Graphic Novel Review: Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter by Rich Moyer

Posted on April 15, 2021 at 9:48 am by Gene Ambaum

Ham Helsing: Vampire Hunter by Rich Moyer. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021. 9780593308912. 240pp.

Vampire hunting has been an obsession of the Helsing family for generations, but it didn’t end well for any of them. Now Chad Helsing has arrived in Mud Canyon to help out with its vampire problem. Two rats offer to lead him to the vampire in exchange for its treasure. After setting out together, they’re chased by a werewolf. Instead of something horrific it’s got a tennis ball in its mouth; it’s friendly and it wants to play fetch. Meanwhile, in a nearby castle, an overwrought, rapping hen is trying to get the vampire it serves to worry about Chad, but the vampire is more excited about his new TV.

This friendly, somewhat goofy “horror” adventure has large spiders and an actual villain later, but Moyer’s jokes and kid-friendly drawings keep it light. This is one of those books that makes me wish my now-adult daughter still let me read to her at bedtime.