THOUGHT BUBBLE MONTH 2026! As we know Thought Bubble is an opportunity to discover voices entirely new to us but it also provides us with a chance to pick up work from creators with a growing buzz around their comics. Shannon Spence is one such name whose P*nk Lab Grl! got a collected edition of its first two instalments earlier this year. At around 90 pages Book One also provides readers with a perfect and substantial entry point into Spence’s vibrant and often high-energy visual storytelling style.
The story focusses on Shelly, resident of a near future New York beset by epidemic clusters and the spectre of end-stage capitalism. Taking a job in a lab to help support her and best friend Rufio’s punk band Mutagen, she comes to loathe her shady boss Zeke Jnr. But this CEO is more than just your usual obnoxious CEO and Shelly and Rufio are about to find themselves embroiled in an investigation into corporate greed and the nefarious practices of big pharmacological companies…
For all its very likeable irreverence and humour P*nk Lab Grl! has important points to make about subjects like health care and the stranglehold of capitalism. Social commentary is very much at the core of this story with Shelly’s punk ethos being juxtaposed with Zeke’s rapacious, dodgy dealings to marked effect. Despite its dystopian setting in a society where money and acquisition take precedence over community and the most basic of social contracts (plus ça change in this particular future timeline of course), P*nk Lab Grl! has more than a glimmer of hope to its narrative – direct action and the power of individuals leading to tangible outcomes against the forces of oppression.
Spence’s art has a kinetic quality to it with the select colouring choices allowing the reader to concentrate on visual characterisation and action without distraction. Page structures and panel layouts vary greatly, emphasising a sense of movement and the passage of time that quickly draws the reader into events and allowing them a deeper connection with the characters. The pages of P*nk Lab Grl! pop on many aesthetic levels but ultimately it’s its heart and message that makes it such an appealing buy for those in Harrogate this November.
Shannon Spence (W/A) • Self-published, $20.00
Review by Andy Oliver
Shannon Spence is at Table D8 in the Redshirt Hall at Thought Bubble.
Thought Bubble 2026 runs from November 9th-15th with the convention weekend taking place on the 14th-15th. More details on the Thought Bubble site here.
Read all our Thought Bubble 2026 coverage so far in one place here.
Poster art by Núria Tamarit
