Hellsing Recommended

Publisher
Dark Horse
Writer
Kohta Hirano
Artist
Kohta Hirano
Country of origin
Japan
Year
1998

Hellsing GN 3

By David Rasmussen
9th Nov 04

HELLSING
Previously...
The events of the first two Graphic Novels continue onwards.
After the attack on Hellsing HQ by a pair of brothers who didn't last very long in retrospect (all talk, killed quickly, end of story) we learned a vital clue about the identity of those behind all of the troubles of late, one word -- Millennium. And what does that word link to? Would you believe -- nazis?

Yeah. Yeah. It seems everyone and their second cousin has to fight nazis at least once.
If it works for Indiana Jones, Hellboy and the people who released Tom Clancy's last movie then it'll work for Hellsing and Section XIII (Iscariot Agency).

(Oh, right, before I continue quickly on the Tom Clancy thing -- the last movie with Jack Ryan where the villains was Neo Nazis? The actual novel had (if memory serves me right) Islamic terrorists as the enemies but it was replaced at the last minute.)

Did I mention that the nazis got help from the Vatican (who pulls the strings of Iscariot Agency)?

Oh-kay. We're up to speed. We know the enemy... so now what?

Graphic Novel 3
Time for a little roadtrip to South America, where all bad Nazis go to reform their evil plans... or something like that. With Iscariot Agency more than satisfied with sitting on the sidelines and watching their two enemies (the nazis and Hellsing) blow each other up? It looks like it's all Hellsing at this moment... which might not be a good thing since the team of Alucard, Seras ("Police Girl") and their mercenary back-up have come under attack by the South American military (being controlled behind the scenes by the nazis no doubt). Looks like blood is about to be spilled in a major way this GN!
And innocent blood at that since there's no doubt that their attackers are 100% human, and no doubt just following orders... and to top it all off the media's there to cover it all?
No two ways about it, it's going to end violently... and in abit of a cliffhanger too as things can only get worse for Hellsing as we end Graphic Novel 3 and head towards 4...
Oh, and the third part of that ongoing story started in GN 1 is also here. Ok. Breakdown time.

Hellsing Breakdown
What's Hot? - Once again it's the same thing as before. Sure, I've said this more times than I can count but it bears repeating -- I'm not a horror fan, so I‘m not terribly into titles that are horror related, yet Hellsing is one of those rare titles of the genre that I can get into. The artwork, storytelling, characters and all around total package of the title is just some good reading that can't be ignored.
So kudos to Dark Horse for bringing this out! A good engaging read well worth buying for your collection.

What's Not? - Eck. Seras ("Police Girl") gets very little face time in this one. Damn. Not good.

Moments to Remember?
Once again I am pointing to Seras ("Police Girl") as my favorite of the whole series.
The others are good, too, but she's just a fave of mine. Too bad she barely appears in this book.
And yes, once again even if it's a blood ridden title there's still lots to remember here.
The bloody battle at the hotel where Alucard/Seras are (or now were) staying being a good example.

What to Ignore?
Once again please make sure to NOT ignore the fact this should be a Mature Reader title!
With all the violence and gore it's not for everyone, so be mindful of that. Now, that being said, the title itself is too good to ignore. If you can take the content of the title then it'll be well worth reading in my opinion.

Overall?
I still like it despite the fact that Seras gets so little time in this one. It's good, yes it is, and since I'm not a major convert of horror titles I can really sink my reviewing "teeth" into this without any regrets! Lucky me!
You know what? It's rare for me when I can find a title I like as much as Hellsing, especially in this genre (horror), so once again lucky me for having this chance to review it!
The carnage meter is up today, but still it's all good.
Now, yes, I haven't seen the anime yet, but I can really recommend the manga to you at least!
Hellsing (manga) is a good solid bloody read that will definitely make an impression on you, and prove to be a good read that you won't be able to ignore. A must have.

-- David Rasmussen 9th Nov 04