STEAM

A superintelligent humanoid escapes from the university lab where she was made—and gets a job in a coffee shop.

At Inkcap, Ruby sees all her tasks as systems to understand. Most of them, such as sweeping up spilled coffee beans, are simple systems with easily measurable success conditions. Humans, however, are systems that defy reason, so Ruby repeatedly revises her approach to finding their success conditions—in other words, what makes them happy. After observing a meet-cute between customers, Ruby begins to carefully orchestrate romances. Her targets include Mira, her coworker and best friend, and the hot “Comic Book Girl” who frequents Inkcap. While the scientists who created Ruby attempt to track her down, her own romance with the stranger “Decaf Americano” might prove to be her downfall. The supporting characters, while lightly developed, are delightful; a romantic subplot about two eccentric Inkcap patrons offers welcome pauses from the central narrative. But the queer romance at the book’s conclusion feels tacked on and leaves a loose end. Irreverent humor abounds, whether in the 20-foot-long tardigrade designed to control the population of squirrels on campus or in the recurring references to Mira’s constantly shifting college major. The full-color illustrations are pastel-forward, matching this graphic novel’s sprightly romantic tone. Ruby has light skin and pinkish hair, Mira has peach-toned skin and brown hair, and there’s some diversity in the secondary cast.

A cheerful tone and clever premise let down by uneven execution.