History Creator / BubbleComics

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the BUBBLE Universe (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

In October 2015, BUBBLE initiated the [=BUBBLEverse=] CrisisCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017, the company rebranded under the Second Wind initiative. Many of the classic titles were relaunched, the circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The comic covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist (similar to Western comics).

In 2019, BUBBLE introduced the Bubble Legends line. Under the Legends imprint, the company initiated the New Bubble Heroes project, which allowed readers to compete to create a new comic book series based on an original character for the main Bubble Universe. The company also added [[ComicBook/BUBBLEManga BUBBLE Manga]] and Bubble Tin for publishing the company's manga and adult titles, respectively.

The third wave of BUBBLE publications, which began in 2021, was not officially announced, as most of the series not related to ''Major Grom'' have ended (and have not been relaunched) However, the launch of the third ''Major Grom'' ongoing series (''Major Igor Grom'') and its spin-offs (''Witch'', ''Plague Doctor'', ''Volkov'', ''Major Grom: Army Nation'', ''Igor Eel''), as well as titles like ''MIR'', ''Falcon'', and the adult-oriented {{Manga}} ''Licorice'', can be considered the actual third wave.

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

* AnArmAndALeg: Near the start of ''Allies'', [[spoiler: Nika recovers from a fight with zombies to find that both of her legs have been amputated. This leads to a long and arduous journey of self-discovery, as Nika – who is accustomed to relying on both her physical abilities and her sexualiy – fights to regain her sense of self and her independence.]]

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month.

-->-- '''Chris Longo''', ''Den of Geek''

[[https://bubblecomics.com/ BUBBLE Comics]] ('''Russian''': Комиксы BUBBLE) is the largest Russian [[ComicBooks comic book publisher]]. It is the only publishing house in Russia with monthly releases of original, non-franchised comic books. English-language versions of many of their comics can be found on [[Creator/{{Amazon}} ComiXology]], alongside Creator/DCComics, Creator/MarvelComics, and Creator/ImageComics (among others). The publishing house also has a [[Creator/BUBBLEStudios film studio]], which is engaged in the production of films and series based on their own comics.

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

In October 2015, BUBBLE initiated the [=BUBBLEverse=] CrisisCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017, the company rebranded under the Second Wind initiative. Many of the classic titles were relaunched, the circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The comic covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist (similar to Western comics).

In 2019, BUBBLE introduced the Bubble Legends line. Under the Legends imprint, the company initiated the New Bubble Heroes project, which allowed readers to compete to create a new comic book series based on an original character for the main Bubble Universe. The company also added [[ComicBook/BUBBLEManga BUBBLE Manga]] and Bubble Tin for publishing the company's manga and adult titles, respectively. The third wave of BUBBLE publications, which began in 2021, was not officially announced, as most of the series not related to ''Major Grom'' have ended (and have not been relaunched) However, the launch of the third ''Major Grom'' ongoing series (''Major Igor Grom'') and its spin-offs (''Witch'', ''Plague Doctor'', ''Volkov'', ''Major Grom: Army Nation'', ''Igor Eel''), as well as titles like ''MIR'', ''Falcon'', and the adult-oriented {{Manga}} ''Licorice'', can be considered the actual third wave.

In October 2015, BUBBLE began the [=BUBBLEverse=] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017 the company relaunched many of its classic titles under the Second Breath initiative. The circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist, similar to Western comics.

In 2019, BUBBLE introduced the Bubble Legends line. Under the Legends imprint, the company initiated the New Bubble Heroes project, which allowed readers to compete to create a new comic book series based on an original character for the main Bubble Universe. The company also added [[ComicBook/BUBBLEManga BUBBLE Manga]] and Bubble Tin for publishing the company's manga and adult titles, respectively.

The third wave of BUBBLE publications, which began in 2021, was not officially announced, as most of the series not related to ''Major Grom'' had come to an end and have not been relaunched. However, the launch of the third ''Major Grom'' ongoing series (''Major Igor Grom'') and its spin-offs (''Witch'', ''Plague Doctor'', ''Volkov'', ''Major Grom: Army Nation'', ''Igor Eel''), as well as titles like ''MIR'', ''Falcon'', and the adult-oriented {{Manga}} ''Licorice'', can be considered the actual third wave.

* FollowTheLeader: BUBBLE's founder and CEO, Artyom Gabrelyanov, has made no attempt to hide that he's trying to create Russia's own equivalent of Marvel or DC Comics. Marvel's influence can certainly be felt in the series ''Red Fury''[[note]]though stories about [[FemmeFataleSpy sexy Russian lady spies]] hardly began with Franchise/BlackWidow[[/note]] and in the "power stones" side arc from ''Friar'', and ''Meteora'' began as a blatant copy of Franchise/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy (complete with space pirates and talking animal sidekicks).

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series' ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

In October 2015, BUBBLE began the [=BUBBLEverse=] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017, the company relaunched many of its classic titles under the Second Breath initiative. Under Second Breath, the circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist, similar to Western comics.

* AffectionateParody: ''Igor Eel'', a parody of ''Major Grom'' in which Igor Grom is a talking eel and Sergey Razumovsky and Oleg Volkov are cobras. [[spoiler: Lera Makarova is also later introduced as a humanoid puma.]] Much of the humor comes from Igor remembering that he is, in fact, an eel (and as such cannot carry out normal human activities, or survive very long outside of water).

BUBBLE was founded in 2011 by journalist Artyom Gabrelyanov as part of News Media, a company owned by his father, media mogul Aram Gabrelyanov. Initially it published the eponymous BUBBLE Magazine with collections of satirical comics. The magazine did not gain much popularity, and after releasing nine monthly issues, Gabrelyanov--taking inspiration from Creator/{{Marvel}}--decided to abandon humorous comics in favor of adventure and {{Superhero}} stories. However, his comics would be a uniquely Russian creation: a multifaceted reflection of the country, its history, and its people.

In 2019, BUBBLE introduced the Bubble Legends line; under the Legends imprint, the company initiated the New Bubble Heroes project, which allowed readers to compete to create a new comic book series based on an original character for the main Bubble Universe. The company also added [[ComicBook/BUBBLEManga BUBBLE Manga]] and Bubble Tin for publishing the company's manga and adult titles, respectively.

The third (and current) wave of BUBBLE publications, which began in 2021, was not officially announced, as most of the series not related to ''Major Grom'' had come to an end and have not been relaunched. However, the launch of the third ''Major Grom'' ongoing series (''Major Igor Grom'') and its spin-offs (''Witch'', ''Plague Doctor'', ''Volkov'', ''Major Grom: Army Nation'', ''Igor Eel''), as well as titles like ''MIR'', ''Falcon'', and the adult-oriented {{Manga}} ''Licorice'', can be considered the actual third wave.

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher.

Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series' ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

In October 2015, BUBBLE began the [=BUBBLEverse=] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017, the company relaunched many of its classic titles under the Second Breath initiative.

Under Second Breath, the circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist, similar to Western comics.

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the ComicBook/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series' ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.

In October 2015, BUBBLE began the [=BUBBLEverse=] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover event ''Time of the Raven''. The {{Miniseries}} ran from October 2015 through March 2016, and brought together the protagonists of BUBBLE's four main comic book lines--''Major Grom'', ''Demonslayer'', ''Red Fury'', and ''Friar''--while [[RedSkiesCrossover impacting the storylines]] of ''Exlibrium'' and ''Meteora''. ''Time of the Raven'' effectively closed out the first era of BUBBLE's publications, and in 2017, the company relaunched many of its classic titles under the Second Breath initiative. Under Second Breath, the circulation of new issues increased to 5,000 copies, and the synopsis pages were redesigned for the last three issues to make them unique to each episode. The covers also began to indicate the names of the screenwriter, artist and colorist, similar to Western comics.

[[https://bubblecomics.com/ BUBBLE Comics]] (RUS: Комиксы BUBBLE) is the largest Russian [[ComicBooks comic book publisher]]. It is the only publishing house in Russia with monthly releases of original, non-franchised comic books. English-language versions of many of their comics can be found on [[Creator/{{Amazon}} ComiXology]], alongside Creator/DCComics, Creator/MarvelComics, and Creator/ImageComics (among others). The publishing house also has a [[Creator/BUBBLEStudios film studio]], which is engaged in the production of films and series based on their own comics.

!!Original titles published by BUBBLE Comics include:
[[index]]

!!!BUBBLE Universe Titles
* ''Demonslayer vol.1'' (Бесобой, 2012–2016) 50 issues
** ''Demonslayer vol.2'' (2017–2021) 50 issues
* ''Enoch'' (Инок, 2012–2016) 50 issues
** ''Realmswalker'' (Мироходцы, 2017–2018) 21 issues
* ''Exlibrium'' (Экслибриум, 2014–2018) 50 issues
** ''Exlibrium: Second Life'' (Экслибриум: Вторая жизнь, 2019-2021) 50 issues
* ''Major Grom'' (Майор Гром, 2012–2016) 50 issues
** ''Igor Grom'' (Игорь Гром, 2017–2021) 50 issues
** ''Major Igor Grom'' (Майор Игорь Гром, 2021–present)
* ''Meteora'' (Метеора, 2015–2018) 50 issues
** ''Ziggy: Space Hamster'' (2016–2018)[[note]]{{Spinoff}} of ''Meteora'' 6 issues[[/note]]
** ''Coolix'' (Крутиксы, 2017–2018)
** ''Crutix'' (Крутиксы, 2017—2018) 15 issues
* ''MIR'' (МИР, 2020–present)
* ''Plague Doctor'' (Чумной Доктор, 2020–present) 25 issues
** ''Volkov'' (Волков, 2021)
* ''Red Fury'' (Красная Фурия, 2012–2016) 50 issues
** ''Allies'' (Союзники, 2017–2020) 41 issues

!!!Bubbleverse Legends Stories
* ''Balor and the Plainswalker: New Life'' (Бесобой и Мироходцы: Новая жизнь, 2017)[[note]]Trade paperback; ''Demonslayer'' spinoff[[/note]]
* ''Balor and Yana: Dreamcatcher'' (Балор и Яна: Ловец Снов, 2019)[[note]]Trade paperback[[/note]]
* ''Black Dog: It's Time'' (Чёрный пёс: Своё время, 2018)[[note]]Trade paperback; ''Demonslayer'' spinoff[[/note]] 4 issues
* ''Caligari Dope'' (Калигари. Дурман, 2022–present)[[note]]''Igor Grom'', ''Major Igor Grom'' spinoff[[/note]]
* ''The Chronicles of Enoch: Storming of Berlin'' (Хроники Инока: Штурм Берлина, 2015)[[note]]''Major Grom''/''Enoch'' crossover[[/note]]
* ''Dima Dubin: Provincial Vacation'' (Дубин Дима: Провинциальные Каникулы, 2018)[[note]]Trade paperback[[/note]] 4 issues
* ''Exlibrium: Red Line'' (Экслибриум. Красная линия, 2021)[[note]]Trade paperback anthology[[/note]]
* ''Exlibrium: The Blank Sheet'' (Экслибриум: Чистый лист, 2019)[[note]]''Exlibrium'' prequel[[/note]]
* ''Major Grom: As At War'' (Майор Гром: Как на Войне, 2019–2020)[[note]]''Major Grom'' prequel[[/note]] 4 issues
* ''Major Grom: The Promise'' (Майор Гром: Обещание, 2018)
* ''Master: Death Is Only the Beginning'' (Магистр. Смерть - Это Только Начало, 2021)[[note]]''Enoch''/''Demonslayer'' spinoff[[/note]]
* ''Prokopenko: Thunder at Sunrise'' (Прокопенко: Гром на восходе, 2022)[[note]]''Igor Grom'', ''Major Igor Grom'' spinoff[[/note]]
* ''Rivers - No Fear: Part 1'' (Реки - Страха нет: Часть, 2022–present)[[note]]''Igor Grom'' spinoff[[/note]] 1 issue
* ''Sentry'' (Часовой, 2022–present)[[note]]''Demonslayer'' spinoff[[/note]] 5 issues
* ''Theo: Crop Circles'' (Тео: Круги на полях, 2018)[[note]]Trade paperback; ''Meteora'' spinoff[[/note]] 4 issues
* ''Witch'' (Ведьма.ПО ПРОВОДАМ, 2022–present)[[note]]''Igor Grom'' spinoff[[/note]] 1 issue
* ''Yarkh: Step Forward'' (Ярх: Шаг вперёд, 2019)[[note]]Trade paperback; ''Demonslayer'' spinoff[[/note]] 6 issues

!!!Limited Run and Special Event Comics
* ''BUBBLE: Best Comics From Russia'' (2018)[[note]]English-language trade paperback[[/note]]
* ''Bubble Multiverse: Battle of the Gods'' (Bubble Multiverse: Битва Богов, 2016)[[note]]video game tie-in[[/note]]
* ''BUBBLE School'' (Школа BUBBLE, 2023–present) 4 issues
* ''BUBBLE Triptych'' (2023)
* ''Friar vs. Demonslayer'' (2013–2014) 4 issues
* ''Heroes and Monsters'' (Герои и монстры, 2023)[[note]]Crossover with ''Major Igor Grom'', ''Plague Doctor'', and ''MIR''[[/note]] 1 issue
* ''Igor Eel'' (Угорь Игорь, 2017–present)
* ''Major Grom 1939'' (Майор Гром 1939, 2019)[[note]]trade paperback[[/note]]
* ''Major Grom: Chance'' (Майор Гром: Шанс, 2017)[[note]]trade paperback[[/note]]
* ''Major Grom: Hero Forever'' (Майор Гром: Герой Навсегда, 2020)[[note]]trade paperback[[/note]]
* ''Major Igor Grom – Special Issue: Debt'' (Майор Игорь Гром. Спецвыпуск: #1044;олг, 2021)
* ''Time of the Raven'' (Время Ворона, 2015–2016) 7 issues[[note]]includes ''Time of the Raven: Prologue'', ''Time of the Raven'' #1–5, and ''Time of the Raven: Epilogue'' [[/note]]
* ''Witch-Hunt'' (Охота на ведьм, 2018)[[note]]Follow-up to '' Time of the Raven'' and '' Allies''[[/note]] 6 issues

* AffectionateParody: ''Igor Eel'', a parody of ''Major Grom'' in which Igor Grom is a talking eel and Sergei Razumovsky and Oleg Volkov are cobras. [[spoiler: Lera Makarova is also later introduced as a humanoid puma.]] Much of the humor comes from Igor remembering that he is, in fact, an eel (and as such cannot carry out normal human activities or survive very long outside of water).

BUBBLE was founded in 2011 by journalist Artyom Gabrelyanov as part of News Media, a company owned by his father, media mogul Aram Gabrelyanov. Initially it published the eponymous BUBBLE Magazine with collections of satirical comics. The magazine did not gain much popularity, and after releasing nine monthly issues, Gabrelyanov--taking inspiration from Creator/{{Marvel}}--decided to abandon humorous comics in favor of adventure and {{Superhero}} stories. However, his comics would be a uniquely Russian: a multifaceted reflection of the country, its history, and its people.

In October 2012, BUBBLE started releasing four ongoing monthly comic book series: ''Franchise/MajorGrom'', ''Demonslayer''[[note]]also known as ''Besoboy''[[/note]], ''Friar''[[note]]a.k.a. ''Enoch''[[/note]], and ''Red Fury''. The four titles were quickly established as sharing a common continuity, often referred to informally as the Franchise/BUBBLEUniverse (or the "Bubbleverse"), with many issues referencing events and characters from the other lines. In 2013, the first major crossover event took place: the four-issue {{Miniseries}} ''Friar vs Demonslayer'', which brought together two of the four main characters of the publisher. Two years later, BUBBLE partnered with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Game_Developers_Conference#:~:text=The%20Russian%20Game%20Developers%27%20Conference,in%20Russia%20and%20surrounding%20territories Russian Game Developers Conference]] to organize the first ever Comic-Con Russia festival in Moscow; during the event, BUBBLE announced the launch of the series' ''Exlibrium'', and ''Meteora'', the first issues of which were released that month. Together with the four main series, these titles made up the First Wave of BUBBLE publications.