It was in the store yesterday. I didn't get there until today. He's done. Well, he's been done for a while now, but the end is out now.
After more than a quarter of a century Dave Sim has completed the race that he set for himself: a self-published limited series of extraordinary length. Early in the series he said that he thought that the character had a three hundred issue lifespan. Later he clarified that Cerebus would die in bed alone, unmourned and unloved. Well, he made it out of bed, but I don't know about the rest. I haven't actually read the comic for about a hundred issues now, so I don't know how any of the other characters feel about him.
At twenty pages per issue, Dave has written and drawn a 6000 page comic. It has consumed the majority of his life so far. Gerhard joined him somewhere in the eighties or nineties (issues, not years) to draw the intricate and beautiful backgrounds. Some of it is great, and some of it is nigh impossible to read. Still, it is an honorable and impressive achievement. One author/artist/publisher, one story, 27 years. Hats off to you, Dave.
You know, I've got to buy the rest of the phone books. Or move down to San Antonio and just read your copies.
My comic store here in Valpo doesn't even stock Cerebus. Of course, it doesn't stock many independents, especially since they sell 1 copy if they are hot. Indies are gone. Pam Bliss of the B-56 comic fame tells me that she's only doing minis and phone books from now on. Maybe the day of a Dave Sim is completely over. You need the marketing muscle of Dark Horse to get it made into a movie so that you can make some form of cash.
Posted by: forrest at March 13, 2004 11:20 PMComing from the age of Little Lulu, who was pretty darned funny, I cannot get into comics like Cerebrus. But then, I can't get into most of the Sunday funnies anymore. If it weren't for Foxtrot, B.C., and The Wizard of Id, I probably wouldn't even untangle the funny pages from the Walmart ads any more. Love, Mom
Posted by: Susan McJilton at March 15, 2004 1:43 PM