Halloween Costume Guide
Hank J. Wimbleton spends the Madness Combat series fighting an entire agency built specifically to kill him. The trench coat and tactical gear are the base of the costume, but the bandaged head and red-lens goggles are what actually make it read as him instead of a generic tactical merc. Creator Matt “Krinkels” Jolly has run the series on Newgrounds since 2002, and it’s since grown into a franchise with its own game, Madness: Project Nexus, so recognition here depends heavily on who’s at the party.
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The bandages and goggles carry the character, and skipping either one turns the whole outfit into “generic guy in a tactical coat.” Wrap the gauze snugly enough that it stays put through a full night of moving around, loose bandages slip and start looking sloppy fast. The coat needs length, a cropped jacket reads as a different silhouette entirely.
Hank doesn’t talk much, and the series doesn’t lean on dialogue to establish him. He’s defined by constant motion and violence against an agency that exists purely to stop him, which makes this a costume better performed through posture and presence than through anything you’d say.
Secure the bandages before you leave, not at the party
Gauze wrapped in a rush tends to loosen within an hour, especially if you’re talking, eating, or moving a lot. Wrap it at home in front of a mirror and consider a few strategic pins to keep it in place through the night.
Keep any prop weapons visibly fake
A realistic-looking prop causes real problems at crowded venues or anywhere with security. Choose obviously toy-styled props, and check the venue’s policy before bringing anything weapon-shaped at all.
Duo Idea
Excellent duo for anyone who follows the series closely. Sanford is one of the fighters most tied to Hank’s story, and the visual difference between their gear reads well as a pair, even if the recognition depends entirely on the crowd knowing Madness Combat.
Duo Idea
Strong pairing within the same fandom. Deimos has a distinct enough look from Hank that the two don’t blur together, and fans of the series will place the connection immediately.
Duo Idea: Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Might work, but it needs the crowd to know the specific rivalry. Tricky’s clown design is visually the total opposite of Hank’s tactical look, which makes for a striking photo, but the story connection between them won’t be obvious to anyone outside the fandom.
Group Idea
Might work, but this is a costume for a specific fandom, not a general Halloween crowd. Hank, Sanford, and Deimos together read clearly to anyone who watches the series, and read as “three people in tactical gear” to everyone else.
The coat and goggles are worth spending on. Everything else has cheap, easy substitutes.
He’s not chatty. Constant motion and presence do more for this character than any line would.
The black trench coat and tactical vest are the base. Wrap the gauze bandages around your head under the red-lens goggles and neck gaiter, that bandaged, faceless look is what actually identifies the character, more than any single weapon prop.
Niche but active. Madness Combat has run on Newgrounds since 2002 and still has a dedicated following, plus a modern game in Madness: Project Nexus. At a general party expect “cool tactical merc” more than name recognition, unless you’re around people who follow the series.
There isn’t one. The Madness Combat series is built around fast, mostly silent action rather than dialogue, so Hank doesn’t have a signature line the way characters from voiced media do. The look carries the character, not a catchphrase.
Matt “Krinkels” Jolly created the series, which first appeared on Newgrounds on July 25, 2002. It’s grown into a long-running franchise with numbered canon episodes released over more than two decades.
An organization called the Agency, formed specifically to kill him. The series follows his ongoing conflict with them and the various other fighters who get pulled into it.
Keep any prop weapons clearly fake and check your venue’s policy first. A realistic-looking prop can cause real problems at a crowded party or anywhere with security, so visibly toy-style props are the safer call.
Who created Madness Combat?
What organization is Hank fighting throughout the series?
What year did Madness Combat first appear on Newgrounds?