Dan & Larry: Don't Do That

Since the debut of Cooper's ongoing comic book series Weasel in 1999, which has already garnered several industry awards after only three issues (including one Harvey Award and two Ignatz Awards), Cooper has become Fantagraphics' most successful creator to debut in the 1990s since Chris Ware. Cooper is also one of the most idiosyncratic and talented cartoonists working today. Dan & Larry is a twisted fable about an ugly young duckling named Dan and his best pal Larry. Unlike most ugly duckling fables, this duckling stays ugly, and the only way he ever looks good is in contrast to an even uglier world surrounding him. A highly uncomfortable and thinly-veiled portrait of adolescence, Dan & Larry is a story of lost innocence as told through a surreal landscape and anthropomorphized "funny animals" cast as children, all rendered with Cooper's impeccable composition and linework. The story addresses themes of sexual and verbal abuse with unflinching candor, while Cooper's dark sense of humor resonates throughout his wildly imaginative visuals. Cooper is also an accomplished animator, creating designs for animated television series like Matt Groening's Futurama.