The Snake Pit Book: Daily Diary Comics 2001 2003

by Ben Snakepit, Aaron Cometbus (Foreword)

Ben “Snakepit” White draws his life every day in three comic panels. This book collects the years 2001–2003 and follows his participation in the heavy metal band, the Sword, up to the invitation to join the punk rock band J Church. His punk-influenced comic memoirs focus on every day, no matter how uneventful, in order to find the deeper meaning in the seemingly mundane. It is one of the few unintentional and revealing cultural studies of punk rock lifestyles. As Jimmi Payne summarizes in Punk Zine , “Patterns emerge and story arcs materialize and years of common actions load into a highly concentrated snapshot that wakes you up to the ongoing machinations of life beyond your present day.”

Genres: Comics, Music, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comix, Nonfiction, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Ben is best known as the creator of Snakepit zine. Snakepit is a comic zine that features a three panel comic about each day of Ben's life. In interviews Ben has cited Jim's Journal by Scott Dikkers, a comic that appeared in The Onion, as his initial inspiration, although Dikker's comic was fictional, while Ben's is factual. Some issues of Snakepit have appeared as a split with zines such as Clutch, Tight Pants, Amazing Adult Fantasy and Gullible. Contributors to Snakepit have included Janelle Hessig of Tales Of Blarg. The zine was published quarterly until 2006.

In addition, Ben released the zine in one-year anthologies from 2001 to 2004. Snakepit was first published in book form by Gorsky Press in 2004. Entitled The Snake Pit Book, it featuring three years of Ben Snakepit's comic life, with a foreword by Aaron Cometbus. A second book of Snakepit comics, My Life In A Jugular Vein, published by Young American Comics, appeared in 2007. After the release of this book, Ben decided to return to the one-year anthology format with the release of Snakepit 2007 in spring of 2008, and subsequently Snakepit 2008 is anticipated in 2009.
Ben has released two one shot zines, Pills and Going To California.
Ben's work has also appeared in zines such as Capitol City 'Zine Compilation and Twenty-Four Hours and he has been interviewed in zines such as Comixville. As well, he writes a regular column for Razorcake zine.
Ben Snakepit is also a musician and has played with a number of bands including J Church. In 2006, J Church released a split single with the band Off With Their Heads, of which zinester Nate Gangelhoff is a member.

Reviews

[J.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where it all began! This book collects the first three years of Ben's (published) diary comics.

It's hard to explain what is so compelling about Snakepit. Ben himself admits that it's not particularly well drawn (he often calls himself out within particularly badly drawn panels), and more often than not the focus is on some boring aspect of his day...working, playing video games, etc. In these earlier years, there's quite a bit more partying, drinkin', druggin' and shenanigans than in his later domesticated years. But that's not the draw. It's something about the rhythm and flow from one day to the next.

Full disclosure: I'm old friends with Ben and published a couple Snakepit books (2009 and 2010-2012), so I can say with authority that you should be reading Snakepit (and on the toilet).

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why this book resonated so much, but it did. Ben isn't always the most likable guy, but he's self-aware enough to point out his own faults. It's also weird to read about someone's daily life that so closely mirrored your own at that particular time in your life and history. Working marginal jobs, watching movies, seeing bands - the book just chimed a lot of chords from my own past.

The daily panels also capture the boredom or routine - there's a strange compounding effect that his work has that, in total, just captures life somehow.

[Norma Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me it reads like jazz...it takes you back to being young and not knowing what's ahead; with an emphasis on improvisation of the everyday ordinariness, imperfect and sublime. Each three panel comic is themed with a song.

[amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the time you get through it, you have to read it again. The drawing gets better and whether you think you are or not, you are in Ben Snakepit's life. It's as if your big brother kept a diary and he was stupid enough to leave it in the bathroom.
I am not embarrassed to admit that I have a thing or two for Ben Snakepit. Oh god, Ceremony just came on to Itunes. I gotta go.

[Deron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't resist reading the first anthology after enjoying the second one. His drawing definitely improves over the course of six years. That's still the most impressive part about it to me that he remains dedicated to this one art project for six years. I love the diary as a comic strip -- it's just right in my wheel house.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never would have read this book based on the totally generic, weird cover, but somehow I ended up with it. Pleasantly surprised that I made it all the way through, and that I laughed quite a bit. Kind of repetitive, which is strange for a book built for people without an attention span, but I liked this okay nonetheless.

[Kami · Rating 2 out of 5]

giving this a weak review is one of the least punk things i will ever do. while i appreciate snakepit, there's a lot of nothing in these strips. which i suppose it a great commentary on this life, huh?

[Malinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that I'd read this book sometime in the past, but I was in my local library branch and picked this up since I was in need of some light reading. It was fun to read about Ben's adventures now that I'm in Austin and know about the places that he frequents in this comic.

[Mark Twistworthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My likeness is drawn within these pages from when I worked at the record store with Ben. Very entertaining read, especially since we know all the same people, live in the same town and went to the same shows and were at all the same parties.

[Megan Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

great anthology...ive been an avid snakepit reader or his quarterly comics for years. sometimes monotonous and trivial, thats life. punk rock romantics working minimum wage jobs unite and take over!

[Nick Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one day, practically one sitting. It made me excited about all sorts of stuff. Mostly Ben Snakepite and Municipal Waste.

[jason ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

my dream of working in a video store may never become a reality, so i'll just read snakepit instead.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its hard not to want Ben's life after reading his book.