Review by Frank Plowright

ARPC, a technology lab in Detroit developed a morphing form of artificial intelligence for commercial exploitation. Unfortunately for them, it decided it preferred the company of Lauren Greene. Despite her previous occupation as a police officer ARPC have no problems about breaking the law, and as Vol. 8 ended they’ve stationed agents awaiting her crossing the border from Canada on her way back to Detroit. Lauren has no intention of surrendering what she’s named Machine, but is aware her friends in Detroit are in danger.

Von Allan dedicates this volume to the late Jim Shooter, citing him as an inspiration when it comes to telling stories. Shooter’s method, though, was to lay everything out at the start of every new issue. It wasn’t subtle, and neither is Allan when bringing readers up to date. While there’s an admiration about how much Allan is able to pack into multiple small panels per page, there are also times when it seems the concentration stalls there rather than moving the story along.

The opening half is three separate stories spotlighting the people with the biggest impact on events to come. Lauren obviously features, and trucker Super Bob Sanchez is reintroduced as her possible means of transportation across into the USA. He’s as feisty as usual, while the chapter focussing on the head of ARPC Jeremy Hamilton is a look into a surprising aspect of his life. It ties in with Allan’s policy of presenting people as real. As we saw in Vol. 8, just because someone’s a killer doesn’t mean they can’t also suffer panic attacks.

Like Lauren’s old VW campervan, this may be slow to get going, but once it does there’s no slowing down all the way to an ending that’s unpredictable despite being well set-up. No-one steps out of character, yet just like that everything’s changed. Anyone invested in Lauren’s story will be panting for Vol.10.