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Scary Go Round

Scary Go Round is a webcomic set in the fictional Yorkshire and the Humber town of Tackleford, England, and written by John Allison. Scary Go Round was named one of the best webcomics of 2004 by The Webcomics Examiner. The Sunday Times describes it as "postmodern Brit horror" that is "subtle and stylishly drawn, with a bold cartoon edge." The Morning Star has called it "brilliant, bonkers" and "the best British strip that I've yet found." Scary Go Round won the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards in 2003 for Outstanding Original Digital Art, in 2005 and in 2007 for Outstanding Comic.

Scary Go Round started on June 4, 2002 as part of Modern Tales, roughly following on from Allison's previous comic, Bobbins. It features bizarre happenings, strange creatures, parallel universes, zombies, time travel, reincarnation, and random spots of tea. Initially set as the lives of the barmaids Tessa and Rachel, it has since come to focus on another set of characters entirely. Amy Chilton, one of the core characters to succeed Tessa and Rachel, has successfully made the transition from the author's 17-year-old scribblings, through the Bobbins era, and into Scary Go Round, all without aging a day. Shelley Winters, another of the characters who made the transition from Bobbins, also features heavily throughout the webcomic.

History

John Allison started hand drawing and scanning the original Bobbins webcomic in 1998-09-21 up until mid 2000 when he changed to computer drawing with Adobe Illustrator. Stephen Gerding described Bobbins as "kind of like "Friends", or "Coupling" with an office atmosphere, and John noted his later episodes got very bizarre and this, beginning in 2002, led to the supernatural tone of Scary Go Round.

Style and influences

Though Scary Go Round does feature ongoing character arcs, and initially featured a lot of light horror content - influenced by print comic Scream!, J. Otto Seibold, Pete Fowler, Chris Sale, James Kochalka and Shag - it is primarily a comedy; however, it is not a joke comic of the classic setup-punchline format. Its quirky sense of humor manifests primarily in the characters' distinctive dialogue.

As of October 2007 Scary Go Round was in its 40th chapter. From its inception in 2002 until August 2005, Scary-Go-Round was computer-drawn, and received numerous accolades for its distinctive and constantly evolving styles. From chapter 24, Allison began to draw the main comic by hand; though he returned to computer drawing in November 2005, he kept his promise to resume drawing Scary Go Round by hand, and has done so from April 2006 to the present.

Characters

Major characters

Shelley Endeavour Winters : The red-headed, green-eyed protagonist of Scary Go Round. Received legal training but has never formally practiced law due to a paranoid fear of judges. Likes polite speech and adventuring. Distrustful of the moon. Has, according to Ryan, a squeaky little voice (Aug. 25/05 strip). Got murdered; became a zombie; returned to life; got murdered again; kick-boxed way back. Gets into trouble often. Formerly was the (only) political advisor to Mayor James Mayor. Now works as a reporter for the local newspaper, the Cormorant. Original character based on the Bobbins webcomic. Shelley is rated #4 on the Tackleford Troublemaker's index, although it has been rumoured that this is only a domestic ranking, and that she had been called up to represent England at international level meddling. According to the index, which appears to have four main ranking categories, she is rated 10/10 for 'Nosiness', 8/10 for 'Disaster power', 9/10 for 'Financial Damage' and 10/10 for 'Escape Factor'.

Has, for unspecified reasons, a fan club which disturbs her terribly

Amy Chilton : A blonde- and purple-haired/tattooed art student turned mayor's advisor. Roommate and best friend to Shelley Winters; also friend of Fallon Young. The spoiled daughter of Professor Len Pickering. Likes men, in quantity. Dislikes work and showers. Secretly attracted to Tim. She changed the purple portion of her hair to green in spring of 2008.

Tim Jones : A prolific inventor and very dear friend to both Ryan Beckwith and Shelley Winters. Employed Amy Chilton and The Boy as his inventor's assistants. Was the mayor of Tackleford and employed Ryan Beckwith as his assistant. Exiled to Wales as a result of losing a (rigged) Invent-Off to Professor Dai Davies. Last was rumored to be expecting a "mini Jones."

Ryan Beckwith : A lovable fool and heir to the King of Tramps. Best friend to Shelley Winters and Tim Jones. Once dated Fallon Young. Always drawn with messy hair and a five-o'clock shadow. Also dislikes showers, fearing he will drown under them. Went missing, due to amnesia following a travel to the world of the dead to check up on his dead girlfriend. The Little Sisters of Belial took him in.

Riley Beckwith : The current fiancee of Tim Jones and sister of Ryan Beckwith (making her an heir to the King of Tramps as well). Does not drink, as this may make her lose her resolve to not take on this title. Much classier than Ryan, she is blond, thin, and attractive. She may have been abducted by aliens at one point. Seems to dislike Amy. Went with Tim into exile, and seems determined to keep him there.

Fallon Young : A sleek, genetically-engineered, sexy secret agent and all around girl-spy. Although very incompetent at her job, she always manages to achieve her objective... y'know, if you tilt your head to the side and look hard. Really hard. Fallon is Shelley Winters's very dear friend and sometimes roommate. After resigning her commission and taking work as a mercenary, she was captured by the British government and placed in the Village as Number 497. Wished her way back to Tackleford. Originated as a HiFi store owner in Bobbins.

Eustace Boyce ("The Boy") : Son of "The Father" and "The Mother"; a pensive, romantic lad. Dreamer and junior inventor. Friend of (and crushed on by) Erin Winters, Shelley's younger sister. Lives with The Mother and The Father. Is dating Dark Esther starting from their romp in Wales. He is referred to as "The Boy," apparently because of the delay of a forthcoming name (revealed on 18 July 2007 to be "Eustace Boyce"

Erin Mary Winters : The younger sister of Shelley Winters. Thinks her older sister is ridiculous. Is quite serious. A friend of Dark Esther, though this may be sorely tested, due to the former "stealing" away the interest of The Boy. Accidentally imbibed the Vit-RX potion, causing her to develop Amazonian features and stature and to discard her glasses.

Left school for four months; very uncomfortable with her new height, but in perfect health.

Became engaged to Bob Crowley after being hypnotised by him, but lost his affection when she resumed wearing glasses, precipitating Crowley's cold feet and causing them both to get sucked into Hell. At this stage, it is possible her failing eyesight indicates that the Vit-RX formula is wearing off. Last seen with Crowley in a bleak grey landscape eating hard tack and weevils, where he has explained to her that she will fade from other people's memories, as evidenced when Amy and Shelly did not recognize a photo of her.

Esther de Groot, AKA "Dark Esther" : Friend of Erin Winters, a goth and Marilyn Manson fan. She was friends with Big Lindsay and Sarah, but has since become too happy to be fully accepted by these goths. Pined for The Boy for three years, until they made love in a Welsh caravan

Paul Milford : A friend of The Boy. Likes to think that he is successful with women; is not. Believes himself to be the savior of rock 'n' roll. Developed tendinitis from overuse of MySpace.

Hugo Rodriguez : A sandwich shop owner and good friend to many of the cast. Righteous in nature and quick to act, a good friend to have in a fight. Comes from Latin America; his past is unknown. He owns a sandwich shop which he used to run, but after running for mayor of Tackleford with Tim and being assaulted in the process, he began working with a nephew who is a music producer. Friend to Ryan Beckwith, apparently based upon the real-life underground cartoonist who shares his name. (It is also assumed that he is the same Hugo Rodriguez who appears in Wigu, except that he is a different nationality, is not dead and has no spaceship.)

Rachel Dukakis-Monteforte : Heir to a wealthy biscuit family's fortune, was a journalism student and best friend of Tessa. She hates Shelley and is described by Allison as "wicked." She was thrown off a bridge by the Cheeky Pistons as retribution for trying to hurt Shelley, but rescued by The Devil and given the chance to continue living if she signed a contract pledging her allegiance to him. Had a large nose growth as a result of this. Was missing for a long time, but resurfaced on 2006-10-31 as the Mother Superior of the Little Sisters of Belial. Was apparently burned to death by the Sisters, who had grown tired of her leadership (especially the loss of Orgies).

Tessa Davies : Was a journalism student and best friend of Rachel. Tall, sensible, and intelligent, and occasionally quite fond of alcohol. Went missing at the same time as Rachel, and returned at the same time. Thought of Rachel's sinister master plan as "deluded gibberish." Known among the Little Sisters of Belial as Sister Nausicaa.

Minor characters

Ralph : Creepy, elderly elevator operator at Tackleford University. A boozehound and amateur warlock who frequents the local pub. Helped Ryan resurrect Shelley after her first instance of being murdered. Also connected him with Eisegesis. Recently revealed to, in fact, be The Devil. Roxy Postlethwaite : Popular girl at the high school Esther and Erin attend. Brainwashed by the Robed One, she became a "white goth" and formed a band with Big Lindsay and Sarah. Current status unknown. Big Lindsay : A particularly tall and heavyset high school girl who was friends with Esther, and is a goth like her. Was noted to be particularly small in the past and was known as Small Lindsay prior to her apparent growth spurt. Has "the psychosis". Her last name is James, but this information has only appeared on the cast page, not in the comic itself. Sarah Grote : A short, black-haired goth girl who is friends with Big Lindsay. Oggy : A gentle giant of a student who is a hall monitor at the school Erin and Esther attend. Enjoys music and science. Likes to test received scientific wisdom about electricity. With the wetter parts of his body. Gibbous Moon : A friendly American Marine Biologist. Worked as an evil intern of the League of Enemies for course credit. During her internship she befriended Shelley on Armageddon Island. Prefers to be called "Moon." She was recently arrested for smuggling. Professor Len Pickering : An eccentric journalism professor at Tackleford University. Teaches Tessa and Rachel, and father of Amy. Given to enthusiastic, though often not well-thought-out, schemes of various kinds (such as opening a nog store and trying to raise an illegal lynch mob to dispense 'justice' when a student had been mistakenly accused of murdering Amy), and to having conversations with a pet guinea pig named Cecil. Pa Beckwith : Father to Ryan Beckwith and Riley Beckwith. A recluse and former King of the Tramps. Has recently made amends with his daughter and son. Mayor James Mayor : The former Mayor of the city and ex-boss of Shelley Winters. He is easily confused and bedazzled. Natalie Durand : Ryan Beckwith's former girlfriend. She speaks with a French accent. She was killed (exploded) by old meddling ladies who believed she was an instrument of evil. She currently acts as the assistant to Death. Bob Crowley, AKA "Saucy Bob" : Based on Aleister Crowley, Robert Aloysious Crowley is the "wickedest man in the world". Made many developments in torture, manipulation, the arcane arts, and beef drinks. He was dead, but was summoned back to life by teachers attempting to perform a dark ritual, and has taken over the position of headmaster of Tackleford High School, a fact of which those faculty who did not summon him seem blissfully unaware. Friend Bat : Ryan's bat friend that he met just before meeting with Natalie for the first time. He seemed to understand Ryan's words and was less of a pet than a companion. Died from neglect during Ryan's disappearance. Now in the charge of Natalie in the afterlife. Comrade Bat : Took the mantle of Ryan's flying mammalian friend shortly after Friend Bat died. Christmas present from Shelley and Amy. Opened early to "avert further tragedy". Likes acorns and has no manners. Cap'n Ernest Cromerty : An extremely elderly sea captain, who resembles Baby Gramps. Often assists Tim in nautical matters, and seems to be an old friend of his. Gave Shelley advice regarding "moon men". Caught the Kraken with Gibbous Moon and Desmond. Was last seen, half naked, being chased by the police after being caught running a smuggling ring. Desmond Fish-Man : A mer-man who befriended Ryan when they were both in the care of the Little Sisters of Belial and escaped along with Ryan. Though bright green, covered with fins and scales, possessing webbed hands, and lacking a nose and ears, Des insists that he merely has a skin condition. Archie Stanwyck : Former assistant of Seamus Fogerty, an inventor rival of Tim. Murdered Fogerty and framed Tim for the crime; when Shelley investigated the crime, he murdered her as well. Tried to kill Rachel and Tessa when they found him out, but thanks to the quick actions of Tim, he eviscerated himself. Miraculously lived, and reconstructed himself as a cyborg. Went on to either join or found the League of Enemies and abduct Shelley as part of their revenge scheme. His current whereabouts and condition are unknown. Dr. Daniel Petrescu : A psychopath and supervillain from Romania, whose activities were thwarted by the actions of Tim and Fallon, for which he has sworn to take revenge on the former. Lacks a face. Is obsessed with monkeys. His revenge against Tim as part of the League of Enemies was interrupted by Shelley and Fallon's destruction of the League's hideout, Armageddon Island. Last seen lost at sea. Expert optometrist. Bentley Quorn : A seemingly unassuming politician who first surfaced during the Child's appearance, he was revealed during the Tackleford Mayoral Election to be the candidate of the Evil Party, and to own every chimney in Halifax. Tried to have Hugo assassinated. His political career was ruined when a giant balloon in his image nearly devastated a wildlife refuge, which was subsequently saved by Tim Jones. A member of the League of Enemies. Survived Armageddon Island with Dr. Petrescu. Elaine Wu : Formerly Quorn's aide-de-camp and confidant in his nefarious doings. Now may be working freelance. Characterized as "Tackleford's most reprehensible political operative". Helped Dai Davies oust Tim from the Mayoral seat by secretly providing him with VIT-RX. Hates Shelley and Amy. The Child : Strange, completely hairless child of the Robed One. Aids the former in causing discord and chaos. Towns he spreads his message of "change" to are often destroyed. Helped the Robed One change Roxy Postlethwaite and teach her a "special song". The Robed One : A mysterious figure. Might be Wayne from the Cult of Wayne. Claims to be the parent of the Child. Kidnapped and changed Roxy. Professor Dai Davies : A cantankerous local professor and member of the Brotherhood of Inventors who challenged Tim to an Invent-Off in order to remove him from office. Has massive strength as a result of imbibing VIT-RX, but seems to be gradually reverting to a primitive, ape-like mentality. Appointed Mayor of Tackleford, but was removed from office after attempting to throw Shelley out of a window. Bonzo Cribbins : A motorcycle enthusiast and leader of the Cheeky Pistons. Raffles, Gentleman Thief : A member of the Cheeky Pistons, who seems to have joined the motorcycle gang by mistake since he only owns a pushbike. He was hired by Shelley to steal Mayor Dai Davies' VIT-RX formula in an attempt to aid the return of Tim Jones to Tackleford. Apparently based on the character A. J. Raffles from the works of E. W. Hornung. Survived submerging in a torrent of strawberry jam while attempting to retrieve the Volcano God Paninatu for Shelley. Mother Shipton : a staggeringly old witch who lives in the forest outside Tackleford. She is so ugly that the EU pays Tackleford half a million pounds a year to offset the detrimental effects of her hideous face. Gave Shelley and Amy advice on how to prevent the end of the world, but apparently had an agenda of her own. Is probably loosely based on the reputed real-life witch Mother Shipton.

Organizations

The Cheeky Pistons : Tackleford's local motorcycle gang. A curious mix of gentlemanly principle and unabashed criminal violence, the Pistons were responsible for shooting Shelley Winters in a case of mistaken identity orchestrated by Rachel Dukakis-Monteforte. They later gave Shelley some 'crime tokens' as compensation for the mix-up. Amy is an honorary member due to her tattoos and profound grasp of bad language. In the pulping, smashing, breaking and shooting business. Don't do specialized work. Led by Bonzo Cribbins The Mission of Wayne : Vile cult run by old ladies and their morally bankrupt son as a front for a white slave trade. May have been permanently dispersed. Dethspasm : A band who refer to their musical style as 'Mantiscore' due to their worship of an omnipotent mantis god. See this episode

for a biography on their fictional allmusic.com page. The League of Enemies : A group of supervillains united in their hatred of Tim Jones. Possess a UFO, a secret hideout (Armageddon Island), and an evil internship program. Cloned a zombie version of Shelley and used it to attack Tackleford as part of a revenge scheme against Tim. Seemed to spend a lot more time thinking of "evil" leisure activities than actually committing other acts of villainy. Were defeated by Shelley and Fallon Young, who destroyed their Island and may have killed some of them. Eisegesis : Shady "supernatural assistance" firm, mostly populated by necromancers and ne'er-do-wells. Helped Ryan visit the afterlife, but did not administer proper "after-care"... St. Timothy's Little Sisters of Belial : An order of Satanic nuns. Their motto is Qui cum canibus ambulat, caveat stercorum (Who would walk with the dogs, must beware dung). Cared for Ryan Beckwith following his near-death-induced amnesia. Some members are frustrated with the lack of debauchery in Rachel's rule. The Brotherhood of Inventors : A semi-secret, Freemasonry-esque society of inventors to which Tim belongs. Run the Scientific Democratic Party, which backed Tim's campaign. First formed in the 16th century, and have many archaic rules and traditions, such as the Invent-Off. The Super Best Friends Society : A select group of Shelley's trusted friends, formed for the purposes of preventing the destruction of the world by the Devil, at which they eventually succeeded. The Friends included Esther de Groot, Eustace Boyce, Cap'n Cromerty, Gibbous Moon, Desmond Fish-Man, Raffles the Gentleman Thief, Bonzo Cribbins, Ryan Beckwith and Len Pickering.

Various Creatures

The Scary Go Round universe is populated with many creatures and odd happenings. Some of these creatures include: Portuguese Man-o-war : An arrogant gelatinous blob who lives in the ocean. Enemy of Shelley Winters, and humanity. Has schemes. Goblins : Goblins populate Tackleford. They live like people, but are unseen by people. Often up to mischief. Magical. Death : Comes to you when you die. To see what should be done. Krakkagar : Shiny black beetle-type creature with red, glowing eyes. Has weakness for sugar. Devil Bears : Ferocious, large, brown creatures of the yellow, swirly-eyed variety. Apparently natural predators to Goblins. One was a pet of Jimi Hendrix. A group that tried to devour Dark Esther was thought to be chased away by The Boy, but was in reality fleeing from a far worse and currently unnamed creature, possibly a Welsh Inland Shark. Space Owl : Large green owl, supposedly from space. Was last seen running a successful political campaign in Wales.

Notable Chapters

Looks, Brains and Everything: While trying to investigate a murder, Shelley, the protagonist, becomes murdered herself. Later, after becoming raised from the dead as a zombie, the chapter follows her being undead, with a bit of brain-eating. Romania: Tim and Fallon go to Romania to stop the nefarious doings of the evil Dr. Petrescu. Amy's secret attraction for Tim is discovered. Ballad of the Man: Ryan finally meets his lady, Natalie. However, his elderly landlady and her associates do not think much of her, believing that she is a succubus, and arrange to have her killed in an explosion. Bad Religion: Fallon must save a depressed Ryan from being brainwashed and sold into white slavery by a cult with the help of Hugo; then survive an encounter with a Devil Bear formerly owned by Jimi Hendrix on the Isle of Wight. Count My Toes: Rachel convinces a local gang that a woman they are looking for has dyed her hair orange and now looks exactly like Shelley, leading to the latter's tragic (and gruesome) death. While waiting in line to get into Heaven, Shelley meets the recently deceased Natalie, who shows her the ropes in purgatory. Time Teapot: Shelley and Amy travel to 1840 via the titular teapot, an invention of Tim's which they have stolen. Wacky Victorian hijinks ensue. The Child: The mysterious Child's declaration that "Things are going to change!" leads to many changes around Tackleford, among them the comic's shift of focus to the local high school, where many stories in 2005 and 2006 have been set, and a few small changes in drawing style. The Election: Tim runs for mayor of Tackleford. Abductions: Shelley is kidnapped by the League of Enemies, who try to undermine Tim's administration by cloning a zombie version of Shelley and setting her loose in Tackleford. Schoolin': A plot on the part of Tackleford High School's administrators to remove The Boy and Esther's class from existence in order to budget instant coffee has unforeseen consequences. Battle of the Bands: A talent show at the local high school features many unusual musical acts. Beyond the Veil: Ryan decides to find out how Natalie is doing in the afterlife, but is unaware of what awaits him... Big Ideas: Tim is challenged to an Invent-Off by a local professor Dai Davies, who turns out to be backed by sinister forces. Giant Days: Dark Esther and The Boy travel to Wales to convince Tim to return; The Boy begins a relationship with and loses his virginity to Dark Esther; Shelley attempts revenge against Prof. Davies; Erin accidentally drinks the Professor's "get-massive" potion. Aw Hell: Fallon finally escapes from the Prisoner-style village she has been trapped in, and enlists Shelley and Amy to locate the missing Ryan. Rachel and Tessa return. Super Crisis Quests: The Devil recruits Bob Crowley to help unleash a demonic army on the world. Shelley organizes the "Super Best Friends Society" and consults the duplicitous (and foul-smelling) Mother Shipton to prevent the end of the world.