Here We Go

by Kevin Budnik

Genres: Graphic Novels

Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Kevin Budnik is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a BFA in Illustration.

He lives in Chicago in a modest apartment surrounded by VHS tapes and comics.


Source: Kevin Budnik - Contact.

Reviews

[J.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Budnik always wears his heart on his sleeve. In this collection of diary comics, Budnik navigates a new long-distance relationship, continues to work through his anxiety and eating disorder, and deals with the sickness and eventual death of his father (I suppose Here We Go could be considered a companion piece to One Day At A Time, Bud in which Budnik learns of his dad's cancer diagnosis).

Budnik fluctuates between focusing on little things (like his shift working at a grocery store) and how he fits into the world at large. He struggles to let go of his worries and just enjoy the moment, but those occasional successes at doing so seem to keep him going. Budnik's comics consistently remind me to appreciate my life rather than fretting about my problems.

[Kate Atherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am, more and more, invested in Kevin Budnik's daily comics and the evolution of his work and...in a nosy way, his life. I think Budnik has a tremendously balanced blend of personal, private information and just more etherial thoughts and observations about the world. This book in particular deals with the death of his father from cancer, the fall out after the 2016 presidential election, his anxiety and eating disorder, his budding relationship with a fellow cartoonist (and the beginning rumblings of trouble in the waters) AND trivial little things like interactions with customers at his job, trying to keep plants alive, the joy of biking in the city....all wrapped up into a YEAR of four panel comics (some of which continue a story, some of which are one-offs) that are all together ENGROSSING to read. I feel both like I lived this year along side the protagonist AND like a voyeur who simply enjoys a well written cartoon. I have only read two books of Budnik's thus far, but of the two think this one has the meat. You can see Budnik's style evolve (as he adds traditional dot gradients as shading later on in the book) and the painting goes from flat marker colors to more washes. This book is excellent. I recommend it.

[LonelyPlanetBoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these comics as they were written and posted online in 2017. As an aspiring then teenage cartoonist, they shook my world. Rereading now, I am still so impressed by Budnik’s cartooning. The ability to hold so much emotion, to be honest, and to find those tiny details and give them space really make this collection sing. Grateful these comics were shared with the rest of us.