Madness (flash cartoon)

Madness is a series of Macromedia Flash cartoons created by Krinkels.

The series centers around an unnamed man (who has since received the name "Hank" from Krinkels on Internet forums), who continually seeks out "The Sheriff" in an unnamed location, referred to only as "Somewhere in Nevada". It is distinguished by its unique style of animation; every character in the series is drawn with a series of ovals, the primary color is grey, and eyes and a mouth are represented by a crossed line on each character's face.

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 a character who resembles the common image of Jesus (dubbed "Jebus" by fans and hereafter referred to as such). In addition, the hero is killed at the end of every cartoon after the first (with the exception of Marsh Mellow Madness). Despite this, the series is largely played for laughs.

To date, there are six Madness cartoons:

Madness Combat: The first of the series, it introduces the hero and "Jebus". The unnamed hero attacks someone in a park for playing their music too loud. A brawl develops with passerby, and the hero eventually takes out a gun and begins shooting. At the conclusion, he dances as the following message appears: "And so on this day our hero had slain thirty men. And he would later admit to having a good time doing it. (Thirty-two people actually, if you count the zombies.)"

Madness Redeemer: The first of the series to identify its location as "Somewhere in Nevada"; also marks the first appearance of the sheriff. The hero sneaks into the sheriff's department and chases after him, running into many, many guards along the way. In the end, he reaches the sheriff and has him at gunpoint when "Jebus" shoots him in the back of the head. The last thing shown is a message that says, "Moral: Don't try to shoot the sheriff."

Madness Avenger: Marks the first appearance of the clown (named "Tricky" in a later episode, but named "Wimbeldon" in the offical game), who returns as the target in the next cartoon. The hero, with bandages around his head, once again hunts the sheriff down. Partway through, the sheriff activates an Improbability Drive, causing otherwise impossible things to happen. At the end, the hero, armed with a shotgun, reaches the sheriff, only to be stabbed by "Jebus". He manages to kill both "Jebus" and the sheriff before dying himself. The Improbability Drive is most likely a refrence to the Infinite Improbability Drive from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a book written by Douglas Adams.

Marsh Mellow Madness: Far different in mood than the other Madness cartoons, this is a sidestory to the series. A man offers to shoot people out of a cannon and into a giant marshmellow for a fee. The hilarity ensues from there.

Madness Apothesis: The hero, now with bandages around where he was stabbed, hunts down the clown from Madness Avenger (who is now a zombie, and has organized a rave). At the end of the cartoon, the hero is shot repeatedly by "Jebus" and a zombie, and sets out an explosive on his body, blowing up himself and "Jebus". The final scene shows the clown dancing, with a caption that states, "And he danced." It should also be mentioned that during this cartoon, the name "Hank J. Wimbleton" appears on multiple wanted posters that show a picture of the hero. Whether or not this is the hero's name is unknown, although Krinkels, the creator of the series, has repeatedly refered to the hero as "Hank". Also, the name "DJ Tricky M" appears in multiple posters showing a silhouette of the clown, as well as silhouettes of "Cheshyre", the music composer of the film.

Madness Depredation: The sixth and most recent addition to the series, wherein the hero, now wearing circular red rimless glasses, a mask, a black trenchcoat (a reference to the movie Léon) and bandages all across his body, attacks a stronghold of "Zombie Jebus." The hero easily manages to take down each bodyguard he meets until "Jebus" arrives. The ensuing battle ranges from the land right outside the stronghold, to a cliffside below, and finally the valley at the very bottom of the area. At one point Hank employs a fighting style identical to "Gun-Kata", the fictional martial art invented in the movie Equilibrium. The fight between the two swings in favor between the hero and "Jebus" several times until the Clown arrives. Then, the entire tone of the flash changes; becoming so insane as to make the previous flashes appear tame and sane in comparison. The Clown manages to quickly and decisively defeat and decapitate "Jebus" and then goes into a short fight with the hero. Despite managing to hold his own for most of the fight, and even gaining the upper hand near the very end, the hero is likewise decapitated by the Clown, while the captions "OMFG YOU DO NOT KILL THE CLOWN" and "THE CLOWN KILLS YOU!" are displayed.

At the beginning of the flash, the hero, Hank, is labeled as "The Protagonist," the guards are called "The Victims," "Jebus" is listed as "The Savior," while the Clown/Tricky is simply "The Clown." At various points throughout the flash, hidden gags or "easter eggs" can be read by pausing the flash and zooming into what appears to be scribbled writing. One such example being, "Skylight: Please do not crash through this window and kill all the people inside. Thanks! – Mgmnt" The Hero, of course, proceeds to do just that.

There has also been a game created by Krinkels and coded by Max Abernethy called "Madness Interactive". The plot of the game centers around the hero's pie, which has been stolen by the sheriff.