graphic novels

Some folks will already be familiar with the anime; others may be encountering this graphic gothic for the first time. I have to say, as a both a manga and a vampire fan, I was delighted to find, Kohta Hirano's HELLSING volume one published in English. The basics of the plot will sound familiar; a secret organization exists in England for taking on the paranormal baddies that terrorize the country. This organization is called Hellsing, and in their corner they have one unstoppable tool, a generations old super-powerful vampire named Alucard who can stop any of the nasties and make them go Aaargh! Splat! in the night.

Probably on of the best things about the anime is that it never takes itself too seriously. Despite the incredible amounts of violence and gore, the dialog tends to be wickedly funny. Despite the allusions to Bram Stoker's DRACULA (After all, Alucard is Dracula spelled backwards) this manga quite gleefully ignores the Victorian sensibilities of the original tale and keeps the dialogue snappy and contemporary. Fans of Buffy the Vampire slayer may find this manga right up their alley. The story itself introduces readers to the cast of this series, Sir Integral, the head of the Hellsing organization and how she came to inherit the position with the help of Alucard their vampire who takes out the baddies for Hellsing others can't handle, and Seras Victoria, otherwise known as Police Girl who becomes Alucard's half-vampire servant when he saves her from dying. Other than the various zombies, vamps and other paranormal creeps Hellsing must put down, they also face off against the Vatican. Specifically section XIII of the Vatican; it's very own paranormal Special ops squad.

The art is fabulous, deftly shaded shots with plenty of detail and a real sense of motion and power that convey the action adventure drama of the plot. The detail never becomes overwrought or lighthearted-although at times the drawing can be comic-and maintains the gothic flavor that is so essential. Be aware if you are just discovering this series that it depicts a great deal of blood and violence-and if this is not your thing, you may want to try something with less graphic detail. For those of you who like a little carnage with your manga, this will probably suit you just fine. Delightfully action packed, wickedly irreverent, and artistically excellent, it's no surprise fans are already impatiently waiting for the next volume!

Be aware that the 13-episode anime series only loosely follows the manga storyline, so even if you've seen the anime, you won't be getting the exact same story. If you enjoy this series and are looking for some reading, I'd recommend BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL and, in anime, VAMPIRE HUNTER D.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

When I first saw the Hellsing Anime I just had to get the Manga.
Boy was I right. The Manga is 100 times better then the anime and more violent too I might add.

I'm in love with this series. It's got action with style and of course, VAMPIRES! Alucard Rules!

This is one of those mangas that I'll probably read more then 3 times. This series is awesome.

Check it out.....

HEllsing was the first anime video that I saw, it was the gateway to my anime viewing experience. Once I finished the series on DVD I was looking around for a "season 2" when I found out that there series was based on comic books. I went to a store and bought vol 1 and read through it really fast. It draws you in and entertains you, and keeps you in suspence with its great illustrations and dialog. The irish and germans in the story are noticed as their accents just jump of the page at you. COnsequently I bought vol 2 + 3 and I am eagerly waiting for volumes 4, 5,6 and however more there might be in the works

If you are new to manga comics this might be a bit of a learning curve (as it was for me) but I did not mind as I was quite entertained.

Kudos to the author and the team that brought it to us in english!