This graphic novel was illuminating and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

Weird and unclear look at the possible future of western society. Felt like the writing didn't really have a point.

I enjoyed Bubble a lot but as someone who hasn't listened to the podcast before, I don't think I understand a lot of references or jokes.

Overall, it was fun and enjoyable and made me want to look into the larger story happening outside the graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for this eARC.

Really enjoyed this!

I will update the review with the link to on our blog as soon as I can.

I'd like to thank the publisher First Second Books, First Second and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This title is wacky in all the right ways. It has a fun cast of characters and even though it's several short stories, you get the image of how everyone fits together and cares for each other.

Clever, wonderfully written, and fuuny. This is a smart graphic novel that has a well- established world and the setting is engaging and hilarious.

Love the podcast, love the novel. I might be a little biased because I do enjoy the podcast, but if I wasn't then the story might be a little hard to get into and I recognize that. The story and artwork add to the quirkiness of the entire world of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Bubble. As a reader with no previous exposure to the podcast this graphic novel is based on, the story seemed to expect knowledge and context that I did not have. In-jokes, references, and unexplained history was lost on me. The main character remained a bit of a mystery, but very likeable and seemingly the most level-headed person in the story. Other characters seemed to be more props to her story than anything else and characterization was largely sacrificed for a constantly moving plot. The art was well-done and dynamic, with plenty of action and evil things for our heroine to fight against. The reliance on pop-culture references and re-imagining was amusing if a little overdone. A quick, popcorn read that doesn't give the reader too much to think about.

Bubble, the podcast, is an eight-episode single series that takes a satirical look at the gig economy with a blend of dystopian parody and monster fun thrown in. Funny, insightful, and quick witted, it is unfortunate that the podcast only lasted for one season.

Bubble, the graphic novel, brings the podcast to life in graphic form. Telling the story of Morgan and her friends who were kidnapped by “the man,” in this case the megacorp Tandem, from the Brush, a slow nod to the Australian outback, and are raised and now live in Fairhaven, which is under a large geo-dome known as the Bubble.

Life in Fairhaven is much like one we know now: people have jobs, go for jogs, go to Starbucks, date, love, as well as hangout on social media. Life seems to mirror one we know in the here and now except for one tantalizing thing: there are monsters from the Brush who stalk, maim, or kill the citizens of Fairhaven. The Bubble is to protect Fairhaven from these attacks, but as the attacks begin to increase, Morgan and her friends Annie, Van, and Mitch begin to sense something is not quite right and they need to solve this mystery.

Morgan, our heroine, is an imp slayer who uses the app Huntr to respond and kill monsters as needed. Just like Yelp and Uber, the higher her rating, the more jobs she gets. And she’s tired of killing imps. She wants nothing more than to have a perfectly mundane job doing mundane things. But Morgan knows there is something more afoot and she cannot let it go. It begins when an imp crashes in her apartment and nearly kills her roommate Annie and Annie’s ex, Mitch. The increase of imps, somehow sneaking in through the Bubble, leads Morgan to start questioning her surroundings and purpose.

For nearly 300 pages we follow Morgan, Annie, Mitch, and Van as they track down and battle the lesser baddies (Psychic Earwig and The Hive) only to come across the biggest baddie of them all: Bonnie, the CEO of Tandem. Bonnie was instrumental in bringing Morgan and Van from the Brush into the Bubble and has her own dastardly plans she wants to come to fruition.

The story is fast paced and an obvious poke at gig economy and relationships. It parodies, to an extent, a romcom. There are imps (and worse) to slay, puzzles to solve, and 311 (the band) Easter eggs to decipher. Subplots such as the romance between Morgan and Van, their time as children in the Brush, Morgan working against and then with her dad, Van’s childhood trauma, and Mitch’s wanting to be special combined with Annie’s beer brewing success add to the backdrop. At times, there can be a bit too much going on. Bubble tries really hard to be clever and funny and almost always succeeds, but it also tends to wear the reader down. There are no chapter breaks, as the story is just one long continuous series of arcs, which leads to reading fatigue. Because the language is quick paced and lively, you’re zipping through the novel fairly quickly, but the lack of obvious stopping points can be overwhelming.

The art is what really separates the book from the podcast, and Tony Cliff’s art is magical. You may know him from a wide variety of anthologies and children’s graphic novels which explains the sense of lightness and playfulness in his art. His style is light enough without becoming too serious or bogged down in the story. If his line work were tighter and more controlled, we’d have a wholly different type of story going on.

Natalie Riess did a great job in choosing the palette for the book with soft muted colors that drift towards a watercolor aesthetic. Riess is also fond of a wide shades of pinks and light browns which does not deter from the story but does actually enhance it. While this book is not out and out gory, it is very violent, and the color palette tends to soften the blow just enough to make it a bit more lively and adventurous than if she would have picked harsher tones.

Bubble is definitely for a mature audience and could border on a MA-17 rating for its drug use, language, and overt sexual scenes. But the great thing about Bubble is those scenes are not gratuitous but actually do tie in with the characters, their motivations, and most of all, the plot. While the book has the same basic storyline as the podcast, meaning curious readers could follow it without listening to the podcast, I also recommend the podcast—it’s a lot of fun and a good earworm for a night or two when you want to be a bit scared in the dark. Since the podcast isn’t available for libraries to purchase, I’d recommend Bubble the graphic novel for adult collections in public libraries.

This graphic novel was visually stunning. I listened to the podcast that this is based off of and they did an absolutely amazing job adapting this. The story is thrilling at times and will keep you entertained the whole way through.

Imagine going out for your morning run, and a mutated imp attacks you. So, you have to fight it off while making sure it doesn’t kill the guy attempting to hit on you but is now screaming from fear. Well, that is Morgan’s life. She cannot ignore the fight and her love of knives, but she wants to live a boring existence.

Tandem created the app Huntr for people to sign up to and get alerts and requests to fight the imps that are more frequently appearing in Fairhaven. Through the app, the more ratings you get, the more hunts come your way. The way to get ratings is from the people you save, so while you are fighting for your and their lives, better do it with flair and theatrics for that rating. Of course, Mitch signs up and eventually teams up with Morgan, who, as someone who grew up in the Brush, has the experience and knowledge on what they are fighting. This new side job becomes more than it appears, and the group ends up going to the Brush and other domes on a secret mission.

That is what makes this sci-fi comedy podcast the perfect story to transfer to a graphic novel. I loved the part where the three guys at trivia night get turned into a very opinionated mutated creature called the beard. The way those three characters looked instantly reminded me of Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy from The Adventure Zone, another favorite podcast, which had me laughing more. I really hope this becomes a graphic novel series!

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would! People in the story either live in protected bubbles or in the wilds surrounding them. Inside the bubbles there are constant jokes about memes, 90s pop culture, gig culture, and apps...but honestly they were more funny than tacky & I laughed out loud at several points! Meanwhile, there are monsters that live in the wilds and sometimes they sneak inside and there are apps to encourage people to kill them. However, there are schemes going on underneath these monster attacks that lead to more trouble for the characters in this book!

Loved this graphic novel and loved the podcast, too! Such a fun story... I want a season two and another GN please!

I loved this book! If you haven't had a chance to listen to the wildly hilarious podcast, do so now and then pick up this perfect companion book. Funny, quirky, and imaginative, Bubble is the perfect summer read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I'd never heard of the original podcast for this graphic novel but I really enjoyed it even without that background! I really liked the characters and their relationships, and the artwork is great! I think this will be a really popular title!

A really fun graphic novel about a society of people living in biodomes on a hostile alien planet. Morgan and other residents of Fairhaven have to deal with the occasional alien encounter when the planet's animal life sneaks into the bubble, but good news, now there's an app for that. Huntr brings people like Morgan, with the Brush-born skills to fight off alien Imps, to the rescue with the perfect gig-economy solution. But Morgan's connections to the world outside the bubble and her suspicion of the corporation who "rescued" and raised her inside the bubble begin to mix in unexpected and concerning ways. Now she's teaming up with her BFF, her ex and a nerd with magical powers to take on the corporation running Fairhaven and save the populace from all sorts of nefarious plans-- if they aren't subsumed into book club or eaten by zombie-infected humans first.

Even without having listened to the podcast this graphic novel is based on, I didn't have any trouble following the story and falling in love with the setting and characters. It seems like a really great adaptation that can stand on its own. It's a fun, adventurous sci-fi graphic novel with a definite PG-13 rating.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really liked the warm color palette. I thought it was really funny and I enjoyed the action immensely. At the same time I can understand how not everyone would be a fan of the dialog. The “quippiness” of it can definitely sap the tension out of situations that are supposed to be dramatic. I found it amusing, but it’s probably not for everyone. I’m a little confused about how solid the barrier is between Brush and Fairhaven. It’s unclear if moving from one area to another is as easy as moving to a different town or complicated like seeking asylum in a different country. There is a literal metallic barrier separating both sides but both groups react to outsiders with the mildest of interest leaving me very confused.

“You’ve totally ruined your chances for a quiet, tidy life you know.” “Ehh, fuck it.”

BUBBLE is a sharply funny and satirical graphic novel about the gig economy and our contemporary society under capitalism, set on a wild and yet unsettlingly familiar alien planet.

Featuring:
- “Bubble” towns, corporate-owned, that protect residents from the wilds in the Brush
- Badass lead who is a former Brush Baby with the requisite killing prowess needed for survival
- Hot pansexual bestie who’s a chemicals expert
- Himbo & boy nerd side kicks
- An app, similar to Lyft or Task Rabbit, where you hire killers to get ride of Imps (dangerous beasts) from the Brush
- Everyone’s an entrepreneur in this economy
- Marketing yourself as a baseline for success
- Talking while fighting
- Epic fight scenes
- Book club wine gals turned vengeful zombie hive mind
- Overly opinionated podcast guys turned bearded hipster beast
- Millennial F E E L I N G S

This novel is delightfully weird and hilarious; I laughed out loud throughout as the authors skewer aspects of modern work life and common characters of the internet age. The art is fantastic; I especially loved the alien beauty of the Brush. The characters are endearing (Annie!!) and there were some heartfelt moments between friends and family members. Some of the humor felt a bit bro-y, which isn’t my thing, and I feel like some of the themes got a bit crossed, but overall this really worked for me. Thanks to First Second and Fierce Reads for the review copy!

Everything in this graphic novel appealed to me (adapted from a humour podcast). The writing is Buffy meets Sorkin meets Portlandia, the gig economy is soul eating, the characters are more than their cliches, and the giant corporate commodifying rulers are real. A fantastic sci-fi satire that hits all of my emotional buttons.

**Thank you to the authors, publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

More for new adults and older, Bubble is a sci-fi graphic novel that's an hilarious look at the "gig economy". The City of Fairhaven is a city under a giant dome - okay, encased in a bubble - and kept safe from the Brush, an alien wilderness where Imps and Mad Max-type bands of humans roam. Morgan is a woman with a pretty relaxing job; she hangs out with her friend, Annie, and they have a side hustle bleeding Imps to transform into drugs. But one Imp manages to track its friend down at their apartment and attacks a delivery guy, giving him a mutant power called "the sting" at the same time that Morgan's company launches an app for Imp extermination called Huntr. Morgan's boss proceeds to send her into the Brush to complete a mission for Huntr, where Morgan, Annie, and Mitch the Delivery Guy will come up against monsters that will make you laugh out loud, like the mainsplaining Living Beard, a thrill-seeking Huntr couple that's not quite what they appear to be, and a side-clutching, laugh out loud Book Club. Hilarious!