Bubble

Starred review from May 3, 2021
Barely ever stopping for a breath, this sci-fi adventure comedy (adapted from the popular podcast) bounds from one escapade to another while keeping up a running satirical patter. The setting is an alien planet where human settlers are divided between cosseted urbanites living in corporate-controlled domed cities and those roughing it out in the “Brush” where mutant Imps roam free. In the Fairhaven dome, Morgan is a onetime “Brush Baby” who uses her knife skills to kill the occasional Imp when it sneaks into the dome. She, her roommate Annie (a casually polyamorous bespoke drug manufacturer), ex-boyfriend and parkour enthusiast Van (widely beloved “Even with the unfortunate toe rings”), and lovable loser Mitch get sucked into a conspiracy involving an app for gig-economy Imp killers called Huntr. The blow-out fight scenes—drawn by Cliff with a fizz-bomb energy that recalls his similarly caffeinated Delilah Dirk series—come fast and furious and are littered with sarcastic one-liners and snarky takes on everything from John Mayer to TGI Fridays, book club wine moms, Frasier, CrossFit, and bearded podcast dudes with “hot takes” (“It’s time for a male Wonder Woman!”). The critique of the gig economy is just discernible beneath the smashmouth confrontations, and the relationship comedy (tangled on-again, off-again connections and flirtations throughout) is surprisingly earnest. It’s a recklessly fun, hoot and holler of a ride.