Best friends Knife and Cheddar just want to enjoy the simple life, eat some burgers, and get a good night’s rest. But capitalism, nightmare bosses, and transphobia conspire against them. Can the friends prevail against all odds?
Let’s Get Burgers
ash s.
Silver Sprocket
July 20, 2021
I’ve fallen in love with webcomics over the past year and Let’s Get Burgers sounded like it was right up my alley—short slice-of-life episodes that are self-contained but also complement each other to build a narrative arc. Knife and Cheddar grow throughout the book, but if you were to turn to a random page and read it, you wouldn’t feel lost in the story. Of course, the experience of reading Let’s Get Burgers from start to finish is a lot more fun and I highly recommend following that route.
As fun as the story is, don’t let the cute art fool you—this collection deals with some heavy topics. Knife and Cheddar’s adventures through life feel a bit too relatable at times. From depressive episodes, heartbreak, and mainly the crushing grind of working day in-day out just to pay rent and afford a meal, Let’s Get Burgers doesn’t hold back. The cat-like Knife, and Cheddar, who resembles a dog, are perfect stand-ins for all of us—they’re anthropomorphic, which makes it easy to see yourself in them. It’s a creative move from writer and artist ash s. to keep readers engaged, even when the story gets a bit heavy.
There are a few running themes in Let’s Get Burgers. The first is clearly capitalism. Both Knife and Cheddar labour under it. Knife has a dead-end job that sucks out their soul, but they keep at it because what other choice do they have?
let's get burgers 3 "job"?️ pic.twitter.com/oQE8ZBPLrA
— ash s. (@housegoblin) June 19, 2020
On the other hand, Cheddar spends the entire book looking for a job. Anyone who’s suffered through a job hunt knows how soul-crushing that process is. The only thing worse than having a terrible job is searching for a job. Rejections, or worse, the lack of response, can make you doubt yourself. Which are exactly what Cheddar struggles with.
Mental health is another issue that Let’s Get Burgers tackles. Both Knife and Cheddar fall into depressive moments, often accompanied by harsh inner dialogues. The friends know each other well enough to recognise when a depressive episode has set in. I love that they ask their friend what they need—is this a kick-up-the-butt kind of moment, or do they need a hug? There’s a lot one can learn from this book.
let's get burgers 1 "friends"?? pic.twitter.com/b3gWNXEoge
— ash s. (@housegoblin) June 17, 2020
Some of the more distressing episodes in this book center around misgendering. Knife is transmasc agender and Cheddar is a trans man. Though the book doesn’t dwell too much on these moments, one can’t help but feel furious when they are misgendered.
I did not expect to encounter police brutality in Let’s Get Burgers, but it rears its ugly head. There’s a twist in that particular episode that made me want to scream. ACAB indeed. As infuriating as this section of the book was, it was excellent storytelling from ash s. Subtle but brutal.
On to lighter matters! I love the refrain about burgers. Knife and Cheddar love their burgers. Burgers make the friends happy. Having a bad day? They’ll eat burgers. Want to celebrate? Burgers! Regular day and just need a meal. You guessed it, burgers! It’s an adorable way to show the friends’ bond.
Speaking of which, Knife and Cheddar’s friendship powers Let’s Get Burgers. They have different personalities, at times they feel like opposites, but they also have similar hopes and dreams, sometimes quite literally. They know how to bring each other out of the dark moments, have silly conversations about what the moon tastes like or their favourite dinosaurs, and even put up with each other eating their food because they chose poorly at a restaurant. Their friendship is as adorable as the art in this book.
let's get burgers 9 "diner" ? 1/2 pic.twitter.com/FO4tLorabN
— ash s. (@housegoblin) June 25, 2020
And the art is incredible. It looks simple from the outside, but it most definitely is not. Love the way ash s. manages to capture expressions on the anthropomorphic characters. They may not be human, but the way Knife and Cheddar react to all these situations is relatable. In one of my favourite strips, Knife makes a poor choice at lunch, and Cheddar knows exactly how it’s going to play out. The pleading look on Knife’s face and the resignation of Cheddar’s—we’ve all been there! I also felt Knife’s dejection at their awful job in my soul. So many of us have tried to hide that very expression from our bosses. There’s an attention to detail in this book that makes you want to read and re-read pages. I felt like every time I read Let’s Get Burgers, I found something else I’d missed earlier. Re-reading this book is incredibly fun!
I loved Let’s Get Burgers. Despite some of the heavy subject matter, which is guaranteed to evoke strong reactions, the book manages to be fun and thought-provoking. The characters may not look like us but they certainly feel like reflections of ourselves. Considering the years we’ve had, this book is both an indictment of the way we live and a soothing balm. It’s just what I needed.
