What Am I Doing Here?

In What Am I Doing Here? (2016–present, The New York Review of Books), cartoonist Ben Katchor distills a lifetime of urban observation into a single, densely packed comic. This one-issue series from the acclaimed creator of Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer explores the strange, overlooked rituals of city life—from forgotten storefronts to the quiet dramas of public transit. Katchor’s signature crosshatched line and wry, melancholic voice make this a concise yet essential entry in his decades-long meditation on the poetry of the everyday.