Cerebus: from the top.

Fade2Black

The good folks over at the Infinite Longbox Podcast have started to read Cerebus from the beginning and plan to discuss the series as they progress.

This is a series I read several volumes of but never finished. To be honest, I had held off finishing Dave Sim's epic saga because for years I thought I was missing an issue, but it turned out the issue that had been so elusive was one I already owned. My presumed missing issue was actually published on the back-side of a double-issue flip book. D'oh!
Anyhoo. . . It's been ages since I cracked open the series, and I'm seriously considering reading it from beginning to end (though I'll probably skim through the letter columns, for my own sanity's sake). Would anyone else be up to this challenge?

http://infinitelongbox.libsyn.com/

John_Steed

Only read the first 5 phonebooks - and I feel like I had my fill.
I might listen to the podcast though. It could easily be that I missed some clues in my reading.
Thanks for the link.

DesertHermit

I'll certainly check it out. I got as far as 'Women' the last time I tried to make it through the series. I stopped more for reasons of time than for disliking anything. I still feel the series as a whole is one of the greater achievements in the history of literature.

Chuck_Melville

I actually need to get the last few phonebooks to complete the set. I lost track of the series after making a cross-country move in the early nineties and didn't pick up on it again until I started getting the collections years later. I still don't know how it ends.

GabeMcCann

EDIT from David, highlight text for potential--

SPOILER: "Cerebus dies alone unmourned and unloved. I thought everybody knew that. he gets told that by the Judge in an early phonebook so it's not really a major spoiler. "

Fade2Black

GabeMcCann said:

GabeMcCann wrote: SPOILER -> "Cerebus dies alone unmourned and unloved. I thought everybody knew that. he gets told that by the Judge in an early phonebook so it's not really a major spoiler. "

Gabe, your assumption that this isn't a spoiler assumes the reader accepts the judges words as truth, or (for that matter) remember them several hundred issues later.

Despite having read several volumes of this book, I had lost track of that detail, and I certainly didn't realize its significance until your post.

MikeGallagher

I loved Cerebus. Love it!
Sent in a fan letter. Sent in a comic I made. Met Sim a couple times and had great conversations.
But this last three books. For as many times as I have reread high society and church & state, I don't know if I can ever read this last three again. It's like punishment, a dare to read to the end.

Fade2Black

MikeGallagher said:

I loved Cerebus. Love it!
Sent in a fan letter. Sent in a comic I made. Met Sim a couple times and had great conversations.
But this last three books. For as many times as I have reread high society and church & state, I don't know if I can ever read this last three again. It's like punishment, a dare to read to the end.

What was the comic book that you sent him about?

I met Dave when he attended the Alternative Press Expo. This was back when the con was still held in San Jose, CA. He autographed my issue number 186. Little did I know at the time, but that's the issue that contains the infamous diatribe that would eventually brand Dave by many as someone with misogynistic viewpoints. I chose that issue to be signed, not because of the Cerebus content, but because it contained a Strangers in Paradise backup story. Terry Moore and Gerhard also autographed the issue. In fairness to Dave, I have not read the issue yet, so I can't fairly comment on the controversy surrounding it.

In regards to those latter issues you spoke of, I've heard several people echo your sentiments, but I feel as if I owe it to myself to read the entire series at least once and judge for myself. For those who have already read Cerebus, I'm sure your feedback during these discussions will be most welcome (just please avoid spoiling subsequent volumes' specifics).

GabeMcCann

I've read all 6000 pages, 16 volumes however you like to label them. I didn't find any of it unreadable just hard to get through especially the small print in the non artwork mostly just type scripted long stories with no artwork to look at but then hey I've managed to get through Finnegans Wake and that was much harder to understand. probably impossible but then I think tha's the whole point of literature/art. The harder it is to get something from it the more value it has to you as something which makes you think outside the narrow confin es of your own life.
I may not agree with some of what Dave has to say but that's the whole point of reading, studying enjoying someone elses work. To find someone and learn from them and get a different viewpoint, perspective on what passes for reality.
I did write Dvae a couple of letters and he answered them. He alway uses snail mail except for the Kickstarter campaign but the delay and the fact that you get a real 3 dimensional object signed in his own hand and not just an email makes them more attractive. Never met him in person but then I don' t think he's ever been to Australia.
It is possible to read all of Cerebus if you have the time and patience and don't mind not being able to understand some things but hey you can still write Dave and get his take on what he means by something ifnyou're interested.
Hope he still does some more work in the comics industry in future despite his recent ending of Glamourpuss. Maybe he can do another Kickstarter campaign to help finance any future publications. I certainly hope so.

MikeGallagher

I sent him my first self-published comic, "Walking Small," back in 1992. Back when you self-published and shopped your rag in stores. No Internet ease for us. Lol.
He read it, sent back a letter responding to my questions about publishing, about 6 pages of answers, and he sent back trace paper copying a few pages of my book with his lettering. And a how to letter, uh, letter. Who does that?
I had follow up conversations with him too. I learned so much it got me in at dark horse and a solid pitch to DC.
He even wrote me a note when I had my first hernia and was getting thru recuperating by reading Cerberus.
I don't talk much about it but I have been in and out of comics since 1991. I built up a few relationships and learned a ton from various pros. I pissed a ton of time away trying to do everything myself.
I don't agree with Sim's current view of the world but I still respect him and his works. He still influences me to this day. That letter from him was quite frank and powerful.

Fade2Black

MikeGallagher said:

I sent him my first self-published comic, "Walking Small," back in 1992. . . .

Any chance of getting this book added to the ComicBookDB?
(Preferably a probability that's better than what the snowball en route to Hell was afforded.)

MikeGallagher

I've been trying to get my info set up on there but the other mike Gallagher is hogging all my names.

Fade2Black

It looks like the folks over at The Infinite Longbox podcast have bumped their Cerebus discussion to next week, which is fine by me for I'm only half-way through the first phone book. I've got jury duty next week, and if history is any indicator (this will be my seventh Jurors' summons), I'll have plenty of opportunities to get caught up with my reading.

peedmyself

Wow. Seven jurors summons tells me that you either have exceptionally bad luck, or a large portion of the population where you live needs to be neutered.

Fade2Black

Or both. I tend to get the weird ones. For instance, there was the guy who crashed his car into a police vehicle while higher than a kite, or the time a guy charged with sexual harassment opted to represent himself, and during our deliberations he attacked the bailiff. I'm kind of curious as to what's in store for me this week.

Anyhoo. I didn't pop in here to discuss my trials and tribulations. I noticed the Infinite Longbox Cerebus episode it up. I'm downloading it as I type.

http://infinitelongbox.libsyn.com/webpage/infinite-longbox-044-cerebus