Got chatting?
NO PARPY???
I learned a little while ago that in South Africa a zip line is referred to as a “foefie slide” (pronounced “foofy”). Very enjoyable. But I misremembered this fact and thought that a funicular railway was called a foofy train. So from now on, that is what they are called. Get on, get on, get on, get on the foofy train (get on the foofy train).
I can think of something Claire could give him for his birthday.
Sorry – still shipping those two.
Same here. I think this is more evidence for said ship given how distraught Claire is right now.
Som POWERFUL onomatopoeia on this page!
Good it’s not just me. I mean him and Mildred could be intresting and it is nice seeing some of her fire come back. I just want glem to be happy. Especially since he’s been through way more than I could’ve guessed.
I love John’s ability to construct onomatopoeia from tangible, physical entities. If I encountered a monkey’s paw genie that reality is the one I would wish for.
The sound effects remind me of Frank Quitely!
But nary a Frank Quitely broken nose in sight
Foe! Fie!
Fee Fum?
Amazing what you can learn when you talk TO Ygln and not AT him.
I’m gonna be real; I feel like Charlotte hasn’t been a very good friend to Glum. I’ve kind of felt bad for him ever since Boys Like Fun because by that point Lottie has kind of taken over his life and he’s just been put through so much of her nonsense. I don’t think it was fair for him.
She’s put a roof over his head and got the lad off the freelance careers hotel hell road, she’s inadvertently gifted him a lovely, caring friend friend in Claire, he’s done all right out of la Grote and I suspect time in her company will strengthen his spine in time.
I mean… while I can’t disagree that how he’s doing right now is much better than what he was doing before, I just feel like Lottie hasn’t treated him with the respect he deserves considering he’s also paying for the guardianship on top of being like, a third of the company’s operations while still having a main job. I’ve been following Solver ever since Wicked Things got discontinued and while I like Lottie, I really do, for me it feels like a lot of her stories have been pretty… directionless? over the past couple of years. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve only seen Steel City Solvers handle two cases total: Dean Thompson and that family with the urn. Concerning Glynn in particular, for me at least, it just feels like throughout all the stories he’s been in, he’s been dismissed much too often and dragged into whatever trouble Lottie gets herself into ever since moving to Sheffield. If this is what Charlotte wants to do with her life, I’m all for it, but Glip is also supporting her all the way; couldn’t she at least remember his name?
Maybe I’m reading it wrong, I’m sorry if this ended up being a little rant-y; I love your comics and I really mean no disrespect. I’m a really big fan of Gurt and I want him to be treated a little better. I think that’s generally my main concerns regarding Glurm and the story as a whole. Thank you.
At the risk of overexplaining and spoiling the magic, Solver is a comic about being directionless. It’s not about an A1 problem solving agency. The titular problem to solve is “what do we do now?” I am delighted by your engagement with my comics, you aren’t reading them wrong.
BUT: in the course of Solver Lottie has
1. saved Claire from her parents’ expectations
2. got Glenn off the road
3. Foiled the clown network
4. Rescued Shelley from an undersea fate
5. Resolved the dispute of warring siblings
6. Found out what was behind the green door to the delight of all Giant Days fans
7. Turned her idiot boyfriend’s band into a South Yorkshire K-pop sensation
8. Resolved a dowager’s wrestling-related issue (see upcoming comics)
Yes she is a bit rough with Glenn, but he is getting stronger by the day as a result.
Shelley really rescued herself. However, if Lottie hadn’t gotten involved, Shelley may never have met Reverend Penrose, so I think Shelley still owes her one there.
Fair enough, I think I can see the vision. Really though, thanks for taking the time to address my comments; this was a huge relief for me to have those concerns put to rest. I’m glad enough to know I’m reading the story as intended, I just don’t want to see these characters needlessly suffer.
rest assured that even with the turmoil of the solving “business”, Glenn is happier and more engaged than he has ever been in his adult life!
So, even if Lottie is not necessarily directly helpful, she is by way of being a life affirming Event in a puffer jacket?
Shauna, referring to Lottie in the Holiday Surprise, said that “it’s hard to be friends with the center of the universe”. I maintain that the center of the universe is actually Shelley, but Lottie is one of the supermassive black holes that galaxies revolve around. You don’t encounter her without your trajectory being changed by the way she warps the fabric of the universe around her.
Being around Lottie with Glemmm’s personality is like training in a “gravity tank”, it’s a constant onslaught 24/7 that is ultimately good for you, but you do rather endure it as much as experience it.
And how much it’s changed you for the stronger & better is only apparent once you step outside of its influence.
HA oh dear god. Yes, I’ve certainly been around people like that, and yes, you’re absolutely right. Learning to function at all under those conditions builds muscle, by tearing your muscle fibres 😛
Yes, I think so, too. It bothers me how Lottie treats Glem. Let me explain.
Lottie is my favourite mystery kid, always has been, and (apart from Ryan) she’s my favourite character in the entire Tackleford Universe. During the Severed Alliance, I was 100% on her side and was angry Shauna had chosen Cooper Blossom over Lottie.
However, I feel like some of the traits that made Lottie so endearing as a child and teenager, her spontaneous energy, her sense of humour, imagination, big heart, her anything-goes associative way of thinking, and this air of being in her own little world, all of that can make her a quite self-absorbed, inconsiderate young adult.
Shauna, her best friend, knows her best: She says that Lottie being the center of her universe puts everybody else on the periphery, and that’s exactly the way I feel about the way she treats Glenn, too – not like a door mat, but like a beloved pet, a project, or an accessoiry to herself, and not really like a friend, partner, or equal. When apologizing to Glenn, she was fancyful, not sincere. “I was a fool, can I be forgiven” is not the same as “I am sorry, I treated you wrong.” It really bothers me she still won’t even call Glenn by his name, and it seems as if she never asked him anything about himself because she doesn’t care, as if she sees him as a side character who doesn’t have a backstory beyond their shared time.
I really like Lottie best, and it’s excellent writing that she loses her direction by her loveable traits tripping her up. She feels so consistent as a character you just want to give her a hug. It’s also so much in character for Mildred to be different and see Glenn as a person, she has always been much more down to earth.
There are not many comics with such beautifully organically written characters. Hats off to Allison.
Fee! Phi! Foe! Fun! I smell an Englishmun.
Feliz día de los Muertos!
Actually, I think Ygln is a Kiwi.
Okay, “runaway groom” wasn’t on my Groom’s Mysterious Past bingo card.
Kind of disappointed that the shooting gallery’s guns aren’t flintlock-themed.
I wonder if he was forced to marry or he just changed his mind.
GlurM seems like the type to have been just “going along with it”, being railroaded along by a blisfully unaware strong-personality partner (and probably mother), spending every ounce of backbone he had to pluck up the resolve to flee, which left him the willow stretch-Armstrong of a man we met in the beginning.
Too much would have been required to arrest the events back in NZ and remain in the bombshell crater for poor aul GLuRM.
I forgot how great Mildred could be. It’s been almost ten years since I read the first 8 books of bad machinery and out of the main 6 I never really gravitated to her (it doesn’t help far as I remember outside of the jack subplot John abruptly bailed on she didn’t have much going on later on). But this reminds me of her observational skills and quiet distance from reality. Not as obvious as lotties but noticable.
Also curious if we’ll get pop ins from the other mystery kids and friend. Mostly Linton. I liked his and lotties chemistry and I’m hoping he hasn’t spiraled too far into his worst instincts with jack lost in time for some reason.
The thing with losing a friend to a time-travel adventure, is that said friend usually reappears almost immediately after they left (from the non-time-traveler’s perspective) giving very little time for spiraling into worst instincts.
This is assuming that Jack will, in fact, return to his own time at some point.
If all else fails, he’ll come back around the hard way.
True. And we don’t know any details of jacks plight other than he has one year to accomplish it. Though I get the impression he’s gone for a year in continuity, if, as others have pointed out he gets to come back.
That poor stuffed hamster! He lived his whole life at that restaurant, just waiting to be won. But the moment it happens: bam! Torn apart by latter-day maenads.
That could have been their gift to Glurg, but too late now.
Excellent use of “maenads”, Jeff.
Have to agree.
“Bacchantes” would also be apposite.
Maybe get him a zipline, he seems to be enjoying that one.
We are saddened to announce the passing of Mr Bear Esquire in Sheffield this Friday. Survived by his wife Esme and their 12 doting children – Kevin, Drosophila, Uumelmahae, George Foreman, Raji, Rajii, Rajiii, Rajiv, Poopoo, Anuff, Izzy, Enuf – he was known as a pillar of society, and often wore the red bowtie he inherited from his grandfather, Urs Enpelouche, who founded the carnival prize business for which Mr Bear was universally known.
Due to the uncertainty following the explosives accident at the foam pillow factory next to the restaurant, Mr Bear Esquire’s funeral will be be in five closed caskets.
I got that Steve Martin reference.
The one who pays for Lottie and Claire’s violent agitation is that poor, big stuffed hamster. Glenn could have it worse and for his birthday. It’s amazing what Mildred was able to achieve with a frank and friendly discussion.
The foofy train!
You may already know that in Aotearoa New Zealand they are often called flying foxes. Although zip line seems to be becoming more common, and is maybe used for the longer/bigger ones?
I’ve heard them called that before! Possibly on The Amazing Race, because its host is Phil Keoghan?
Possibly because we have our own flying fox (pteropus zealandia) which is actually a fruit bat
We’re all batty here…
This reminds me of the conversations I have with my mom. She will ask these sorts of details about my friends and acquaintances (when is his or her birthday? What is his or her occupation? etc) and I often just don’t know — but I do know their opinions on the things we like to talk about.
Mildred just ASKED him, and he answered! That’s what she always tells me to do. “Just ask them these questions.”
They rode right past Glenn having ditched a fiance at the altar to be concerned about the lack of birthday preparation, huh.
To be fair, the party is much more immediate.
But also, yes.
Well, in fairness, that’s a more immediate concern, as said birthday is tomorrow.
Still more evidence that Jack passed up something pretty great when he bailed on Mildred.
By the by, who was the crack shot who won the hamster? Mildred, who still had a few shots left after? Lottie? Claire? Glenn, before decamping to the zipline?
One assumes that Claire is deadly with any kind of weapon.
Too bad the shooting gallery isn’t using flamethrowers.
I’m assuming Mildred has spent the eight years since “The Case of the Good Boy” honing her skills at all sorts of carnival games just in case she needs to win another magic pencil. Possibly her stint as a clown added to her carny powers.
Exactly.
RIP novelty stuffed carnival hamster. Hell hath no fury like Claire realizing she forgot a friend’s birthday apparently. Then again, Claire probably acted like a true mother hamster given their propensity to commit infanticide on their sicker, weaker children.
Mildew’s pretty handy with a rifle!
When your back’s against the wall in a dive bar, and your dad never came through with those Urban Krav Maga lessons you kept asking for…
I’m not surprised that Glam opened up to Mildred. She’s a lot more easygoing and low-key than either Claire or Lottie.
Are you sure you’re talking about Mildred?
I agree that the reaction we see here tells us exactly why he would have been reluctant to tell them.
But Mildred is more “I am strangely drawn to this tall, blonde Sister Sledge and must tell her any and everything to possibly seem interesting”
Sister Sledge!!!!
Well, that and she asked…
That sad look of resignation on the hamster’s face as he realises his time has come.
Lottie’s face in panel 3…
Also I wonder if Mr A has ever visited Chelmsford Kwik Fit…
Changing Hemispheres is a… significant distance to run away with cold feet.
For some reason, when I read zip line I assumed it was one of those overhead wire systems they used to have in shops when I was a kid for delivering money and receipts to and from the cashier. You hook it on, pull a handle and it flies across the shop on a wire. I thought it must be some cool new way the modern restaurant delivers food to the table.
I don’t think I have seen a system such as you describe, but now I want to see them in various public places.
They were called Cash Railways apparently. I remember seeing them in shops in the 50’s.
How about this? https://youtu.be/YTHZLKFblKo?si=wDbrOLKXgpW-9L1_
I used to know someone who referred to her private lady’s area as her ‘foofy’. Therefore I would laugh at ziplines in South Africa.
I’ve a friend who refers to said area as her “foof” which makes me giggle
I must object to today’s installment. It appears that Lottie is *not* wearing fur-lined Crocks, which I am 100% certain she would be, under the circumstances.
I’m sorry. Much as I love Mildred, I’m afraid I don’t really trust her. That expression on her face in panel three makes me think she made up the runaway groom and birthday stuff, just to tweak her friends for their apparent indifference to Glenn’s life before they met him. Hopefully I’m wrong about that…
I was wondering about this, too. Mildred’s been known to do that sort of thing. She could also be being completely honest here, though. I suppose we’ll find out.
I’m trying to remember my storylines,
Bobbins was the original comic right? When Shelly, Ryan and Co were young 20 somethings, before life crushed their hopes and dreams.
Giant Days is when Ester went to Collage and broke the Boys Heart?
Destroys History is when Shelly traveled a bit.
Steeple was the Church vs. the Sea.
When was the Mystery Kids heyday? I thought they had their own series, but cant find it anywhere.
Also, as I am rereading Bobbins, I humbly request more of the great man of mystery himself Bruno, or to paraphrase Holly, “the greatest concentration of testosterone ever seen in one place”.
Have you read the recent It’s the 90s, Get Used To It, the story right before this one? Bruno’s sort of mentioned in it, though not by name, I think.
Bobbins was followed by Scary Go Round. The Mystery Kids starred in Bad Machinery, which was the next series after Scary Go Round.
You can currently find bad machinery on go comics https://www.gocomics.com/bad-machinery/2016/04/11 starting here (I think John has an index of each storyline elsewhere), as he started syndicating it there.
And to help refresh you along with what’s here:
Bobbins and Bobbins.horse: The original strip that had Tim, Shelly Amy and a variety of characters who’d largely disappear from the larger saga like Holly kinda fumble around. Later remade into a much better comic set during the same time period, looping in characters from later works (Ryan is much more prominent here than in the original for instance) John sadly discountined as he can’t fit his work into the four panel format easily, which is fair.
Scary Go Round: John’s breakout work. Intended as a spinoff of Bobbins, it instead became a better version of it. This is the one with Shelley, Ryan and Amy barely making it through their 20s, and introduces Esther, The Boy, Erin , Lottie, Shauna and many more. A solid comic currently only found on John’s gumroad page. Still need to rebuy the first few trades as comixology ate them when it died.
Bad Machinery: John’s replacement for Scary Go Round, following the mystery kids and eventually ending as they’d grown too old for the gimmick and hit the end of their character arcs for now.
Bobbins 2.0: A series of stories , starting as comics trips before becoming stories in thes tyle we get now of 3 pages a week. Follows the core four as they deal with pregnancy, affairs, and time travel. Ties a lot of threads from Bad Machinery and SGR together. Was intended to close out everything but John thankfully reconsidered.
Giant Days; What I consider to be JOhn’s finest work. The first three issues are online and you can buy the rest in print via boom studios (Or digital). Esther goes to college, meets Susan and Daisy and Ambles about a bit as she figures her life out. Features guest spots from most of Esther’s SGR era supporting cast. Fun Fact: Erin was intended to have a large role in this series, one I wish she’d kept, but due to becoming a bigger part of Bad Machinery was bounced by the time it became an ongoing.
Steeple: I’ve only read the first arc, in print via darkhorse. That’s the sea one. And involves satansim.
Wicked Things: A print only mini that John seemed to intend to replace Giant Days as an ongoing.. but only lasted it’s run. IT’s why Lottie isn’t in college as she was accused of murder for a bit. Is set to be followed up in this arc.
The Great British Bump Off: A mini I haven’t read yet but need to that follows Shauna on a great british bakeoff pastiche that naturally turns into a murder investigation. As is her life. Not essential.
There’s also a ton of one shots, ephemra and so on but these are the bigguns. You can find most of John’s self published works that aren’t online on his gumroad.
Thank you, Jacob. Very thorough.
Thank you sir. As a fan of your work for what should be a decade in 2026, this is high praise.
If I could Edit I would, but either way, I remembered Wikipedia was a thing. Bad machinery is the one I forgot (kind of ironically.) also I confused Bobbins with Scary Go Round. Which would explain why I felt like things were missing when I reread the Bobbins archive.
Well, the websites with John’s comics seem designed to maximally confuse people, seeing that neither badmachinery.com nor scarygoround.com includes the archives of the comic named in their domains. Actually, the online locations of his various comics have moved around so much that there are tons of broken links all over the web including on the “Tackleford wiki” at https://tackleford.fandom.com/ .
Hacks will do that to a man’s domains.
First, thank you all for letting me comment on all your stuff. I”m happy to be here and shoudl’ve been commenting for a while now. I just love John Allisons’ work and that he’s still so loved almost a decade after I got into it via giant days.
Second there was something I needed to wrack my brain about: Why didn’t Glemp tell Clarie? Lottie… is obvious. If your not on her level like Clarie, Mildred or Shauna, you tend to get dragged around in the tempest of her shenanigans. It’s something she learned well from Shelley and it’s a strength, as John himself mentioned she’s done a lot of good over Solver’s first “season”, and a weakness. It’s what lead to her breif schism with Shauna, caused a friendly giant to get chased by an angry mob, and why Glem was so livid with her last arc. Boys LIke Fun and the previous arc show the consequences of this behavior and her inherent selfishness and it’s clear from her reaction she feels bad when this happens. She’s no longer doubling down like she did in Boys Like Fun. But it’s a process: like any person growth takes time and she’s just started to realize “Oh crud glem can get upset”.
With Claire I was more suprised as their closer (Hopefully in some other ways eventually but we’ll see), but it also makes sense: While Lottie sees Glem as a friend/minon to boss around but genuinely care for, she truly is Shelly’s true sucessor, Claire has a touch more empathy but likely didn’t want to pry, then just settled into her preconcived notion that he didn’t want to open up. Both girls accepted Glem as this man of mystery without ever considering he had his own past struggles or thinking of WHY he got caught in the grind of career counsling. It’s a tribute to their characters that both feel guilty.. but it’s easy to see.
And both feed into why he likely didn’t open up: Both would try to FIX his past instead of letting him avoid it just a little longer. His first interaction with Lottie was her helping him escape a dead end job. He knows how she is and both loves and fears it. While with Claire he may of not wanted ot bother her. Maybe he fancies her, maybe he just dosen’t want to bum her . I”ts hard to tell. With Mildred.. she’s just some, from his perspective, pretty lady that showed up, seemed genuinely intrested in him, and didn’t seem to want to direct the course of his life. Sometimes it’s easier to open up to a stranger than a friend. TLDR there was a lot tounpack in this one page alone and i’m loving this arc
How many lovers, wives and children did Glrm leave in New Z?
As I was going to New Z I met a Glim with 7 wives…