Batman: The Killing Joke — The Undead Rat Recommends

by The Undead Rat on May 18, 2009

This week the Undead Rat Recommends Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland.

Not only was this a landmark story in the Batman mythos, it transformed the Joker into one of the most frightening villains in the DC roster. It also paved the way for Barbara Gordon to leave the life as sidekick Batgirl behind and become a major player as the Oracle.

Each week I’ll feature a new graphic novel book cover in the Multimedia box to the right, along with a link to an online bookseller so you can order it simply by clicking on its cover.

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition)

Author: Moore, Alan
Illustrator: Bolland, Brian
Format: Hardcover
Type: Graphic Novel
Page Count: 64pp.
Pub. Date: March 19, 2008
Publisher: DC Comics

One of the most famous Batman stories of all time is offered for the first time in hardcover in this special twentieth-anniversary edition.

For the first time the Joker’s origin is revealed in this tale of insanity and human perseverance.

Looking to prove that any man can be pushed past his breaking point and go mad, the Joker attempts to drive Commissioner Gordon insane. After shooting and permanently paralyzing his daughter Barbara (a.k.a. Batgirl), the Joker kidnaps the commissioner and attacks his mind in hopes of breaking the man.

This special new edition has remastered colors and also includes a story written and exquisitely illustrated by Brian Bolland.

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Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland

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The world of 30 Days of Night once seemed large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow, however, in 30 Days of Night: 30 Days til Death the Elders are waging war on the new vampires. Rufus is just a regular vampire trying to survive the culling the best way he knows how . . .

Remember, if you are interested in this graphic novel, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller. Request it before June 29, 2009 and you can put it on pre-order and be one of the first to receive a copy.

30 Days of Night: 30 Days til Death by David Lapham
30 Days til Death

30 Days til Death (30 Days of Night #11)

Author: Lapham, David
Illustrator: Lapham, David
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 104pp.
Pub. Date: June 29, 2009
Publisher: IDW Publishing

In 30 Days ’til Death, the horrible events of the Barrow have rippled throughout the world.

A war has started in the secret society of vampires. A reaping. A death squad of elders has come to America to “thin the heard” of the troublesome new breed.

Rufus doesn’t care about anything but his own survival and he’s willing to do anything to ensure it, including getting a dog, and a girlfriend, pretending to like his neighbors, and going to extreme lengths to hide his insatiable craving for blood . . .

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30 Days of Night: 30 Days til Death by David Lapham

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30 Days of Night: Juarez — The Undead Rat Recommends

by The Undead Rat on May 11, 2009

The world of 30 Days of Night is large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow arc and 30 Days of Night: Juarez proves it. In this tale, mystery and horror mix in a story about a private detective named Lex Nova and bloodsuckers . . . called vampires.

Remember, if you are interested in this graphic novel, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller.

30 Days of Night: Juarez by Matt Fraction and Ben Templesmith
Juarez

Juarez (30 Days of Night #10)

Author: Fraction, Matt
Illustrator: Templesmith, Ben
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 104pp.
Pub. Date: February 25, 2009
Publisher: IDW Publishing

The world of the undead is a vast one, with many stories remaining to be told.

In 30 Days of Night: Juarez, Matt Fraction introduces Lex Nova, former private detective and free-range madman, on the hunt for the bloodsuckers killing a whole mess of Mexican girls.

And it ain’t a pretty picture.

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30 Days of Night: Juarez by Matt Fraction and Ben Templesmith

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The world of 30 Days of Night is large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow arc and 30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow proves it by taking you to see the fate of the other inhabitants of the Arctic Circle as they try to cope with the vampire attacks.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller.

30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow by Steve Niles and Bill Sienkiewicz
Beyond Barrow

Beyond Barrow (30 Days of Night #9)

Author: Niles, Steve
Illustrator: Sienkiewicz, Bill
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 104pp.
Pub. Date: February 29, 2008
Publisher: IDW Publishing

After years of attacks, and several without, the citizens of Barrow have become united against random attacks on their city by the undead.

Unfortunately the same does not apply outside of Barrow or the rest of the mysterious Arctic Circle. Co-creator Steve Niles and legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz take the 30 Days of Night mythos and turn it on its head in a terrifying new graphic novel.

Forget everything you ever thought you know about 30 Days of Night and return to Barrow in this all-new tale.

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30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow by Steve Niles and Bill Sienkiewicz

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The world of 30 Days of Night is large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow arc and 30 Days of Night: Red Snow proves it. This tale, set in World War II, tells the story of the vampires which led to the incident at Barrow.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller.

30 Days of Night: Red Snow by Ben Templesmith
Red Snow

Red Snow (30 Days of Night #8)

Author: Templesmith, Ben
Illustrator: Templesmith, Ben
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 104pp.
Pub. Date: January 29, 2008
Publisher: IDW Publishing

1941. Hitler’s Operation: Silver Fox has failed, but the war on the Eastern Front drags on as the Russian winter starts to bite.

British military attache Corporal Charlie Keating observes the war from the Soviet side, making sure crucial supplies get through to aid Stalin’s front in the battle against the Nazis. With luck, he too will survive to see the end of the war.

But something else is out there, and they’re not the Nazis. No matter how hard humanity tries to kill itself, something else does it better. 30 Days of Night/Fell co-creator and Wormwood Gentleman Corpse auteur Ben Templesmith’s first solo 30 Days tale is collected here, presenting a war of a different kind, one that will have repercussions felt all the way to Barrow, Alaska a half-century later.

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30 Days of Night: Red Snow by Ben Templesmith

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Eben And Stella tells the story of the Olemauns between the ending of 30 Days of Night: Dark Days and Return to Barrow.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover or the bookstore tiles below to order it from an online bookseller.

30 Days of Night: Eben And Stella
Eben And Stella

Eben And Stella (30 Days of Night #7)

Author: Niles, Steve and DeConnick, Kelly Sue
Illustrator: Randall, Justin
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 104pp.
Pub. Date: November 21, 2007
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Collects: Eben and Stella Mini-series #1-4

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.

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30 Days of Night: Eben And Stella
Eben And Stella

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Spreading the Disease Continues the story begun in “Dead Space” which was collected in 30 Days of Night: Three Tales.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover or the bookstore tiles below to order it from an online bookseller.

Spreading The Disease
Spreading The Disease

Spreading The Disease (30 Days of Night #6)

Author: Wickline, Dan
Illustrator: Sanchez, Alex and Sandoval, Tony
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 128pp.
Pub. Date: July 19, 2007
Publisher: IDW Publishing

Crawling from the wreckage of “Dead Space” (in Three Tales) is this latest continuation of the 30 Days saga. In “Spreading The Disease,” Agent Michael Henson had all the evidence he needed to prove to the world that vampires exist . . . until the government took it all away. Now, urged on by a mysterious “friend,” Henson must follow a path of carnage and gore in hopes of finding the answer to why anyone would want to put a vampire into space, with his only lead being to follow the fangs. Dan Wickline (30 Days of Night: Dead Space), Alex Sanchez (Doomed) and Jay Fotos (Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show) bring you this stunning tale of mystery and horror

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Spreading The Disease

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We Are Back

by The Undead Rat on May 5, 2009

I’m sorry I didn’t publish Monday’s post but the blog hosting company started moving my account to another server and without warning I couldn’t update my blog. . . until now . . .

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The world of 30 Days of Night is large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow arc and these three stories in Three Tales continues to prove it. Here are three tales by Steve Niles with a number of different artists including Ben Templesmith.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover or the bookstore tiles below to order it from an online bookseller.

Three Tales
Three Tales

Three Tales (30 Days of Night #5)

Author: Niles, Steve and Wickline, Dan
Illustrator: Templesmith, Ben; Jones, Nat; and Milx
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 132pp.
Pub. Date: August 9, 2006
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Collects: 30 Days of Night Annual 2005, Dead Space Mini-series #1-3, and IDW’s Tales of Terror

This volume collects three stories set in the fan-favorite classic vampire centric world of 30 Days of Night.

Table of Contents:

  • Picking up the Pieces by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith
  • The Journal of John Ikos by Steve Niles and Nat Jones
  • Dead Space by Steve Niles, Dan Wickline and Milx
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Three Tales

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The world of 30 Days of Night is large enough to accommodate more stories than just the Barrow arc and these two stories in Bloodsucker Tales proves it. Here are two tales which spit the original creators Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith and pair them up with new partners.

Remember, if you are interested in this book, click the mouse on the book cover to order it from an online bookseller.

Bloodsucker Tales
Bloodsucker Tales

30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales (30 Days of Night #4)

Author: Niles, Steve and Fraction, Matt
Illustrator: Chamberlain, Kody and Templesmith, Ben
Format: Hardcover
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 200pp.
Pub. Date: September 14, 2005
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Collects: Bloodsucker Tales Mini-series #1-8

Bloodsucker Tales
Bloodsucker Tales

30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales (30 Days of Night #4)

Author: Niles, Steve and Fraction, Matt
Illustrator: Chamberlain, Kody and Templesmith, Ben
Format: Trade Paperback
Type: Graphic Novel (Collected)
Page Count: 200pp.
Pub. Date: September 14, 2005
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Collects: Bloodsucker Tales Mini-series #1-8

The world of the undead is a vast one, with many stories remaining to be told. In Bloodsucker Tales, Steve Niles continues the saga of 30 Days of Night with the bloody and terrifying story “Dead Billy Dead,” illustrated by talented newcomer Kody Chamberlain. Matt Fraction (Last of the Independents) joins in with “Juarez,” introducing Lex Nova, former private detective and free-range madman, illustrated by Ben Templesmith.

Table of Contents:

  • Dead Billy Dead by Steve Niles and Kody Chamberlain
  • Juarez or Lex Nova and the Case of the 400 Dead Mexican Girls by Matt Fraction and Ben Templesmith
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Bloodsucker Tales

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Popularity: 95% [?]

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