In this review of 30 Days Of Night: Falling Sun #3, the people of Barrow are faced with a few choices: run, try to fight, or join the vampires for dinner. And just who are these guys that seem to know/have it in for Jalen?
30 Days of Night: Falling Sun #3
Plot: Steve Niles
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Art and Main Cover: Chris Shehan
Variant Covers: Damien Worm, Chris Shehan
Page Count: 48 pages
Release Date: February 25, 2026
This review contains spoilers
We open with Jalen’s old gang arriving in Alaska, as they stop at a gas station for directions (treating themselves to a little five-fingered discount action), and discuss the murder of Jalen’s mother for information.
Meanwhile, the vampires continue their hunt, as those in the rec center try to decide on their next move. The survivors can hear the vampires walking above them, and Jalen decides to break a broomstick into a few stakes so they can fight them off. But then Calvin points out a back door that they can go through to flee to his house.
Ernie, being the only one currently possessing a firearm, goes to hold them off while the others run, planning to join them later. But then Bobby Jo goes to face them, as well, citing the last time they’d shown up. While Ernie’s able to get back to the others, though, Bobby Jo’s not that lucky.
As they rush to Calvin’s place, they find out what happened to Oliver (and that Ernie’s the new sheriff). After reaching Cal’s, the next plan is to head to an old farm where there’s a working generator.
Meanwhile, the gang reaches Barrow, and encounter a few of the vampires in the road. They lose one of their own in the process, drive away from them, and get back to their hunt for Jalen.
Once they show up at Cal’s, Jalen finds out what happened back home, and that they came to kill him. Kaine, however, seems more invested in survival than carrying out orders. The vampires catch up soon enough, and take out a number of those inside (but not without taking some damage themselves).
The humans flee to the bar, where an idea comes up: get the vampires into one spot, blow up the fuel lines. Jalen and Kaine are the ones to lure them into place for that.
The plan works out, though, as the vampires are set ablaze by the explosion. Kaine agrees to tell Rashon that Jalen’s no longer a problem, as he and any surviving gang members head home. And the survivors of Barrow are left to decide on what’s next.
Thus ends another gripping installment of the “30 Days of Night” series. The last issue set up the promise of an added threat in Jalen’s prior gang coming to deal with him, and it paid off effectively here. Having them show up moments before the vampires catch up to the rec center refugees was a juicy choice for drama. Jalen finds out that they were sent for him and his mother was killed to facilitate this? That’s painful enough to deal with, but WAIT! Here come the hungry blood-suckers to ensure that the poor kid can’t really take the time to grieve just yet!
Kaine deciding to pull a “let’s not and say we did” in terms of killing Jalen was a good way to resolve that thread, as well. If someone were to go through that kind of experience with someone and still go through with killing the other? That’s almost as cold as killing one’s best friend’s mom.
Mass incineration was a fitting way to resolve the other major thread in this story. There are a lot of different takes on vampire lore out there, but fire seems to be a fairly universal means of dealing with them.
So now, it’s up to the survivors to rebuild, and to keep the story of the vampires alive for future generations. The fact that a few earlier survivors were around was a bit beneficial; they’d had some idea of what they were dealing with.
I also appreciated how well Ernie stepped into her new role as sheriff. Yes, there was some degree of shock upon finding out what happened to Oliver (but then, who wouldn’t have been shocked over that degree of carnage?). But when it was time to take charge, she did.
The artwork continues along the standard set by the previous two installments, making great effect of the orange hues with scenes involving the vampires. It has a nice contrast with the purple/blue tone when the humans are hiding from them (and plotting how to fight them).
Final Thoughts
The newest chapter of the 30 Days of Night franchise ends with a bang in 30 Days of Night: Falling Sun #3. It’s a strong finish to the story.
