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Bad Machinery
Author(s)John Allison
Websitehttp://www.scarygoround.com/
Current status/scheduleActive: updates M/Tu/W/Th
Launch date2009-09-21[1]
Genre(s)Mystery, Comedy
Preceded byScary Go Round 2002-06-04 to 2009-09-14

Bad Machinery is a webcomic set in the fictional town of Tackleford, England, written and drawn by John Allison. Bad Machinery started on 21 September 2009 loosely based on characters and situations from John Allison's previous webcomic, Scary Go Round. New full colour paneled pages appear four times a week.[2]

The story of Bad Machinery picks up three years after the end of Scary Go Round and involves two groups of schoolchildren that investigate mysteries.[2]

History

After the announcement of the end of Scary Go Round, John Allison answered readers' questions about the "new comic" in his blog, posted on 2009-09-13.[3] He gave several hints as to the content of the new comic, indicating a preference to move away from writing about the lives of twenty-somethings,[2] and the dispensing of many characters from Scary Go Round. In another post,[4] the title of the new comic was revealed to be Bad Machinery, and each story (with the exception of the preamble) would be 100 pages long.

On September 21, 2009, after a one-week hiatus following the end of Scary Go Round, Bad Machinery was launched on the same web site that had previously hosted Scary Go Round, titled Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery.

Content

The two groups of child investigators attend the fictional Griswalds Grammar School in Keane End, Tackleford. The groups interact, but each is unaware of the other's mystery solving activities.

Bad Machinery focuses on humour, with funny and surreal situations, punctuated by moments of action and mystery. Every episode has humour in it, and the artist will frequently add visual jokes in the background. Bad Machinery is also proudly British in its sensibilities.

So far, Bad Machinery is appropriate for people of all ages, although the comic is so new, it is too soon to state this for sure. John Allison's previous comics were never inappropriate, but had some mild sexual suggestion. They also had macabre themes that some might regard as being disturbing for very young children.

Major Characters[5]

  • Shauna Wickle: Shauna comes from a poor family and was raised in the bad areas of Tackleford. Her intelligence and the better fortunes of her family have apparently brought her to Griswalds, a slightly more "posh" atmosphere than where she came from. She lives with her mother, step-father and toddler half-brother. Her best friend is Charlotte Grote. In Scary-Go-Round, Shauna first appeared as part of the family housing Desmond the Fish-Man.[6]
  • Charlotte Grote: Mushroom-haired Charlotte, or "Lottie", is impulsive and outgoing, and makes friends easily. She also has the capacity to overdo things and be recklessly impulsive. Her older sister Sarah has gone away to University, leaving her as the editor of the Zine "Guns for Eyes." She first appeared in Scary-Go-Round as Sarah's little sister, occasionally referred to as "Mini-Grote".[7]
  • Jack Finch: Tall and thin, Jack is quite shy and very reserved. He is interested in many introvert-friendly hobbies, such as music, stickers and drawing. He's a dreamer.
  • Linton Baxter: Linton is a type A personality, and engages in the endless pursuit of justice, attributable to his father being the police superintendent. His sharp mind and wit are beyond his years.
  • Sonny Craven: Sonny is pleasant and positive, though not as clever as his friends. His manners betray his affluent upbringing.
  • Jessica Finch: Big sister to Jack, Jessica tries to keep Jack in line with her unkind words and harsh attitude towards him. She is also part of a boisterous crowd of friends who like Jack, much to Jessica's displeasure.
  • Mr. Beckwith: Ryan Beckwith is the teacher for Charlotte and Shauna's class. He has some difficulty acting the part of an adult, and thinks he's being a bit soft and unprofessional with his students. He's married to Amy Beckwith-Chilton. Both were major characters in Scary-Go-Round.
  • Mr. Bough: George Bough, (pronounced "boff") is the teacher for Linton, Jack and Sonny's class. He's far beyond any pretense of caring, and isn't going to stand for any of your nonsense.
  • Amy Beckwith-Chilton (née Amy Chilton): A key character from Scary-Go-Round, She's currently an antiquing entrepreneur and wife of Ryan Beckwith.

Minor characters

Jessica's friends:

  • Sian: Bespectacled.[8]
  • Silje: Stern and tall.[9]
  • Lauren: Pigtailed, talkative.[10]

The Wickle Family:[11]

  • Humphrey Wickle: Shauna's little half-brother.
  • Dan Wickle: Shauna's step-father.
  • Mrs. Wickle: Mother to Shauna.

The Grote Family:[12]

  • Mrs. Grote: Single mother to Charlotte.

The Baxter Family:[13]

  • Mrs. Baxter: Over-affectionate mother to Linton. Primary school teacher.
  • Superintendent Baxter: Linton's protective father. Local police superintendent.

The Craven Family:[14]

  • Mr. Craven: Father to Sonny, also attended Griswalds as a child.
  • Mrs. Craven: (unseen so far) Mother to Sonny.
  • Cecile Craven: Sonny's little sister.

The Finch Family:[15]

  • Mr. Finch: (unseen so far) Jack & Jessica's father.
  • Mrs. Finch: (unseen so far) Jack & Jessica's mother.

Others:[16]

  • Mildred Haversham: One of Ryan Beckwith's students.[17]
  • Glenys Haversham: Mildred's modern mother.[18]

Characters from Damned United:

  • Kropotkin: Russian billionaire owner of Tackleford City FC.[19]
  • Mrs. Biscuits: Elderly Russian lady who befriended Shauna.[20]

Guest Stars

  • Erin Winters: Character from Scary-Go-Round, Shelly Winters' lost sister. She appears as a local newspaper reporter.[21]

Chapters

Story # Title Description Date Begun Date Ended
0 ...and the short preamble A quick introduction to the characters of Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21 2009-10-08
1 ...and the Case of the Damned United (Part 1) Tackleford football club, with new management, is being haunted... 2009-10-12 2009-12-03
2 ...and the Case of the Damned United (Part 2) (in progress) 2009-12-07 -

References

  1. ^ "Scary Go Round presents Bad Machinery". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  2. ^ a b c Alex Dueben (2009-12-28). "John Allison's "Bad Machinery"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  3. ^ John Allison (13 September, 2009). "Yore questiens answer'd". SGRBlogspot. Blogspot. Retrieved 8 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ John Allison (18 September, 2009). "News From NEMULON". SGRBlogspot. Blogspot. Retrieved 8 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  6. ^ John Allison (22 January, 2008). "Comic for January 22, 2008". Scary Go Round. John Allison (artist). Retrieved 8 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ John Allison (23 January, 2008). "Comic for January 23, 2008". Scary Go Round. John Allison (artist). Retrieved 8 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - November 9, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  9. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - November 9, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  10. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - October 5, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  11. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  12. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  13. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  14. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  15. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  16. ^ "Bad Machinery Cast Page". Bad Machinery. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  17. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - October 26, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  18. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - November 11, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-11-11. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  19. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - October 13, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  20. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - October 13, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  21. ^ "Scary Go Round Presents Bad Machinery - December 24, 2009". Bad Machinery. 2009-12-24. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
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