Dogs Bullets & Carnage Volume 4 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “M” for “Mature”

Former hit man, Mihai Mihailov is haunted both by the ghosts of his victims and the death of his lover.  Gun-for-hire, Badou Nails is an information broker with a reckless nature and a goofball persona that belie his skill.  Naota Fuyumine is an amazingly skilled swordswoman who saw her parents cut down.  Heine Rammsteiner, the mystery man wearing a metal collar bolted to his neck, has a talent for violence.  Haunted by their pasts and driven to discover the truth, these stray dogs live in a dangerous present.

The past continues to be revealed in Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, Vol. 4.  Badou’s latest assignment from the information broker, Granny Liza, brings back memories of the past – specifically the murder of his brother.  Now, Badou faces the man who conducted the crime and who also cost Badou an eye.  Meanwhile, Mimi continues to search for a man who shares Naota’s last name (“Fuyumine”), and runs into a weird, brutal killer.  Giovanni, another stray dog, also launches his assault on the Below.

THE LOWDOWN:  The stylishly violent Dogs: Bullets & Carnage stills features stylish art and plenty of John Woo-like shoot ‘em ups.  The chapters in this volume, however, find creator Shirow Miwa delving more into character drama.  It actually makes the characters more likable, not only knowing what past wrongs drive them, but also getting a peek at their personalities.  Don’t worry; there is still plenty of crazy, sexy, cool violence.

The first three chapters of this volume are a bit slow, but the rest will have you madly flipping through the pages.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of violent action manga may like Dogs: Bullets & Carnage.

B+