SEARCH AND DESTROY ANY FORCE WHICH OPPOSES US IS TO BE CRUSHED UNDERFOOT ALL OBSTACLES ARE TO BE REDUCED TO DUST AND ASH There is a chapter in Hellsing where Alucard stands atop a nosediving burning SR71 plane. Crashing at mach 3 speed into a vampirenazi occupied aircraft carrier as their werewolf commander of the military unit monologues in fear. The nowengulfed in flames SR71 impales the carrier as it becomes a giant alit cross. The burning gravestone of the Nazi unit and the exploding ship they occupy. Hellsing has 92 chapters. One of the coolest manga ever. All of this action is captured with erratic messy bloody art that flows through the panels super well. Full of harsh blacks depicting raging nights that make way to excessive sprays of blood dripping into a deep puddle within the shadows five times the size of the cladindarkness caster adjusting his glasses. The bright white reflection of his left lens the only reprieve of darkness within the page. Hirano knows what HE thinks would be the coolest thing to portray next. All you have to do is see eye to eye and embrace the bloody vampire var. And I so love var. Amen. Moving on to some points about the Deluxe itself The books are seriously cool. Mimicking a bloodsoaked trinity of bibles makes this one of the most striking series on my shelves. Theres a ton of bonus material collected in the final volume a bonus story about Iscariot Cover arts dust jacket arts short stories and author notes. Stuff every selfrespecting collected edition should strive to include. As with Dark Horses TRIGUN Deluxe Im not fond of how the onomatopoeia are handled. The effect its supposed to translate is written out small inbetween panels and this just does not capture the impact that wants to be present. Some kana knowledge goes a long way for me but having a page full riddled with giant DOKATSU DOKATSU DOKATSU as Alucard unloads both of his clips into Anderson to be relegated to a weak little kblam in the corner of the page is not it. Sure it means Hiranos art remains mostly untouched. But some sacrifices have to be made when translating manga. The way Initial D did it with a powerful font accompanying the Japanese kana would have gone a long way here. But thats the typesetting. The translation is EXCELLENT. Everyone speaks with a strong accent. Ze suave frenchman the Vartorn und spiteful Thousand Year Reich and of course the Irish Father Anderson who I cant even begin to emulate had ta read some of is lines oot lood ta understand em from taim ta taim. Its lovely and absolutely brilliant work.