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A review by jbmorgan86
Hellsing, Vol. 01 by Kohta Hirano
3.0
I’m an eighth grade English-Language Arts teacher. I make a deal with students that I’ll read whatever they bring me. I do this in an attempt to build a relationship with students, show interest in what they’re interested in, and promote the love of books. One of my students is now bringing me manga. Manga is kind of foreign to me, but I’ve read dozens of graphic novels.
Hellsing builds a dystopian world with the elements of Stoker’s Dracula. In Dracula, Abraham van Helsing was a vampire hunter and archenemy of Count Dracula. In this series, Hellsing is a vampire (and monster)-hunting organization. At the head of this organization is Integra and her loyal vampire Alucard (Dracula backwards, in case you didn’t notice). Hellsing keeps England clean and clear of vampires. Things get dicey, however, when the Vatican’s secret agency of vampire hunters cross agreed upon borders.
Overall, the story was pretty fun. I like the mythology. The art was over-the-top gory (is that typical for manga?). The world-building is pretty good.
Included in this volume is a bonus story where the Vatican assassins kill Palestinian terrorists. This was written in 2003 when anti-middle eastern sentiment was at its highest, but the depiction of the Palestinians still felt a bit . . . icky, to me.
Hellsing builds a dystopian world with the elements of Stoker’s Dracula. In Dracula, Abraham van Helsing was a vampire hunter and archenemy of Count Dracula. In this series, Hellsing is a vampire (and monster)-hunting organization. At the head of this organization is Integra and her loyal vampire Alucard (Dracula backwards, in case you didn’t notice). Hellsing keeps England clean and clear of vampires. Things get dicey, however, when the Vatican’s secret agency of vampire hunters cross agreed upon borders.
Overall, the story was pretty fun. I like the mythology. The art was over-the-top gory (is that typical for manga?). The world-building is pretty good.
Included in this volume is a bonus story where the Vatican assassins kill Palestinian terrorists. This was written in 2003 when anti-middle eastern sentiment was at its highest, but the depiction of the Palestinians still felt a bit . . . icky, to me.