Amazon.com

Church and State is volume three of the Cerebus the Aardvark series and picks up right where High Society leaves off. To compound matters further, this reprint volume is part one of a two-part story that is self-contained within the larger framework.

A face from Cerebus's past returns with an offer he can't refuse. But the gray one has learned a few lessons from the powers that be and turns the tables on the would-be puppet masters. This volume also marks the addition of Gerhard as a background artist, and the artwork begins to create a visual impact equal to the creative impact of the comic book's ideas and stories. The storytelling also becomes subtler, the beginning of a stylistic trademark in Cerebus that leads the reader to believe more action is taking place peripherally than in the actual pages. High points include a two-part dream sequence, which is visually unparalleled in the history of comic art; a pee-break which is unrivaled in length in the history of comic art; the return of Jaka; and "the baby incident." Don't forget to pick up Church and State, Volume Two , as volume one ends with the cruelest of cliffhangers. This is the Ivan the Terrible of graphic novels, both in terms of its subject matter and the creative peak it represents for the author. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Cerebus grows up.
The overall tone in script and art, on the surface, appears drier and less fun. The length of the written passages and the frequent use of cityscapes and room interiors for backgrounds makes the whole book seem as fun as a three hour course in industrial toothbrush manufacturing.
In truth this is one of the finest examples of what a graphic novel can be. Dave Sim's writing had matured beyond anything that was published at the time, and I will argue, anything since. It has, at times, so many turns and surprises that you rush to reach the end of each chapter and then he will turn completely around and deliver some of the funniest one-liners and slapstick. (one of the few times I have laughed out loud at a comic happens in this series). A classic cast of original characters as well as icons stolen from the golden ages of comedy. Gerhard's art is amazing and the book requires and second reading just to appreciate his work in full. This is a fun read for any fan of good writing or artwork and essential for every fan of a good comic.

The High Point
In my opinion the two volumes that comprise Church and State are the best of Cerebus. No longer Prime Minister and no longer caring about anything Cerebus is nominated to pontiff and decides everyone should give them gold. His object lessons with the young and old will give you a heartattack they are so funny. The underlying statements on religion, politics, and humanity is thought provoking and intense.

Where Cerebus Breaks Through
Church and State is where Dave Sim really breaks new grounds in art, plot, characterization, and scope. There is a definite shift from simple sight gags and cute one-liners - although both are present - to more elaborate storytelling functions. Church and State is an absolute must read for anyone who enjoyed High Society, as well as anyone who enjoys political or religious satire.

Aardvark? hmm . . .
Church and State is a fascinating introduction to the modern comic book, especially for those who are still expecting tights and superbreath. It is a compellingly complex political intrigue, as Dave Sim constructs his elaborate world in detail in this 3rd installment of his decades long work. Rather than being an illustrated history, the story moves from moments of remember to breathe humour to tenderness to satire to byzantine machinations and back to laughs. I'm especially fond of the end sequence when Cerebus has a cold: one of the chapters is entitled "na shid hids na fan." And every once in a while, you have to stop and slap yourself and say, "hmm . . . it's an aardvark." ... Read more

Amazon.com

Church and State, Volume II, is the second part of a story that exists as a whole and as part three of the Cerebus the Aardvark series. Many consider this volume to be Dave Sim and background artist Gerhard's best visual work to date.

The action picks up right after the cliffhanger at the end of part one of Church and State. Cerebus attempts to regain his lost throne amidst warnings of a larger crisis. Mountain climbing, the introductions of Prince Mick and Prince Keef (exactly who you might think they are), the Super Secret Sacred Wars, and an Ascension to Vanaheim mark this second half of the Church and State opus. The major plot lines, which started 10 years earlier in Cerebus and High Society, are resolved (to some degree). The ending sets the stage for the more restful and introspective volumes--Jaka's Story and Melmoth--that follow. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

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I'm not generally into comics; but the sight of Church &State II on the bookshelves, with it's deliciously stark and unusualcover, grabbed my attention. I started at the beginning and readthrough the first 12 books of Sim's epic.

Ironically, as far ascontent goes, I consider Church & State II a low point in theoverall series. Book 1 was fun in a silly, amateurish, ... way. Book 2was fascinating, and engaging, with its political focus, detail, andself-contained story. Book 3 was also excellent. But Book 4 is where Isee Sim beginning to get tedious, pretentious, andheavy-handed. Faults that would plague many later Cerebusvolumes.

Although it has its moments, Church & State II marksthe first volume of the series that I found to be a bit of achore. The Judge is a lame character, and the pseudo-philosophicalexcursions of the last segment of the book are only marginallyinteresting and have little to do with *Cerebus.* ...

Of course, ifyou're going to read Cerebus, might as well read them all, in order. Ijust think this volume is overrated.

Aardvark in the Dark Ages aspires to epic
This ambitious series must have started as a drunken dare. Dave Sim, sometime in writing his black and white comic book about a mercenary aardvark, decided to make it a 300 issue epic, complete with his aardvark becoming pope and meeting God. This book (the second of the Church and State arc) is generally considered Sim's best work, before he suffered the Woody Allen syndrome of abandoning the plot and satire-driven formula that drove his success for plodding, self-involved storylines. This book pokes fun at everyone, including the Rolling Stones, Groucho Marx, Elric, the entire Catholic church, and yet somehow manages to have an interesting interaction with God.

The only caveat I would warn readers with is this: reading this book is going to make you want to buy the rest of this series, and that's going to get expensive.

THe High Point part 2
In my opinion the two volumes that comprise Church and State are the best of Cerebus. No longer Prime Minister and no longer caring about anything Cerebus is nominated to pontiff and decides everyone should give them gold. His object lessons with the young and old will give you a heartattack they are so funny. The underlying statements on religion, politics, and humanity is thought provoking and intense. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Welcome to Estarcion, the wildly absurd and funny world of Cerebus the Aardvark. This initial volume collects the first two years of stories from Dave Sim's 300-issue magnum opus (still in progress after 20 years). Don't be discouraged by the initially crude artwork or the silliness of the stories. It gets better--even noticeably within this volume. This first installment is the most valuable in preparing for the larger stories ahead.

When we first meet Cerebus--a small, gray, and chronically ill-tempered aardvark--he is making his living as a barbarian. In 1977, when the Cerebus comic book series began, Sim initially conceived of it as a parody of such popular series as Conan, Red Sonja, and Elric but quickly mined that material and transformed the scope of the series into much more. Even by the end of this volume, the Cerebus story begins to transform beyond "funny animal" humor into something much more complex and interesting.

High points in Cerebus include the introduction of Lord Julius, the dictator of Palnu, who looks, acts, and talks just like a certain cigar-smoking, mustachioed comedian; Jaka, Cerebus's one true love; Elrod the Albino, an innept swordsman; and the Cockroach, the-mother-of-all-superhero-parodies and "inspiration" for the much-later TV and comic character--the Tick. All of these characters appear later on in the series as part of a constantly present ensemble of supporting figures.

Even if Cerebus doesn't knock your socks off, give its successor, High Society a try, as this is where the plot really gets going. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Great Book - Bad Entry
This is the worst of the Cerebus books, but still better than most so-called "graphic novels." The first volume of a 6,000-page saga, it begins roughtly and progresses by leaps and bounds almost every page as we see the amazing growth of Dave Sim in his first three years doing his own comic. Yes, Dave Sim. Ironically, Gerhard is credited with one of the few Cerebus books he had NOTHING to do with! (He joined Dave Sim doing backgrounds for Cerebus with issue #65; this volume collects issues 1-25.)

Meet the Earth-Pig
Not only the start of one of the best sequential stories ever, this volume also represents a perfect example of an artist learning his craft. Dave Sim writes and draws every issue in this volume by himself (he later gains a creative partner but not until the third volume) and the evolution of his artwork and writing are amazing to behold. Cerebus started out in the late 70's as a simple parody of Conan the Barbarian with single-issue stories of a cute lil' Aardvark (whose name came from a misspelling of the guard dog of Hades' name) who went around beating up people, good and bad, in search of treasure. He was basically Conan at first, and most of the recurring charecters were spoofs of Conan's supporting cast. This didn't last long,as longer stories lasting three or four issues began to show up,and Sim started developing his own art style instead of emulating the artwork of Conan artist Barry Windsor-Smith. This volume collects issues 1-25 of the comic book,and by the end the book has gone from simplistic and amatuerish (frankly, the first issue is terrible except for the twist ending) to hilarious, allegoric, and intellegent. Nevertheless, these stories, while almost all excellent and increasing in quality every issue,pale in comparasin to the larger epic the series becomes in later volumes. Though the story really kicks off in volume two ("High Society," where Cerebus becomes a poltical mover and shaker via an odd twist of fate) volume one is essential to introducing the charecters and thier relationships. All of these stories have some signifigance, and alot of them show up again when you least expect it (issue number two, for example, has ramifications that don't come into play until more than one hundred and fifty issues later!) But more importantly, they almost all entertaining well-done stories in thier own right. Cerebus is a brillaint,mature and though-provoking saga that derseves to be up there with some of the great satiric AND serious fictional works of the twentith century. It's also one of the few serial stories that always gets better with each new story. You owe it to yourself to at least give it a try, and this is the ideal place to start.

Cerebus the Barbarian, uh, the Aardvark, Issues #1-25
Now that I have read the 300th and final issue of "Cerebus the Aardvark," it seems appropriate to go back and read the beginning again, knowing what the earth-pig's final fate (and word) will be. "Cerebus, Volume 1" reprints the first 25 issues in which Dave Sim figures out what he is doing with his cute and furry aardvark. The starting point, as Sim himself admitted in teh beginning, was to "Look as much like Barry Smith as possible," a point which is never more obvious than in issue #2 "Captive in Boreala," which the opening pages are basically Sim's version of Smith's "Frost Giant's Daughter." But by the end of these 25 issues "Cerebus" has been remarkably transformed, and by this I mean more than the fact that somewhere doing those two years of comics that Cerebus starts to look like Cerebus (it takes until issue #4 to actually start wearing clothing).

In retrospect what is fascinating here is to reconsider these stories and see how a funny-animal comic book, that begins with Cerebus bouncing on top of a horse as he a city to engage in some Conan the Barbarian like thievery. After all, Cerebus is wearing Conan's helmet and has a necklace with large round things on it just link Conan in the beginning. But then in #3 "Song of Red Sophia" and #4 "Death's Dark Tread" two important things happen. The first is that Sim undertakes some parodies of some supporting characters from the Conan comic book: Robert E. Howard's Red Sonja becomes Red Sophia and Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melibone becomes Elrod the Albino who has a tall pointy hat and speaks exactly like Foghorn Leghorn. The second is that these two twisted characters become the first recurring characters in the "Cerebus" world, and from them Sim branched out in other directions for his targets.

Sim did go back and have some fun with turning another of Howard's original characters into Bran Mak Mufin (#5), but ultimately what took "Cerebus" to the next level were three characters. The first was the original character of Jaka the dancing girl (#6), who was clearly intended as a one-shot character. But the pathos of her parting with Cerebus, who has forgotten her once he sobers up, suggested for the first time there could be some pathos in these tales. The second was the ultimate parody character, the Cockroach (#11), who would pop up from time to time in the series and embody whoever was the hot comic book character of the moment. Okay, that makes sense for the Wolveroach but not the Moon Roach, but you get the idea. The third character was Cerebus' greatest foil, Lord Julius, who was first introduced in "Silverspoon" in the "Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom" (Lord Julius is the father of a spoiled Prince Valiant type son) and then took center stage in the Palnu Trilogy: "The Walls of Palnu" (#14), "A Day in the Pits" (#15), and "A Night at the Masque" (#16), at the end of which we learn that Jaka is Lord Julius's neice. However, what is important here is that Lord Julius looks and talks like Groucho Marx, a coincidence that is explained by the fact Groucho's real name was Julius.

Lord Julius is important because he made it easy for Sim to do stories about politics and to do so with a character whose major strength is his imperturbability and his refusal to be cornered on any point of contention. Add to this the fact that he is running the whole show in Palnu and it is impossible not to take great joy in every scene in which he appears. Every other "real" person who appeared in the 300 issues of "Cerebus," from Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, got through the front door because Lord Julius ripped it off the hinges and threw it on the floor.

The Palnu Trilogy is also Sim's first 71-page Cerebus story, which is what sets the stage for the "books," the first of which is presented in the second volume in this collection "High Society." This is clearly the point at which Sim starts thinking of having a big picture and eventually getting to the point where he can announce he knows how the whole thing is going to end. For the record I consider "High Society" to be the high water mark of Cerebus and the justification for giving this first volume five stars as well is because the historical value of watching how Sim turns his funny animal comic book into a first rate socio-political satire becomes a key part of the equation.

I definitely think that there was a point where "Cerebus," in the current vernacular, "jumped the shark," but before that point (which I hope to pinpoint as I reread all 300 issues) there was a period of time when this comic book was as the one I most looked forward to reading each month. Going back and starting over from the beginning certainly reminds me what that was the case.

One of the funniest books i've ever read!
I've been reading a lot of excellent comic books by great authors like: Alan Moore (Watchmen, From Hell, etc), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, 300), Grant Morrison (Invisibles), Art Spielgman (Maus), etc.

One of the works that I've always been remembered to pick up was the Dave Sim's Cerebus. And, unfortunately (now I know), I postponed this for a long time!!

Reading the reviews in the net, I decided to begin by the second volume in the Cerebus Saga (High Society).

Then I had a wonderful surprise! I haven't finished to read the fourth story and I've been already engaged in the aardvark adventures, in such way that I had to make a great effort to stop reading the book (I did not want to stop not even to eat!). I began to agree that Cerebus was not only above the average comic book works, it was far above, it was one of the great works of the medium.

But this review is about the first book, isn't?

Yes, it is (I'm just recommending you to buy the second too, and the third, and keep reading until the end of the saga :) . I hope also that Amazon decides to sell all the books, instead of only the first 12).

It is just to agree with some people that say that it is better to begin reading Cerebus by High Society, and come back to the first book. Thus you'll really enjoy the introductions of the characters that you have already met in the second book - and some that you haven't, but will be important in the next books, like: Red Sonja, who will get "marriage" with Cerebus (and make him to like sex); President Weisshaupt, etc.

In this book we see also: Jaka (Cerebus only one true love) who, surprisingly, doesn't seem to be an important character; Lord Julius, who will introduce Cerebus in the world of the bureaucracy and politics; the completely crazy "cockroach" who will incorporate all the cliches of the mainstream super-hero characters; Elrod the Albino, who will bring us a very funny story when he "dies"!!! :); professor "Charles X. Claremont" and his "woman-thing", together with the "sump-thing", and many others that I could write for hours and hours about.

This is probably one of the funniest books in the series. Here we see Cerebus as a barbarian. He goes in wars, fights with wizards and shows his abilities to con people. Cerebus is always trying to get gold, but when he gets some, he never knows how to keep it, or expend it in games and drinks (which are the things he loves most to do, besides sleep and raw potatoes)!

I rated the first book five stars, because although the stories begin a bit crude (as the author himself recognizes), the artwork and the texts increase exponentially in quality (while the nose of Cerebus decreases :), thanks Dave! ).

Finally, I don't agree with some people that say that the book becomes better when Cerebus meets Lord Julius, I think that, if you did like me and began reading High Society, it is better a little early than this!

Nothin better then a warrior ardvark
I've been reading comics for probably near on 10 years now. This story is very unique to say the least. This first of 14 installments will get you addicted. I just purchased this last month and now have finished volume 2 and 3&4 are in the mail. This first volume is an eclectic mixture of adventures the "earth pig born" goes through to help give you an idea of his personality. It will draw you in with its fantastic sense of humor and timing. The only thing it lacks is a concrete storyline wich is picked up in volume two. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Volume two of the Cerebus the Aardvark series, High Society, is the beginning of the main Cerebus story line and one of the finest graphic novels ever published. If you have to start from the very beginning, you'll need the first volume, Cerebus, but if you don't mind a modicum of confusion, this is a much more satisfying place to begin. The artwork is much improved and the level of humor reaches its high point in the series to date. (Unkind critics point to High Society as the older, funnier book of the Cerebus series.)

Parliamentary politics were never so much fun as they are in the Prime Minister election of 1414. Lord Julius and the mysterious Astoria battle for control of the city-state Iest with Cerebus as their unwitting pawn. Goats, bunny sketches, the Regency Elf, and Moon Roach join the pandemonium, helping to set the stage for things to come. High Society is a home run; an instant classic both as a stand-alone volume and in the context of the rest of the series. Beware though, the ending dovetails directly into Church and State; You may want to grab that volume as well, because once you start the series, the story of Cerebus gets increasingly harder to put down. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Another great work by Dave Sim
High Society is not just a comic book about a warrior aardvark, but it pokes fun at society and government. In 2004, Dave's 300 issue run of Cerebus will end, so get this book now and start reading, becase it WILL take you a while

Much more than a comic book, this is Orson Welles
High Society fully deserves the praise given to it by the other reviewers. The dramatic tension that builds in the closing section of the story equals anything I have read in straight literature or seen in plays or films. The scene of Cerebus' discovery that he possesed to one thing that could have assured his administration is extraordinary, followed immediately by the cut to the narrator scrawling the last word of text onto his cell wall it is breathtaking. Citizen Kane with better jokes.

The torch burns brighter
After reading the first I was hooked and this second volume game me the only thing missing from the first, a solid plot. With Cerebus trying to move up into high society and gain the role of prime minister his character becomes even more diverse and you love the little ardvark more and more. Best comic series I have ever read.

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To my mind, High Society remains a high point in the Cerebus epic. Like the much later "Guys," it is a (relatively) self-contained chunk of the story, and takes place largely in a single locale. The political parody, which normally would not be my cup of tea, works incredibly well here because of the *detail* Sim injects it with. I never would've imagined that an electoral process could be so much fun to read in graphic novel form. Unlike later books, in High Society, Sim manages to remain focused on the story itself, sparing us the pretentious trappings and scattershot, heavy-handed meanderings that would mar later segments of Cerebus. In other words, this is when Dave Sim was still doing Cerebus, as opposed to his "Hi, I am Dave Sim and I am very clever and here is what I think about the world and here is what I look like and here is my latest experiment in the comic medium and oh, by the way, this is a comic book called Cerebus and yeah, it has something to do with him, when I'm not writing about whatever famous author I just finished reading and when I don't have anything arrogant and irrelevant to share with all of my fans" -- work. I like a lot of what Sim's done, but he's at his best when he leaves himself out of it and concentrates on coherent chunks of actual story.

Yes, we have a plot!
After having amusing but ultimatly directonless adventures as a wandering sword-for-hire, Cerebus finds his way to the City-State of Iest, where the six or so years of the comic will be taking place. This volume is noteable because it's officially the point where things start to get good,and where Sim begins to explore the more sophisticated directions he will be taking Cerebus in. The story of High Society is a clever, ironic, suspensful and above all hilariously sataric one. As Cerebus get caught up in his burgernoning politcal career, Sim finds time poke fun at democracy, feminism, religon, comic conventions and the X-men while keeping the story moving along at a brisk, satisfying pace. High Society is probably the funniest Cerebus story though not the best-written overall. It remains, however, much,much better than 99% of the other comics out there. Once Cerebus gets ahold of some power, he finds he likes it very, very much, and this will be a major factor in stories to come. If you're planning to read Cerebus all the way through (and you should) you should probably start with the first volume, "Cerebus" but if you need convincing, High Society will definatly hook you,and you can always go back and read the first volume to fill in the blanks. Either way, this is a brilliant read, both on it's own and as a component the larger saga, and not to be missed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Cerebus is a 6,000 page comics novel about the life and death of a warrior aardvark. But what started as a Conan the Barbarian parody has evolved into a brilliant commentary on politics, gender roles and the creative urge. Jaka's Story is the fifth book in the series, and it tells the story of a dancer (Jaka) stranded in a deserted town surrounded by her carefree husband, a lecherous bartender and Oscar Wilde. Rich and satisfyingly complex, this is well worth your time. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Uneven, interesting graphic novel
After exploring politics and religion in the previous three volumes of the Cerebus series, Dave Sim wrote and illustrated this personal story. It's all about Jaka, Cerebus's true love, and the men around her. Cerebus is there along with Jaka's husband Rick, Oscar Wilde, and Pud the tavern owner.

Two stories play out simultaneously. The first is written in chunks of prose with single illustrations, similar to a children's book. But the text is not childish at all --- it's Oscar Wilde's fanciful description of Jaka's life. Dave Sim put a lot of effort into recreating Wilde's style, which is admirable but difficult to wade through. The illustrations are beautiful, but the text is so overwritten, you can skip to every fifth sentence and still get the meaning. (There are at least two pages devoted to holding a doorknob and preparing to open it. Reading those pages will put you to sleep fast.)

The other story is presented in the standard comic book style, with cartoons and word balloons. Dave Sim's right-hand man, Gerhard, drew the backgrounds. He's a brilliant illustrator who combines the accuracy of a photograph with the simple effect of an animation cel. Some of the exteriors of buildings, mountain roads, and front porches are better than Sim's cartoon people. This part of the story moves along slowly but deliberately, letting you get to know the characters and their daily routine. Then, about halfway in, something happens that changes the pace and tone. I won't spoil it for you, but the second part refers to the first, putting it under a microscope. The tone shifts from the dull ache of ordinary life to real danger. It's an impressive bit of storytelling, flipping the mood upside down without losing the plot.

It's not easy to recommend this graphic novel to non-comic-book readers, simply because Dave Sim has hobbled his good ideas by setting the story in a fake post-Medieval world with a talking aardvark as the main character. Cerebus will distract non-comic-book readers. On the one hand, you have a story about real people and their relationships. On the other hand, there's an aardvark in love with Jaka and no one acts like that's weird or out of place. If you treat it like a joke, that undermines the seriousness of the story. Sim tries to have it both ways, but it doesn't work.

Comic book readers, on the other hand, will see Jaka's Story as a step up from the traditional superhero and fantasy stuff. Yes, it has a talking aardvark, but at least there are no supervillains of evil wizards. If you're going to get into Cerebus and you want to start with the early books, try Jaka's Story. Then go back and read High Society and the Church & State volumes.

read the first ones
I first started reading Cerebus over 20 years ago, carefully collecting the older editions from a used comic store. Jaka's Story, like the later Cerebus stories, moves away from the spof of major comic books, but tells a story in its own right. Giving the history of the world of Cerebus along with many realistic characters, Jaka's story is well worth reading. Though you do have to read the first ones to understand Jaka, who pops up every now and then in the stories before.

The best of the best
It's just a comic book...

...isn't it?

And yet so many words can be applied to it. Let me see... Emotionally rich? Sounds like potting soil... Touching? Not quite... Genius? Too weak...

For "just a comic book," this is an absolutely breathtaking piece of literature. To call it a treasure would be like calling winter in Antarctica "a little chilly." This is a book absolutely overflowing with all the things that make a book really worth reading: fascinating characters, lyrical prose, a setting as detailed as any reasonably possible (and interesting to boot: it's several miles above ground level). Best of all, it's a *comic book.* There are some things you just can't say with words. You need an entire page filled with frame after frame of a shadowed shape just barely recognizable as a prison door before you can get the full effect of a broken voice choking out a lullaby from its roach-infested depths.

On a more technical note, the literary references to Oscar Wilde are enjoyable and, as far as a dedicated fan of Wilde's work can tell, accurate. Pud Withers alone is a reason to read the book: a character worthy of a place among Literature's most introspective and developed characters. His constantly rephrased fantasy conversations are a fascinating study of how innocent desires evolve into violent lust.

As for Cerebus, his most important role in the book is playing a game of toss-the-ball-into-the-waste-bucket. The rest of the time he spends pretending to be asleep or gone completely "fetching paint for Oscar." This neither makes the book better nor worse. Cerebus's absence has no effect on the quality, but his presence would not have effected it either. Though he is the main character of the series, this IS Jaka's Story.

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After the disappointing and self-important 2nd half of Church & State, Jaka's Story is like a refreshing breeze in the Cerebus storyline. The incorporation of significant chunks of plain text first makes its appearance here; but at least it is, content-wise, addressing things relevant to the Cerebus storyline (as opposed to say, Reads.) I enjoy Sim's art more than his writing, but the balance here is fairly nice, and most importantly, it is a *focused* & coherent volume of the work. It's tonality is more serious than that of earlier Cerebus volumes, and this is a bit awkward at some points, but overall Sim pulls it off reasonably well. The slow pacing helps generate the appropriate atmosphere and immerses us in this particular leg of the story -- allows us to really settle in. Not my favorite Cerebus book, but a pretty good one. Pud was a particularly interesting character.

Alex Sydorenko
Jaka's Story is a favorite of mine in the Cerebus Series. Its almost as good as Volume two (High Society). The artwork is stunning. The story is superb. Jaka, the dancer...alterego of Cerebus the barbarian...What a match, huh?--Alex Sydorenko, Oct 1999, Chicago ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not for the uninitiated
Later Cerebus volumes such as this are not for the uninitiated. Collecting as they do issues from the late 100s (of a total proposed 300 issue series), they require a knowledge of a large majority of the previously published issues of volumes. Cerebus itself is not necessarily enjoyable by those without some familiarity with its peer comics, fantasy novels by Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, the Marx brothers' films, and the writings and lives of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, to enumerate only some of its influences.

Minds is much more traditional in its presentation compared to the previous volume, Reads, although it continues Sim's idiosyncratic view of the relation between creator and creation. I liked it a lot--especially the points where Cerebus tries to come to grips with the fact that he is talking to "God." Call it meta-fiction, call it jacking off--its unreal and poignant at the same time. Even if you think it doesn't work, you at least have to admire Sim for his audacity.

New to Cerebus? Don't start here. Find the first eponymous phone book and try that. It gets both better and worse after that, but this is truly one of those cases where you have to take the good with the bad.

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Boasting some of Gerhard's most breathtaking work, which contributes to a remarkably stark visual atmosphere, 'Minds' is the best book in the tiresome, if occasionally entertaining, "Mothers & Daughters" portion of the Cerebus books. It paces itself nicely, refraining from jumping around at random (as was the tendency in "Flight" and "Women"), staying on a single track, with Cerebus and Cirin reeling through space, confronting God. A dark, inventive, and fascinating piece of work. I almost busted a gut when Sim drew himself into the comic, shedding a tear if I remember correctly -- I'm sorry, but the man has issues, and his need to constantly include HIMSELF in his own book is extremely irritating and aesthetically retarded -- but, this can be forgiven in light of the book's overall merits.

Well
Some of the reviews here have interesting points. One point I have to dispute to let the reader understand where this is going. Cerebus WILL DIE. Sim has stated this time and again. Cerebus, the series, is a life. Cerebus will die. The big gaping questions is: "Will anyone LOVE Cerebus?" Will he die unmourned and unloved? Or will he learn to change enough to have someone love him when he dies? I think perhaps it will simply be 'resolved'. I don't think he will be loved. I think he will be content with that though....but we have a way to go yet so my opinion may change. Minds is Sims way of getting right to the point and MAYBE just maybe opening Cerebus' eye(s) enough to see that he has to change his self serving ways.

Alex Sydorenko
Lemme tell you, "Reads" the previous volume that everyone heralds as "Cerebus at its best" kinda left me feeling lousy with all its vitriol between the sexes. That big battle between Cerebus and Cirin started causing me nightmares, and I just couldnt really get into Viktor Reid's view of things...But then comes "Minds" and its the tonic I needed- First off, the art (as always) is superb, but the art's especially superb in this volume of the series as Cerebus hurtles on his broken throne through the astral dimensions and spends time on icey Pluto thinking things through. "Minds"- to me is Cerebus at his best- though "Jaka's Story" is still my favorite out of the series.--Alex Sydorenko, November, Chicago

"Church and State I" a cliff-hanger? Yeah right.
Sim's previous volume of Cerebus, "Reads", and the final volume of his "Mothers and Daughters"--or, "the other big book" of the Cerebus storyline--is one of the most controvercial in the history of comics to date. It has shaken up a number of people. Some it has offended. Some it has made think.

All..(pregnant pause)..it has effected.

"Minds" is not "Reads".

Let's get that point across straight from the start.

"Minds" is not about you, the reader. The story arch "Mothers and Daughters" ended with the afore-mentioned final volume of which it was composed. Yes, Cirin is still there, for awhile anyway. The first approximately 60 pages, she and Cerebus have what is essentially a repetition of the screaming match between him and Astoria in issue #105, only instead of in the dungeons of a small Tarimite church, this one takes place on a large chunk of rock shooting through space.

But, even though we will get to hear some talk about her behind her back, "Minds" is not about Cirin. So, accordingly, Sim gets rid of her. No, no, don't be upset-slash-throw a party (whichever you prefer). He simply sends her to Saturn for a while.

So Cerebus is left all alone on his large chunk of rock.

Now the fun begins.

Did I mention "Minds" is not about Cirin, "Mothers and Daughters", or you? It concerns, in fact, a certain puzzling grey-furred personality whom we have all come to know and love/hate. And his Creator.

As you know, Sim has spent something like 20 years on his title character, Cerebus. He has been "Prime Minister, then he was a houseguest, than he was Prime Minister, then the Pope, and then a house guest again".

Don't forget mercenary, Kitchen Staff Supervisor, and...ehh, skip it.

He has been offensive, cruel, cunning, barbaric, sophisticated, loving, unlovable, scheming, noble, petty....

Etcetera.

He has been the focus of attention, and he has been in the wings.

He has been a lot.

So what is he?

Well, it hurts to say it, but he remains much the same in one tragic respect. He is destructive. He has wrecked, or had a part in wrecking, the lives of a lot of people, and he is well on the way to wrecking his own. Sim has tossed just about every trick in the book at him, and he still continues unswervingly on his path to a grim death--chant along, people!--"alone, unmourned, and unloved". He seems inviolate. It has become painfully clear that nothing on earth is going to make him change.

Well, he's not on Earth now, is he?

Sim has taken the voice of a lot of people in his books, including Cerebus himself, Oscar Wilde, Jaka, and Victor and Viktor. Now, in "Minds", he takes his own in a lengthy discussion with Cerebus: Creator to Creation.

You see, Cerebus has run up against a brick wall. With all that has happened, he continues grimly on the road to self-destruction. To draw a parallel, he has now encountered that same fork in the road Neil Gaiman's Morpheus encountered. He must either change...or die.

If a "needle in Cerebus' eye", "Jaka's new boyfriend" and "abandoning Cerebus on Juno" don't make him change, it's not likely anything else will.

"Minds" concludes on a humorous note, but there is still danger. Cerebus seems resolved to change his life, but then again, he's no longer stranded on Juno, is he? Instead, he's falling through space...to the rest of his story.

Well, it's 1997. We have until 2006. Nine years in which Cerebus can either shape up or revert back to his old ways--change or die.

Is that a cliff-hanger or what? ... Read more

Amazon.com

More than 11 years into a 25-year project of chronicling the life of a single main character, Dave Sim took a small detour (of sorts), put his main character Cerebus on the sidelines, and told this story of the last days of Oscar Wilde. Some Cerebus readers think this book is a needless distraction from Sim's master epic; others think this is one of Sim's finest achievements, and that by combining and slightly altering the very real letters of Robert Ross to More Adey (originally printed in the Collected Letters of Oscar Wilde), Sim was able to add a depth and breadth to his fiction never before possible. Either way, Sim and exquisite background artist Gerhard are in fine form as they weave this tale of Wilde into their fictional landscape of a new matriarchal establishment. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Every good story needs a break!
I've seen a lot of reviews about Melmoth and I think most people are wrong saying that this is not an important story for Cerebus.

In the last book, Jaka's Story, Cerebus was living with Jaka and Rick. Then he decided to go out to get some paint, but when he comes back, what he sees? He is shocked by the apparent death of Jaka (don't forget, his only true love!)!!!

What would he do now? Dave Sim had to give a break, for the character to recover, since he went catatonic!

This is the break that the story needed. In parallel, he showed the last days of the true Oscar Wilde (it is interesting to notice that there was other character called Oscar in Jaka's Story, also based in Oscar Wilde).

What is impressive in this story is to see all the details of a natural death, written in letters by his close friends. At the beginning of the story, Oscar Wilde is still lucid (making comments about everything - literature, society and politics, etc.), drinks champagne and seems to be happy together with his friends. Then he gets more and more sick, the physicians notice that he is dying. At last, he cannot speak anymore, and there is no more hope.

I think that this story might have some parallel with the death (in the end of the series) of Cerebus. Cerebus also is going to get old and die (we still don't know how, if naturally, or killed, or other thing).

At last, it is important to comment that this book finishes (finishes?) with Cerebus finding out that Jaka was imprisoned by the Cirinists and that they tortured her. So, he recovers immediately and begins to kill all the Cirinists in his path (in a way we didn't see not even in the first book of the series). Then, you will be quite compelled to buy the next book in the series, which is Flights.

Must read
All of the previous reviews have very good points. This is a departure from the main storyline, Cerebus does not do a great deal in it, and the story was written before Dave Sim ever set his pen to his easel. But look at the other side of the comments, not one of them really regrets reading the story. This is one of the shoter chapters of the saga, and as a result it displays an agility and a skill level from both artists that is truly inspiring. This departure into the life of Wilde works very well with the trauma that Cerebus is going through and adds a greater depth to the storyline as a whole.

.
Certainly a well-done piece of work and a skillful depiction of the final days of Oscar Wilde. But it's true -- this has nothing to do with Cerebus. Sim's fluctuation between all-out whimsical fantasy and heavy-handed realism always struck me as a bit awkward and grating. Why is Oscar Wilde important to the world of Cerebus? Why should his death be a part of the Cerebus storyline? Is there an important metaphorical parallel?

Answers: He isn't, it shouldn't, and no. The way it came off to me is that Sim had been reading and enjoying Oscar Wilde, and decided to incorporate his completely irrelevant interest into his comic book, because, well ... because he just likes Wilde so much. It doesn't belong. And it is early evidence of Sim's arrogance and pretentiousness which would become more visible yet in the volumes to come.

But, all the same, I'd be lying if I said it was poorly done. It is, indeed, a good and well-researched piece of work. The only problem is that I'm really not that interested in Oscar Wilde -- and if I were, I'd get a bio and read up on him myself. I wouldn't turn to Cerebus.

ummmm....not the high point
Dave Sim's admiration of Oscar Wilde makes for boring reading. This could have benifited by NOT having that part of the story in. The parts WITH our main character 'Cerebus' are of course great. The building of Cerebus coming back to the world is amazing....I found myself on the edge of my seat as he came to.

Sim at his talented best
Dave Sim certainly took a risk pushing Cerebus off to the side during this story and the previous Jaka's Story, but I think it worked out for the best because it allowed him to explore other means of narration and art.

Every part of Melmoth is perfect, from the opening scenes with the Roach, to the gripping finale. The first gaunt shot of Oscar stepping from the shadows is priceless, and Sim and Gerhard create new levels of creativity by melding their two artforms together

Even though the narration is taken from actual letters, the pace is still suspenseful, even though the reader knows Oscar is going to die. But above all, Sim's story is about life and people doing what they do normally, and he showcases it all brilliantly. This is possibly one of the finest comic works ever written, ranking up with Sim's previous Jaka's Story, Moore's Watchmen and Miller's Dark Knight Returns ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Where i truly started.
Cerebus began with issue one, but that was before i was born. Therefore, my initiation into comics came later as did my interest outside the superhero genre. Well, as it happens, Guys was the first full book/chapter/volume of Cerebus that i ever read; that is, i read this as it came out monthly. Previously i had bought and read the first volume in which Cerebus is actually just a Conan parody, but Guys was my first taste of real Sim and the magnificent background art of Gerhard.

Entering this volume without having the complete prior story was confusing, but a willingness and steady pace allowed me to situate myself and get comfortable quickly. Plus, i luckily had a steady income that allowed for the consumption (so to speak) of the prior volumes. Though i should say that i was able to read all of the prior volumes in the time it took for the 20 or so issues of this volume to reach my hands.

A great high point of Guys is Marty's character. Marty Feldman as he was in Young Frankenstein -- i.e. bloody hilarious. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also provide some laughs. Also worth mentioning is Sim's inclusion of other comics professionals most notably Rick Veitch and Don Thompson. All the cameos Sim includes serve a purpose, though it is somtimes purely comedic.

All in all, Sim gives a very sublime tone throughout this volume, which may or may not be helpful to some readers after the mass of text and ideas that is Mothers and Daughters. I found the relaxing pace quite welcome, though. The only thing truly lacking in the collected volumes are 1) the nice covers 2) the back up features like letters and other correspondences Sim has with several comics professionals (one of my favorites is his several part discussion about the end of Gaiman's Sandman series, which occurred during this volume's serialization).

Yet another masterpiece
It's not the best of the Cerebus books, but - maybe except for Reads - any of them deserves five stars.

At first one starts to wonder if Cerebus is ever going to be sober in this book. Dave Sim & Gerhard have distinguished themselves, among other things, as people able to depict drunkenness and headaches in a quite extraordinarily realistic way, as displayed in this book as well. There are also a number of interesting deliriums (another of the creators' strong sides). Eventually Cerebus does get sober, and the storyline starts concerning itself with deeper issues, such as loneliness, and friendship and how it can be ruined by falling in love (with someone else). And it all ends with an epilogue so unexpected and thought-provoking that you'll do anything to read the next book.

The perhaps most important reason why the Cerebus books are so good, and like nothing else in this world, is that the creators allow themselves to take their time. An average book in the series is about 300-500 pages, and this obviously allows for (successful) experimenting with the art of telling a story in comics. This involves, for instance, filmish effects (like zooming in or out on a target) and symbolistic depictions of a character's inner life. Something that maybe hasn't been given enough credit is Dave Sim's almost superhuman genius in creating word balloons that are immensely able to express sentiments. Another forgotten hero is Gerhard, whose backgrounds are always ... perfect.

Finally, I can only feel sorry for Cerebus, that he has to meet such a terrible person like Joanne.

.
Although Sim's misogynistic agenda was pretty clear by the time "Guys" hit the shelf, this volume remains, to my mind, one of the best books in the series. After the rambling, pretentious, scattershot, tedious nonsense that weighed down Mothers & Daughters (composed of Flight, Women, Reads, & Minds) -- Guys revitalized my interest in the book as a whole. Guys stands up pretty well as a self-contained work, and the art is some of the best. The writing is top-notch, and the parodies of the gender roles and attitudes are extremely effective. Given that the entire book takes place in a tavern, with the characters drunk half the time, it encapsulates what you'd expect from a volume called "Guys" pretty well.

One of the funniest, best-written, and most interesting books in the Cerebus series.

A look at Pub Life
In this collection of Cerebus, Dave Sim looks at life in a pub as the male patrons interact. Lots of guest stars from previous Cerebus books appear: Mick & Keef, Bear, and others. This book will make you think about platonic friendships between males and their relationships with women. Shows some insight into the Cirinist regime that has been set up and how Cerebus deals with it. Mrs Thatcher also returns. Many laughs in this one!

Great as usuall.
Dave Sim and Gerhart puts out the 11th book of the Cerebus series, and it is great as usuall. Funny, graphic, and addictive as allways. May the 300 ish mark be just a fluke and may it go on and on and on. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The counterpoint to the impressive foundation of the two-volume, 1,200-page Church & State is the equally impressive, equally complex Mothers & Daughters, the first volume of which is Flight. This graphic novel concerns the fight between the newly established matriarchy and the opposing "daughterarchy." Cerebus, trying to regain the power he lost when the matriarchal Cirinists took over, heads down a fateful, blood-soaked path. Dave Sim is often reviled as a misogynist because of the radical politics and philosophy laid down in his books, the groundwork of which begins here and builds toward the climax of Mothers & Daughters, which was so explosive that when it was initially released it cost Sim several close friends. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Awesome!
After High Society, Church & State, and Jaka Story, this book is an achievement in the graphic novels medium.

I wonder how Dave Sim was able to kept the same quality of the previous books for so long time!

Cerebus have already been Prime Minister, Pope, owner of quite all the gold in the world, and has "ascended" to the Moon to find one of the most powerful beings in his universe, "the Judge". After all these top creative events, most writers would prefer to use the "hint" of the Judge and finish the saga. However, Dave Sim still had a lot of rabbits in his hat.

After the pause in Melmoth, Cerebus wakes from the shock of thinking that Jaka is dead and begins to kill every cirinist that appear in his path. Being, of course, underestimated even for Cirin (since he is only 3 feet tall).

This book is so intense that you just can't stop reading it.

More important, here begins a series of revelations about the origins of Cerebus, who he is, and his place in the events of things. I think everybody will be
delighted when Suenteus Po finally reveals himself as the third aadvark (since everybody should have already noticed that Cirin was an aadvark as well).

Finally this books prepares the so waited meeting among: Cerebus, Astoria, Cirin and Suenteus Po.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone. Moreover, I recommend everybody to buy all the Cerebus series.

The Worst Cerebus to Date
This is the last Cerebus tale I have read and my least favourite to date. Its not bad, but its not of the same quality that I have come to expect from Dim Sim, who is one of the most under-rated creaters in comics. I liked the scenes with the roach, but the bits with Cerebus in it seem to go on forever. Unlike, say Jaka's Story, which is also quite drawn out, its just not that interesting. This instalment basically follows Cerebus's meeting with some kind of Ardvark ancestor who has acheived god-like status. It is also basically setting the scene for a confrontation between Cerebus and Cirin, who seems to be becoming the main antagonist in the series. I am not suggesting that you skip this book, however. It is, of course, an integral part of the overall storyline. Just don't expect too much from it.

The real Cerebus is back
Shocked from his reverie by a fatal chance meeting at the end of the previous book, Cerebus returns to action -- and Dave Sim regains his storytelling footing -- in Flight. After the introspection and digression of Melmoth, Dave Sim demonstrates again that he does blood-splattering action as well as he does cerebral, otherworldy dream-delving. The book is cinematic in execution, switching between five and six scenes from page to page and sometimes from panel to panel, immersing you in the feeling that all these things are happening simultaneously for a reason, and that all these seemingly unconnected threads are actually Going Someplace. Which they do, though not until the next book, Women. If you can avoid it, don't buy this book until you also get the next volume, because if you read this one alone you're going to chew your fingernails down to the wrists waiting for the next book to arrive.

.
In a sense, it was nice to see some adrenaline pumped into Cerebus after the low-key "Jaka's Story" and "Melmoth," -- the action is entertaining, the story is interesting, and the humor is pretty rich. Well -- at least at first. But Flight (and the rest of Mothers & Daughters) quickly begins to suffer from the scattershot feel and pretentious, self-important meanderings of the earlier Church & State II, which I consider the worst book of the first 6. Sim has no focus here, and jumps around, shifting from wacky comedy to heavy-handed drama to boring historical ramblings indiscriminately. In Flight, I no longer felt immersed in a particular, cogent world of Sim's creation -- I felt like I was just watching him sort of ... make stuff up ... ramble off on bizarre historical details that I felt no connection to as a reader ... and so forth. Flight has its moments, but it really marks the point at which my interest in Cerebus as a whole began to radically taper.

Alex Sydorenko
Well, as I'm reading each book in the series, I got kinda worried about Cerebus there for awhile: After Jaka's disappearance, Cerebus presumed she was dead (when actually she was imprisoned by the invading Cirinists. He spends most of the previous book (Melmoth) sitting alone on the terrace at Dino's Cafe, holding Jaka's childhood doll and looking stunned....But now here in Flight, Cerebus is wide awake and seeking vegence like an aardvaark out of hell. Flight, to say the least, is Cerebus at his most intense yet. And the astral chess game in outer space with Suenteus Po is pretty cool visually. Now all Cerebus needs to do is rediscover Jaka's alive. So I keep on reading--Alex Sydorenko, Oct 1999, Chicago ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another great link in the epic
Any one who has read all the previous Cerebus collections will love this edition. Women is the chapter in the aardvark's story that brings focus to all of his interactions with the fairer sex and where they wound up after the adventures our hero endured in Flight. Author Dave Sim extends himself deep into the characters that have more often than not been Cerebus' undoing and at points finds more humanity in the cold hearted femme fatales that would have been earlier thought two-dimesional. Cirin, Astoria, And Mrs. Henrot Gutch, all in the spotlight, and Red Sophia on a psuedo-Oprah to boot. A fantastic book that leads to another one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Masterful integration of text and images
With "Rick's Story," Dave Sim and Gerhard created a chapter in the story of Cerebus that deserves a place with other respected graphic novels. The story carefully studies the two main characters, Rick and Cerebus, as they suffer a purgatory unique to each but shared by both. The episodes expose the characters' dilemmas with well-crafted storytelling and inventive graphic devices. At certain points, Cerebus struggles to subdue his mania by quietly arguing with the many different and distinct voices in his head. This allows Sim to show off his effective expression of dialect and tone within his drawn script. At other points, Rick slips into a martyr fantasy as expressed in friezes from stained-glass windows. As the typeset narrative continues in the margins, the windows act both as illustration and backdrop for the characters' actions.

Although it is short on feverish drama, "Rick's Story" contains much to be enjoyed and savored. The story is an evocative set piece fleshed-out with creatively integrated text and images. Despite many, sometimes subtle, back-references, anyone could enjoy this novel by itself. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The ninth volume of the Cerebus the Aardvark series, Reads, is the penultimate chapter of the larger Mothers and Daughters story. This is one of the most powerful editions in the series and one of the most ambitious narratives that Dave Sim has ever attempted.

In addition, Reads is the most controversial volume of the Cerebus series to date because of a parallel narrative involving two characters--Viktor Reid and Viktor Davis--who are both alter egos for Dave Sim. This controversy is a shame because the offensive section in Reads--which explores the relationship between men and women--represents only one possible view of this subject. When read as part of the whole series, the passages that may have seemed shocking to some, appear (like all points of this narrative) to question and provoke rather than offend. Viktor Davis is far from a reliable narrator, an idea that is reinforced by the final paragraphs of his narrative and demonstrated by the scariest of all Cerebus practical jokes. Are Viktor Davis or Viktor Reid representative of Dave Sim or simply aspects of his persona? The ending suggests the answer.

Meanwhile, Cerebus, Po, Cirin, and Astoria debate the important stuff, including our aardvark friend's genitalia, the history of Illusionism, the nature of power, and the fate of Astoria's child. Despite the bad rap, Reads is Cerebus at its finest. Like the best of art, Reads has the power to shock, surprise, amuse, and offend--and it even has a whiz-bang fight scene. What more could you want? ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Praise and a Cautionary Note
Yes, I do give this book a ten. Yes, I think it's the best thing Dave has done since blah, blah, blah. Yet this is a work that in itself might need some "preparation" on the part of the reader in order to enjoy it more fully. If one is familiar with the subject of "Reads" as discussed in previous issues of "Cerebus", you may wish to know that this book is, in a way, itself a "Read". There are many "controversial" and "unpopular and shocking" views expressed therein and in a way it tends to become the very thing that it purports to parody. This is, of course, just a singular view of a fanatic of Daves, not Dave himself. He may completely disagree. However, if you have an open mind you will find much enjoyment in this continuing story. (If you think this is BS Dave, email me.)

way too self indulgent.
If you are reading the series, then you will have to read "Reads" unless you have given up already. The continuation of the Cerebus storyline is only a part of the contents of "Reads" and is worth reading. There are several revelations in "Reads" that are pivotal to the storyline. The rest of "Reads" is a barely coherent narrative that serves as "insight" (?) into the background and mind of the author. There are several interesting points made within the text, such as a discussion of "birth vs death" (which I think came out of a converation with Kevin Smith) and the nature of stories (from a conversation with Alan Moore), but most of the text is irrelevant to anything but the world of comic books - oh, sorry...."graphic novels"...and far too self indulgent to contribute to the artistry of Cerebus. I am obliged to mention that friends of mine think "Reads" is a genius masterpiece, so you will probably either love it or hate it.........

A Babbling, Incoherent Semi-Entertaining Mess
This is a pretty good graphic novel. With great art. The parts of the story that are about the main character Cerebus are fun.

But the book is ruined by a long, woman bashing rant smack dab in the middle of it. And as the comic book Cerebus was progressed the character of Cerebus has been featured less and less in it! Bad mistake! Stick with your most interesting and main character!

Author Dave Sim is ranting against our feminized society and what leeches and horrible creatures women are. Dave, they aren't that bad. It's just an out of place, preachy, dull rant from a talented artist who's bitter that he can't get laid more easily.

He rants a lot against feminism in his writings too. This is a problem that has plagued that later issues of Cerebus. I mean, is there a subject more irrevlevant than feminism? It's dead. Much like other failed political movements like communism and Marxism. You have a few hangers-on to these movements, but for the most part these subjects are outdated and over and done with. Reads reads like one of those preachy feminists writings Dave's rallying against!

Dave Sim used to describe himself as a feminist. To tell the truth, his comic book Cerebus was a lot more entertaining and a lot less preachy and self indulgent when he was "an Alan Alda type" as he once described himself. Dave really wasn't a feminist though. He was just not wallowing in his masturbatory literary fantasies and spewing them onto the pages of his comics, like he did with Reads.

There's a fine line between genius and self indulgence.

Still, Cerebus is a million times better than 90% of the comics out there.

This one didn't quite work for me
These later collected volumes are not for the uninitiated. Collecting as they do issues from the late 100s (of a proposed 300 issue run), they require a knowledge of a large majority of the previously published issues of volumes. Cerebus itself is not necessarily enjoyable by those without some familiarity with its peer comics, fantasy novels by Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, the Marx brothers' films, and the writings and lives of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, to enumerate only some of its influences.

Reads is one of the more unusual of the published volumes. Containing almost as many pages of pure text as traditional picture/text combination, it challenges the assumption of what a comic is. The story itself is highly irregular as well. Although it continues the ascension (where the previous volume left off), the text portion is a thinly veiled satire about a "reads" author and his publishers. I say thinly because even I could recognize the references to Kitchen Sink, Dark Horse and Vertigo, their publishers and editors, and I was not following comicdom in most of the 1990s. The satire works itself into a chaotic manifesto on the nature of art, the distinction (as Sim sees it) between male and female, and the moral rights of creation. Heavy stuff for a "funny book," especially one initially a Conan parody with an aardvark as the barbarian. I don't think Reads is quite as effective as Sim thinks it is, but it scores major points for chutzpah.

New to Cerebus? Don't start here. Find the first eponymous phone book and try that. It gets both better and worse after that, but this is truly one of those cases where you have to take the good with the bad.

Finally my name in lights
Okay, so having just completed reads, i have to say that this is probably the most entertaining cerebus book in the series since the end of church and state 2. The reason for this being that so many of the loose ties are brought to a head. While the series may have slowed from, say melmoth on, no, jaka's story even, the series does continue, and if you bare with dave sim for awhile, you will see so.

While the majority of this book is written in text format, there is a great visual story displayed. And even despite the lenghty text involved in reading this tradepaperback/novel, there are many (and I emphasize many) keen insights and literary treasures too be found.

Finally, If unimpressed with the previous few "phonebooks" I urge you to keep with the cerebus storyline, simply for the reason that it is a story, and while it may lag at parts, there is a great intellectual, insightful story here for all those willing to continue on. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cerebus the Aardvark first encounters....the Cockroach!
"Swords of Cerebus, Volume 3" presents issues #9-12 of Dave Sim's "Cerebus the Aardvark," although to be accurate the aardvark part of the title only appears on the first two issues (one of which proudly proclaims "Canada's Only Bi-Monthly Comic"). These comics still constitute the "Cerebus the Barbarian" stage, where Sim's main goal was to try and draw like Barry Windsor-Smith and have stories that were in the mode of "Conan the Barbarian" except that the hero was a three-foot tall gray aardvark. However, the elements that would turn "Cerebus" into the premier independent comic book are starting to fall into place. The character repeatedly fails, miserably, in his attempts to get something for nothing. More importantly, with the first appearance of the Cockroach Sim opens the way for on ongoing concern with involving parodies of every other successful comic book on the face of the earth (with Cerebus playing Robin to the Cockroach's Batman). Sims is also starting to master the pen and brush so that Cerebus is actually starting to look like Cerebus (although issue #12 is a classic example of experimentation gone mad). Issue #10 features the return of Red Sophia, which was the most blatant of the takeoffs on the Marvel Robert E. Howard craze. One of the nice points of these collections is that Sim includes retrospective comments on each issue, explaining what was he was trying to accomplish in each story as well as what was happening in his personal life that was impacting his artistic endeavor. Those are often more entertaining at this point than the stories, but Sim's ability for self-criticism was always one of his strengths. "Swords of Cerebus Volume 3" also includes "What Happened Between Issues 20 and 21" by Sims and Gene Day, which seems rather odd since those particular issues comes at the end of Volume 5 and the start of Volume 6 of "Swords of Cerebus." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Cerebus the Aardvark first encounters...Lord Julius!
Volume 4 of "The Swords of Cerebus" features issues #13-16 of "Cerebus the Aardvark." More importantly, the volume contains "The Palnu Trilogy," which is where Dave Sim finally gives up on trying to draw in the style of Barry Windsor-Smith and turns his independent comic book into more of an imitation "Conan the Barbarian" with a funny animal in the lead role. With "The Palnu Trilogy" he takes the first step in doing a political satire. In retrospect it was the introduction of the character of Lord Julius that made all the difference. Of course, the fact that Lord Julius is clear Groucho Marx (given name Julius) that made the character different in the first place. The advent of the Cockroach meant that Sims could easily do a parody of whatever costumed superhero was the flavor of the day at the drop of the hat (e.g., Moon Roach). But Lord Julius opened the doors to characters based on everybody from Mick Jagger to Oscar Wilde.

Sims only provides two sets of introductions for the stories in this volume. First there is the previously unpublished story "Magiking" which sets up issue #13, "Black Magiking." This is the grimmest "Cerebus" story to date, but also has another wacky character in Necross (remember Exidor from "Mork and Mindy"). Then there is "Silverspoon," reprinted from the "Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom," an outright parody of Hal Foster's "Prince Valiant" Sunday comic strip. It turns out the Silverspoon is the son of Lord Julius, which leads us to "The Palnu Trilogy": issue #14 "The Walls of Palnu," #15 "A Day in the Pits," and #16 "A Night at the Masque." If those last two titles do not remind you of a pair of Marx Brothers films, then you just do not know your Marxist history and should be ashamed of yourself. But what really matters is that this is the point where Sim transforms "Cerebus" from a somewhat funny pastiche into a brilliant satire, all because of Lord Julius (and a giant snake). You can hardly believe this is the same comic book. "Cerebus" is close to the end of its 300-issue run and when we look back on these adventures "The Palnu Trilogy" is clearly where it hit the big time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dave Sim combines political satire with comic book parody
Ever since issue #5 Dave Sim had been developing the idea, albeit gradually, that Cerebus the Aardvark was a key, but unwitting, figure in a number of wide-ranging conspiracies and as a nexus point for a number of disparate belief systems. This would be true despite the fact that Cerebus was, and remains, a self-centered, hot-tempered, loathsome little drunkard. Volume 6 of "Swords of Cerebus" presents issues #21-24 and find Sim is seriously starting to mix up the elements he has assembled in the first twenty issues of his celebrated independent comic book.

Issues #21 "Captain Cockroach" and #22 "The Death of Elrod" comprise a key story, which introduced President Weisshaupt into the plotline. However, the story is a parody of Captain America ("Captain Cockroach"), Bucky Barnes ("Bunky" a.k.a. "Elrod"), Deadman ("Deadalbino"), patriotism, xenophobia, revolution, literacy, the "can-do" presidency, aristocracy, and mass appeal (and you thought this was just a take off on "Conan the Barbarian" with a funny animal character as the hero). Be warned: you are going to have to read these comics at least twice to get a handled on the socio-political significance of all the verbal outpourings. But for those who consider "High Society" the high point of "Cerebus" (note, my hand is raised), these stories comprise the prologue.

Issue #23, "The Beguiling," is a parody of the Clint Eastwood film, "The Beguiled." The purpose of this was not to honor the film, a lesser Eastwood effort by everyone's reckoning, but to develop an appropriate mood for "Cerebus" as part of the concerted effort to end the funny animal phase of the comic book. We then have #23 "Swamp Sounds," which is the first part of a story concluded in #25 "This Woman, This Thing." The problem is that "Cerebus" #25 is not included in Volume 6 of the "Swords of Cerebus" and there never was a Volume 7. Issue #25 was supposed to be printed in Volume 6, but Sim's note to the printers got lost and the issue ended up being printed in a special supplement. This explains why Sim's notes on the "Charles X" trilogy appear in Volume 6 between issues #21 and #22, instead of after #22 and before #23. What you will find at the back of Volume 6 is "A Night on the Town," a story done by Sim and Gerhard for Marvel's "Epic" magazine.

Anyhow, the two-parter is a tongue-in-cheek treatment of Chris Claremont's "X-Men" series inspired by the Marvel writer's standard rhetorical question "Is there any reason this character can't be a woman?" Inspired by Spider-Woman and She-Hulk, Sim extended the principle to transform the Man-Thing into the Woman-Thing. In issue #25 Sim would throw the Sump Thing (his version of D.C.'s Swamp Thing) into the mix as well, because one comic book swamp monster deserves another. Trying to control these creatures is Charles X. Claremont. Unfortunately, most of this action takes place in the issue that is not included in this collection. That makes providing a penetrating critique rather difficult because you have to ignore the conclusion of the tale, so I will just stop now. ... Read more