The vampire has long been a popular subject in books and film. The depictions have ranged from Bella Lagosi's Dracula to Nosferatu along with the more recent films such as Blade, Interview with A Vampire, and Queen of the Damned. It is perhaps on the foundation laid by these previous writers and directors that Hellsing achieved it's firm niche on the shelves of manga and anime fans. But, lately, the regular dosage of over the top battles, darkly humorous comebacks, and intense drama has turned into a trickle.

You remember Hellsing, don't you? Seras Victoria, Cheddar Village, creepy vampire priest, boom boom, "What are you going to do, Police Girl?" and all the rest of it. I'd been following the anime until, well, it ended and then I bought the manga. The manga gripped me as soon as the vampire Nazis showed up. I mean, really, vampire Nazis. So silly and yet delivered so dramatically. It's marvelous.

In preparation for this story, and to make sure I wouldn't look like a big fool, I floated from website to website trying to find out what the story was. I looked at Dark Horse comics who markets the Hellsing manga. No info. I browsed numerous chat rooms and web forums. Still nothing about this mystical delay that is keeping us from finding out how Alucard gets off the aircraft carrier. Le sigh…it's almost too much to bear.

There is, however, a possible reason why. For those of you who saw the original anime you saw that it jumped off the tracks of the manga fairly quickly and then began going it's own way. The pint sized vampiric bibliophile, the odd purple guy with the shotgun, all of that was made up to replace the stuff that was made up in the first place. But now they've decided to re-release the anime and make it how it originally was. The Mad Major Montana Max(wow, Catch 22 flashback), the Herr Doktor, Mr. Stern and Silent, and little Warrant Officer Schroedinger who is the nod for the bishounen fans all while be present when Hellsing Ultimate makes it's American debut,

But the question remains as to whether or not the manga will begin to be published again sometime soon or whether we will have to sit around, twiddling our thumbs, as we wait for the anime to finish the story for us? It's not that I'm unhappy with the new anime, I think it's great, but I don't think the manga should be shoved aside for it. If it's a case of not being able to have your cake and eat it to, then I'd rather see the manga finished up, and not have the anime then to see the former pushed aside for a show that won't be out in the US from anywhere between to a month and a year.

Still, I guess it's important to not think of this as an end, but as something along the lines of a postponing of the series as a whole. I guess for the time being I'll have to rely on Fullmetal Alchemist for my kicks.

Comments, Suggestions, Flattery, can all be sent to Nick McCavitt at radinov@hotmail.com