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Helck #4
Helck 4
Crossing a ruined wasteland, Helck and Vermilio are attacked by the Warrior of Darkness! Helck displays his true heroic power as he clashes with the strongest foe he’s faced yet. But Helck’s overwhelming strength causes Vermilio to doubt him once again, so he reveals his past—and the reason he wants to destroy all humans.
188 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2015
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44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 17, 2023
Helck has finally come up against an opponent he can’t seem to punch his way through, but that just reveals a side of him that Vermilio would rather not have seen. Then we learn Helck’s backstory and it turns out that even a slab of beef can be nuanced.
This volume should have come earlier in the series because it achieves the nigh impossible - it makes me give a crap about Helck. After vague questions of his loyalties and equally vague warnings of his darkness, we see what has made the man behind the muscles.
It’s not novel, or, sadly, any less topical than it was when it was written - Helck and his brother Cless were orphans living in the slums and they were treated as less than human by the nobility and slaved away just to barely get by.
Helck has always put on a brave face, we learn, and it takes a lot to get under the very thick skin of cheer he’s built up, but it is possible, as we also learn. In the present he absolutely goes ballistic with some real ‘Helck Smash!’ energy (and here I thought I’d never get that joke in) that Vermilio can barely reign in.
The literal black knight they’re up against is one of those real good intentions that went incredibly scenarios and while the battle scenes are the usual fare, the outcome is quite satisfying indeed and it goes for the emotions with some serious gusto.
Except for Piwi singing, the modern stuff is pretty grim and the past is even more dour. Which is actually a plus when I didn’t think this was killing it in the comedy department anyway, plus it’s a plus because it makes the bonus manga where our trio go through the most commercial tourist trap in the desert even funnier.
The goofy narration here is a thing of beauty and this provides plenty of opportunity for Vermilio to let off a lot of her trademark irritation now that she’s become softer on Helck. It’s a smart pivot and very, very silly in the right ways.
So, once it moves on from punching stuff it does get a lot more interesting. The fallout from the defeat of the demon lord is some of the worst mob mentality I’ve seen, as people blame everything except what they should be blaming. The human “heroes” are on a slippery slope of losing what would define them as interesting. There’s a lot to like here.
4 stars - that opening fight is nothing much, although the ending certainly is, and the revelations of the past make things make a lot more sense. I’m perilously close to liking this story on all fronts, without any asterisks or ‘despite this’ to be seen.
This volume should have come earlier in the series because it achieves the nigh impossible - it makes me give a crap about Helck. After vague questions of his loyalties and equally vague warnings of his darkness, we see what has made the man behind the muscles.
It’s not novel, or, sadly, any less topical than it was when it was written - Helck and his brother Cless were orphans living in the slums and they were treated as less than human by the nobility and slaved away just to barely get by.
Helck has always put on a brave face, we learn, and it takes a lot to get under the very thick skin of cheer he’s built up, but it is possible, as we also learn. In the present he absolutely goes ballistic with some real ‘Helck Smash!’ energy (and here I thought I’d never get that joke in) that Vermilio can barely reign in.
The literal black knight they’re up against is one of those real good intentions that went incredibly scenarios and while the battle scenes are the usual fare, the outcome is quite satisfying indeed and it goes for the emotions with some serious gusto.
Except for Piwi singing, the modern stuff is pretty grim and the past is even more dour. Which is actually a plus when I didn’t think this was killing it in the comedy department anyway, plus it’s a plus because it makes the bonus manga where our trio go through the most commercial tourist trap in the desert even funnier.
The goofy narration here is a thing of beauty and this provides plenty of opportunity for Vermilio to let off a lot of her trademark irritation now that she’s become softer on Helck. It’s a smart pivot and very, very silly in the right ways.
So, once it moves on from punching stuff it does get a lot more interesting. The fallout from the defeat of the demon lord is some of the worst mob mentality I’ve seen, as people blame everything except what they should be blaming. The human “heroes” are on a slippery slope of losing what would define them as interesting. There’s a lot to like here.
4 stars - that opening fight is nothing much, although the ending certainly is, and the revelations of the past make things make a lot more sense. I’m perilously close to liking this story on all fronts, without any asterisks or ‘despite this’ to be seen.
July 22, 2023
Comedy fantasy
I read a lot, and in those tomes manga is over represented but a shorter read than the other fiction. Helck here was a fast read, the first four volumes being less than two hours to consume. Picked up originally as the anime had just come out. Now I will wait for more to come, as I enjoy this fantasy travelogue.
I read a lot, and in those tomes manga is over represented but a shorter read than the other fiction. Helck here was a fast read, the first four volumes being less than two hours to consume. Picked up originally as the anime had just come out. Now I will wait for more to come, as I enjoy this fantasy travelogue.
September 5, 2023
4/5
This volume provides some really important backstory for Helck. As this series continues, I like it more and more. The world is finally starting to make more sense and it's great to learn more about Helck and his backstory. His budding friendship with Vermilio is also a nice development.
This volume provides some really important backstory for Helck. As this series continues, I like it more and more. The world is finally starting to make more sense and it's great to learn more about Helck and his backstory. His budding friendship with Vermilio is also a nice development.
September 14, 2023
The best volume of the series so far! We got to know some background story of Helck and his Brother. It was fun flashback. So I am giving this volume a five star. I guess, reading Helck would be more fun keeping the context in mind from now on!
May 10, 2024
We start with Helck fighting a Black Knight from Dark Souls and then we get a lot of really important backstory for Helck. This was easily the best volume so far and got me more excited for this series. There were also some really nice art throughout.
August 15, 2023
Finally, some backstory!
August 28, 2023
The flash back at the end is getting really interesting!
August 22, 2019
Please head to volume 1 for my overall review of Helck.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews