Cerebus #30

Cerebus meets with the Prime Minister of Iest and finds out that he can cancel his debt with one of the companies in the area. Cerebus meets with Mr. Hadden and gets him really drunk and then gets him to agree to cancel the debt. Cerebus and Hadden are arguing when Hadden is crushed to death by the newly arrived MOON ROACH!

Cerebus tries his hand at political speak in this issue and does quite well with it. Cerebus pouring Hadden a half bottle of whiskey was pretty humorous. Overall, not a lot happened in this issue. It served to show Cerebus slowly creeping deeper into the world of politics and continuing to adapt to his surroundings in a pretty quick fashion.

The Roach has taken on yet another persona. I would say the Moon Roach is probably the most well remembered of his personalities. His weapon of choice in this persona is to drop giant rocks on evildoers. He of course, ruined Cerebus' plans here. Not like that's anything new for the Moon Roach though. He will quickly become one of the brightest spots in the High Society story.

Until next time!

Cerebus #29

Cerebus meets the Regency Elf in this issue. He also finds out that the Prime Minister of Iest wants him to pay back the ransom paid for him. Cerebus visits the arrested McGrew Brothers and they say there was never any ransom money. Cerebus is confused by this and the Elf has been claiming the Iest Prime Minister is up to something. Cerebus unsuccessfully tries to blackmail one of the local merchants. At the end of the issue Cerebus tells the Elf that he needs to figure out how to get the money to pay this back.

This is a really good character development issue for Cerebus. He's playing this game where he's appearing to those around him as being a little mentally unbalanced and later explains to the Elf that he learned that from Lord Julius. It's very interesting to see Cerebus start to see the value in the things Julius told him instead of just seeing him as an idiot. Cerebus is obviously a quick study as he's picking up the politics of the region pretty well.

The scene with the McGrew's in this issue was great. They wouldn't answer his questions so Cerebus beat them with a stick in a rather Bugs Bunny fashion and they were suddenly very agreeable. I loved that scene and it's a great example of how good the sense of humor in this book can be at times.

From a plot stand point, I think this is the most interesting the book has ever been. There are some nice plot threads developing with Cerebus trying to figure out what happened with the ransom and how he can also pay it back. This issue really makes me want to pick up issue 30 and see where it all went. In fact, I'll probably start reading it as soon as I'm done posting this.

Until next time!

Cerebus #28

Cerebus is back in the Seventh Sphere with Suenteus Po this issue. They talk about a variety of subjects before Cerebus talks about taking over the Church of Tarim. This was mostly an experimental issue as there was mostly text with some illustrations to the side.

I don't really have much to say about this one. It was a lot of Po talking about the various religions of the region and Cerebus deciding that he could use those to his advantage in the future.

Cerebus disappeared at the end which has meant he woke up the last time. So next issue should be back to dealing with the McGrew Brothers. I was really disappointed with this issue as I wanted to see the outcome to the cliffhanger to issue 27 and got this instead. It wasn't terrible or boring, just not what I was expecting.

Until next time!

Cerebus #27

This issue sees Cerebus meeting the McGrew Brothers and faking his own abduction. A good part of the issue is Cerebus playing Diamondback with the McGrews while waiting for the government to work up the ransom. At the end of the issue, Cerebus is betrayed by the McGrews.

The McGrew Brothers are Yosemite Sam parodies. They talk almost exactly like him and are hilarious. They'll hang around as this storyline progresses. They're up there with Elrod and the Roach as my favorite characters in the series.

The concept of this issue is pretty funny. Cerebus faking his own kidnapping put of boredom was really funny. You can tell he's not amused by the life of the rich and famous. The McGrews outsmarting him at the end was a nice little twist and it will be interesting to see how he gets out of this situation. Obviously, Cerebus will lose out on the ransom, he always does.

Until next time!

Cerebus #26

Cerebus arrives at the Regency Hotel with his gold. He's in a foul mood and looking for a time but once the staff figure out who he is, they give him a room free of charge. Cerebus is besieged by businessmen while he eats. They pay for his time and he finally corners one and finds out that they are interested in him due to his connections to Lord Julius. Cerebus heads out into the night but still can't find anyone willing to fight him. Cerebus finally decides to throw a bag of flour into a bar full of thugs. Local police swarm the bar and Cerebus is thwarted yet again. Cerebus disappointed wanders off into the night.

I had mentioned previously that Cerebus considers life to be about gold and ale. Later on, Weisshaupt had challenged his ideas on life by saying he lacked creativity. If you had power, you could get as much gold as you wanted with barely any effort. In this issue, Cerebus is getting his first taste of influence and power. He doesn't like it at the moment but he made a ton of money with no effort.

You can see the shift in storytelling here. Cerebus is still the same character and the same sense of humor is there. But the barbarian elements are completely gone now. This storyline lasts for a really long time. I think 25-30 issues. It is in my opinion, one of the greatest comic stories ever to be written. The first time I read the phonebook to High Society, I literally could not put this book down until I finished it. I am really excited to climb back into this story.

Cerebus #25

Charles X. Claremont and Cerebus travel the countryside as Claremont rants about revenge and explains what Woman--Thing is going to do as an apocalypse beast. They come across a castle with an artist that spends pages ranting about breasts and using them in art. He also has an apocalypse beast named Sump-Thing. The two monsters end up mating, killing Claremont and Cerebus pretends to be Claremont's friend to weasel some gold out of the artist.

All around good issue here. This officially closes out the Cerebus phonebook. Past this point, the storytelling in Cerebus becomes much more sophisticated and more ambitious. Tomorrow will start the High Society arc which in my opinion is the best Cerebus story told.

Until next time!

Cerebus #24

Madame Dufort reveals herself to really be Charles X. Claremont and his apocalypse beast known as Woman Thing (Man Thing satire). Claremont has been using the girls to channel power for his monster. He originally tried with boys but had little success.

This issue yet again had Cerebus laid up and playing cards with the girls for most of the issue. The girls naive ways clash with the cynicism of Cerebus as the games progress. Theresa mentions that Cerebus has obviously saved thousands of women and Cerebus mentions he used one for a shield once.

They also recount tales about Lord Julius and Elrod where it was obvious that Cerebus actually did the work.

This arc is a little more subdued than some of the previous ones. I think the next issue is going to have some big things with Woman Thing hitting the scene. I'm really excited to see how things play out in the conclusion to this story.

Until next time!

Cerebus #23

We pick up with an injured Cerebus after he left Beduin. He finds shelter in a girl's school of some sort. The women kill several unsuspecting soldiers seeking shelter throughout the issue. Cerebus mentions that a whole legion is probably coming through and they've starting making plans to deal with that.

I really loved the art in this issue. It really communicated the mood and atmosphere of this house. It felt cold, lonely and even a little creepy. You just could feel the atmosphere as you read the book. It might help that it was a cold snowy time in the book and it happens to be 1 degree where I live at today. I may just be feeling sympathy pains for the people.

There's a lot of mystery here. Just what is being taught at his school? Why are the women so proficient with weapons? Is the brunette going to try and jump Cerebus' bones before this is all said and done? Like I said, lots of questions. Dave Sim did a really good job keeping the reader with about the same level of understanding as Cerebus. It also has the positive of making the mystery interesting. You really want to read the next issue to get any bits of information that the book is willing to offer up.

Not a lot really happened in this issue but it was an excellent read. A good moody story in the early Cerebus issues.

Until next time!

Cerebus #22

Elrod is killed by the assassin from the last issue and finds that he can possess the bodies of living people. Cerebus finds out that his barbarian army was easily defeated in Palnu and decides to help out here. They come up with a plan that would allow Weisshaupt to take over the government. This all falls apart when Elrod loses his abilities. Cerebus abandons Weisshaupt as the issue comes to a close.

This issue appears to have slammed the door on about the last 8 issues of Cerebus. His involvement with Palnu seems to be at an end for now and his ambitions of conquest took a serious hit when his army was defeated. I think we're going to head into a three issue arc that has a satire of Man-Thing and then it will be on to High Society where things get really good.

I was a little disappointed that Cerebus' barbarian army was defeated offscreen but I got the feeling that was coming as soon as he got drugged at the end of issue 19.

Poor Cerebus though, he just can't seem to win in life.

Until next time!

Cerebus #21

Cerebus wakes up in Beduin and finds the Cockroach and Elrod playing Captain America and Bucky to the people. Cerebus meets the new President and learns of his lot to gain wealth and power. Cerebus gets drunk on whine and then has to deal with an assassin attacking Elrod, the Roach and himself. Cerebus slips in and out of drunk before finally knocking himself out with a rock to end the issue.

I enjoyed this issue but I really don't have much of an opinion on it. The Captain America satire was really well done and fairly clever. The way he was tricked into making himself super strong was really funny and probably something only Dave Sim would have thrown into the book.

This issue introduces President Weisshaupt who shows up a couple of times through the first 100 issues or so. I barely remember him from my original reading so I doubt he plays a huge role in future events.

Until next time!

Cerebus #20

This issue introduces the Cirinists and Suenteus Po to the Cerebus universe. The Cirinst religion will prove to be a sort of antagonist to Cerebus in the future. This issue was pretty experimental. Cerebus is in kind of a dark void and going between talking to the Cirinist and Po. He eventually plays both sides and gets them to duke it out in the streets.

This was a bit of a weird issue but it was a enjoyable read. Seeing Cerebus manipulate those around him is really an enjoyable sight to see. I actually had forgotten about how manipulative he could be at times.

Both religious groups are important throughout the first 200 issues of Cerebus. The Cirinists become very important as Jaka's Story unfolds later in the series. Po is also important and makes sparse appearances through the first 2/3 of the Cerebus story.

Things have kind of gone off track from the previous couple of issues but this was a fun little change of pace. My guess is the barbarian problem will hang around until the High Society storyline starts up. But I could be wrong. That could get revisited in the next 5 issues.

20 issues down, 280 to go.

Until next time!

Cerebus #19

This issue deals with Cerebus trying to sell the jewelry he obtained in the last issue. Gorce is also building an army to defend Palnu against the barbarian threat, and to also overthrow the reign of Lord Julius. Cerebus is asked to retrieve the twin of a gold owl which takes him to the basement of an inn. He has to get past a clone of Red Sophia and runs into Henrot. Henrot explains he made a new Sophia to keep him company but things didn't work out so well. Henrot makes a gold owl for Cerebus and he's on his way. The issue ends with Cerebus getting drugged and passing out.

This issue seemed jammed pack with plot and events. Things continue to build as both sides are trying to build an army for a war that may or may not happen.

The arrival of Cerebus in Palnu really seems like that was the death of the barbarian satire in the book. The Palnu arc has essentially been about 6 issues so far. There's still been Cerebus fighting monsters but the book has been far more political.

I really liked this issue. A lot happened throughout the issue and it's building to an interesting place. The conversation with Henrot was also really funny. I liked when he was talking about improving on Sophia and Cerebus said "you wanted them to hang to her knees...".

We're nearing the end of what would be the Cerebus phonebook. There's 6 issues left to this volume before High Society begins.

Until next time!

Cerebus #18

This is a pretty simple and straightforward issue. Cerebus tricks a merchant into thinking he has a plague to relieve him of his gold and other goods. Cerebus and the barbarians will need the loot to fund an army to conquer Palnu. Lord Julius brings in a commander to raise an army while he flees the scene.

This was a fun issue. Seeing Cerebus trick the merchant was pretty funny. This arc continues to build and move in a really solid direction. I'm looking forward to seeing how Cerebus is eventually robbed of his victory.

A brief side note for this issue. The comic is going monthly from here on out. It took about 3 years to get the first 17 issues out. So it will be interesting to see how the more consistent release schedule effects the book's content.

Until next time!

Cerebus #17

This issue picks up about 3 weeks after Cerebus has left Palnu. He falls in with some guys with German accents. They have a plan to conquer Palnu and Cerebus decides to join up with them. Cerebus takes out one of Lord Julius' top generals in amusing fashion. The issue ends with Julius learning of the new barbarian invasion.

This book had some funny moments in it but this was ultimately a set up issue for the next arc of the Cerebus story. I was actually surprised when the story came to an end. it didn't feel like I had read 20 pages at all.

I wanted to use this entry to discuss why I decided to read all 300 issues of Cerebus in a calendar year. In March of last year my wife's uncle died suddenly. He was only in his early 50s and he was in god health. I didn't know him well but it was still a shock. My wife and I came away from his funeral vowing to cherish life more and to seize the day.

I have a huge list of comics, novels and other things I want to do with my free time. And honestly, that list hasn't really seen much get checked off the past couple of years. As the year moved on, I really wanted to start checking some things off that huge to do list. I listened to a few episodes of Comic Geek Speak that covered the early phonebooks.

Well, it reminded me that I wanted to read the entire Cerebus series. I decided to go the blog route to try and keep myself on a more consistent reading schedule. It's still really early in the year but I've done a good job to this point with keeping up with this blog. I think I have a really good chance of knocking off all 300 issues this year.

Until next time!

Cerebus #16

The Festival of Petunias is underway and Cerebus has his hands full keeping Lord Julius alive. This time, they follow the leader of the assassins through a tunnel of caves. The man reveals himself to be Julius' Social Secretary and starts a monologue. Unfortunately, Cerebus hits him with a rock and he falls to his death. Cerebus decides to move on from Palnu. The issue ends with Cerebus riding off and Julius trying to stop him after receiving a letter from Jaka.

This was a good end to the Lord Julius arc. The way Cerebus dispatches with the bad guy after 3 issues was unexpected and pretty funny. There's also a side story with one of the thieves from Cerebus #6 stealing a diamond and getting stuck in the secret passage with Cerebus and Julius.

The last 4 issues have been really good. Sim has a very good sense of humor and it comes through well in most of his books. The political satire also seems to fit his style of humor a little better. This arc is also where you see the Cerebus concept really grow up.

It's funny, I meant to take notes on how Cerebus developed over the early issues. I kind of got into the flow of the story and realized during this story arc that Cerebus was pretty well fleshed out by this point. The series came into it's own a lot quicker than I remembered from my first read through.

Until next time!

Cerebus #15

Cerebus continues one as Lord Julius's Kitchen Staff Supervisor in this issue. He learns that the plot against Julius was bigger than he originally thought. This takes them down to the Pits where Cerebus battles a giant snake and thus saves the day.

I forgot to mention it earlier but the art in this series has really hit it's stride in the last several issues. The art is now on par with about the rest of the series. Just solid character design and some good backgrounds. This book has gone from looking pretty rough to looking great over the first few years it's existed. Just for a bit of context. The first issue was dated December 77/January 78 and this issue is dated April 1980.

I've talked at length about the barbarian satire that this series started as. The past two issues have read more like the Hhigh Society arc did. Very political, very much a satire on government with Cerebus having the subtlty of a rapid weasel. Ii believe there will be a few more issues of barbarian hijinks after this but these last 2 issues are a good preview of what Cerebus will become.

Until next time!

Cerebus #14

Cerebus is hired on as Lord Julius' bodyguard as thanks for helping his son out previously. Cerebus takes his job seriously and ends up foiling an assassination attempt on Julius. Cerebus official title is Kitchen Staff Supervisor. You see, Julius has given everyone improper job titles so that only he knows how things really work in Palnu. It helps provide job security.

Well, first of all, I read this before yesterday's Silverspoon story. I didn't know that story existed until after I read issue #14 and was doing some side reading. I have a Cerebus phonebook printed before that story was included. So I really had no idea it existed. It was originally written in a different magazine. So I'll have read 301 issues of Cerebus by the time this blog concludes at the end of the year

This issue is the first appearance of Lord Julius in the actual Cerebus series. He's one of my favorite characters as he's a Groucho Marx satire. If you don't know who Marx is, you should watch some of the Marx Brothers movies to get an idea of how Julius sounds when he speaks. Lord Julius is probably the smartest character in the entire series of Cerebus. He's always one step ahead of everyone and he's one of the few characters that is always a step or two ahead of Cerebus. Cerebus thinks of him as an idiot but unfortunately for him, he has greatly underestimated Julius with that idea.

This issue also moves Cerebus into Palnu which will be very important as High Society opens up. This issue offers a nice brief glance at the political structure of the city. Things aren't great here and the people are mostly unhappy.

I think it is also safe to say that this issue marks the beginning of the end of the barbarian satire. I think there are still a few sword and sorcery style stories left but the pieces have almost all fallen into place for the deeper and more political tales that are closely approaching us.

Until next time!

Cerebus Silverspoon

This is a collection of two stories that appeared outside of the actual Cerebus series. The first tale has Cerebus being summoned by a wizard who wants him to battle evil. The second has Cerebus meeting the spoiled young Silverspoon. They get ship wrecked on an island and captured by the natives. The boys father Lord Julius arrives and saves the day. He offers Cerebus free passage and a reward in Palnu.

This book features the first appearances of Lord Julius and his son Silverspoon. Lord Julius is of course a huge character in the first third of the Cerebus story. Silverspoon is a very minor character in the grand scheme of things.

This wasn't in my copy of the Cerebus phonebook when I originally read Cerebus so this story was new to me. It was an okay little side story that was told in parts. A very different narration style for the Silverspoon story but it had some humor in it.

I actually read issue 14 before this and then realized this existed during some side reading. Ii decided to post this first to keep things chronological. This wasn't super important to the overall narration but it did provide a little context to issue 14.

Until next time!

Cerebus #13

This time Cerebus gets stuck between the battles of a priest of Tarim and a dark wizard. The wizard has grand plans of destroying the universe. When Cerebus asks if he thinks that's rather drastic the wizard responds to think of it as suicide on a grander scale. The wizard is killed and his mind inhabits a golem that looks suspiciously like the Thing. The Thing golem proceeds to kill the priest and the villagers as Cerebus escapes and declares everyone in this part of the world to be insane.

This was a little more of a subtle than some of the previous issues. It relied on one liners and the general ridiculous nature of the villagers and the wizard himself. Cerebus played the straight man the entire issue as he would interject a logical question or comment into the situation and would throw off the other characters. At one point he asked the wizard what he was going to do when he brought the golem to life and the wizard had no idea. He says he doesn't know what it will actually do if brought to life.

I've mentioned that on this blog a few times in the past but I think it does bear repeating. I think the humor in Cerebus is best when he's standing around being annoyed by the supporting cast around him. Cerebus often does funny things but I think he ultimately works best as a straight man. This issue is a perfect example of my theory.

This issue seemed to be closing down the last 7 or 8 issue arc. It closes the door on the gold the Roach had been hording and Cerebus seems like he's moving on to what he considers a more sane part of the world. I may also be remembering incorrectly but I think this is almost the end of this as a barbarian satire and it starts to quickly develop into the series that produces the High Society and Church and State arcs.

Until next time!

Cerebus #12

Cerebus decides to go back for the Cockroach's gold horde that he had found last issue. Cerebus encounters the Roach and Elrod as he tries to escape the city with the gold. Cerebus is almost home free when the boat he is using breaks. The gold is lost and Cerebus ends the issue empty handed yet again.

Cerebus at one point tires to become the Roach's sidekick and uses the origin of Robin to convince him to take him on. You can see a lot of the inspiration for the Tick in this issue. The Tick has a similar speech pattern to the Roach.

Elrod's interactions with the Roach were really funny here. He was casting a critical eye to the costume of the Roach and just being Elrod about it. I mention it every time he appears but you can't read Elrod without Foghorn Leghorn's voice in your head.

The barbarian satire is still here but it's become more refined. It doesn't feel like Sim is just straight up ripping off a Conan story anymore. It feels like Cerebus is wandering around his own world and dealing with threats and people unique to that world. Sim has developed a small but important supporting cast for Cerebus and I think they make a huge difference.

Sidenote, we're about 14 issues away from the High Society arc starting. I believe these commentaries will get longer once that story gets underway. You'll also see the barbarian satire start to fade out a lot over the next 10 issues or so.

Until next time!

Cerebus #11

This issue introduces the Roach. He's a character that parodies what happens to be hot in comics at the time. So his identity shifts as time progresses. I think his character is hilarious. He becomes one of the brightest spots in High Society.

He's more of a basic kook here. He's just a merchant that turned into the Cockroach when he falls asleep. Cerebus finds a giant stash of gold and tricks the Roach into helping him take a portion of it. Cerebus gets chased by guards and thinks there has to be an easier way to earn money as the issue comes to a close.

This was another solid issue. The Cockroach was weird and memorable and Cerebus' revival pastor impersonation was pretty funny. The Cockroach felt mostly like a Batman satire in this issue. He'll move on to Moon Knight in a short while.

Until next time!

Cerebus #10

Red Sophia returns in this episode and with a scheme to capture the Black Lotus. Cerebus gets drawn into the madness but ends up tricking everyone and walking away with the Black Lotus all to himself. This issue was a lot of scheming and discussion about splitting shares of the loot.

This was a slow issue but there was some good character work going on here. Red Sophia was a much more fleshed out character that she was in issue 3. She showed a certain savvy and could almost be mistaken for clever in this story. Cerebus of course yet again proves to usually be the smartest character in the room as he plays everyone and easily captures the item.

The first 10 issues of Cerebus are in the rear view mirror now. There were ups and downs to the first 10 but I found them to be mostly enjoyable. When I was first thinking about the series, most people tried to point me to starting with High Society. I like to read from the start so I originally started with issue 1. Granted, the stories going on right now are nowhere near as good as what the series eventually becomes. With that said, these stories have their merit. They give you a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations when the High Society arc begins. I think in general, you get a better understanding of Cerebus by reading these issues.

If reading Cerebus is of interest to you, I think there is some value to reading these first issues. You just need to go in with the understanding that the stories aren't as good as what is coming along down the road.

Until next time!

Cerebus #9

Cerebus leads his new army to Imesh and does battle with it's king K'Cor. Cerebus suffers yet another setback to his plans for wealth as K'Cor reveals he poisoned all the wells around Imesh and Cerebus' men are dead. The duel with K'Cor was pretty cool and Cerebus was on the brink of defeat due to the fatigue he was suffering from.

We're back to more standard barbarian fare for Cerebus but the stories are also working more like a longer arc. Each issue picks up essentially where the last one left off even if the story branches off into a completely road as the issue progresses. I like this setup better as it gives a greater sense of continuity in the series. You can ditch the last issue in the first two pages but it just gives you a sense of a greater story.

K'Cor's rant and plans turning out to be a battle plan to defend against an invasion from Venus was great. He was speaking in a logical manner and just goes off the deep end when people from Venus show up. That was a nice touch.

There was a lot of dialogue to this issue. There was also a lot of action as well. This was similar to issue 2 but this time the narration was much better. It flowed better and added to the story. This time it discussed the strategy of Cerebus instead of just announcing his action. Sims really seemed to learn and improve upon what he did with the narration from the early issues. This was a really fun and solid issue.

Until next time!

Cerebus #8

Cerebus is suffering from a wound caused by his battle with the spider in the previous issue. He is captured by a group of barbarians called the Conniptins. Cerebus becomes the center of their political aspirations as they want to use him as a leader to regain the glory of the Conniptin people. The issue ends with Cerebus deciding to play along with their schemes for the time being.

The Conniptins were highly amusing in this issue. Their battle cry ends like a pep rally cry and the doctor went on a page long rant like Dr. McCoy from Star Trek. There's also a point where Cerebus gives a speech to his new men and tells them that if they screw up he'll have them flayed alive.

The ending part where Cerebus thinks about what the meaning of life is gives you all you need to know about Cerebus the character. His life is about a bag of gold and ale. Despite usually being the smartest person in the room, he's also extremely simple minded. He has two things in mind and that rules his decision making in every way possible. That's an important thing to remember as the first 100 issues pan out.

Until next time!

Cerebus #7

Cerebus learned of the Black Sun Cult in the last issue and makes his way there to steal treasure. To his dismay he runs across Elrod the Albino along the way. Cerebus and Elrod break in. Cerebus looks for the treasure while Elrod gets into mischief. Cerebus ends up losing the treasure after a battle with a giant spider and questions his life as the issue ends.

This issue cements Elrod's opinion that Cerebus is a boy in a bunny suit. He meets a cultist in an aardvark costume and can't seem to tell the two apart. Several times he even muses on how quickly Cerebus painted his costume.

This issue was back to the more standard Cerebus barbarian fare. Though his annoyance at Elrod showing up was very amusing. The battle with the spider was probably the toughest challenge Cerebus has faced thus far in the series. And he also experienced failure for the first time as he lost the treasure that he found.

This was mostly a continuation of part 2 as the Black Sun came up last issue. The series has kept a light continuity so far which has been nice. Elrod of course remains one of my favorite characters in the series. You just can't read Elrod dialogue without having Foghorn Leghorn's voice in your head.

Until next time!

Cerebus #6

Cerebus gets drugged early in this issue and meets Jaka. He immediately falls in love with her and plans to steal a treasure to live with her. The drugs eventually wear off and Cerebus has no recollection of Jaka or his brief love for her. Jaka leaves saying that she will always wait for Cerebus to remember his love for her.

I really enjoyed this issue a lot. It had a much more emotional context to it than previous issues. The humor was also great as the drugged Cerebus maimed several bar flies that spot ill of Jaka. This was another good change of pace issue and you can see the deeper writing start to take effect here. This read a lot more like the High Society issues than the barbarian satire.

Jaka is a key character in this series. She's a real love interest for Cerebus unlike Red Sophia is. She becomes the only person that Cerebus grows to care about as the series progresses. Jaka comes and goes during the early stories but becomes a big player in the series once you get to the Jaka's story arc.

So far, this book improves with every issue. The art has made some huge leaps in just 6 issues and the storytelling gets deeper with each new issue. You can see in the last 2 issues that Sim is really starting to grasp that he has something special brewing with this very young comic book series.

Until next time when Elrod the Albino returns!

Cerebus #5

This time Cerebus encounters the Pigt tribe of people. He later discovers that they ate a religious cult that worships a statue of an aardvark that looks just like Cerebus. Cerebus smashes the idol and makes his escape as the issue comes to a close.

This issue introduces Bran Mac Muffin who will play a role in the storylines of High Society and Church and State. In this issue, Cerebus takes him for a crazy man when he talks about the Pigt people.

You can see something deeper lurking under the surface with this issue. You get some hints of where Cerebus came from and the fact that he might not be as unique as he thought he was. I don't know when Dave Sim decided to move from the funny barbarian stories to something deeper but this issue seems like he was dipping his toe in the water a bit.

With issues 4 and 5 you can tell that Sim was starting to find his footing with the series. The art is much more polished than it was in the first couple of issues. Cerebus also seems like a very developed character 5 issues in and the book has developed a definite humor style rather quickly.

I haven't read or heard much Dave Sim commentary on Cerebus outside of a few interviews on CGS so I'm not sure exactly when he decided he wanted to do a much more complex story with the series. As I mentioned earlier, you can kind of see the book starting to divert from the funny barbarian stories from the first couple of issues. I think we'll continue to see that trend as the next 15 issues progress.

Until next time!

Cerebus #4

In this issue Death is trying to recover the Chaos Gem that Cerebus happened upon. Cerebus also meets Elrod the Albino for the first time. Elrod's mouth gets them in trouble with the locals and they spend a little time in the dungeon. Cerebus manages to escape and decides to just leave Elrod there and decides to throw the gem away.

This book introduces Elrod the Albino who is one of my favorite characters from the entire series. He talks like Foghorn Leghorn from Looney Toons and is a satire from the Elric fantasy novels. Elrod is consistently hilarious through his many appearances in the series. He seamlessly uses Foghorn Leghorn's speech patterns and it's always funny.

This issue continues to develop Cerebus as an interesting main character. This issue yet again shows that he's smarter than most of the people around him and it also shows his general disdain for things that aren't Cerebus. Leaving Elrod in the dungeon at the end was a great character moment for him. That is what Cerebus would do. Elrod also brings the laughs by musing that Cerebus was "A nice boy, but he has the attention span of a grapefruit."

This was easily the funniest of the first couple of issues as it was mostly about the antics of Elrod. I've mentioned this previously but Cerebus standing around being annoyed by the antics of the other characters.

Till next time!

Cerebus #3

This time out, Cerebus is hired by the wizard Henrot to defend the honor of his daughter Red Sophia. Red Sophia is quite annoying and most of the issue is Cerebus being tortured by her never shutting up and just being annoying in general.

What I like about Cerebus in the early issues are the side characters. They're all a little wacky and they all drive Cerebus insane. Some of my favorite moments from the series are Cerebus standing around and just not understanding the insanity of the other characters around him or just being annoyed at their stupidity.

Red Sophia pops up from time to time throughout the series as a sort of non-love interest. Namely, she's interested in Cerebus and Cerebus has no interest in her whatsoever. She's usually a fun character to see pop up but she's not one of my favorites.

This was the best of the 3 issues. The humor was pretty strong in here and Cerebus seemed to have some stronger characterization through his annoyance at Red Sophia. This issue is a good showing of Cerebus' general disdain for anyone of the non-Cerebus species.

Join me next time as Elrod the Albino makes his way into the world of Cerebus!

Cerebus #2

More Conan the Barbarian satire in the second issue of Cerebus. This issue picks up well after Cerebus has spent all the gold he earned in the first issue. He encounters a succubus during his misadventures this time around.

This issue was very exposition heavy. A good chunk was just narration for what Cerebus was doing at any given time. Past the initial scenes, Cerebus didn't actually say very much in this issue. With that said, this issue did a good job of further showing that Cerebus is a very smart and savvy fighter. He knows and has a good grasp of how magic works and how to not be bested by it.

This issue also features a really funny scene. Cerebus had just won a duel to join a band of warriors and the leader was saying that Cerebus moral code would not allow him to kill an unconscious foe. The leader was then about to lecture Cerebus on how he would need to kill his foe when Cerebus did it anyway. The leader's response was a bit of a sheepish "oh...". It's hard to describe as there's a certain visual element but it's a good example of the sense of humor Dave Sim has.

I didn't quite enjoy this issue as much as the first issue. I felt the narration was a little clunky and the overall story really didn't go anywhere. The first issue was a much more satisfying overall story for me.

Join me next time for issue 3 and the first appearance of Red Sophia!

Cerebus #1

This debut issue is your standard Conan the Barbarian type of story. Cerebus is hired to steal a jewel from a wizard and the rest of the story is Cerebus thwarting the various traps of the wizard. Cerebus kills the wizard and gets the jewel and gets paid before revealing that the jewel was a fake. A very humble beginning to what later becomes one of the best independent comics ever released.

This was a very basic issue. A typical Dungeons and Dragons dungeon crawl would look and sound a lot like this. Cerebus has some personality though. You can see that he refers to himself in the third person a lot. It helps to establish that Cerebus is completely self absorbed. That's what is the key to the character as the series progresses. His existence is about Cerebus.

There wasn't a lot here. I don't think Sim had any sort of grand plan for this. I think he was mostly interested in telling some funny Conan type stories. The first 20 issues or so will be like this and then the deeper storytelling will start to show up from there. My commentary on the issues will grow as the stories do.