Snake Pit 2009

Snakepit 2009 by Ben Snakepit
6" x 8 1/2", 96 pages, $6.00 retail
Perfect Bound with Full-Color Cover, B&W interior
Snakepit comics have been around for a decade now, and I'm sorry to say, this is the first Snakepit book I've ever read. Sure I've read his strips in Razorcake and other places, so I've been aware of the existence of Ben Snakepit and his comics for a while, I just never got around to getting my hands on one of his books. In case you're not familiar, Snakepit comics are diary-style comics: 3 panels a day, every day, year after year after year. As you can imagine, most entries are fairly mundane: played video games, went to work, came home and watched TV. Sounds like a boring read, but enough interesting things happen throughout the year to keep your attention, plus there is something about reading the boring details of someone else's life that seems to help validate your own seemingly meaningless existence. Ben Snakepit's life consists mainly of working at a video store, playing in two punk bands, drawing comics, going to house parties and punk shows, getting drunk and stoned, playing video games, watching TV and movies, hanging out with his girlfriend, and walking his dog. Sounds like a pretty decent life from my perspective. One of my favorite things about this comic is that there is a song listed for each entry; since I'm a big music fan, those were fun to read. Also, Ben's creative artwork often turns the most mundane moment into something interesting, which is another great aspect of his comics. This is so much better than facebook and twitter status updates.
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