Amazon.com Review: 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.
Enter At Your Own Risk ^ Cerebus is an amazing journey in the life of an aardvark who begins his journey as a simple barbarian warrior. Originally starting as a spoof on "Conan The Barbarian", Cerebus evolved into an expanding world that was published in 300 individual issues of the Cerebus comic book. Things really become interesting with the second book in the series, "High Society", but this first volume lays the groundwork so is essential as the starting point. Be warned that once sucked in you may never want to leave.
Hilariously juvenile first chapter of an essential comics saga ^ The first volume ("phone book") of Dave Sim's Cerebus series is primarily a parody of various genres of the comics medium, the tone being sort of "adult-juvenalia" - jokes about breasts and violence. The premise (at this point in the series) is the juxtaposition of a cartoon "funny animal" (Scrooge McDuck, Pogo Possum) into the serious, gloomy world of "sword & sorcery" pulps (Conan, Red Sonja), much in the same way Howard the Duck was inserted into the Marvel Universe (meeting Man Thing and Red Sonja). The difference is that unlike Howard, who is tossed into a foreign environment beyond his control ("a world he never made"), Cerebus the "earth pig" is native to the static fantasy realm he seems so incongruous with. Many characters (including parodies of Red Sonja and Michael Moorcock's Elric) fail to notice entirely that there's anything unusual about the talking aardvark, one even mistakes him for a midget in a bunny suit, but no one seems very surprised. This rather dubious premise does add up to some situations that should prove hilarious to the books presumed initial target audience of geeky males (I admit, I laughed out loud through much of the book), however it bears only marginal resemblence to the profound, controversial epic that was to follow.
Most obviously, Sim's pencilling skills are still amateurish and inconsistant (though still likeable), and the stunning background visuals of his future collaborator Gerhard are entirely absent. More importantly, the issues that comprise the first phonebooks leave much to be desired in terms of narrative continuity. Most issues are unrelated episodes, although the storytelling does grow more refined as the issues progress. Early printings of this book leave out Sim's Prince Valiant-esque "Silverspoon" comic strips for the sake of consistency, but ironically it is during these strips that the first seeds are planted for the storyline that it is to make up the second book (and thus launch the Cerebus epic); fortunately they have since been restored.
Recommending Cerebus to someone else is a tricky situation indeed. This first volume, necessary reading to those who wish to undertake the epic, is sophomoric and crude and will potentially turn off many potential fans. Those who enjoy it will certainly love the next three books (High Society, Church and State I & II), but may be turned off when things start to get serious around book five (Jaka's Story). Those who love the deep emotional resonance of that book may wonder why book six (Melmoth) is a factual account of the death of Oscar Wilde, and even those who love it will wonder where the titular character has disappeared to for the past two volumes. Readers who celebrate the return of Cerebus in book seven (Flight) may find its writing less focused and inviting than any book that precedes. Of those still left after book eight (Women), any female readers and most male readers will likely jump ship at book nine (Reads) in which Sim takes up many valuable pages and brain cells writing misogynistic essays about the damage feminism has done to society and what he thinks about the logical capacity of womenfolk (yikes!). Those surviving could love or hate the self-indulgent metaphysical musings of book ten (Minds) or potentially be bored to tears as Cerebus sits around in a bar for almost the entirety of books eleven (Guys) and twelve (Rick's Story). Book thirteen (Going Home) involves F. Scott Fitzgerald and fourteen (Form & Void) brings Ernest Hemingway into the mix, but book fifteen (Latter Days) is heavy-handed on Dave's longwinded, fine-printed, and misguided Torah interpretations. Then in the final volume (The Last Day) our protagonist will meet a depressing, lonely end.
That being said... the Cerebus series also riotously funny, scathingly satirical, highly literate, broad in scope, artistically ambitious, experimental and irreverant of the limitations of the comics medium, moving and poignant, and more than willing to play Devil's Advocate to any philosophical standpoint you might have. His stubborn refusal to sell out was highly influential on the 1980s self-published black & white comics (most notably on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Despite the misogynistic leanings of the series' later books (and mildly sexist "dude" humor of this first one), Sim is actually one of the first comics authors to treat his female characters as strong, complex, three-dimensional persons rather than stock stereotypes (Jaka's Story is absolutely beautiful). Whether or not you can stomach his political, sexual, and religious tirades, Dave Sim is a comics author to be reckoned with. Perhaps with time he'll be respected in the same way as Alan Moore, Will Eisner, and the other greats, but for now he is considered something of a pariah to many comics fans. It's really too bad, because Cerebus is a damned good comic - if not the best.
cerebus ^ the firt volume of cerebus is a good litmus test for,if you should continue further into the world of cerberus,the story and craftmenship improves with each volume,but if you dont enjoy the humor or the concept you should just move on.
very happy ^ i picked this up after seeing it for 20 years. i always wondered but never bothered to check it out. it starts off slow but by mid point i was hooked. there's a good mixture of humor, sarcasim and action. if you were like me and were curious about this comic, spend the $20, you won't regret it.
wonderful independent literature ^ Dave Sim is among the most talented line artists of the last thirty years. His incredible depictions of people and even the cartoonish main character are truly high art. Cerebus book one is rough in the beginning, as many comics of this nature are. As the book progresses however, the quality of his work improves with his devotion to his character. The first stories in this chapter are mostly non-linier yet continue into a wonderfully crafted world and a very intricate story. It begins with the story of the earth-pig born, Cerebus, and a wizard's tower in a true Conan style. He continues along his adventures undertaking many jobs, such as mercenary, thief, body guard, warlord, would be messiah and many more. Along the way he makes many acquaintances, some of whom are parodies of well known comic book characters, actors, comedians, writers, artists and musicians. You begin to glimpse the surface of what makes this aardvark who he is. The first several books have an emphasis on comedy while the latter books while still comedic, have a far more dramatic element instilled in them. The recurrent characters and overall theme remains enigmatic until the later chapters, but that does not detract from the base enjoyment that I received upon reading this wonderful story the first time. It remains a prized center piece of my personal collection.
I did not purchase this book from Amazon, but highly recommend anyone to do so. This book and High Society are good enough to stand on their own, although the two volume Church and State are by far among the best in the graphic novel history. Amazingly detailed work on land and cityscapes and a continuing refinement of Sims craft is what you can expect as you delve further into his imaginative world. The series is astounding although quite long, perhaps too long for some and I only recommend that it be collected in it's entirety by true graphic novel enthusiasts. I began collecting the series thirteen years ago and finished only last year. This however does not compare to the incredible amount of work that he and his compatriot Gerhard poured into this modern epic. Some may find it a bit boring and overly worded in later volumes, yet the beginning of the collection is fast paced and truly entertaining. You would be doing yourself a favor with this work.
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