I love the undead; I also love comics and good story telling. So, what better way to get the best of both worlds than to read the Hellsing manga! It's a story about a secret organization of vampire killers in London and they are in charge of keeping the world safe from demonic forces. Ironically, the organization, known as the Hellsing Organization, has more than just a highly trained group of military operatives, scientists, and intelligence agents. They are are in possession of of vampire unlike any other, and he is used as a secret weapon against his own kind. His name is Alucard, and he is more than happy to serve his human masters in the battle against what he refers to as "cowards" and "scum".
You have to read the rest for yourself though because believe me, you don't want me to ruin it for you. I would like to discuss 3 main models that apply to graphic novel communication.
- Words
- Pictures
- Frames
Visually, this a great graphic novel/manga. The artwork is fantastic and the action is always explosive, dynamic, and gory. The pictures are what really sell this story.
The framing is also well placed with the exception of the awkwardness of reading backwards, but thats more of a personal problem. At moments I got a little bit confused with where I was at in the story because of it, but I figured it out based on the engrossing storyline.
All of these elements communicate simultaneously and effectively; they each play to each other's strengths. We can see the wording that the characters speak and we can see the sound effects and picture them in our minds, right along side the beautiful art that shows location, characters expressions, and the grittiness of the conflicts. Combine those with solid framework and timing and you have one great adventure right in the palm of your hands. Now if you will excuse me, I have more reading to do.
