Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter by Rick Moyer

The Helsing family of courageous, if not very clever, pigs have always been vampire hunters; so when Mud Canyon advertises for help with their vampire problem Ham answers the call.  The rats running the visitor centre (one of whom carries a thesaurus to enrich his vocabulary) are doubtful that mild mannered Ham is capable of killing a vampire but with no alternative they set out to find one. Soon they are confronted by a Lobos (werewolf), in dog form, which chases them before turning back into a child when darkness is dispelled. They can't leave a child alone so it joins the group. On the way to the vampire castle they meet Ronin a tree pig and Knuckles the bear who has also been engaged by the villagers to hunt the vampire. Ham wishes his brave brother Chad was there to help but like the rest of his family, adventurous Chad is thought to have died in a wingsuit accident. They face many bizarre challenges, like a mechanical armoured chicken and not everyone turns out to be what they seem.

This richly coloured, engaging cartoon book skilfully uses perspective to create a feeling of movement and place with lots of action to propel the story. There are funny visual jokes scattered through the pages and the story is interspersed with flashbacks to Ham’s family’s extreme exploits. The overall message that bravery and courage don’t mean absence of fear and that we achieve more with a group of friends makes this a satisfying read.

Themes: Adventure, Friendship, Vampires.

Sue Speck