Forever and Everything #2
Comic, Kyle Bravo, [email protected], $6
Autobiographical comics are perhaps the most ubiquitous type of comic when it comes to zines and minis. That said, they also continue to be some of the most eminently readable and enjoyable, and Forever and Everything #2, from the New Orleans-based Kyle Bravo is undoubtedly up there at the top.
By his own admission, Bravo has only been making comics for about two years, and in that regard, he is definitely a quick learner. Bravo’s work has urgency and immediacy that lends itself to each comic being an encapsulation of a particular moment and mindset. In one comic, he relates his recent political worries and steps to take action; in another, he relates a simple drive around the park, his son asleep in the back seat. The work doesn’t feel detached or like it’s aiming for some grander statement. It’s simply the goings-on and moment to moment of Bravo’s life. Where autobiographical comics can occasionally have a tendency towards the hyperbolic, Bravo’s comics are refreshing in their natural and honest presentation of things — Kyle goes to the doctor to get a callus looked at, Kyle struggles to prevent a roof from leaking — minor moments that never feel mundane. There’s an unspeakable charm to the work, a warmth that radiates from each comic and makes you appreciate the little things. Minor things may feel insignificant, but ultimately, as Forever and Everything shows, they all matter.