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THE_LONE_HEAD_OF_CEREBUS
December 17-28, 2005
There was an explosion of interest in
independant comic book publishing
in the 80s; with "direct sales" stores
that provided an end run around the
usual newstand distribution racket,
and the case can be made that a key
element -- maybe *the* key element --
in starting all of this was the
"Cerebus" comic book.
It came from Kitchner,
written by Dave Sim, drawn
by Sim with later
assistance from the
meticulous Gerhardt, to
whom we owe much of the
detailed backgrounds.
"Cerbeus" was a
pretty simple satire It was a relatively cheap black-and-white
of the macho, affair, which caused a wave of
masculine "Conan"; a black-and-white imitators, the best known
transmutation of of which is probably "Teenage Mutant
"Conan the Barbarian" Ninja Turtles".
into a funny animal
story (the full
title: "Cerebus, the The Marvel rendition of
Aardvark"). "Conan the Barbarian" was
very popular with the fen,
and not without reason: the It also didn't
early issues stuck fairly hurt that there
closely to the original wasn't much
Robert E. Howard stories, else happening
and the Barry Windsor-Smith in the early
The primary point of artwork was really very 70s to get
"Cerebus", then, was solid. excited about.
that a "Conan" type,
far from being a hero, (A personal
is a violent and stupid favorite was
lout... A lout that That point probably "The Grim
isn't particularly sounds a little Gray God",
worth idolizing, even obvious, and probably issue #3
as an anti-hero. it is, but then Dave I think.)
Sim was pretty young
(Though you know? then, as was the When I was
Flipping through audience of "Conan" 13 or 14
the old Cerebus idolaters, and the I was handed
stories, I see early 70s was still a writing
that he was often early in the progress assignment
a truly heroic of feminism. in school
figure, even in something
those days... ) like "who
is your
"The innate problem faced by this novel hero?"
is that it works very hard to be a spoof
but inevitably falls prey to the THE_GREAT_DEBATE
mechanics of the thing it's spoofing."
-- Jennie Kermode, I essentially
about "Don Quixote", on alt.gothic punted on this
assignment, as
I did on most
This is my main problem with of them, and
all spoofs and satires -- went off in
well, *literary* satires -- praise of
they all have that quality of "Conan the
trying to have it both ways. Barbarian".
I still find that
No one would get cringe-worthy,
involved with doing though in retrospect
a spoof if their I couldn't have
heads weren't done a better job
completely loaded of veiled nose-thumbing
with the material if I'd tried.
that they're
supposedly (My conundrum, if
attacking, but the you care, was that
spoof let's them in my personal
wallow in it while writings -- of
pretending to stand which my "teachers"
above it. would be shown
nothing, ever --
Atheists are okay by me, I'd been going off
heretics piss me off. on sententious
riffs like "The
time for heroes has
ended." They asked
me for a hero at a
time when I was
But the interesting trying to tell
thing about myself that I had
"Cerebus" is not none.)
how it began, but
where it moved TOADKEEPER
to... The Toadkeeper never liked
Cerebus all that much.
Sim continued to add different He complained that the
elements, typically other comic fantastic content was
book characters he wanted to "too incoherent".
satirize -- e.g. a takeoff on
Elric called Elrod, fusing him (By the way: He had a point: the premises
with Foghorn Leghorn. I *hate* that are nominally at the
Elrod. And heart of the Cerebus
That's *truly* a dumb idea, I've never univererse are all made
but say what you will of liked up on the fly, cut and recut
Dave Sim, he's never been Foghorn at Sim's whim.
afraid of a dumb joke. either.
There.) The ultimate "explanation":
I mean, turning Howard's Aardvarks are special, and
"Bran Mak Morn" into weird shit happens when
"Bran Mak Muffin"? they're around.
The "picts" into the
"pigts"? Dave Sims is good: he
*almost* makes that
Then it's "Captain Roach" sound reasonable,
for "Captain America" faking a sense of
later reborn as the closure with it.
"Wolveroach" and so on.
Sim never completely gets
away from this idiotic
"send-up" of the already
obviously ridiculous,
but over time he does SATIRE
begin to hit some deeper
notes.
But to the extent Maybe the point where
that there's any one he really began to
obvious theme at all come into his own, was oddly,
to "Cerebus", it's with another pastiche,
clearly critical of writing in a Groucho Marx
mainstream superhero figure into the story...
comics and the male
power fantasies they This is the sort of thing
cater to... that's actually very tough:
No one who cares at all
about Groucho wants to see
As the story progresses his material abused or
Cerebus is increasingly in ripped-off. Doing a Groucho
over his head, surrounded by imitation is a capital crime
people who understand what's for any stand-up comedian.
going on better than he does.
But no one who reads Dave Sim's
He struggles for control, but version feels that way about it.
continually becomes manipulated, Sim was *channeling* Groucho.
Sometimes he's manipulated by a He gives you *authentic* Groucho.
woman (in particular Astoria in
"High Society"), but the dominant (And it's an interesting
tension is civilized vs point that a Groucho
"barbarian" rarely male vs female. dictator would genuinely
be a fearsome character:
Later on there's the meaning of every
a weird shift... little quip he makes is
Sims splits from both crucially important
his wife, becomes and impossible to
soured on women determine. No one could
in general and ever know what to expect
his misanthropy from him...)
transforms into
misogyny...
My take is that
he got it right
the first time...
For the elder Sims: MISOGYNY
Men are the source of the light, Indeed, men have a reputation
Women are merely parasites. for "getting things done":
it's difficult to claim that
But the younger Sims was the lack of female Einsteins
far more interested in and Picassos is solely a
dissing macho stereotype result of sexism.
than celebrating "the
male light". But by the But I
same token, certainly
So Sims engages in some it's difficult don't deny
of the strangest retcons to shrug off that sexism
in the history of the absence is real: such
comics. of female barriers
Hitlers and remain higher
Cerebus is converted from a Stalins. than some
"male" figure into a damaged people want
hermaphrodite (without It would to believe.
reproductive capability). appear to
be another STANDING_WATER
Perhaps this is to manifestation
provide a misogyny- of the genius/
consistent madness
explanation for his connection:
uselessness? men have more
than their fair
But then... what about all the share of both.
other drunken/useless/coniving
male figures on stage throughout
the saga?
Is Bear a paragon of
the "male light"?
Is Weisshaupt?
Throughout, Cerebus is a slippery tale.
People appear on stage professing to
Explain All, then later Sims has someone e.g. the Judge.
else appear that undercuts them.
When we entered the misogynist
ranting era, I had trouble believing
he was sincere about it... I thought
it was just one more viewpoint to be
undercut.
READS
And right afterwards, he
goes into a long story
centering on Jaka (and
F. Scott Fitzgerald...),
where Jaka seems like a
very detailed, interesting
protrait.
She may have her flaws, "You have to understand that doing
but she essentially a comic book for seven years with
saves Cerebus's life no one else assisting in the direction
at the end of the of it becomes a very intense kind
story. of self-therapy in the long run.
Very often I will recognize an
Over all, she seems allegory that I hadn't intended
like a sympathetic consciously. Sometimes it will be
character. months later before I see it."
Reading Sim's commentary, -- Dave Sims,
it's clear that he "Swords of Cerebus" Vol 6, Fall 1984
has no respect for her. commenting on Cerebus No. 24
"The Beguiling" (published 12/1980)
"The Jaka's of the world
don't --"
What a *great* writer:
the characters get
away from him and But then, the
take on weight, often following story
in spite of his intentions. "Going Home", I
haven't been able
to read.
It's too obviously
a piece of hate
literature.
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