Bad Machinery Vol. 7: The Case of the Forked Road

Bad Machinery #7

by John Allison

From the bestselling author of Giant Days comes the latest pocket-sized volume in his beloved Bad Machinery series! 

Time is a fickle creature, especially when there's wormhole in the science cupboard. When a strange boy who seems far too entranced by cell phones appears, it's up to Lottie, Shauna, and Mildred to figure out his strange purposes. The Case of the Forked Road, the seventh book in John Allison's award-winning Bad Machinery series, finds our young sleuths facing the intricacies of time and space itself. What is their science teacher hiding? Who is the mysterious Calvin, why is he dressed like it’s 1960, and why is he obsessed with Communists? And another thing: just what is going on with Jack, Sonny, and Linton? Includes a slipcover so that this volume can fit horizontally on the shelves with the rest of the series!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Humor, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

John Allison is the author and artist of the British webcomics Scary Go Round and Bad Machinery.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Reviews

[Robin Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kid detective comic series is completely hilarious and incredibly weird and one of the best things ever. (10+)

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. If you use it in any marketing material, online or anywhere on a published book without asking permission from me first, I will ask you to remove that use immediately. Thank you!*

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point I only read this series because Giant Days is over and I like to hear Charlotte Grote chattering away. She auditions for the school production of Glengarry Glen Ross and tries to solve a time travel mystery. Good enough.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lottie Grote has my heart forever. Also, it is a travesty that girls cannot have big manga hair when they time travel to the nineteen-sixties. Braids are boring.

[Nate]

This is probably my favorite Bad Machinery book yet. Some pages are perfect displays of humor and timing. The story involves time travel, which opens up plenty of hilarious possibilities, and Allison makes the most of them. He even manages an emotional ending. Favorite bits: Charlotte joining the theater club, her manga hair, and the scenes with Ryan and Amy. Just a joy to read.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bad Machinery and will recommend it to all until the day I die. I may continue to recommend it to all after the day I die, but there are technical difficulties that I've not yet resolved that may prevent this. Time will tell.

[Daniel Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm predisposed to dislike time travel stories but—like all of the Bad Machinery stories—this is too charming not to enjoy.

[Alex Sarll]

The trickiest case of all for child detectives: what do you do about growing up, especially when it comes at different rates, so suddenly there's a different tallest one in the gang, strange smells, and mutterings about how solving mysteries is a bit babyish? But even Lottie Grote - though, of course, we already know from subsequent Allison work that she'll keep the faith in the end - is having her head turned by drama club, and initially reluctant to investigate the mystery kid in the old-fashioned uniform. Could the answer perhaps be timey-wimey? Whatever its poignant wisdom on adolescent transitions, though, the biggest draw is still that unique Allison way with words:
"The most interesting teachers are the assistants, I think. French assistant and lab assistant are 100% opposites. French is the most attractive person in school and maybe the town. Lab is 112 and withered by 90 years of chemical problems."
"No! Poor GRUMPAW! He's beautiful inside."
"No, inside is just all the chemicals he ate when he was bored. MMM! 1-1-1 Trichloro-EAT-thane. NYAM! If he ate a match, he'd explode instantly."

[Roberto Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

It dissapoints me that quite a few less people have read, or even known this series compared to Giant Days, or worse, that the people only have read the first volume and think that it's not a very good series, because from volume 2 onwards, this series gets it's footing.

I think that Bad Machinery is on par with Giant Days on quality, sometimes I think that it's even better, so please, please, read this whole series!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this series. So silly. So funny. And this volume had time travel, which made things extra fun.
Can’t wait for the next adventure with these weird, hilarious kids.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

12/29/2022 100% meant to review this right after I read it on Christmas but got so sidetracked. Full review tomorrow at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

1/2/2023 Every Christmas, while the kids are exclaiming over toys and playing in relative harmony, I adopt benevolent mama pose and sit and read a Bad Machinery book while they giggle and coo (clearly romanticized, but if not now, when.) This year, I was so discombobulated by the book series' change of format that I accidentally read The Case Of The Unwelcome Visitor again before realizing my mistake and picking up this (correct) volume instead.

One thing that that experience really shot home to me was how much I enjoy my subsequent readings of these books even more than my first. Don't get me wrong: I really liked The Unwelcome Visitor the first time around but appreciated it even more the second, probably due to mostly already knowing where it was going, so being able to savor the details and pacing instead of rushing towards the who and howdunnit end. Alas that I can never extend that same patience to my initial reads! The Case Of The Forked Road was no different, as I gulped down the contents like a woman parched of quality literary entertainment.

This greed actually helped me get over the fact of the afore-mentioned format change. The series had previously been presented in over-sized landscape mode, but for this book alone moves to standard portrait. I am not a fan (and, fortunately, subsequent printings of TCotFR go back to landscape.) The mode I don't mind so much, but the panels are subsequently so much smaller that they're rather more difficult to read. Ah, well, that just ensures I spend more time poring over each panel I suppose, which is well worth it in the end.

Story-wise, this might be one of the slightest in the series, and that's entirely due to the fact that it's about time travel, a sci-fi concept that's notoriously difficult to make not silly. I especially disliked the Simpsons-esque ending. But nothing can defeat the utter charm of Charlotte Grote and co, as they face growing up with various levels of aplomb.

It's actually a shock to open the book and discover that Little Claire no longer lisps! And while the boys -- Linton, Jack and Sonny -- are overtaken by that horrid monster Puberty, Mildred must persuade the other girls to not only join her in Drama Club, but also in investigating what the rest don't believe is an actual mystery.

Calvin is ostensibly the nephew of one of the staff of Griswalds Grammar School, which our detecting team attends. But Mildred thinks there's something strange about this kid who's obsessed with communists, whom the other teachers swear isn't actually enrolled there despite Mildred ever only seeing him in uniform. As she digs deeper into this contradiction, she and the other girls cross paths with a gang of kids who don't care what havoc they wreak in their petty quest for vengeance. Will Mildred, Charlotte and Shauna be able to save reality, or at least get it back as close to where they know it should be?

So, on the one hand, time travel, bleh. I'm also not as invested in the Beckwiths' relationship as the girls clearly are. But on the other, Charlotte in Drama Club! Killing it in Glengarry Glen Ross, no less! And the initial fight between the girls and their subsequent reconciliation was so authentic, as was their weirdly proprietary interest in the Beckwiths' marriage, my own lack of interest notwithstanding. Also, Charlotte's life plan to be a Mystery Queen is just The Best. I love her so much.

My husband gave me the first two books in John Allison's latest series, Steeple, for Christmas, prompting me once more to feel like I really ought to read these books more often than once a year. Perhaps I'll read the next over New Year's*! They're just so rich and delightful that I feel I ought to spread out their enjoyment as long as I can.

*spoiler alert: I did not.

The Case Of The Forked Road by John Allison was published May 30 2017 by Oni Press and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

[jzthompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny how time flies, it seems like it's been nearly four years since I read the last volume in this series (the case of the unwelcome visitor), a few things probably contributed to my not getting around to his until now; a big and unexpected drop in my disposable income caused first by a year's unemployment and then moving to an expensive city and spending comic money on pints instead of books probably being the biggest, but definitely a second tier factor is I remember not liking this one as much as other volumes when it was first released as a webcomic.

This is mostly down to what felt like a really mean-spirited treatment of the boys. Past volumes have done a really nice job of balancing supernatural goings on with real life struggles, and got some really strong results from how the boys and girls misunderstood each other due less to any malice, but the tendency of kids to mature at different rates and talk past each other. This goes in a different direction, showing the boys passing through awkward adolescence entirely from the outside. No doubt farting lumbering oafs is pretty much how adolescent boys appear from the outside, but it seemed like a failure of empathy from a series that has largely run on it.

Re-reading now knowing that this odd digression wouldn't be permanent (and that the series was sadly not going to run for too much longer after this) this doesn't sit quite as poorly as it did at the time, and there's an awful lot here that's really strong. The artwork is some of the most adventurous and detailed in the series so far, with action scenes and landscapes that must have been an incredible amount of work for a daily comic. The plotting is corkscrew clever, and has a lot more space to breathe with some of the additional material. Probably most importantly, balancing the (imho) shoddy treatment of the boys is some substantial development for the girls and some of the adult side characters who really get put through the 'back to the future' bad-alternate-present wringer here.

So yeah, still one or two things here that didn't totally sit right with me at the time but overall a really clever, ambitious piece of writing. I miss these kids.

[Punk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series because it's just so weird and never explains or apologizes for it. It's got ghosts, aliens, magic dogs, selkies, and now time travel. I mean, it attempts to explain. There's some math. But, honestly, the girls are popping in and out of the past trying to avert a disaster and restore the original timeline. There's no need to bring physics into it. The boys, meanwhile, are going through puberty and are fit for no one's company but their own, so they stay mostly to themselves for this mystery.

The art continues to be delightful with its bright colors and subtle sound effects, and I liked how the past was a different shade. You know, faded, and kind of pastel. The dialogue is fun, and, as always, the girls' friendship warms me from the inside out. They're so different, but they love and support each other and I can't get enough of it.

This volume has a different format than the previous books, coming in at around a third the usual size. It's book-shaped rather than the extremely floppy...uh, like if someone printed out webcomics on paper and then bound them? That shape. 16:9 Widescreen. The bigger books were difficult to hold, but the panels were nice and large. These new comics are more of a manga size, deeper than they are wide, so about four rows of panels instead of two, and everything's smaller. It's way easier to hold though, and a lot more action can happen on one page.

Usually around volume five of a graphic novel, I've started to wonder if I can justify not reading it anymore. And I do have to justify it. Because what if it somehow pulls out of the complete and total nosedive it's been taking for the past three books? What if it gets good again? What if I miss something?? These are real conversations I have with myself, but John Allison's still dishing out high-quality storytelling and characterization here in book seven, and I can't wait for the next one. Highly recommended, but start at the beginning, and give it a book or two to really hit its stride.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review for all 10 volumes of Bad Machinery, which I read consecutively. Each of the volumes warrants a top review, but it is the opinion of this reviewer that the series should be read all at once for maximum effect.

Welcome to Tackleford, England, a low-to-middling “town full of mysteries” typically solved by the Mystery Kids, a sextet of 11-year-old students at Griswalds Grammar School. The boys—Linton, Jack and Sonny often work in parallel to the girls—Lottie, Shauna and Mildred—but sometimes also as mild rivals, and often unwitting allies. Chockablock with witty dialogue, great laughs and characters who you will certainly grow to love. Bad Machinery begins as a kind of deeply English homage to both Harry Potter and Scooby-Doo, but evolves into a terrific character comedy and some coming-of-age drama along the way.

Written and illustrated by John Allison, Bad Machinery feels rather close to his other work, especially the fantastic Giant Days (which is essentially Bad Machinery set in college rather than high school), but that’s alright. Once this story really finds its footing in the second volume, it’s a consistently excellent ride to the finish, as we watch our heroes grow up, grow wiser, and in some cases, grow apart. It’s a story teased out in tiny increments, page by page, betraying its webcomic origins. But Bad Machinery very shows why it’s won the armloads of awards to its name, and for those willing to give it a little room to breathe and get on its wavelength, there is some immense fun and terrific storytelling in store. Teen-appropriate, but be warned, American readers, if you’re not up on your English slang, you’ll miss a few of the jokes.

Bottom line, if you love any of John Allison’s other work, you’ll love this.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Allison leans into the effects of time on his troupe of characters, especially as the boys have to face the challenges of puberty. But that's secondary to the main plot, where the girls are dealing with time on a whole other level, in the form of time travel. There are definitely some Back to the Future vibes coming through here, and the plot is one of the more convoluted ones. Also, the format of the book has changed from its previous horizontal strips to the more traditional vertical layout. It makes the book a little easier to read, but otherwise doesn't have much impact on plot, characters, or presentation.
This book gives a lot more panel time to the Beckwiths, in a fun and funny manner, and apparently is pretty closely tied to a series Allison wrote before Bad Machinery, but ultimately nothing from that is required (and some of the series is included in the bonus section). It's another fun volume, with lots of silliness and high drama. You'll enjoy it more if you're a fan of the girls than the boys, but anyone that's gotten this far in the series will find more than enough to like in the volume.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun romp that has a beautiful, heart wrenching ending for multiple characters. I really enjoyed the extra pages that John Allison added to this book that explained more who Oliver Spain and the twins were, as well as address the reason why the boys were missing from the book. I remember being rather confused about both of these points when reading it online during its first run. But it’s honestly no problem that the boys aren’t in the book much, as I love the interplay between all the girls—goody goody Shauna, rational yet unpredictable Mildred, and loud and caring Lottie. Great to see all of their friendships grow and change over the books, especially with knowing what’s to come. John Allison can write a time travel book whenever he dang well pleases!

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait, it's being published in a sensible format now? I don't get to complain about the extremely floppy nature of the book? I may need to sulk a bit....

This is, as always, a delight and a treat. There's a big focus on the girls this time, as the boys spend most of their time wrestling with puberty (farts appear to be a huge part of the wrestling). The mystery is all wormholey and time-spacey, and we see (among other things): a middle school production of Glengarry Glen Ross, Lotte calling the Bechdel test the "Bechamel test", the joys of microfilm, and a frightening look at what a teacher would do if he wasn't a teacher (think of the Justin Timberlake part in the movie Bad Teacher).

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be my favorite of the series so far. It was so funny that I laughed multiple times aloud - which was fun, because I read it during my lunch at work every day. I also really enjoyed the plot. There is a little bit less of the interaction between the girls and the boys, which I've mentioned before is not my favorite. At the same time, I really enjoyed the time travel plot, with its bittersweet ending. It was a lot of fun!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've bought and read all of the Bad Machinery pocket book editions in the last few months and loved every minute of the experience! Got the first one because of my love for Giant Days but it's (slightly) overtaken that series to be my current favourite comic series. How odd! Highly recommended for anyone teenage and older with a love of mysteries, silly and clever things, and well-drsawn characters. I'm 46 and it's perfect for me.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have finally reached the vertical volume! Yeah, I don't know why all of them are horizontal and this one is vertical. I might be able to find out, but can't be bothered. It's a mystery I will leave alone... Which Charlotte would be pissed with me about... But whatever. This starts out rather confusing with trying to explain time travel but kind of sticks the landing. At least everything is back to how it should be. Also, I liked that the boys were useless because puberty.

[Shayna Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit mixed on this volume, but overall I quite liked it. The boys play a minor role this time around as they suffer through puberty and learn to be... men! The girls take charge with a time travel mystery and start to discover some new interests of their own. If you have been following this series, it is nice to see how they have been growing up since the first volume.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel topics! Of course things get donked up. Lotte continues to be my favorite. Sonny gets weird. Mildred has to convince a boy multiple times she is in fact not a communist. Shauna tries to get a job babysitting the REGIONAL POOING CHAMPION and he's going for the record! Then at antique shop that gets affected by the time travelling. So many things. This series always cracks me up.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these goofballs and their weird-ass town. And this is maybe one of my favorite of their adventures. Although maybe I'm just swayed by the fact that they're finally being published in digest (a.k.a. actual, manageable) size.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume didn't quite gel for me. The time travel bits with Calvin felt a bit flat. The mystery boys hitting puberty was funny but a very minor part of the story. Or maybe the vertical layout threw me since all the other books have horizontal panels.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this out of order so it was slightly less appealing than usual but that is still very good. Funny and thoughtful and ridiculous. Time travel!

CN: bullying, also some of the kids use slurs as insults in unfortunately too plausible ways (this is not common)

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These mystery solving kids are even awesomer when their mystery involves time travel! But will puberty get in the way????

[Kricket · Rating 5 out of 5]

bad machinery takes on TIME TRAVEL!! also, the mystery guys hit puberty and decide to become mod.

i love this series with a deep and abiding passion.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well delightful. Someone make a Bad Machinery TV series already.

[Kristyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As fun as always!

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the wordplay in this series. Incroyable!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gahhhh so good! I loved the time travel aspect. This group of characters is just so much fun!