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AtariJumpMan (talk | contribs) m (moved Madness Combat to Madness (series): Madness Combat is the name of the first in the series, the series itself is commonly known as the Madness Series, so I believe that this is a more appropriate title.) |
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Revision as of 11:10, 4 July 2009
The nameless protagonist from Madness Combat as he beats an attacker senseless
Madness Combat is an Adobe Flash series made by Krinkels.
The series centers on an unnamed man (who has since received the name "Hank J. Wimbleton" from Krinkels on Internet forums). Hank, along with Jesus Christ and Tricky, is an Immortal; when killed, he simply comes back. Krinkels says this is because the Higher Powers find Hank and Jesus' eternal conflict amusing. The reason for Tricky's resurrection is unknown. However, Krinkels has said, "the clown is a third component. He will end them all, or not." To date, all the animations (except the first) are set simply "somewhere in Nevada".
Tricky and Hank
It is distinguished by its unique style of animation; every character in the series is drawn simplistically, the primary color is gray, and facial features are replaced by a cross on each character's face. This is a common technique used in portraiture. Usually it is only used for sketching out the design, however, and not left in the final piece. Leaving these lines in is a unique part of the Madness Combat series.
The series' other distinguishing trait is its violence. People are killed in every way possible over the course of the series, and are often brought back as zombies by Jesus. In addition, Hank is killed at the end of every animation (with the exception of Madness Combat, Madness Antipathy (Hank dies and is revived by Tricky about two-thirds into the episode), and Madness Inundation (where he remains dead from Madness Consternation).
Characters
One important thing to remember is that the characters' names are never really definite until Krinkels confirms them. However, fans have taken and probably will take the most obvious clues they have (posters and such) and have asked Krinkels, whose confirmation of these names make them official. There are three main characters in the series:
Hank J. Wimbleton
Hank is the primary character in the Madness Combat series, having first appeared in the original Madness Combat cartoon. He appears to be exceedingly well-trained in the lethal arts, being an expert marksman and a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. In Madness Redeemer, he was revealed to be hunting "The Sheriff"; he successfully killed him in Madness Avenger, whereafter his goals are unknown (though some believe he hunts after "Jesus"). To date, Hank has died six times. The opening sequence of Madness Depredation nicknames him "The Protagonist" (a fitting title, as he is the series' protagonist).
Jesus Christ
The primary antagonist until Antipathy, he first appeared in Madness Combat. In the early episodes, he works for the sheriff, but following the sheriff's death in Madness Avenger he seems to be independent. Jesus possesses many supernatural abilities, including levitation, the ability to ward off bullets, and the power to resurrect people from the dead as zombies. He was also Hank's most dangerous opponent, having killed him three out of the six times Hank has died. In his cameo appearance in Antipathy, he has apparently given up violence and was shown passively raking leaves. To date, Jesus has died five times. The opening sequence of Madness Depredation nicknames him "The Savior". The Comedy Central television cartoon South Park also has an episode called Red Sleigh Down in which Jesus and Santa fight people with guns.
This episode came after Madness Combat, however, so the show's creators most likely had the same idea.
Tricky
Tricky is named after an Internet meme popular at the time, known as xkittyfroggymeowmeow. Xkittyfroggymeowmeow consists of a clown with an exposed, erect penis dancing to the "Sailor's Hornpipe". Krinkels parodied this by making Tricky bangbanggooberblat, which consists of Tricky hitting Jesus over the head with his giant penis. This has caused many Christians to send Krinkels hate-mail, which he then mocks. Tricky first appeared in either Madness Redeemer or Madness Avenger, but fans are unsure; a M16-toting guy in clown makeup appeared in Redeemer, and in Avenger, an identically-costumed character appeared, wearing a jetpack and wielding an M60 machine gun. If he first appeared in Madness Avenger, it's possible Tricky was spawned by the Improbability Drive. Hank killed him by impaling him to a giant marshmallow with a stop sign, but he was resurrected (not by Jesus, but by the "Higher Power", according to Krinkels) as a zombie... only to be killed again, by a AUG and a Deagle. He recovered (still a zombie) in Madness Apotheosis, donned a welder's mask, and became a DJ at "Club M"; he survived this episode, unlike Jesus, Hank, or the first-appearing 1337 agent.
Tricky's appearance in Madness Depredation heralded Compromised Reality, a state in which he gained superior strength, speed, and fighting skill at the cost of his sanity (this came to be after Hank shot him in the face, so he was apparently normal before the injury); in this berserk state, he killed both Jesus and Hank. In the opening sequence of Madness Depredation, he is nicknamed "The Clown".
The sheriff
Hank's first target, distinguished from the rest of the characters by his black "cowboy hat". Hank is first seen hunting down the sheriff for unknown reasons; in Madness Interactive, it's because he stole Hank's pie, but Krinkels has said that only applies to the game, and not the series. The sheriff is well-guarded, as suits his position, and has both a horde of inept men and the infinitely-more-successful Jesus on his payroll. At the end of Madness Redeemer, Hank is killed by Jesus before he can kill the sheriff, but he successfully kills both of his foes before dying himself in Madness Avenger. The sheriff is not an Immortal, and so he has remained dead since then.
The 1337 Crew
A group of Agent Smith-like men in shades and suits, they serve as elite (the name comes from "1337" the internet slang word for "elite") anti-Hank in their first appearances. Despite being presumably better-trained than normal grunts, they are still slaughtered in large numbers by Hank. In Madness Depredation, Antipathy, and Consternation almost all characters who aren't Hank, Jesus, or Tricky are members of the 1337 Crew; the opening of Depredation, appropriately, nicknames them "the Victims". It seems that 1337 agents who are turned into zombies by Jesus appear to lose no intelligence like most zombies; they can wield and fire guns, which normal zombies have not done so far.
The auditor
The auditor is a mysterious character introduced in Madness Consternation. He controls superhuman powers, like spawning weapons, warping, and levitation. He is thought to be the higher power that resurrects Hank, Tricky, and Jesus throughout the series.
Misc. characters
The bodyguards, employees, and innocent bystanders that are killed by Hank and others throughout the series. Armed with various weapons, they're still no match for the main characters. Some are raised as zombies by Jesus after their death, but still don't have a good survival rate.
The Animations
To date, there are nine animations in the Madness series:
- Madness Combat (2002)
- Madness Redeemer (2003)
- Madness Avenger (2003)
- Madness Apotheosis (2004)
- Madness Depredation (2005)
- Madness Antipathy (2006)
- Madness Consternation (2007)
- Madness Inundation (2008)
- Madness Aggregation (2009)
Related works
Other Madness cartoons by Krinkels include:
Marsh-Mellow-Madness: This started it all. A man offers to shoot people out of a cannon and into a giant marshmallow for a small fee. The hilarity ensues from there.
Tricky bangbanggooberblat: This is a Madness oddity. Tricky is beating Jesus over the head with his large penis with the happy tune "Sailor's Hornpipe" playing and "OMG" written in the background, flashing bright colors; this could be a reference to the original Tricky meme. Krinkels is known to have said that he likes to think of all of the Madness people as eunuchs, with the exception of Tricky. Krinkels has had many complaints from people annoyed about Tricky bangbanggooberblat, and is known to have replied to one such person by saying "Mel Gibson did the same thing, but he used whips and chains instead of a clown's phallus. Honestly, I don't know which is more kinky myself."
Tricky Madness 2: This cartoon was a side-project Krinkels worked on after he finished Madness Antipathy. This is, obviously, the sequel to Tricky bangbanggooberblat. And like the first, features Jesus and Tricky. Only now, instead of a clown repeatedly beating Jesus over the head with his phallus, to the happy tune of "Sailor's Hornpipe," the two unleash intense violence.
Madness Interactive: There is also a game conceived by Krinkels and coded by Max Abernethy (aka Flecko) called "Madness Interactive" or "MI" for short. The game allows the player to control Hank as he fights through hoards of enemies until he reaches and slays the sheriff. The introduction states that Hank was after the sheriff because he stole his pie, but this is considered to be non-canon and only applicable to the game.
Music Video: A short, random animation made prior to Music Video 2. Although it does not incorporate Madness characters, it still retains the same monochrome style. May have been the predecessor to Crap, Garbage, Piss, and Vomit, due to it's unrelated randomness and quirky humor.
Music Video 2: The sequel to the original Music Video, It's just a short flash about a monster type creature attempting to escape some 1337 agents that appear to be trying to capture it. It is considered non-canonical to the Madness series.
Crap: A short flash animation also made by Krinkels. It appears to be nothing more than a joke by Krinkels.
Garbage: The sequel to Crap, it's just as random and unrelated.
Piss: The third in the short sub spin-off in the Madness series. Again, totally random.
Vomit: The fourth in the random animation series by, only this time it is more of a parody the standard Madness cartoons.
Leisurely Ragtime: A Madness Day short animated by Krinkels, continuing the saga of random animations. It contains considerably less violence than most other Madness animations.
Fan tributes
As popular as Madness Combat is, it has also spawned a large list of fan tributes and parodies. Most of these, although, did not live up to the original series. Some, however, were well thought out and animated. A few of these are:
- Maximum Ninja Series by Sto0g3
- Madness Mini Series by Shrinkz
- Madness Elimination Series by Splurgle
- Madness 1337 By Wigger
- Anti-Clock Day Madness By DeRosa