"The problem with vampires," he says, blowing some smoke out his nose on the exhale of a sigh, "is that you don't really get many chances after your first try falls through. The best approach, as much as I'm not especially fond of it, is to research the target before going after him. Watch his movements and pick up any clues about his behavior. Try to dig up some lore connecting him to what kind of vampire he is and learn his weaknesses that way."

He pauses for a moment, then shrugs the shrug of acknowledging that sometimes that doesn't work. "All else fails, though? You know where he lives and the killing needs to stop now? Go in a group. Go when the sun is up and there's the best chance he's sleeping or otherwise weakened. Try the wooden stake first. If something goes wrong, you can try fire or cutting his head off, but mostly worry about keeping him at bay enough so you can run away. Seriously, there's no being a hero when a vamp hunt goes to crap."

Hellboy may possibly have had a vamp hunt or two go to crap over the years.