Snake Pit Gets Old Daily Diary by Ben Snakepit is one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in a long time. The creator, Ben Snakepit, draws three panels every day about the day. I like how not every day is exciting. In the whole book, there are probably 300 panels that show Ben at work, first at a video store, then at a printing shop.
One thing I like about Snake Pit is that Ben doesn’t make it seem like his life is super perfect.
There are plenty of times when he makes it
seem like the opposite. There are six Snake Pit books and Ben matures a lot in
each one. At the beginning of this book, he buys this old, fashioned arcade cabinet for $50. He works day and night to get it working. He installs his playstation into it and rewires everything, then, to my surprise, he sells it because he needs money. These real life experiences make it a lot more interesting. I would also like to mention that Ben draws himself as a big pile of poo whenever he plays video games
The artwork in Snake Pit is very
cartoony. It’s not the super best, but I really like it. In my opinion the
thing he draws the best is his dog, Peeber.
I think Ben should give himself
more credit. He always writes about how he thinks he sucks at drawing. Another
thing I like is how he puts a theme on a lot of his drawings. Like if he eats tacos,
he’ll draw himself with a sombrero. If he reads X-Men, he’ll draw himself with Wolverine claws. If he watches Zombieland, he’ll draw himself as a zombie.
I think Ben should give himself
more credit. He always writes about how he thinks he sucks at drawing. Another
thing I like is how he puts a theme on a lot of his drawings. Like if he eats tacos,
he’ll draw himself with a sombrero. If he reads X-Men, he’ll draw himself with Wolverine claws. If he watches Zombieland, he’ll draw himself as a zombie.
Snake Pit Gets Old is really
simple, but I love it. I don’t think that Snake Pit Gets Old is appropriate for
the younger audience. There is some swearing & alcohol in it. I also think that some may find it boring. Ben
draws every day of the year, even if they’re boring. I would Snake Pit Gets Old 4¾ graphic autobiographies
out of 5.
Wow, thanks for the great review Milo!
ReplyDeletethanks
DeleteAnother great review! I love that the simplicity and mundaneness of the content is what you dig most about Snakepit Gets Old. There is something captivating about simple stories of how people live. We just saw Our Town at LaGuardia last week, and the message was very much the same. Regular stories about every day people can be every bit as captivating - or more so - than tales of kings or aliens or any of that. Good on you, and good on Mr. Snakepit!
ReplyDeleteYour review was very fun to read. I like reviews that try to find the best in things, and feature the things people might like if they read it. I like the dog, too!
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be getting even better at this review thing. I too like that you like the simplicity and real life sometimes boredom. Do you think it would be as good if Snakepit thought he was a good artist or didn't think playing video games made him into poo? Another one to check out. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGiven your expertise, I wonder if you can help me? I'm writing a final paper for an advanced curriculum class in Art Education and am creating a unit on youth and community art. Can you recommend some zines written by teens? Do you know of websites that might show zines by teens? My focus is on contemporary art. I really appreciate your help. Best way to reach me: lisawheeler09@gmail.com.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
Best,
Lisa
ask at the Barnard Zine Library. i'm sure you could find some there
Delete"The creator, Ben Snakepit, draws three panels every day about the day. I like how not every day is exciting." This line sold me. Literally. I finished reading your review and bought a copy of this book. It's such BS that you need to live an "interesting," action-packed life in order to make art. That belief discourages many otherwise really talented people.
ReplyDelete