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Wicked Things #1
Wicked Things
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNHIRED The Eisner Award winning team of John Allison and Max Sarin return to the world of Giant Days for a new series about everyone's favorite child detective; Charlotte Grote. Nineteen year old Charlotte Grote has her whole life ahead of her; headed straight to Oxford and a future as a real detective -- until she's framed for murder! Given the choice between going to jail basically forever or joining the police, Lottie decides to hit the beat, all while trying to find the real murderer. Lottie may have been running rings about the police since her 9th birthday, but she's never been on this side of the security tape. Could the future of law enforcement be 5'2" with an extremely strong bangs game? Yes. Very yes. Collects Wicked Things #1-6.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2021
13 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
John Allison
320 books828 followersJohn 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.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
January 30, 2021
When life gives you lemons, god opens a window - or however that thing goes. Because, while my beloved Giant Days ended, John Allison and Max Sarin started a new series set in the same world: Wicked Things. Hurrah! … right? Disappointingly, no - Wicked Things turned out to be a boring mess.
People are calling this a Giant Days spinoff but it’s not really - the main character of Wicked Things, Charlotte Grote, featured mostly as part of the cast of Allison’s other series, Bad Machinery (though she did cameo in Giant Days as Esther’s babysittee). Here she’s been aged-up a bit so she’s now 18 and headed to uni - but not before she attends a detective award show she’s been nominated for!
At the ceremony, Lottie is framed for murder and, after some shaky plottering, ends up working for the London Metropolitan Police - because they apparently need the expertise of a teenage civilian to solve their cases! Such cases include twins scamming smartphones and a gang ripping off secret London casinos.
The framing story (a double entendre!) was a confusing load of cobblers. Lottie is arrested on circumstantial evidence which doesn’t make sense. She’s alleged to have attempted to murderise a famous Japanese detective who doesn’t speak English and whose interpreter is wilfully misinterpreting what Lottie says and is more than a bit suspect. Even the butler in the hotel seems suspicious. Neither character is developed and this entire plot is put to the side until the very last pages of the book, when it’s resolved in a rush:
The iPhone scammers story was pointless - unless the point was “crime does pay”? I feel like Allison should have cut this dull rubbish out and focused on developing the Miyamoto attempted-murder storyline instead. The casino gang heist thing was just as crap - I had no idea what was going on and I didn’t care. Apparently people in police safehouses can coordinate complex criminal plans without the cops noticing - Allison really seems to have the lowest opinion of the Met! First they actually need Lottie’s help to do their jobs, now their supposed-prisoners are running ops behind their backs - boy do they suck in this world!
The stories are badly-plotted and unengaging, the jokes are unfunny (Lottie’s a tea lady, let’s run that into the ground - har har…), none of the new characters were fun, and all of the police characters were simply annoying - this is Allison’s weakest writing since his last non-Giant Days book, Steeple. Max Sarin’s art is as beautiful as ever and Lottie’s likeable-enough but more as a side-character - she can’t carry her own series. Maybe the ending was rushed because Allison was expecting to explore that plotline further in later issues but, unfortunately, I can see why this series got canned after just six issues. I was done with the title even before the halfway point!
Wicked Things is a jumble of uninteresting and plain bad comedy detective stories that neither make you intrigued or laff - an underwhelming follow-up to the spectacular Giant Days.
People are calling this a Giant Days spinoff but it’s not really - the main character of Wicked Things, Charlotte Grote, featured mostly as part of the cast of Allison’s other series, Bad Machinery (though she did cameo in Giant Days as Esther’s babysittee). Here she’s been aged-up a bit so she’s now 18 and headed to uni - but not before she attends a detective award show she’s been nominated for!
At the ceremony, Lottie is framed for murder and, after some shaky plottering, ends up working for the London Metropolitan Police - because they apparently need the expertise of a teenage civilian to solve their cases! Such cases include twins scamming smartphones and a gang ripping off secret London casinos.
The framing story (a double entendre!) was a confusing load of cobblers. Lottie is arrested on circumstantial evidence which doesn’t make sense. She’s alleged to have attempted to murderise a famous Japanese detective who doesn’t speak English and whose interpreter is wilfully misinterpreting what Lottie says and is more than a bit suspect. Even the butler in the hotel seems suspicious. Neither character is developed and this entire plot is put to the side until the very last pages of the book, when it’s resolved in a rush:
The iPhone scammers story was pointless - unless the point was “crime does pay”? I feel like Allison should have cut this dull rubbish out and focused on developing the Miyamoto attempted-murder storyline instead. The casino gang heist thing was just as crap - I had no idea what was going on and I didn’t care. Apparently people in police safehouses can coordinate complex criminal plans without the cops noticing - Allison really seems to have the lowest opinion of the Met! First they actually need Lottie’s help to do their jobs, now their supposed-prisoners are running ops behind their backs - boy do they suck in this world!
The stories are badly-plotted and unengaging, the jokes are unfunny (Lottie’s a tea lady, let’s run that into the ground - har har…), none of the new characters were fun, and all of the police characters were simply annoying - this is Allison’s weakest writing since his last non-Giant Days book, Steeple. Max Sarin’s art is as beautiful as ever and Lottie’s likeable-enough but more as a side-character - she can’t carry her own series. Maybe the ending was rushed because Allison was expecting to explore that plotline further in later issues but, unfortunately, I can see why this series got canned after just six issues. I was done with the title even before the halfway point!
Wicked Things is a jumble of uninteresting and plain bad comedy detective stories that neither make you intrigued or laff - an underwhelming follow-up to the spectacular Giant Days.
January 13, 2021
Wicked Things Is a kind of spin-off of the wildly popular and critically acclaimed series Giant Days written by John Allison and illustrated by Max Sarin, featuring Lottie Grote as teen detective extraordinaire (though she’s really not, she’s too much of s silly goofball so far) herself early on accused and jailed as a suspect of murder. Directed to a younger audience, this crime caper series is far more madcap and improbable than, say, the Hard Boys or Nancy Drew, even in recently updated versions of those teen novels. And it’s not as good as Giant Days, in my opinion, but it hits its aim as comedy, since the creative team is so good at the visuals and the quips..
But you ask, as logical crime caper critic: Why would anyone really believe that Lottie, teen detective of the year, would kill someone? And why would the police detectives then, while she is jailed, enlist her (and other teen criminals) to help crack a casino heist mystery? And why, in jail, does she want to help solve this crime and not want to investigate her own case in order to free herself?! But those are the wrong questions, Allison will tell me. The important questions are one like these: Why can’t Lottie get to wear her own cool stylish outfits? (Cruel and unusual punishment!) Why is there such crap food in confinement?! (Unthinkable!)
But you know, it kind of works, maybe 3.5 so far, it kinda reminded me of the madcap Dirty Rotten Scoundrels feel) okay, that’s not quite right, but the silly tone reminds me of it). Crime comedy.
But you ask, as logical crime caper critic: Why would anyone really believe that Lottie, teen detective of the year, would kill someone? And why would the police detectives then, while she is jailed, enlist her (and other teen criminals) to help crack a casino heist mystery? And why, in jail, does she want to help solve this crime and not want to investigate her own case in order to free herself?! But those are the wrong questions, Allison will tell me. The important questions are one like these: Why can’t Lottie get to wear her own cool stylish outfits? (Cruel and unusual punishment!) Why is there such crap food in confinement?! (Unthinkable!)
But you know, it kind of works, maybe 3.5 so far, it kinda reminded me of the madcap Dirty Rotten Scoundrels feel) okay, that’s not quite right, but the silly tone reminds me of it). Crime comedy.
October 26, 2021
Good god, this book is all over the place. Charlotte Grote is a "genius" who only looks semi-smart because she does middle of the road police work while surrounded by incompetent idiots. The plot jumps from case to case, with only one late in the game mystery solved, and even then not very convincingly.
Sarin's art is top notch, as always.
Sarin's art is top notch, as always.
August 19, 2021
Long-time John Allison character Charlotte Grote from Bad Machinery, Giant Days, etc. really shines in this solo outing as a recent high school grad cum police consultant by way of an inconvenient murder frame-up that has her under halfway house detention. Not much progress is made on the big case, but we do have a couple self-contained mysteries to tide us over involving cell phone theft and casino robberies.
Charlotte natters on in a most charming way as she annoys everyone around her and serves up creative deductive insights straight out of Sherlock.
I would love to see this become Allison's next regular thing following the wrap-up of Giant Days. It's so much better than the Steeple nonsense to which he has devoted too much time recently.
Charlotte natters on in a most charming way as she annoys everyone around her and serves up creative deductive insights straight out of Sherlock.
I would love to see this become Allison's next regular thing following the wrap-up of Giant Days. It's so much better than the Steeple nonsense to which he has devoted too much time recently.
November 5, 2020
Another great book from the mind of John Allison, with fantastic art from Max Sarin. Lottie Grote has been nominated for a Teen Sleuth award and is more than a little starstruck upon meeting some of her heroes. Unfortunately, things go a bit pear-shaped when she finds herself in the frame for the murder of one of said heroes.
I love spending time with Lottie. She's fiesty, she's funny, she's dedicated to justice! To be honest, if she was blonde and an-undisclosed-number-of-years older (because I know which side my bread is buttered), she could be my wife. I hope she gets many more adventures now she's reached adulthood and doesn't suffer from the inability of teen detectives to transfer over to adult detectives, as mentioned in the book.
I love spending time with Lottie. She's fiesty, she's funny, she's dedicated to justice! To be honest, if she was blonde and an-undisclosed-number-of-years older (because I know which side my bread is buttered), she could be my wife. I hope she gets many more adventures now she's reached adulthood and doesn't suffer from the inability of teen detectives to transfer over to adult detectives, as mentioned in the book.
November 5, 2020
A delightful return to the world of Giant Days, now following Lottie Grote as she tries to solve a case that got her framed for attempted murder and helps out the London police with their own unsolved crimes. Naturally, coming from John Allison, the book is very funny, and surprisingly the series’ veer into this crime territory works very well. And thanks to Max Sarin and Whitney Cogar it looks fantastic, too. It’s a proper Giant Days creative team reunion, of course it’s a great book! Now I hope it becomes a proper series all on its own, because it really made me fall in love with Lottie Grote and her own brand of hijinks, and hey, it kind of ends on a cliffhanger — what’s that all about? Volume 2, please, guys!
May 16, 2021
While I love Allison and Sarin together, I really wish Allison was a better storyteller. This was just a mess. Nothing is earned, and little makes sense. Why wouldn't a detective show any interest in investigating their own frame up? According to Allison, because they were given "interesting things to do." That's it. That's the only reason you'll get.
It just lacks any kind of charm writing wise, but damn are Sarin's panels wonderful to look at.
It just lacks any kind of charm writing wise, but damn are Sarin's panels wonderful to look at.
March 23, 2020
I was hunting down things to read during plague season, and took a chance on comedy whodunit Wicked Things from Boom! Studios. Here’s what I thought about it.
Part of my approach to writing this blog is to open my mind to newer kinds of comic book stories and genres - the kinds that I wouldn’t normally sign up for. Wicked Things, with its playful, disarming and cutesy teen art and subject material would fit into that category no questions asked. Today, in late March 2020, life in general is a little different than normal, and that’s an ironclad silver lining if there ever was one.
John Allison has, quite compellingly, written a bright, fun story, with a likable protagonist and a grisly mystery to solve. Characters and settings are revealed liberally, but the storytelling shows off its quality by what the writer has chosen to withhold from readers. I’m probably not alone in saying that this comic exudes vibes of similar stories, of a gang of unfamiliar teens at the sight of some murder and everyone’s a potential suspect. This is the strength of mystery stories, and why it appeals to the mind’s innate curiosity and its desire to learn and know what has transpired.
The artwork of Max Sarin and Whitney Cogar lends itself beautifully to this enlivened and comedic story. Anything cheesier would’ve been too obscene and anything more sombre would’ve been too drastic for this kind of subject matter. To return to my point about Allison’s likable main character, the writer has also presented a number of unlikable characters, who may potentially just be red herrings. Tell me I’m wrong in wanting it, but I’m secretly hoping that an important clue lies hidden in the opening pages of the comic. The panels with Charlotte’s mom might only be included to set the tone and establish her normalcy, but how cool would it have been if I was totes right about things not being as straightforward as they appear?
I’m hoping the rest of this mini-series from Boom! Studios comes out sooner rather than later, because I know that, in the right doses, Wicked Things could be just the kind of page-turner that a bookworm would relish.
Want to read
November 22, 2020This sounds great! But, question: why is this coming out in April 2021? All 6 issues are already out! Strange, guess I’ll just have to read this as single issues or wait...
August 15, 2021
I brought my Giant Days good will to this (maybe tangentially-related) volume from Allison and found it enjoyable enough but ultimately kinda shallow and empty.
April 10, 2021
My unabashed love for Giant Days is well documented, so any excuse to return to that world is fine with me. Enter Wicked Things, in which child/teen/don't ask detective Charlotte Grote is under suspicion of attacking a fellow detective, and finds herself working with the London Met in order to meet her parole.
John Allison's dialogue and ways of telling a story are on full display as always - the man knows how to spin a yarn and make it hilarious as he does so. The mystery of the middle few issues spins out marvelously, and it comes to a satisfying conclusion in which all the pieces are there for you to solve yourself, but it takes Charlotte's unique perspective to put them all into place.
The issue I had was that the framing sequence goes kind of unresolved, as if there was meant to be either an additional arc or just one more issue in which to explore the plot that set everything into motion. Instead, the story feels unfinished, and has a bit of an unsatisfying ending to follow the more satisfying one in the middle, which is why we lose a star.
The art's fantastic, of course. Max Sarin was Allison's frequent Giant Days partner in crime and the pair work great together - Sarin sells Allison's dialogue with expressive characters and perfect comic timing.
If Wicked Things gets a follow-up somewhere, I'll come back and adjust this to 5 stars - but as it is, there's just a little too much left dangling for me to find this quite as satisfying as Giant Days was. Please give me more, I beg of you, and not just because I want to know what happens next, but because the Giant Days-iverse or whatever we're calling it is a wonderful place to live.
John Allison's dialogue and ways of telling a story are on full display as always - the man knows how to spin a yarn and make it hilarious as he does so. The mystery of the middle few issues spins out marvelously, and it comes to a satisfying conclusion in which all the pieces are there for you to solve yourself, but it takes Charlotte's unique perspective to put them all into place.
The issue I had was that the framing sequence goes kind of unresolved, as if there was meant to be either an additional arc or just one more issue in which to explore the plot that set everything into motion. Instead, the story feels unfinished, and has a bit of an unsatisfying ending to follow the more satisfying one in the middle, which is why we lose a star.
The art's fantastic, of course. Max Sarin was Allison's frequent Giant Days partner in crime and the pair work great together - Sarin sells Allison's dialogue with expressive characters and perfect comic timing.
If Wicked Things gets a follow-up somewhere, I'll come back and adjust this to 5 stars - but as it is, there's just a little too much left dangling for me to find this quite as satisfying as Giant Days was. Please give me more, I beg of you, and not just because I want to know what happens next, but because the Giant Days-iverse or whatever we're calling it is a wonderful place to live.
July 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this one! I’m excited to see where the story goes next!
July 23, 2020
ARTSTYLE: 5 OUT 5 STARS
Story: 1 out of 5
OVERALL RATING: 2 stars
This girl was not a very good detective even though the book pitched her as that, Just saying.
Story: 1 out of 5
OVERALL RATING: 2 stars
This girl was not a very good detective even though the book pitched her as that, Just saying.
October 22, 2022
I love a good mystery. I love a good comic. John Allison and Max Sarin gave us both in Wicked Things. I haven’t read much of Giant Days and didn’t even know this was a spin off of that comic. My wife told me after I was half way through. I’ll have to go back and read more Giant Days.
I love that this comic is about a teen detective that gets framed for murder and then the police make her work for them. A very “White Collar” style comic, except she’s framed and didn’t actual do the crime. Charlotte Grote is a lovable character. She’s got the right quarks to be a fun read, but not a know it all like Sherlock. Her interactions with people are great. She seems a little high strung, but wouldn’t you be if you were framed for murder?
This is a must read if you like comedy and crime. Which are my two favorite styles. Sarin’s art is on point and pops like a cartoon style, which comics need way more of. He’s character designs are smooth and give the impression that these are not just thin beautiful people, but real people, even if they look like cartoons. I wish I looked like a cartoon. Allison’s writing is killing it. He’s got punch lines and ziggers flying left and right. I wish he was writing my dialogue in real life. I’d come of wittier and funnier. You should read this comic. It’s a wonderful life gem.
I love that this comic is about a teen detective that gets framed for murder and then the police make her work for them. A very “White Collar” style comic, except she’s framed and didn’t actual do the crime. Charlotte Grote is a lovable character. She’s got the right quarks to be a fun read, but not a know it all like Sherlock. Her interactions with people are great. She seems a little high strung, but wouldn’t you be if you were framed for murder?
This is a must read if you like comedy and crime. Which are my two favorite styles. Sarin’s art is on point and pops like a cartoon style, which comics need way more of. He’s character designs are smooth and give the impression that these are not just thin beautiful people, but real people, even if they look like cartoons. I wish I looked like a cartoon. Allison’s writing is killing it. He’s got punch lines and ziggers flying left and right. I wish he was writing my dialogue in real life. I’d come of wittier and funnier. You should read this comic. It’s a wonderful life gem.
Read
August 10, 2023Charlotte Grote is falsely accused of attempted murder at a detective awards convention. Because of plot reasons, she’s assigned to help the Metropolitan Police solve cases, which include twins scamming new smartphones and thieves stealing from casinos. Meanwhile, she's waiting for the victim to wake up from a coma so she can be cleared of her own crime.
This was fairly fun, but the plot needed a lot of work. Of the three cases, only one is solved by the end of the book. And the two police cases were not interesting at all. The way Allison set up Lottie’s attempted murder was intriguing but it was abandoned until the last issue when it was conveniently wrapped up and not even fully solved. And Allison’s humor feels safe and dull here, where it's natural and inspired in his other comics. I like Lottie, but think she works best as a side character or part of an ensemble cast, not the lead. She started to grate (grote?) on me by the end of this.
There are funny lines here and there, and Max Sarin’s art is great (especially the facial expressions). But the story is all over the place and unsatisfying in the end.
This was fairly fun, but the plot needed a lot of work. Of the three cases, only one is solved by the end of the book. And the two police cases were not interesting at all. The way Allison set up Lottie’s attempted murder was intriguing but it was abandoned until the last issue when it was conveniently wrapped up and not even fully solved. And Allison’s humor feels safe and dull here, where it's natural and inspired in his other comics. I like Lottie, but think she works best as a side character or part of an ensemble cast, not the lead. She started to grate (grote?) on me by the end of this.
There are funny lines here and there, and Max Sarin’s art is great (especially the facial expressions). But the story is all over the place and unsatisfying in the end.
January 5, 2022
3.5 ⭐️ This had potential and I was quite enjoying it for most of it, but then it felt like it just took a complete detour and I was wondering if I had skipped pages or something. The original storyline is left unanswered, and an additional storyline just sort of stalled out. Hoping it continues to see if the next volume provides any more insight on those!
January 29, 2022
Love the Giant Days creative team! This was a very fun read. A light and silly mystery with a genius teen detective. The ending wrapped up extremely quickly, so I would have liked a bit more from that. But overall great!
November 27, 2020
3.5 stars but rounded up because the characters are fun. Hope this continues as a series for a better conclusion to the Miyamoto mystery.
September 8, 2021
This was cute!! ♥️ Giant days more though.
May 8, 2022
The ART! YES!
March 15, 2023
Absolutely
Loved
This
!!!
Please tell me there's a second volume....
Loved
This
!!!
Please tell me there's a second volume....
January 13, 2024
Really loved this! Was hoping it would have more clarity about the ending but I really liked it and I liked the characters too! Super impressive character development for such a short book too!
May 10, 2021
I love John Allison's realistic fiction graphic novels! Can't wait to read the rest of this series!
February 5, 2021
I read this last year, and while I don't think it's as good as Giant Days, or even Bad Machinery, it's good to see more of grown Lottie, and the art is top notch.
Sidenote: i'm more hyped to see the conclusion of this series (the next volume) because it will HOPEFULLY feature the rest of the mystery gang as adults! And maybe see more characters of the bobbinsverse drawn by Max Sarin :)
Sidenote: i'm more hyped to see the conclusion of this series (the next volume) because it will HOPEFULLY feature the rest of the mystery gang as adults! And maybe see more characters of the bobbinsverse drawn by Max Sarin :)
February 25, 2023
excited for the rest of this series to come out!!
November 27, 2024
Very fun. I can recommend, with the proviso that you’d best forget realism and simply enjoy the madcap story. Sarin’s illustrations are brilliant as always. I look forward to the next volume.
December 9, 2023
This was an enjoyable story. I love graphic novels and comics with strong female lead characters, especially if it's about crime. I would have given 3.5 ⭐'s but I thought the story ended super abruptly and didn't explain the resolution of the very case that jump starts this whole story. The main characters are lovable though. Just needs a more thought out ending.
July 11, 2021
40%
As other reviewers put it: this book was a mess. It barely made sense. At the end of it, I was genuinely concerned that I had turned stupid because there's no way a graphic novel aimed at a younger audience could be so convoluted; thankfully, after reading other reviews I know I'm not alone. I just have so many questions.
And of course the primary question: HOW DID A BOOK WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL GO SO WRONG?!?!?
As other reviewers put it: this book was a mess. It barely made sense. At the end of it, I was genuinely concerned that I had turned stupid because there's no way a graphic novel aimed at a younger audience could be so convoluted; thankfully, after reading other reviews I know I'm not alone. I just have so many questions.
And of course the primary question: HOW DID A BOOK WITH SO MUCH POTENTIAL GO SO WRONG?!?!?
Read
May 28, 2021The positive treatment of the police, the racial dynamic & lack of closure of the phone mystery, and the way that our main character's framing isn't really solved/resolved, she's just out of jail, made this book a disappointment for me. I usually love this team and it's still well-drawn and very witty, but the plotting just falls flat. Especially with how all of the other teen detectives looked down on Charlotte, I wish she could have solved her own framing to show them up, with the help of her friend. Her friend solving it would also be nice, as it could be part of an implied storyline where the friends' detective skills are always looked down on, and she could be vindicated & more appreciated by Charlotte.
Maybe this will all be resolved in a later book, but in that case, I still think the progression of events could have been clearer. And maybe it's just my ignorance of the court system, but I don't know why Charlotte was let go if they haven't proven that she's not a murderer.
The climax of this book has to do with a bank robbery and it does pay off Charlotte proving herself as an able mystery-solving teen to the police (landing her a possible job with them... it's a very pro-police book) but her antagonist is only introduced halfway through this volume after the last case was left unsolved.
The phone case could be OK unsolved, since I liked the brothers, but there were issues of clarity (who is who at the end?) and the impact of the brothers getting away on Charlotte isn't really touched on, so it feels sort of random/like a let down. If it had been clear that this hurt the other detective's estimation of Charlotte's skills, or if Charlotte knew some piece of the truth and let them go out of sympathy/because she knew she couldn't chase them, it would tie the conclusion back to the main tension of the story/give Charlotte some agency.
Maybe this will all be resolved in a later book, but in that case, I still think the progression of events could have been clearer. And maybe it's just my ignorance of the court system, but I don't know why Charlotte was let go if they haven't proven that she's not a murderer.
The climax of this book has to do with a bank robbery and it does pay off Charlotte proving herself as an able mystery-solving teen to the police (landing her a possible job with them... it's a very pro-police book) but her antagonist is only introduced halfway through this volume after the last case was left unsolved.
The phone case could be OK unsolved, since I liked the brothers, but there were issues of clarity (who is who at the end?) and the impact of the brothers getting away on Charlotte isn't really touched on, so it feels sort of random/like a let down. If it had been clear that this hurt the other detective's estimation of Charlotte's skills, or if Charlotte knew some piece of the truth and let them go out of sympathy/because she knew she couldn't chase them, it would tie the conclusion back to the main tension of the story/give Charlotte some agency.
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