Synopsis:

Manor Threat, the seventh book in the Snakepit Comics series, contains three more years of daily diary comics from Ben Snakepit. This episode brings us to the town of Manor (pronounced “MAY-ner”), a suburb of Austin, Texas. Ben buys a house with his wife and adjusts to slow-paced country living. He also turns 40 and gets a new job, and then gets another job. Along the way, he draws a three-panel comic describing each day’s events, however dramatic or monotonous. Against that steady march of time, patterns emerge and shift and the result is a meditative, addictive read that captures the humanity of everyday life. Bonus for true fans: A surprise ending!

About The Author :

Ben Snakepit has been drawing a daily diary comic for fifteen years. He also publishes a regular column in Razorcake magazine and appears in a number of multi-artist anthology comics. His books have received glowing reviews in publications like Vice, Maximum Rocknroll, Wizard Magazine, USA Today and GQ. Ben Snakepit has also been a member of well-known punk and metal bands, including J Church and The Sword.

What We Thought:

The concept behind Snakepit Comics is really interesting. Someone drawing a 3 panel comic strip (Newspaper Funnies style) based on each day of their life, as a sort of diary is really a unique idea. I like the fact that Ben Snakepit draws the panel, and how it comes out, it comes out. Each strip is a title of a song, with the name of the band that did the song, which is also an interesting touch. It was funny that from time to time in the panels, he makes fun of his own drawings.

I also think it is amazing how honest Ben is in his comics. He is real. He doesn’t filter out the parts of his life, like things he does, and ways he acts, that would make him look less-favorable. The few things he might keep out at first, he eventually reveals. Like in one strip he explains some things that have been going on in his life since a part of the previous book, and explains why in some of the strips in this book, he seems to be fighting with his wife Karen a lot.

I really enjoyed Manor Threat, and it makes me interested in checking out previous Snakepit Comics. I found the book to be relatable in many ways, on top of being a entertaining read. You would think reading strip after strip, each talking about someone’s daily life would eventually get old, or boring, or you’d otherwise lose interest, but it just isn’t so. It might be because mixed in with the standard normal life stuff, Ben Snakepit IS still a musician who plays shows, and he writes these comics, both activities which show up in the panels, so it mixes things up a little.

For those who like comics, and are looking for something different to read, I highly recommend Manor Threat, or really checking out Snakepit Comics in general.

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