Bambi and her Pink Gun

A page from out of pulp for a change.

I came across this manga recently and cursed the manifold fates that had kept me away from a gem such as this for so long. Bambi and her Pink Gun is almost not a manga. The artwork is distinctly un-manga-like and shifts closer to the Paul Pope style, the story is bizarre and erratic. Few explanations and fewer conclusions. But there is a chase to the manga, a pace inherent within these pages that drives along at breakneck speeds.

Crashing from one adventure straight through onward into the next, Bambi is a sixteen year old girl with devastating instincts and a bad attitude. She is out on a mission see, and no one is getting in the way.
A girl with reflexes faster than greased lightning, a hero who leaves only chaos and destruction in her wake. Oh and hordes upon hordes of dead bodies, yes such is the hero of this manga. Not a savior, not an ally of justice, not a hero. But she is so much more, she is driven. And the one life she is driven to protect, she does protect. The story of Bambi and her Pink Gun is clearly not about finding answers. Instead it is telling the tale of a girl with so much wild power and passion bursting out from her that her mere passage is enough to cause ripples in the tapestry of fate. She inspires allies, enemies, well-wishers and even a nemesis without any conscious desire to do so.

Holy shit, does she have that kid on a...leash?

Well, maybe that last bit isn't entirely true...after all it would be improper of me to reveal too much. As much as I love the story of this manga, for me it was the art that glued me firmly to the pages. I'm a big fan of Paul Pope and his art style, often I've wondered how it would suit the manga script and style framework. Now I wonder no more, for I can see it work and work so damn well at that.
But this is no imitation manga. This is art unique unto itself, unique in its wildness. Every page screams rebellion and the panels bleed punk-soul.

punk and gratuitous violence!

Bambi and her Pink Gun is a crazy ride riddled through and through with bullets, vampires, Elvis impersonators and even cowboys for good measure. So you see then dear reader that this here manga has everything that you would need, or I would need in a manga. To quote the mysterious scanlator shrouded in the shadows who is mysteriously scanlating this series:

Ta- tas and violence, what else do you need?