Originally published in 2004, Dave Cooper’s Ripple is one of the great graphic novels of the 21st
century. Martin is a floundering painter who hires a model, Tina, to pose for a series of paintings he dubs “The Eroticism of Homeliness.” Their relationship evolves from a tenuous working relationship to a confused sexual entanglement. Martin’s initial repulsion slowly turns to attraction, causing him to re-evaluate his notions of beauty and sexuality. Tina’s motives are slowly turned upside-down as well, leading toward the book’s explosive ending. Sad, funny, and often uncomfortable, Ripple is rendered with kinetic realism.