Comic book series : Ripple

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.