Name: Jeff James's review of Bad Machinery Vol. 1 by John Allison
Item: Bad Machinery Vol. 1
Rating: 4
Author: Jeff James

John Allison

Shauna. Charlotte. Mildred. Three schoolgirl sleuths. Jack. Linton. Sonny. Three schoolboy investigators. Tackleford. One mid-sized city with a history of countless mysteries. Is there enough room at Griswalds Grammar School for two groups of kid detectives? There better be, because once these kids have set their sights on solving a mystery there's nothing that can derail them. Nothing, except maybe gossip, classwork, new football player cards, torment from siblings, or any number of childhood distractions.

The Case of the Team Spirit

Bad Machinery Vol. 1

Jeff James

Sarah Sammis

Bad Machinery Volume 1: The Case of The Team Spirit collects the first major story arc of John Allison’s webcomic Bad Machinery, which is actually his third webcomic set in the same universe. Allison is most well-known for its predecessor, Scary Go Round, which ended in 2009.

However, despite the fact that Allison has worked in the same overall setting for years, knowledge of his earlier work isn’t necessary to enjoy Bad Machinery, which is both a new series and a bit of a reboot. Characters familiar to long-time readers do appear in Bad Machinery, but only in supporting roles. Although I’d read the occasional Scary Go Round strip, I wasn’t particularly familiar with the world of Tackleford, so I approached Bad Machinery with fresh eyes.

Bad Machinery tells the interlocking stories of a half-dozen or so students at Griswalds Grammar School in Keane End, Tackleford. To a certain degree it’s about the kids solving mysteries, with the girls and boys keeping tally of each team’s “victories”, but in this first volume, the mystery didn’t necessarily feel like the driving force of the story.

Instead, Allison is content to spend time with the kids in their daily lives – going to school, doing projects, fighting bullies and nursing crushes. The boys are more determined to solve the mystery of their favorite football club’s bad luck, but that doesn’t stop the girls from uncovering important clues that come to play in the book’s resolution.

I definitely enjoyed reading Bad Machinery, and to a certain degree it reminded me of another book I’ve been reading, Skippy Dies, which also focuses on the lives of kids and teachers at a British school. Bad Machinery is a much more all-ages book, however, and has none of the vulgarity or adult themes found in Skippy Dies.

Although this volume of the strip does build to a resolution and reveal of the central mystery, I felt like it definitely showed its origins as a webcomic. Most of the book’s pages ended with a gag in the sixth panel, and the pacing was loose and a bit rambling. Although Allison always meant to collect the strip in story arcs, I think it is best enjoyed if you keep its webcomic origins in mind when reading.

From the bestselling author of Giant Days comes the final pocket-sized volume in his beloved Bad Machinery series! The mystery-solving teens of Tackleford are finding out that not every summer is a perfect one. Charlotte and Shauna, once inseparable, are decidedly on the outs. Mildred bounces between the formerly best friends while trying to save up money for a car. Amy’s rent at the antique store gets tripled, casting doubt on the future of her career. Meanwhile, the boys are channeling their energies into finding love down by the river, with only Jack’s acoustic guitar between them and “romance.” But tragedy strikes when they find that a developer has started building a huge condominium in their favorite swim spot. Unable to get a moment’s peace at home, Charlotte has no choice but to force her way into an internship at the local newspaper, unleashing her brand of maverick sleuthing on... blood pouring out of public art? Strange ooze coming up out of the ground? Shifty doings at the Chamber of Commerce? Classic Tackleford! The Case of the Severed Alliance pits our favorite crew against the changing tide of time itself as friendships and romantic bonds are tested, and the inexorable wave of gentrification remakes Tackleford itself. Summer is just beginning... but it feels like The End for our heroes? That’s because it is the end: of Bad Machinery!

Jeff James &
Bad Machinery Vol. 1 by John Allison

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Jeff James &Bad Machinery Vol. 1 by John Allison

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Jeff James &
Bad Machinery Vol. 1 by John Allison