30 Days Of Night #1
IDW, June 2002.
30 Days of Night was produced as a three-issue mini-series written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Ben Templesmith, both of whom have co-ownership rights to the title with IDW. Cover art for all three comics in the series was illustrated by Ashley Wood.
In a sleepy, secluded town called Barrow, Alaska, the sun sets and doesn't rise for over thirty consecutive days and nights. From the darkness, across the frozen wasteland, an evil comes that will bring the residents of Barrow to their knees. Their only hope; the town Sheriff and Deputy. A husband and wife who are torn between survival... or saving the town they love. Cover price $3.99.
In the story, humans infected with the vampire virus come to Barrow Alaska where they can feed without fear in a remote community, with all communications down, and without the lethal sunlight but have weakened senses due to the severe cold.
Due to a print run of under 4,500 issues (around 3,800 issued in the U.S.A.), the first edition of #1 (Diamond code: APR022371) is both rare and valuable.
Rarer still is the spiral-bound edition (above), which came in a clear hard plastic cover with cardstock backing. This version was distributed to some retailers prior to the public release and contained a full preview plus an introductory letter.
In mid-September 2021, there were 320 gradings recorded for the first print in the CGC census with 28 in the top grade of 9.8. At this time, CGC don't grade the spiral-bound variant, likely due to the thickness or possibly due to the binding making it harder to seal and lie flat in the inner well.
In that same month, the CBCS Population Report recorded ten gradings of the first print with one in the top grade of 9.8.
