Bad Machinery #4
In "4 Mon October," John Allison delivers another layered chapter of Bad Machinery, where Shauna and Corky unravel a startling truth: Lem’s parents are alien refugees who grew him from Earth onions and depend on his hypnotic abilities to recruit students as laborers—abilities they can’t fully wield themselves. With Mildred’s scientific insight accelerating the plan, the aliens make their escape, leaving Lem behind to face a tragic end, while Blossom’s jealousy strains friendships. The teachers remain as baffled as ever, and the mystery deepens. The story is written, drawn, inked, and colored by John Allison, with cover art by John Allison.
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With Corky's help, Shauna discovers that Lem's parents are aliens who have crashed on the Earth and are trying to escape. They cultivated Lem from earth onions, and rely on his hypnotic power to bring his fellow students in as workers, but they're too weak to finish the job. Mildred uses her science knowledge to speed the process up and the aliens escape, though Lem tries to stay on earth and dies in the process. The jealous Blossom convinces Corky to have nothing to do with Shauna and her friends. The teachers continue to be bewildered.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).