic. We also get some history of Eben and Stella before the events at Barrow giving the characters a little more depth.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gray-washed panels, generic representations to the point of indistinguishability, a pair of underdeveloped title characters and a McGuffin that is woefully underdeveloped lead to the first truly disappointing installment in the series.

[Redwan Orittro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book by mistaken thinking it's volume 1 from the title. Read it as a standalone and was pleased with the story and the artwork.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niles' version of 30 Days felt malicious. Fraction's brand embodied crazy. DeConnick's version feels emotionally deep.


Randall's art is breathtaking - at the same time captures both the "30 Days" style *and brings a clarity and sharpness to the scenery and characters that I've never seen done together. The characters' emotions are amazingly well captured and exaggerated in a way that incredibly supports DeConnick's script of depth.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume showed us what happened right after Stella brought Eben back, which had been a cliffhanger for a while. As other reviewer have stated, the art in this issue was confusing as at times it was hard to tell which character was which. Also, the series seems to have lost something as it went along because it just doesn't have the same impact anymore as the early issues. Still not bad, but dragging a little.

[Βαλάντης Δοξάκιερ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this volume with this story a bit better than the volume with the vampires in space but in this one volume & story I have the same issue just like many other readers/fans of 30 days of night series: I can't decipher at all what is happening sometimes(I can't visually recognize at all sometimes who is who or what is happening in general or to who, why, when & where because even though I like more the dark bleak, moody & misty yellow/orange red neo gothic dystopian creepy, bloody, gory chaotic gruesome & unsettling macabre aesthetic, climax, vibe & atmosphere in many scenes I get confused sometimes to what, how, when, where, which, to who & why it happened, been happening or had happened at all especially & particularly in the bloody, gory, unsettling terrifying & macabre action scenes in the way the illustrations are so dark & a lot unclear & not so much visually distinct or recognizable in many illustration panel scenes.

The story is good, the pacing a little slow in a good way, not dull, not lame or boring at all not even bad or terrible just an interesting fascinating decent story/plot, art & characters.

I like it a little bit more & that's all there is & I shall continue with the other volumes & stories in the universe & saga of the 3p days of night.

[Edith Campo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esta historia se sitúa después de "Días oscuros" y "Regreso a Barrow", aunque no entiendo muy bien qué narices hacen los personajes en este arco, porque no tiene nada que ver con cómo se comportan en los otros cómics.
El estilo de dibujo sigue la línea visualmente atractiva, pero los personajes no se distinguen unos de otros, y muchas veces no sé que ha pasado en la acción (ni leyéndolo varias veces)
Además meten un bebé, que es lo que más apetece en una serie de vampiros: maternidad.
No está resultando una gran saga...

[Felyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 4-issue mini-series serves as the link between Dark Days and Return to Barrow. It was published after Return to Barrow, but I chose to read it beforehand because I'm a fan of chronological reading (unless the author recommends otherwise).

I really, really enjoyed this. It introduces new players that I hope we get to see a lot more of as the series goes on. It also starts a weird little plotline that needs to continue, otherwise the entire point of the mini-series is utterly lost.

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, really liked this story, but I think I would have liked it better if I were able to keep track of the characters better... There were a couple of occasions I really had to reread or start staring at the pictures to see who's who, who's getting shot, andso on...
But still, a decent story about Eben & Stella..

[mad mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

* The artwork is markedly improved with Ben Templesmith gone. I mean THAT COVER.

* But. Stella and Xen look way too much alike. I shouldn't have to re-read panels multiple times to decipher what's happening.

* How does the intro at the beginning of each single issue contain more detail than the comics that precede it?

* Two words: VAMPIRE BAYBEEEEES!

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a vampire baby and they killed a cat. I think tonally this series is way more than what I want out of vampire fiction. Yet I keep reading them.
Also, have to say that something is lost in this entry without the series original disturbed artwork.
And for a book about Eben and Stella, I'm not sure I know much more about Eben or Stella.

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Back to an uglier art style that's trying to capture the feel of the originals. Confusing mess as many others pointed out that makes it difficult to visually decipher what's even going on. Unnecessary backstory on Eben and Stella.

[Arjun Rajkumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great arc but you get the bits between Stella turning eben and them returning to barrow !

[Midge ☠ ★ 99% poison ★ ☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

these are always fun

[Alondra Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This is probably the worst in the series, for me. I did not like the illustrations at all and the story was all over the place. The cover is great tho....🤔😒🤦🏾

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as great as some of the other 30 Days of Night installments but still pretty good. Worth a read. Love this art style.

[Gerald Sessions · Rating 5 out of 5]

My book says it’s 7. Go to bed story takes up with Stella bringing Eben back to life and have a few adventures but in the end, they decide they need to go home to Barrow

[Otherwyrld · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the biggest problems with having to rely on getting graphic novels from the library is that you almost never get to read them in order (not that I'm complaining, I'm glad to get anything I can from the library). The upshot is that you often lose both continuity and context when you are in the middle of an ongoing series. This is a long way of saying thank you to the "previously on 30 Days of Night" write up on the first page, otherwise I would have been completely lost with this one.

This is the book that reunites Eben and Stella, despite Eben dying at the end of the first book (in both the original three part story and the film that was based on it). There's a steep price to pay for that reunion though, as both of them become vampires. The final shot of the story is to see them making the decision to return to their home in Barrow.

In between we meet a bunch of less than bright new vampires, a Buffy wannabe and her husband, and a baby that will never grow up but is the oldest of them all. All of these disparate groups are trying to gain the upper hand without truly knowing who the others are, and into the midst of this Eben and Stella pretty much stumble.

There's a lot of blood spilled, a lot of fighting and at least a bit of progression in the story as our main characters accept their fate and move on, but it felt confusing at times. This was exacerbated by the artwork which was very good but paradoxically very muddled, particularly in distinguishing between the three main female characters who looked far too much alike at times and which sometimes made it hard to work out what was going on.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars so probably 3 1/2 rounded up.

[Tiffany Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the original graphic novel 30 Days of Night, husband and wife team Eben and Stella Olemaun fight a band of vampires that are descending on their town of Barrow, Alaska. Eben was infected and at the end chose to commit suicide rather than live a life as a vampire. Stella wrote a book about the experience and at the release the vampire queen offered Stella Eben’s remains and a way to revive him as an exchange for keeping quiet about their existence. Now she has brought him back and he’s hungry…for blood. The story also involves another band of vampires that are trying to take over the queen’s place since she was killed by Stella after she brought Eben back to “life”, and another husband and wife team that are trying to take down the vampires.

The art work and dialogue is much cleaner than others in this series. The story is easy to follow and this is a quick read.

[Deviancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

30 Days of Night started off with such a big bang. The first story was wickedly dark and fresh, but sadly things started to get stale as they continued to create sequels to the first story. Eben and Stella isn't the stalest of the sequels, but it also does lack in some ways. There's a heavy usage of stereotypes in this specific story, which is somewhat annoying. The story just seems rushed and the plot comes off in paper thin like way. The story also doesn't take place in Barrow, it takes place in Los Angeles. SO where's the 30 days of night? Where's the character desperation that the original story had? Where's the horror?

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of the better volumes in this graphic novel series, but the new artist is pretty good and has a similar watercolor style to Ben Templesmith, the original artist. Unfortunately, the character designs seemed a bit lazy. For example, the major female characters are blond with shoulder length hair, which makes a bunch of the scenes confusing.

I wasn't blown away by the story either. I mean, why would a really old vampire baby be enough to validate a new vampire queen? It's so illogical! Who cares?! This was one of those stories better left to your imagination.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 7th in the terrifying graphic novel series about the vile vampires (there is nothing romantic whatsoever about these creatures) that invade Barrow, Alaska once a year when the sun doesn't rise for 30 days.

I've discovered the only books in the series that I enjoyed are the ones that take place in Barrow and/or feature Eben & Stella. The first book (simply titled "30 Days of Night" was phenomenal)and I enjoyed this one just as much.

I have to say that I enjoyed the artwork much more than any of the titles in the series, thanks to Justin Randall's fabulous illustrations.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this didn't really work well as a story at all. The artwork was amazing, thank you Justin Randall for that, but the narrative seemed confused and chaotic. In a sense this is a good thing, in a town at times when everything is confusing and chaotic, but this does not make for a good story. The first in the 30 Days of Night set was stunning; other such as Dark Days and Return to Barrow are remarkable; but Eben & Stella is perhaps best left on the shelf.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the conclusion of Dark Days, Stella has succeeded in bring back her deceased husband Ebon. However, this human/vampire family dynamic takes a twist for the worst as Stella puts in motion a plan for a family. Having lost Templesmith on the art drops this volume a notch, as his linework was what helped propel the series.

[Roswita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story picks up where the second movie ends. Stella digs up Eben and bleeds all over him. When he wakes up he immediately bites her. Duh. Stella gets turned and the adventure begins. The artwork in the volume is excellent. The story line is solid and logical. All in all this is a great continuation of the series.

[Caitlin O'Sullivan]

Though the art wasn't exactly to my taste, I enjoyed finding out what happened to Stella after the events of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days. Kelly Sue writes bada$$ ladies both good and evil, and as for the baby, well . . . that was one of the creepier (and fresher) takes on "vampire babies" that I've seen.

[Micah Siegmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume of 30 Days of Night follows Eben and Stella's continuing adventures as Stella unwittingly finds herself with custody of a vampire baby, which sets up the conflict of the story. Overall a decent read although the characters were tough to distinguish from each other at times. Pretty good artwork as well.