Helsing: The Darkness and the Light is a 2014 supernatural goth horror graphic novel written by Pat Shand, artwork by Tony Brescini, and colors by Fran Gamboa.  The story follows the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing, Liesel, who receives a mysterious journal written by her father.  Desperate to find out who sent her the book, Liesel discovers that her journey is being manipulated by her father’s greatest nemesis.

Plot: The story follows Liesel Van Helsing who’s doing her thing and kicking vampire ass.  She receives a diary from her father and quickly picks up his trail following clues until she discovers the immortal vampire Dracula and how his actions have affected her family.  She then sets off to slay the vampire.  As far as story goes it’s not original but it is told in a pretty entertaining way.  There’s drama, there’s action, there’s mystery and of course horror.  I found her father’s journal a pretty important piece that did give some insight of her character which helped make the story gradually unravel.  The climax did feel a little anti-climatic.  I’m thinking that there’s going to be this awesome battle between vampire master and vampire hunter but isn’t.  Not that it’s a bad climax mind you. (3 out of 5)

Characters: I like the characters and think they’re pretty interesting and likable.  Liesel Van Helsing is a vampire hunter, an inventor, and the main protagonist of our story.  She’s the daughter of vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing.  She’s strong, smart, sexy as hell, and fun and that’s a list of good qualities for a good character.  She has this strong desire to live up to and honor her father’s name.  Allied with her is book store owner Jonathan Harker.  I thought he’d be a tacked on character but he’s actually really cool.  He even manages to get in some great moments. I liked Mina, I thought she was a good character. Then there’s Hades; Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.  He and Liesel have this on-and-off again, hard to get mutual attraction for each other.  He’s definitely one of the better incarnations of the character. Our main antagonist is none other than Dracula and his legions of undead.  Dracula has ruined her family and now has set his sights on Liesel.  I wished he had more dialogue or more to do but he does keep his scenes intense. (5 out of 5)

Art Style: The artwork is actually pretty good.  Liesel’s outfit design is sexy and definitely serves as eye candy (because fighting hordes of vampires doesn’t require tactical clothing, LOL).  Now the design looks cool as hell and has a steampunk inspired look.  I really appreciated Tony Brescini’s art style and the Fran Gamboa attention to the color themes. (5 out of 5)

Writing: Thumbs up to the writing.  Pat Shand does the writing keep the writing simple but he does a good job.  The story that’s being told is an interesting one, the characters presented at cool, and the pacing and transitions are good.  The blend of adventure, horror, and steampunk is done exceptionally well.  I like that there is some humor and it’s mostly due to the dialogue.  Yes, some of the dialogue is cheesy but it’s fun.  I know Zenescope Entertainment likes to make their heroines super hot (most comic book companies do actually) and overly skilled without much of a developing arc.  Vampires are suppose to be these horrible creatures and she literally just kills them like they’re nothing, which makes them less threatening.  I really enjoyed seeing she couldn’t just kill Dracula so that gives her a challenge.  I would’ve liked to have seen more drama with her character. Whether it be between Liesel and Hades, or Liesel and Mina, or even between her and Dracula. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Helsing: The Darkness and the Light is actually a really entertaining read.  It has everything you’d expect to find in vampire fiction.  A beautiful, badass female vampire hunter, plenty of vampire action, and interesting story, and great art style. Helsing: The Darkness and the Light gets 4 out of 5.