Review by Ian Keogh

Over the course of InvestiGators John Patrick Green has introduced numerous other eccentrics working for S.U.I.T. (Special Undercover Investigation Teams). More than enough, in fact, to spin off into their own series. The first volume spotlighted Cilantro with Monocle as back-up, and now it’s the turn of the B-Team, badgers Bongo and Marsha.

Using another pair of characters might seem redundant when Mango and Brash have that covered in InvestiGators, but Bongo and Marsha have entirely different personalities. There’s a tendency to bicker for start, despite them being smarter, and when it comes to overspending on expenses, there’s no-one in their league. It’s because of the overspending that their next mission is in Bora Bora, somewhere really remote where they can’t spend a lot. It’s a tropical paradise plagued by a series of bungalow robberies.

As with the first book, John Patrick Green and Christopher Hastings handle the writing while Pat Lewis illustrates. The difference between the writing here and on InvestiGators is apparent, as the agents in their own title are far more likely to run with a series of verbal jokes, often puns, until the possibilities have been exhausted rather than drawing a line and moving on. The badgers stink after a long journey and have identification badges, so a joke around “we don’t need no stinking badges” is rammed home, despite the likely readers of From Badger to Worse having no idea about The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Monocle had the supporting role in the first volume, and that continues here as she further investigates the long abandoned S.U.I.T. base and what might be going on there, with Cube now behaving strangely. It’s a continuing plot, though, and it’s not going to be resolved until Wild Ghost Chase, which is an odd title seeing as a ghost manifests here.

Applying the strict rules of cartoon tradition, when the villains are seen Lewis makes sure they’re so poorly disguised that young readers will recognise them immediately. However, they have a masterplan to turn a James Bond villain green with envy.

As much time is spent with the villains as with the badgers, and that’s because they don’t have the charm of Mango and Brash, the InvestiGators, who could easily substitute in the main plot. On the other hand young readers aren’t going to care as the humour is absurd, the jokes are funny, and there’s even a clever cameo for Mango and Brash near the end.