The Ruby Equation

by Sarah Kuhn, Sally Jane Thompson

On the surface, Ruby is a cynical, bored barista. Behind her facade, however, Ruby is a cynical, bored Love Emissary from another dimension. She can't wait to finish her mission so she can get to a more exciting job. But the regulars at the coffee shop she works at are about to teach her a lesson about love that goes well beyond logic and math.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Romance, Fantasy

74 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

Sarah Kuhn is the author of Heroine Complex—the first in a series starring Asian American superheroines—for DAW Books. She also wrote The Ruby Equation for the comics anthology Fresh Romance and the romantic comedy novella One Con Glory, which earned praise from io9 and USA Today and is in development as a feature film. Her articles and essays on such topics as geek girl culture, comic book continuity, and Sailor Moon cosplay have appeared in Uncanny Magazine, Apex Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, Back Stage, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, Creative Screenwriting, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics. In 2011, she was selected as a finalist for the CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) New Writers Award.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but exquisitely charming tale of magic, love and happy realisation, all set inside a cute little cafe.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, when trying to help others find love, you also find it for yourself.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun! I loved the bright colours, the characters, the story. It reminded me a bit of Moonstruck, which is one of my favourite graphic novels of all time.
The coffee shop setting was perfect for this story and I loved the little details added in that really gave this short story something extra and made it stand out. I also loved the little creature the main character has.
As much as I adored this, I feel like it stands on its own perfectly and doesn’t need an additional volume. It ended perfectly, and while I didn’t ship the main characters together, it was a lovely end.

Read as part of the Fresh Romance Vol. 1 Anthology.

[Artur Nowrot · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I read this as part of the Fresh Romance, vol. 1 anthology.)

Very enjoyable read. Loved the coffee shop setting (reminiscent of fanfic AU) and slight speculative elements: the main character is something akin to the god Eros, charged with helping humans fall in love. There are shenanigans and complications, of course.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, sin más.
Short and predictable - 0% complexity.

[Hannah Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art style is great and I loved Ruby as a character, I just found the plot very predictable and not really that interesting. I think if it had been a little longer it would have been a lot better, there were so many moments I wish I got to see more in depth, there was definitely a lot more to be explored.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was too short for me to really get invested, but it was cute and pretty, so definitely worth the read.