Ripple

A Predilection for Tina

By Dave Cooper

2003

First Published

4.01

Average Rating

132

Number of Pages

4H00M

Audio Length

Ripple is a breakthrough graphic novel for Dave Cooper, creator of the wildly surreal and critically-acclaimed graphic novels Crumple and Suckle. Unlike those works, Ripple is a highly realistic story in terms of subject matter and drawing style. Martin is a floundering painter desperately attempting to pursue his fine art inclinations rather than toil in the world of commercial art. He hires a homely model, Tina, to pose for a series of "erotic" paintings that he hopes will be his breakthrough into the gallery world. Over time, Martin and Tina's relationship evolves from a tenuous working relationship to a confused sexual one. Martin's initial repulsion for Tina slowly turns to attraction and eventually lust, causing him to re-evaluate his own notions of beauty and sexuality. Meanwhile, Tina's own motives behind working for Martin are slowly turned upside down as well, building the book towards its inevitably explosive end. Throughout it all, Ripple is a complex love story poked and prodded from all angles, from Martin and Tina's physical and emotional feelings toward each other, Martin's dishonesty to himself, Tina's self-loathing, and everything in between. Sad, funny, and often uncomfortably titillating, Ripple is a remarkably introspective graphic novel, rendered with kinetic realism in a pen technique that calls to mind a more controlled Edward Sorel and Jules Feiffer.

Avg Rating

4.01

Number of Ratings

327

5 STARS

35%

4 STARS

38%

3 STARS

20%

2 STARS

1 STARS

goodreads

Author

Dave Cooper

Author · 2 books

Dave Charles Cooper is a Canadian cartoonist, painter and animator. Cooper was born in Nova Scotia in 1967 and grew up in Ottawa, where he still lives. He began his career in underground comics in the early 90's . His most notable works are Weasel (2000, Fantagraphics), winner of an Ignatz Award and a Harvey Award in 2000, and Ripple (2003, Fantagraphics). A retrospective of his comic artwork took place in Angoulême and Paris in 2002. In the 2000's Dave moved to painting and animation. His oil paintings have been shown at galleries and museums in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Madrid. In animation, Cooper has developed the tv shows Pig Boat Banana Cricket for Nickelodeon, The Bagel and Becky Show for Teletoon/BBC and the short adult film the Absence of Teddy Table.