From The Vaults: STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI VOLUME 1

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI VOLUME 1

Writer: Peter B. Gillis

Art: Brett Anderson, While Portacio & Scott Williams

Marvel

Mike S: Set in the near future on an Earth not part of the Marvel Universe, Strikeforce: Morituri (certainly the first 20 or so issues) was a hidden gem of the 1980s. The basic premise is invasion fiction – the monstrous Horde have invaded Earth and are subjugating mankind until brave volunteers sign up for the Morituri process which grants each surviving volunteer a random superpower with which to battle the alien oppressors. Think Terrigen Mists and you’re almost there. However, where this concept differs is that this gift comes with a price: each volunteer’s life span is drastically reduced allowing only a maximum of a year to live before their powers flare and destroy them. And the creators certainly deliver on this tragic situation as they kill off character after character, replacing them with the second and then third generation of Morituri subjects. Herein lies the beauty of this collection: you get great alien invasion stories, heavy with action and drama, but countered with some real humanity and an insightful and poignant reflection on both media celebrity status (long before the age of the vlogger) and of course mortality, offering the reader a mature, intelligent look at war and pragmatism in the face of overwhelming odds.

For me, however, the real appeal of this book has always been that this was one of the earlier comic books to allow the writer (Peter B. Gillis) to really dig into the characterisation of the main cast as sometimes reluctant ‘superheroes’, used to inspire a downtrodden and subjugated population.

From The Vaults: WHAT IF? #27

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

WHAT IF ? #27

Writer: Mary Jo Duffy

Art: Jerry Bingham, John Stuart & Carl Garford

Marvel

Matt C: 'What If Phoenix Had Not Died?'

A somewhat ironic statement in hindsight considering the number of times Jean Grey has since experienced resurrection, but back in 1981, when this comic was published, the death of a major character was still raw and seemingly permanent, so cosmic baldy The Watcher providing a peek into how things could have turned out was one of the more hefty subjects tackled by this series.

This was actually my initial introduction to the Dark Phoenix Saga. I picked it up as a UK black and white reprint, as a source of bona fide American comic books had yet to reveal itself to me back in the early 1980s. Even though I had limited access to X-Men comics, their abiding coolness had made its impact on an impressionable young mind, and any opportunity to delve into their world was embraced with gusto. Here I got to see, from a slightly different angle, a majorly traumatic part of their history and, unaware as I was of Phoenix at the time (Jean Grey was still Marvel Girl to me at that stage), this issue ably underscored the sheer universe-threatening power the cosmic entity now bonded with Grey possessed.

From The Vaults: UNCANNY X-MEN #98

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

UNCANNY X-MEN #98

Writer: Chris Claremont

Art: Dave Cockrum, Sam Grainger & Janice Cohen

Marvel

Andrew B: At the beginning, she was something of a cliché. In 1963’s launch issue of The X-Men, Jean Grey may have been introduced as the newest student at the Xavier School, but we’d pretty much seen her type before.

“A most attractive young lady,” according to Professor X himself. “A real living doll,” according to Cyclops. And in the high-flying (and permanently leering) Angel’s words, “a redhead. Look at that face… and the rest of her.” More like Objectified Girl than Marvel Girl, perhaps, but there she was. In essence, a token female and potential love interest. A little predictable. A little dull. A little, well, grey.

To be fair, Jean is allowed to hint at her own hidden potential: “You’ll learn more about me, boys, in time!”

The time turned out to be about twelve years.

From The Vaults: X-MEN: THE ASGARDIAN WARS

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

X-MEN: THE ASGARDIAN WARS

Writers: Chris Claremont

Art: Art Adams, Paul Smith, Mike Mignola, Bob Wiacek & Terry Austin

Marvel

Mike S: It’s no secret that Uncanny X-Men is my all-time favourite comic book, going right back to my first issue (#111 – Mesmero, the brainwashed X-men as circus performers – seriously, check it out!) but once the franchise released its first spin-off in the form of the New Mutants, I was truly hooked. It seems so strange to think there was once a time when there was only one spin-off title and one main title and a crossover could be self-contained and not require enough expenditure to require a second mortgage. Which brings me to my all-time favourite X-Men crossover: The Asgardian Wars.

Collected in a trade, this arc contains X-Men & Alpha #1 & #2, New Mutants Special Edition #1 and Uncanny X-Men Annual #9. While the X-Men/Alpha Flight story is a nice enough two-part tale entitled ‘The Gift’, it offers little to the overall arc other than establishing the reason for Loki’s animosity towards the X-Men and his reasons for targeting the junior team, and some good character moments between Cyclops (currently married to Madelyne Pryor) and Rachel (his daughter from the future/alternate reality; it’s the X-Men – just go with it!).

From The Vaults: UNCANNY X-MEN #137

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

UNCANNY X-MEN #137

Writer: Chris Claremont

Art: John Byrne, Terry Austin & Glynis Wein

Marvel

Rob N: 'Phoenix Must Die!' screamed the sensational cover blurb of Uncanny X-Men #137 when it came out in 1980 as the concluding issue of the Dark Phoenix storyline. This had been a sequence of storytelling that had set fandom buzzing with excitement on a scale never seen before, and probably never seen again until Watchmen was serialised. A multi-part sequence that had its seeds sown in the equally epic Hellfire Club story arc, it inspired all manner of fan theories in the small press publications of the time and left us all on tenterhooks as each issue was devoured for clues, scraps of clues and, well, scraps. This was the very peak of the Claremont/Byrne partnership (not forgetting Terry Austin on inks – no one inked Byrne better than he did), pairing up great writing with exceptional art to deliver what is in retrospect a milestone of the late Bronze Age.

But of course we didn’t believe the cover blurb for a moment as we gazed at the cover. Yes, Marvel occasionally killed a supporting character for dramatic effect, but a central member of the X-Men who could trace her lineage all the way to the first issue? I mean – Jean Grey? No way. It was just the usual Marvel bombastic hyperbole that we came to expect on the covers.

Excelsior.

From The Vaults: WARLOCK #9-10, AVENGERS ANNUAL #7

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

Andrew B: He speaks with the grandeur of Dr Doom. He schemes with the insane zeal of the Red Skull. And, yes, he’s got a chin like Darkseid. Thanos of Titan has qualities in common with many of the other great villains of comicdom, Marvel or DC. But there’s one factor that makes him different, darker, deadlier. One feature that sets him apart. The nature of his ambition: nothing less than total stellar genocide.

Take Doom or the Skull, for example. Their world-views are unlikely to be shared by anyone currently reading this article (unless they happen to be sporting a funny little moustache and listening to a CD of SS marching songs), but they can at least be understood. Their dark dreams involve the possession of power and the right to rule over a subject people – not too savoury – but at least they envisage a world with people still in it. There is a twisted rationality in their megalomania, a limit to their plans. Doom for one is even capable of a level of nobility – in Fantastic Four #87, for example, he famously lets the FF go free rather than in battle risk damage to “the immortal art” preserved in his castle. On some level, you can deal with Doom, even the Skull.

None of that with Thanos.

From The Vaults: THOR #132

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

THOR #132

Writer: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta

Marvel

Andrew B: We all know that Marvel's version of the God of Thunder has only to whirl his enchanted hammer Mjolnir around his head a few times in order to soar imperiously into the heavens. It took a while for Thor as a comic to join its eponymous hero in gaining similarly lofty heights, however.

Apart from the occasional appearance of evil Loki, the first three years' worth of Thor's adventures saw the Asgardian Avenger battle a distinctly unimpressive list of opponents. There was the Cobra and Mr Hyde, the Tomorrow Man, the Grey Gargoyle, small fry every one. No wonder Stan and Jack found the opening to launch a 'Tales Of Asgard' back-up feature. Thor only needed sixteen pages to trounce these guys.

Things began to improve with #114 in 1965 with the first appearance of the Absorbing Man, and by 1966 the book was taking off in a big way. Storylines were becoming more complex and requiring several issues to develop. Admittedly, this could be said of most of Marvel's output as the '60s really started to swing, but with Thor, the reader got the sense that Lee and Kirby had finally begun to see the full potential of the character.

And we're talking considerable potential. Potential of cosmic proportions.

From The Vaults: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1

Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning

Art: Paul Pelletier, Rick Magyar & Nathan Fairbairn

Marvel

Matt C: It all seems so obvious now, but back then? Back then it was anything but.

In 2005, via a Drax The Destroyer miniseries and then an event book, Annihilation, writer Keith Giffen revitalised Marvel’s cosmic properties, bringing them back to the giddy heights last witnessed when Jim Starlin was doing his thing in Silver Surfer, Infinity Gauntlet and all the related series in the early ‘90s. It was then the turn of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning to take the baton, penning a new Nova series and a sequel event called Annihilation: Conquest. From that they spun out a second ongoing series, Guardians Of The Galaxy.

It took the name but this was an entirely different set of characters than the original team who debuted in 1969 and were based in the 31st century (making occasional trips to the 20th century for team-ups with likes of the Thing and Captain America). Peter Quill aka Starlord was the leader of this new, disparate band of heroes, his aim being to work proactively to prevent any other unstoppable incursions into the universe as witnessed in both Annihilation series, guilt over his perceived inaction driving him forwards. It’s essentially the same team as the movies, with the additions of Quasar and Warlock (Groot was relegated to twig-mode in the early stages), and this debut issue set the template for what was to come, arguably igniting the spark that transformed a movie that many deemed to be Marvel Studios’ riskiest gamble at that point into one of the most successful and beloved additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far.

From The Vaults: MARVEL PREVIEW #11

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

MARVEL PREVIEW #11

Writer: Chris Claremont

Art: John Byrne & Terry Austin

Marvel

Rob N: 'All New! One Man Against a Galactic Empire!' screamed the exclamation mark heavy cover.

It was the summer of 1977 – a hot one, as I recall - and like every other 13 year-old boy I was getting rather too excited about a new science fiction film called Star Wars that hadn’t yet reached the rundown Flora Cinema in Helston, Cornwall (a place where films came to die after a long run in more respectable movie theatres the length and breadth of the UK). Everyone was suddenly in a Sci-Fi frenzy, as starships and blaster rays and old fashioned pulp storytelling had bludgeoned the rather more literary pretensions of the New Wave of SF which had dominated the scene since the late '60s. Just a few years ago a typical SF title might have been something like I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream, or Time Considered As A Helix Of Semi-Precious Stones or "Repent, Harlequin!" Said The Ticktockman, with narrative flourishes that matched the ambiguity of the titles.

But that was then, and now it was now, and by 1977 it was the return of Space Opera, harking back to the 1930s, '40s and '50s, when chiseled-jawed heroes (almost certainly American) piloting jet-fighter starships in combat with surprisingly humanoid looking aliens who were trying to carry off long-legged heroines with heaving bosoms. The pseudo-intellectual titles were soon to give way to Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica and Battle Beyond The Stars.

You get the idea.

From The Vaults: CAPTAIN AMERICA #25

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

CAPTAIN AMERICA #25

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artists: Steve Epting & Frank D'Armata

Marvel

James R: Death in comics is a permanent punchline for us fanboys - the very nature of a business where sales always need to be driven up but the status quo needs to be kept means death is never the final chapter, more a temporary condition. When Ed Brubaker killed off Steve Rogers in the middle of his epic run on Captain America, I remember it being less of a shock and more a source of excitement - given how he had utterly rejuvenated the character and the book since taking over stewardship with Steve Epting in *gulp* 2005, it was clear that he had a master plan for the Sentinel of Liberty, and it was great to be along for the ride.

I haven't read this issue since its release in 2007, but after nine years it still packs a punch. What totally surprised me was that the death of Cap is in fact the epilogue to Civil War - I had absolutely forgotten that it was the conflict over the superhero registration act that saw Steve Rogers clasped in irons; my memory was that his arrest was part of the Red Skull (naturally) and Doctor Faustus' insidious plot. As always with Ed Brubaker, he makes writing good comics look easy - the assassination does tie in neatly with the ongoing plot in the title, and Brubaker gives us much more besides. In 32 pages he and Epting cover the build-up to the hit by showing us just who Captain America is, and what he means to those closest to him, before the fantastically claustrophobic and tense assassination outside the courtroom. The plot then shifts to arguably the true protagonist of the Brubaker/Epting run (more on that later), Bucky Barnes, as he attempts to track down the shooter with the help of Sam Wilson. And if all that wasn't enough, there's still time for one final twist, as one of Cap's closest allies is revealed to have had a hand in the dramatic events.

From The Vaults: TALES OF SUSPENSE #79-81

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

TALES OF SUSPENSE #79-81

Writer: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Frank Giacoia & Stan Goldberg

Marvel

Andrew B: During World War II, it was often complained of the GIs stationed in England prior to D-Day that they were “overpaid, oversexed and over here”. I used to feel much the same way about Captain America.

When I started reading comics lo, those many years ago, the characters that I thrilled to the most were those with whom I seemed to have something in common, teenagers like Spider-Man or the Human Torch. In fact, particularly with Peter Parker, it was the scenes from the hero’s private life, all those personal problems and girlfriend issues, that proved the read-again highlights of many issues. Back in the '60s, Cap didn’t seem to have a private life at all, except a worryingly wallowing fixation with a dead teenage sidekick which these days would no doubt get his shield felt by Operation Yewtree.

From The Vaults: THE MAN OF STEEL #3

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

THE MAN OF STEEL #3

Writer: John Byrne

Art: John Byrne, Dick Giordano & Tom Ziuko

Colours: Tom Ziuko

DC

James R: When Matt C suggested we celebrate the release of Batman V Superman with a look at some of the two legendary characters' most famous meetings, I immediately thought of this. Bearing in mind that 1986 also saw the Batman-Superman clash that the movie is drawing stylistic inspiration from in the pages of Frank Miller's masterwork, The Dark Knight Returns, this may seem like a strange choice. However, I went for John Byrne's effort as in many ways in crystallises the relationship between Bruce and Clark and shows an understanding of their characters in a way that few other single issues have managed.

1986 is rightly held up as the high watermark for mainstream comics - within a calendar year, DC were publishing not only the aforementioned Dark Knight Returns, but also the Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen (arguably the two most influential comics not of the 20th century, but of the 21st, setting the tone for countless superhero books and movies). At the same time, DC were rebooting their books in the wake of Crisis On Infinite Earths. Alan Moore had brought down the curtain on the Silver Age Superman brilliantly in the magnificent 'Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?' two-part story (If you've never read it, I can't recommend it enough.) The stage was set for a rebirth of Superman, and John Byrne was an obvious, yet brilliant choice.

From The Vaults: SUPERMAN: RED SON #1-3

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

SUPERMAN: RED SON #1-3

Writer: Mark Millar

Art: Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson, Walden Wong & Paul Mounts

DC

Tom P: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will see Clark, Bruce and Diana unite on the big screen at long last. For my money, one of the finest clashes between DC's biggest players ever written is Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son. An 'Elseworlds' tale released in 2003, it asks what if instead of landing in Smallville, Kansas in the good ol' US of A, the ship containing baby Kal-el crashed down on a collective farm in the Ukraine in 1938, landing in the loving arms of Josef Stalin's communist Russia. This changes the course of the Cold War as he sculpts a socialist utopia that spreads across the nations of the world, with one exception: America. It really is a brilliant use of both comic lore and 20th century history that I fully recommend you should read.

"Superman: Pride of the Soviet state, symbol of our military might. Let our enemies beware. There is only one super-power now!"

From The Vaults: BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #1-10

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #1-10

Writer: Karl Kesel

Art: Dave Taylor, Robert Campanella, Peter Dpherty, Alex Sinclair, Graham Nolan & Sal Buscema

DC

Matt C: Debuting in 1999, Batman And Superman: World’s Finest attempted to essay the evolving relationship between the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel in the post-Crisis DC Universe over the course of a decade, tying into the anniversary of a friend’s death that could have been avoided if only they’d worked together (an incident that takes up the first issue). I have fond memories of reading this when it first appeared as it came at the perfect time for me and my connection with these particular characters. Having grown up on a strict diet of Marvel with an occasional side helping of Batman, the late-‘90s saw me invest in the DC Universe wholeheartedly, particularly Superman, an icon I’d resisted up until that point (for reasons perhaps a bit longwinded to get into here). The opportunity to see these apparently dichotomous creations interacting was too enticing to pass up.

From The Vaults: AVENGERS #66-68

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

AVENGERS #66-68

Writer: Roy Thomas

Art: Barry Windsor-Smith, Sal Buscema, Syd Shores, George Klein & Sam Grainger

Marvel

Rob N: In Marvel's four-colour world of malevolent villains with grandiose schemes, Ultron offers us a very pure and clinical sense of evil, detached from human emotions and feelings that might cloud the motives of even the sinister Doctor Doom who, lest we forget, got all upset and emotional at 9/11 in Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #36 and, despite having tried to murder millions of people himself many times in the past, helped with the rescue work on the ruined Twin Towers, because all Marvel villains that day seemed to agree that that was a step too far in villainy.

Though I didn't see Ultron there giving a hand at Ground Zero! And nor would we, because Ultron would simply have taken advantage of the dense configuration of sobbing and off-their-guard super-powered heroes and villains in one place to unleash a furnace like ion beam from a specially positioned orbiting satellite to cauterise the entire area. Ultron doesn't care if you're a hero or a villain – he doesn't care that you're taking a moment out to help the injured and the dying – he just wants to see you all dead. You can't reason with him and you can't offer him anything. All he wants is a mound of scorched human skulls high enough to touch the moon.

From The Vaults: AVENGERS Vol.3 #19-22

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

AVENGERS Vol.3 #19-#22

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Art: George Perez, Al Vey & Tom Smith

Marvel

Matt C: It took me a good few years after discovering the Avengers for me to properly understand the importance of Ultron to their mythos. I first encountered the character via UK reprints of the original Secret Wars back in the mid-'80s and there he was more memorable for being a robot lackey to Doctor Doom rather than as a malevolent force with an unstoppable hatred of mankind. This perception lingered for quite a while until the gradual realisation of Ultron's centrality to the dynamic of Earth's Mightiest Heroes came into focus.

Ultron was/is the errant, petulant child taken to the extreme, a being that submerges his creator/'father' Hank Pym in guilt and provides his 'son', The Vision, with motivation to prove that artificial intelligence's default setting isn’t always to attempt to wipe out its inferior progenitor, humanity. It doesn't end there. Pym's erstwhile wife, Janet Van Dyne, becomes the mother, Simon Williams (Wonder Man) is revealed as the donator of brain patterns for the Vision in his original state, Scarlet Witch becomes involved through romantic entanglements with both the Vision and Wonder Man, which means Quicksliver also gets mixed up in things thanks to his sibling status. You imagine Captain America, Iron Man and Thor standing back and counting their blessings that they only need to enter the fray when Ultron needs to be put down.

From The Vaults: CAPTAIN AMERICA #8-9, #11-14 – ‘The Winter Soldier’

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

CAPTAIN AMERICA #8-9, #11-12 – ‘The Winter Soldier’

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Art: Steve Epting, Frank D’Armata, Michael Lark & Mike Perkins

Marvel

Matt C: Remember when James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was still dead?

Just ten years ago Bucky Barnes was one of a handful of characters, alongside the likes of Ben Parker, Thomas and Martha Wayne and Gwen Stacey, who had shuffled off this mortal coil never to return, the idea of them ever coming back from the afterlife being almost sacrilegious. Resurrection had become so commonplace in the superhero genre that the death of a character had lost much of its impact. It was always assumed that character would return sooner rather than later, and there was only those select few that had reached an untouchable status where no creator would dare to attempt to resurrect them.

Enter Ed Brubaker. He’d made his mark on the comics world in the early part of the Noughties with a variety of titles for DC and Wildstorm, most notably Catwoman, Sleeper and the incomparable Gotham Central with Greg Rucka, so when it was announced he’d be working at Marvel, and his first task would be to take the reins of the Sentinel of Liberty’s ongoing adventures, big things were expected. Unsurprisingly, considering the quality of his output at that point, he delivered the goods. And then some.

From The Vaults: THE X-MEN VS. THE AVENGERS #1-4

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections and are always worth revisiting...

THE X-MEN VS. THE AVENGERS #1-4
Writers: Roger Stern & Tom DeFalco
Art: Marc Silvestri, Josef Rubinstein, Keith Pollard, Christie Scheele & Max Scheele
Marvel

Matt C: It would be stating the obvious to say a lot has changed in the world of comics since the 1980s (that's a whole other article in itself!) but as a compare and contrast exercise to highlight some of the differences it's worth taking a look at the The X-Men Vs. The Avengers miniseries from 1987 next to the Marvel's juggernaut event book for 2012, Avengers Vs. X-Men, which concludes next week. It features many of the same characters but while The X-Men Vs. The Avengers has a lot that's familiar to contemporary eyes, at the same time there are a handful of elements that make it feel decidedly like a relic from a different era.

From The Vaults: THE AMERICAN WAY #1-8

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections but are always worth revisiting...

THE AMERICAN WAY #1-8
Writer: John Ridley
Art: Georges Jeanty & Karl Story
DC/Wildstorm

By Matt T

*WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Novelist, screenwriter and one-time Authority author John Ridley launched the miniseries The American Way with artist Georges Jeanty in tow back in 2006 with a simple theme: what if the greatest superheroes in the world were frauds? Or, more accurately, what if they were actors simply playing a role to dupe the country into thinking they were safe?

Through the eyes of a PR rep we get to see the lies that formed the foundation of early-Sixties superhero team the Civil Defence Corps, with villains also on the payroll and most battles little more than choreographed pantomime. Tasked with adding some new ideas to the façade, things quickly unravel as a new hero is unveiled that both the public, and the rest of the team, aren't ready to embrace.

From The Vaults: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT #1-3

While we spend a great deal of time engrossed in the current crop of comic books, let us not forget those fantastic tales from the past that still sit in amongst our collections but are always worth revisiting...

30 DAYS OF NIGHT #1-3
Writer: Steve Niles
Art: Ben Templesmith
IDW

By Matt T

*WARNING - CONTAINS SPOILERS*

The first thing that struck me about 30 Days Of Night was the premise. In the remote town of Barrow in Alaska, where the sun sets for an entire month every year, a horde of vampires set about having themselves a party. There's far more to it than that, but the central plot rarely strays away from the abject horror of the situation. This isn't your pretty boy vampires, all angst and hair gel, this is a group of animals intent on tearing a small town apart.
Standing between the few survivors and complete annihilation are local sheriff, Eben Olemaun, and his estranged wife, Stella, who find they have to go to extraordinary lengths to survive. What follows is a bloody, thrilling and occasionally shocking account of the 30-day period before the sun reappears. There isn't a whole amount of exposition or dialogue required as a result, with little more than the occasional bout of bickering and attempts to find a sliver of hope filling the word balloons.

Helping Steve Niles' atmospheric writing is the individual style of Ben Templesmith’s visuals. The artist's scratchy, watercolour technique is a real 'marmite' divider amongst fans, but I find the minimal backdrops really bring out the exaggerated physiology of the vampires. Instead of the vamps resembling humans in all but their longer incisors, Templesmith portrays these bloodsuckers as razor-toothed creatures with very little similarity to their prey, and the presence of child vampires is utterly chilling. There's no stopping or placating them, and as the conclusion shows, the only manner in which the heroes can overcome the approaching darkness is to become one of them.
As Eben struggles to retain his humanity in the face of the overwhelming predatory instincts of the vampire infection, he chooses to spend his last minutes with his wife, seeing in the sunset in what some may see as a clichéd ending, but personally I find it poignant in a book of such simplicity.

In spite of the obvious attempts to set up a sequel, and the unnecessary subplot of a camcording, helicopter-riding fella from New Orleans who gets killed almost as quickly as he enters Barrow airspace, 30 Days Of Night is a straightforwardly entertaining read. There are plenty of spin-offs and follow-ups, as well as a movie adaptation, but for effective, unfussy shocks and scares you can't go far wrong by sticking with the original.