Mad Bull 34 was adapted into a four-part original video animation released from December 21, 1990 to August 21, 1992. A sequel manga, Mad Bull 2000 (マッド・ブル 2000) began in 1999.

Daizaburo “Eddie” Ban, a Japanese-American police officer assigned to the 34^th Precinct located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC. Daizaburo is young, ambitious and soon to be partnered with John “Sleepy” Estes otherwise known as MADBULL.

The pairing seems like a mismatch from the get-go.
Mabbull is a take-no-nonsense, hair-triggered, maniac with a badge. He runs a prostitution ring and has no hesitation to murder suspects and criminals. That being said he isn’t a complete sociopath. He takes the earning from the Prostitution ring to donate to charity and he does after-all look out for the little guy. He’s the typical cliché late 80’s antihero with a shotgun and a grenade jockstrap. Madbull as a character and anime is a critique of western culture and entertainment; violent, misogynistic, amoral and full of raunchy language.  This is what anime once was. No BS. No restrictions. No rules. Anything goes. Amen.

Not as violent as Genocyber or ANGEL COP but, the realistic setting and over the top action is the icing on this cake. The english voice acting is just as over the top as the action. The accents are thick and at times cartoonish, even for a cartoon. The villains are run of the mill Streets of Rage bad guys and the buddy cop dynamic helps to sell the story. There’s nudity and sex and drugs and bullets. It might as well be a 42nd street anime. The four movies are a hoot. Not for the squeamish.

I can see why this anime is both revered by those old enough to have seen it and never heard of by casual fans today.   

 Mad Bull 34 (マッド★ブル34, Maddo Buru Sanjūyon) was based on  a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Noriyoshi Inoue, serialized in Shueisha‘s Young Jump between 1985 and 1991, and collected in 27 tankōbon volumes.

ALL FOUR OVA’s can be seen below.

Link: PART 2 SCANDAL
https://youtu.be/uYEWBrMEkvc 

Link PART 2: Manhattan Project
https://youtu.be/Ra0Wn0S4a1s

Link Part 3: City of Vice
https://youtu.be/mQ9-RVJ7QeA

Link Part 4: Cop Killer
https://youtu.be/kMQge6te_v8

Stay clean and keep your finger on that REWIND button.

I’m back bitches. And here we are – together again. Forever.
Here this December 2020 the movie pick is the live action adaptation 20^TH CENTURY BOYS directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi and based on the classic manga written & illustrated by Naoki Urasawa(Monster, Pluto). This is the first film in the trilogy and was released in 2008 through TOHO.

20^th Century Boys main plot as it remains pretty damn close to the source material revolves around a middle aged store clerk who is drawn into a conspiracy somehow involving his childhood friends.
The story and characters can be a bit overwhelming if you’ve never read the manga however, the film does serve well to entertain its viewers. There is some good genuine moments between long lost friends. There is a flavor of Stephen King here with its flashbacks and the idea of a group of childhood friends coming together to solve a mystery from their past…. That mystery being the string of bizarre attacks and disappearances that may or may not have to do with a popular cult lead by a mysterious figure known as FRIEND.

The film quality is of its time. The acting is actually pretty good. The limited special effects are nice and not distracting. I really enjoyed this and will proceed to watch the next two films in the trilogy; all films are available on YOUTUBE for now. I recommend anyone interested to go find them and watch – before youtube decides it not acceptable.

20^th Century Boys the Beginning is well worth its duration and very fun. I also recommend picking up any of the printed volumes, omnibuses or special editions of the MANGA at your nearest comic book retailer or Barnes n Nobles.

Be SAFE this NEW YEARS, Covid isn’t gone yet and you’re government is not in your corner through this – no matter what they say. Stay cool and stay refined and keep your finger on that REWIND button.

Wytches

Wytches writer Scott Snyder may be most famous for his modern run of Batman, but before that he teamed with Stephen King to deliver the stellar American Vampire. In 2014, Snyder refined those horror credentials by making one of the most unique horror comics, and one which was visually rendered in stunning detail by artist Jock. In a horror landscape where everything seems like an imitation of something else, it’s frighteningly delightful to see an imagining of witches in a completely unique way. There are no witches like Snyder’s witches, and because of that there are few books like Wytches. What would happen to you if you were pledged to the beasts of the forest?

Clean Room

Gail Simone is one of the most consistent comic book writers when it comes to her work with mainstream superheroes. One of the things that makes Clean Room so compelling is that is manages to be so tonally different from her other work while being perhaps her strongest offering as a writer.  With the Going Clear documentary giving popularity to the subject, Simone’s scary take down of a movement that bears a resemblance to Scientology is worth a read. Jon Davis-Hunt’s art perfectly compliments Simone’s story, and brings it to vivid life.

Abbott

Saladin Ahmed cut his teeth writing critically acclaimed novels. When he recently transitioned to comics, it became apparent that he had found a medium that really worked for his emotionally-driven storytelling. Noir stories lend themselves to horror well. This story of a detective solving a series of occult-connected murders gradually expands its own story. It builds its world so well that it’s hard not to wish it was longer. Sami Kivela’s artwork is straightforward, but it’s hard to imagine this comic looking any different.  It feels very classic in its delivery, but the comic feels so fresh.

Harrow County

Though it recently ended, Harrow County was a wild ride. Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook have created a genuinely scary comic. Each Harrow County arc somehow manages to outdo the already high bar the previous sets. At 32 issues, or 8 collected volumes, the comic feels like a sprawling, large novel that never feels tedious. It wastes little time in grabbing readers with Bunn’s stellar storytelling.  Crook’s skill with visual storytelling make this a stunning book loaded with memorable images.

The Walking Dead Vol. 1

I know. I know. We’ve reached the point of oversaturation with The Walking Dead that it makes dabbing and fidget spinners seem hip and new. Still, it probably deserves as much credit for comics being as culturally relevant today Marvel’s films. Reading the first volume of The Walking Dead, it’s not surprising that this became such an enormous cultural moment. Robert Kirkman delivers an incredible story. The building blocks of a major pop culture reference points are obvious almost immediately.

Uzumaki

As a piece of fiction, this manga may be the single scariest work on this entire list. While most of Junji Ito’s work feels obviously a cut above the majority of horror fiction, it’s in Uzumaki that Ito crafted what will likely be remembered as his definitive work from both a narrative and visual perspective. In a way that few have ever matched, Ito makes a concept as abstract as a spiral the most haunting and horrifying sight buried within in a panel. This story of a town haunted by spirals is terrifying and memorable. We don’t want to give too much away. If you just jump in, you won’t regret it. This book will consume you.

In the Flesh

This Korem Shadmi anthology is, in a lot of ways, a collection of love stories. The short story make-up of In the Flesh allows for fast, single-sitting readings of stories. For a unifying theme, Shadmi focuses on love, or, more accurately, desire. Anybody who has ever had a crush knows that they don’t always make us feel good. Sometimes our desire for someone can be, for lack of a better word, crushing. Shadmi captures that feeling with frightening precision. That fear is exponentially increased when our desires are perverse or warped.  

From Hell

From Hell is an overlooked gem in Alan Moore’s iconic bibliography. While not as radically influential as Watchmen or his work with Superman, Moore gives the Whitechapel murders an air of conspiracy and paranoia that feels real in a way that a lot of Jack the Ripper stories struggle with. If conspiracies are our way of making sense of the senseless, Moore obviously attempted to give significance to a story that has been commodified to an extent that the horror of it is sometimes lost. Moore never lets you forget that horror. His attempt to apply sense to it is proportionate to the brutality of the crimes themselves.

Long Lost

Long Lost is one of the best and most distinct comics in recent years, and as it is continuing it’s second and final arc at the time of this writing, it’s as good a time as any to jump on board and grab the first volume — a release we anticipated earlier in the year. With Long Lost, series writer Matthew Erman has crafted a world inhabited by such believable characters and strong emotional arcs that you can imagine them reacting to situations not presented on the page. Series artist Lisa Sterle gives the comic a look that draws from a number of influences, but with the end result of being something utterly distinct. The story of two sisters and their strange odyssey to their roots is not a story you should miss.       

Beautiful Darkness

If you stop this list right now and read Beautiful Darkness without reading anything else about it, I promise you that you will not expect what this book is. It’s upsetting, weird, difficult, and utterly terrifying. We don’t want to give too much away, but just know that even if it may seem cute and whimsical in the first few pages, this French comic becomes everything but. This truly scary and truly unusual book will likely be remembered for years to come. And we suspect that the reveals it has in store will stick with readers for a long time. 

Backstagers #1 – Rating: 4/5

 BOOM! Studios Backstagers is delightful and fun, even on a purely aesthetic level. The art manages to toe the fine line of appearing to blend a multitude of influence and styles while still adhering to a completely cohesive look. Backstagers looks like the combination of a lot of elements, but Backstagers looks like Backstagers. Rian Sygh has created the perfect look for James Tynion IV’s bouncy world and bright characters.

The story follows an outcast named Jory who has transferred to a new private school. At his mother’s insistence, he joins the drama club. Anybody who has ever been a part of their school drama club knows that it can be one of the best ways to meet new people in high school, and that the time you spend in drama club creates powerful bonds through the high stakes cooperation it entails, and the magic inherent to being a part of a performance. Tynion takes the magic of the stage and makes it literal as Jory heads to the prop room only to discover that it leads to a surreal, ever-changing panorama of worlds.  Sygh is pushed to some pretty insane limits as an artist with the amount of surreal panels during this sequence, but it manages to stay grounded, barring a few moments of confusion. The titular team of crew hands frequents these worlds behind the stage unbeknownst to the actors. A small conflict involving some adorable tiny monsters called tool rats, but for the most part this is an issue concerned with establishing a world and giving life to its characters. In that regard, it is a success.

Sygh’s art, as mentioned, is at the nexus of many things. There are shades of Steven Universe, Adventure Time, and Astro Boy that seem like the most apparent influences. For a series that is already establishing itself as a lighthearted rump with enjoyable characters and heartwarming moments, this is the perfect look. It’s fun and whimsical, without ever being too much. There is an air of 1980’s Saturday morning cartoons, but not of after school specials.  

Backstagers #1 is also notable for it’s incredible sense of diversity. In breaking away from being a very white and heteronormative medium, comics have gone through a problematic phase of tokenism, as well as a slightly less problematic phase of making nearly self-aware big deals out of their own diversity, which at best can come off as capitalizing on social change, and at worst further marginalizes the already underrepresented groups. Where Tynion implements diversity brilliantly is the way that any potentially marginalizing label stands far behind several layers of characterization. They bounce off one another in interesting ways over the comic’s 24-page run, and all manage to be completely likable. The entire comic comes off as likeable. With the big two comic book publishers doing huge events and often resorting to grim levels of grittiness, Backstagers looks to be a refreshing series.