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{{Short description|Webcomic set in England, by John Allison}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox comic strip <!-- Part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Webcomics]] -->
|title= Bad Machinery
|author= [[John Allison (comics)|John Allison]]
|url= {{URL|scarygoround.com}}
|atom=
|status=Active
|syndicate=
|publisher=
|first= {{Start date|2009|09|21|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scarygoround.com/index.php?date=20090921 |title=Scary Go Round presents Bad Machinery |publisher=Bad Machinery |date=2009-09-21 |accessdate=2009-11-09}}</ref>
|genre= [[Mystery fiction|Mystery]], [[Comedy]]
|rating=
|preceded by= [[Scary Go Round]] 2002-06-04 to 2009-09-14
}}

'''''Bad Machinery''''' is a [[webcomic]] written and drawn by [[John Allison (comics)|John Allison]] and set in the fictional town of Tackleford, [[West Yorkshire]], England. ''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 appeared four times a week.<ref name="Dueben">{{cite web |author=Alex Dueben |title= John Allison's "Bad Machinery" |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24200 |date=2009-12-28| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100116113419/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=24200| archivedate= 16 January 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Allison|first1=John|title=The Case of the Severed Alliance|url=http://scarygoround.com/index.php?date=20170406|website=Scary Go Round Comics|accessdate=28 May 2017}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Dueben"/>

==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.<ref>{{cite web |author=John Allison |author-link=John Allison (comics) |title=Yore questiens answer'd |url=http://sgrblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/yore-questiens-answerd.html |date=13 September 2009 |work=SGRBlogspot |publisher=Blogspot |accessdate=8 November 2009}}</ref> 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,<ref name="Dueben"/> and the dispensing of many characters from ''Scary Go Round''. In another post,<ref>{{cite web |author=John Allison |author-link=John Allison (comics) |title=News From NEMULON |url=http://sgrblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/news-from-nemulon.html |date=18 September 2009 |work=SGRBlogspot |publisher=Blogspot |accessdate=8 November 2009}}</ref> 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. The comic is named after a song by indie band [[Let's Active]].

On 21 September 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''.

As of 2021, ten collections of ''Bad Machinery'' storylines have been published by [[Oni Press]] in full-colour paperback, beginning with ''The Case of the Team Spirit'', in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author=Oni Press|author-link=Oni Press|title=John Allison's Bad Machinery Moves From Web to Print Via Oni Press |url=http://www.onipress.com/blog/?p=2928 |date=21 May 2012 |work=Oni Press |accessdate=3 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527142333/http://www.onipress.com/blog/?p=2928 |archivedate=May 27, 2012 }}</ref>

==Content==
In ''Bad Machinery'', two groups of child investigators attend the [[fictional]] Griswalds Grammar School in Keane End, Tackleford. The groups interact and compete to solve the mysteries,<ref name=Wired>{{cite news| url=https://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/12/alt-text-webcomics/#more-55800 | work=[[Wired.com|Wired]] | first=Lore | last=Sjöberg | title=Alt Text: The Best New Webcomics of 2010 | date=2010-12-23}}</ref> keeping a tally on a wall. They are not always aware that they are both working on the same mystery or dilemma, as they start with different leads.

''Bad Machinery'' focuses on humour, with funny and surreal situations, punctuated by moments of action and mystery. Every episode is comedic, and the artist will frequently add visual jokes in the background. ''Bad Machinery'' is also proudly British in its sensibilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://suvudu.com/2010/04/the-funn-e-pages-bad-machinery.html|publisher=Suvudu|title=The FUNN-e-PAGES: Bad Machinery|author=Dpomerico|date=2010-04-04}}</ref>

==Publications==
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 1: The Case of the Team Spirit|publisher=[[Oni Press]]|last=Allison|first=John|date=2013-04-02|isbn=978-1620100844}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 2: The Case of the Good Boy|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2014-03-25|isbn=978-1620101148}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/11/oni-press-to-release-a-second-volume-of-bad-machinery/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|title=Oni Press to release a second volume of 'Bad Machinery'|last=Melrose|first=Kevin|date=2013-11-12}}</ref>
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 3: The Case of the Simple Soul|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2014-12-23|isbn=978-1620101933}}<ref name=Vol3 />
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 4: The Case of the Lonely One|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2015-11-03|isbn=978-1620102121}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 5: The Case of the Fire Inside|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2016-04-20|isbn=978-1620102978}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 6: The Case of the Unwelcome Visitor|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2016-11-29|isbn=978-1620103517}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 7: The Case of the Forked Road|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2017-05-30|isbn=978-1620103906}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 8: The Case of the Modern Men|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2019-07-31|isbn=978-1620104378}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 9: The Case of the Missing Piece|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2020-01-08|isbn=978-1620106686}}
*{{cite book|title=Bad Machinery Volume 10: The Case of the Severed Alliance|publisher=Oni Press|last=Allison|first=John|date=2021-01-26|isbn=978-1620108475}}

==Reception==
Describing ''Bad Machinery'' as her favorite webcomic of 2011, Lauren Davis of ''[[ComicsAlliance]]'' praised ''Bad Machinery'' for its absurd scenarios, and both she and Hannah Shannon of ''[[Bleeding Cool]]'' praised the webcomic's humorous dialogues.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/bad-machinerys-12-year-old-detective-solves-a-bloody-british/ |publisher=[[ComicsAlliance]] |title='Bad Machinery's 12-Year-Old Detective Solves a Bloody British Mystery In 'Murder, She Writes' |last=Davis |first=Lauren |date=2011-12-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919102538/http://comicsalliance.com/bad-machinerys-12-year-old-detective-solves-a-bloody-british/ |archivedate=2015-09-19 }}</ref> Shannon stated that the "eye candy art" of ''Bad Machinery'' is her favorite part of the webcomic, pointing out that the large page lay-out of the books presents all the details well.<ref name=Vol3>{{cite news|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/12/16/bad-machinery-vol-3-john-allison-didnt-start-fire-someone/|publisher=[[Bleeding Cool]]|title=Bad Machinery Vol. 3 By John Allison: We Didn't Start The Fire – But Someone Did|last=Shannon|first=Hannah|newspaper=Bleeding Cool News and Rumors |date=2014-12-16}}</ref>

Staff of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' noted that ''Bad Machinery'' had difficulty finding its footing when it first started. Allison's attempt to differentiate ''Bad Machinery'' from ''Scary Go Round'' despite the overlap in cast resulted in a "bone dry" execution. As Allison got a feel for his new, younger cast, "the stories became looser and richer." ''The A.V. Club'' praised Allison's work as consistently reaching the "sweet spot of character-driven comedy," where humour arises naturally through the characters' dialogue.<ref name=AV>{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/new-releases-include-bad-machinery-black-canary-an-205237|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]]|title=New releases include ''Bad Machinery'', ''Black Canary And Zatanna'', and ''C.O.W.L.''|last1=Battleground|first1=Andrea|last2=O'Neil|first2=Tim|last3=Sava|first3=Oliver|date=2014-06-10}}</ref>

In February 2016, [[Young Adult Library Services Association]] listed Volume 4 of ''Bad Machinery'' in its annual "Great Graphic Novels For Teens" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/02/05/the-young-adult-library-services-associations-great-graphic-novels-for-teens-list-for-2016/|publisher=Bleeding Cool News|title=The Young Adult Library Services Association's Great Graphic Novels For Teens List For 2016|last=Johnston|first=Rich|date=2016-02-05}}</ref> Lore Sjöberg of ''[[Wired.com|Wired]]'' listed the webcomic among their best new webcomics of 2010<ref name=Wired /> and ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' listed ''Bad Machinery''{{'}}s first volume, ''The Case of the Team Spirit'', among its best [[children's books]] of 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/11/pws-best-childrens-books-include-bad-machinery-relish/|website=[[Comic Book Resources]]|title=PW's best children's books include 'Bad Machinery,' 'Relish'|last=Melrose|first=Kevin|date=2013-11-11}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.badmachinery.com/}}, now hosting other John Alison comics.
* [http://www.scarygoround.com/ Scarygoround.com]

{{John Allison}}
{{Dumbrella}}

[[Category:2000s webcomics]]
[[Category:2009 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:British comedy webcomics]]
[[Category:Fantasy webcomics]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]
[[Category:2010s webcomics]]
[[Category:Comics set in England]]
[[Category:Comics spin-offs]]
[[Category:Comics about children]]
[[Category:Humor comics]]
[[Category:Mystery comics]]
[[Category:Comics set in schools]]