Absolute unadultered hilarity. I’m a sucker for puns and so is my nine year old son. We loved the characters amd the slapstick, sort of dark plot line. We look forward to the sequels.

My nine year old daughter loved it, it was enough action to keep her more than engaged. She loved all the potty. humor and especially the female ninja. Most of the more adult jokes and puns went over her head, but I actually enjoyed them.

I for one appreciated the snarky rats and their witty dialogue. We were not huge fans of the "vampire" as he seemed a little too creepy towards the female ninja. The townspeople were fun, and the overall story had enough twists and turns to keep my daughter's attention. She needed help with some of the words and their definitions, but it was fun to read together. We will definitely be purchasing the next adventure.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! The characters are hysterical- I couldn't even say which was my favorite (but it's probably the rat with the thesaurus) because they all had such funny qualities!

This is one of those things I will be happy that bears repeated readings- there are too many clever details to catch them all the first time through.

Thank you for the review copy, can't wait for more!

Ham comes from a long line of vampire hunters who make rash decisions that end in their deaths. After his brother Chad perishes in a wing suit accident, Ham is the only one left. He heads to a town where there is a vampire savaging the residents, and intends to take care of matters. The only problem? He's not sure what to do. With the help of two rats who hire him and Ronin, a wide eyed tree pig, and Lobos (a werewolf who by day is a young boy at a local camp), they take off for the spooky mansion at the edge of town where they meet Malcolm, a warthog(?) vampire who doesn't want to hurt people; he has social anxiety and just wants to keep to himself. Something is hurting the townspeople, so Ham and his band of merry marauders set out to find the villain. Through the twists and turns of their adventure, Ham learns the true meaning of both courage and friendship.
Strengths: Many adults struggle with an appropriate level of middle grade goofy, but Moyers nails it. First of all, a vampire hunting pig is just funny, and the other animals he encounters all work well with him. Sneaky but ultimately helpful rats? Check. Inexplicable but helpful werewolf? Check. Kick-ham Ronin, whose ability to save the day and also fend off Malcolm's slightly creepy interest? Check and double check! I also loved that the vampire wasn't really the villain, and that Ham and company have to determine who that really is before the forces of evil are dispatched. Perfect level of cartoon violence with a bit of philosophy thrown in to make discerning readers happy. Make sure you take a look at this one before dismissing it. I love when books surprise me.
Weaknesses: While Ham had fairly standard pig eyes, Ronin had manga style wide ones that made me think of Penelope Pussycat, or another character I couldn't quite pin down. This is why I struggle with graphic novels-- I get stuck on one stylistic feature that distracts me.
What I really think: As a connoisseur of middle grade literature involving radioactive pocket pets and farting, wisecracking animals of all types, I can tell you: middle school libraries need Ham Helsing. Like Watson's fantastic Stick Dog, Ham can be enjoyed by elementary school students who like that they stomp spiders with wooden clogs, middle schoolers who take great glee in Ham's progenitors' ridiculous deaths, and teachers who appreciate Malcolm instructing Ham on what bravery really means. This could have gone so, so wrong, but went very right instead.

A little ridiculous, a lot of goofs and gags, some heart and a pig ninja who I need more backstory on, and that’s what I got out of Ham Helsing. I’ll be looking forward to more installments.

A clever little story-- two rats (one of which reads a thesaurus to sound smarter-- a fun way to plug vocab building) are looking to make some treasure, so they convince a pig vampire slayer to let them tag along and collect when he slays the vamp who is vexing the town. Ham Helsing comes from a long line of vampire hunters (who, according to the beginning of the novel, are not abundantly intelligent but do seem to be quite brave), and though he has always been the artistic one in the family, he must arrive and defeat Malcom the Vampire. Along the way, the crew meets Ronin the Tree Pig, an adorable little rogue, and Lobo the Boy Werewolf. There's a cast of "undead" played by pieces of bacon, a loyal HENch played by a chicken, and a nod to Frankenstein.

All in all, a very cute read. Because of some of the suggested violence, I'd suggest middle grade readers.

A wacky adventure, packed with ridiculous and memorable characters. Readers will love the artwork and quotable text.. Even with all the bacon in the book, readers will be asking for seconds!

I LOVED this book!!!! It was hilarious! I loved that the servants were pieces of BACON!!! hahaha.
When it ended, I was like "NO! That can't be the end!" I loved all the little plays on words and all the stuff going on in the background. It was great! I might have to buy a copy of this for my personal collection! PLEASE make more of these!

I'm unable to download or read this book - and I was so looking forward to it! I'm unable to download as a PDF, and it doesn't show up in the Netgalley Shelf App. If something changes, please let me know because I would be happy to read and update by review for it.

First line: Even a long, long time ago, vampire hunting was a Helsing family obsession…

Summary: Ham Helsing has a strong family legacy to uphold. His family have been vampire hunters for generations. They have all been brave and daring. Now it is his turn. After the death of his brother, Chad, he has inherited the job of vampire hunter. He is on a quest to defeat the vampire but he learns that not everyone is as they seem.

My Thoughts: This book was hilarious! I loved the artwork, storyline and characters. I thought the concept was really great, especially for kids. They miss out on some of the jokes but there is still some crude humor that they will love. I was shocked that the story did get a little dark but I with everything that kids read and see, it may not even phase them. I look forward to seeing the finished copy.

FYI: Juvenile graphic novel.