Cerebus - Edutain me

**dr chimp** · 07-14-2012, 06:17 AM

Just finished the second trade and it was pretty shocking to see Cerebus give Jaka a hefty slap across the face. I think the "problem" is that Cerebus isnt an endearing characters - he's a thief, a sword for hire, he'll work for anyone if the money is right and in this trade he is starting all out war - but inspite of all of that - one cannot help but find him endearing (maybe because the world around him is populated by such buffoons) so that when he does something like hit Jaka it's a brutal reminder that one is wrong - he really is brutal and unrelenting. Loved this volume though - his rise and fall - the political intrigue - the complexities of finance on the government etc etc. Superb stuff.

**ShQQta** · 07-20-2012, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by dr chimp

Just finished the second trade and it was pretty shocking to see Cerebus give Jaka a hefty slap across the face. I think the "problem" is that Cerebus isnt an endearing characters - he's a thief, a sword for hire, he'll work for anyone if the money is right and in this trade he is starting all out war - but inspite of all of that - one cannot help but find him endearing (maybe because the world around him is populated by such buffoons) so that when he does something like hit Jaka it's a brutal reminder that one is wrong - he really is brutal and unrelenting. Loved this volume though - his rise and fall - the political intrigue - the complexities of finance on the government etc etc. Superb stuff.

Either that High Society trade or something from the early Love and Rockets trades would be in my Top 5 best of all-time works of sequential art.

**Roquefort Raider** · 07-20-2012, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by dr chimp

Just finished the second trade and it was pretty shocking to see Cerebus give Jaka a hefty slap across the face. I think the "problem" is that Cerebus isnt an endearing characters - he's a thief, a sword for hire, he'll work for anyone if the money is right and in this trade he is starting all out war - but inspite of all of that - one cannot help but find him endearing (maybe because the world around him is populated by such buffoons) so that when he does something like hit Jaka it's a brutal reminder that one is wrong - he really is brutal and unrelenting.

A sad (but believable) thing is that Cerebus will later on realize that he is a terrible person, swear to amend himself... and will not change at all.

**sonicx1977** · 07-20-2012, 04:06 AM

He is just...human.

He is believable, part of us is, like he is. I cant remember a comic book character who is so not heroic and human, like Cerebus. No one had the guts to write his own character like Sim did. Every creator needs his hero, his pure good looking boy scout, sometimes with a bad attitude but always with a big heart, but not Dave Sim. He made him realistic as possible.

**dan bailey** · 07-20-2012, 04:37 AM

Except, of course for the whole "talking aardvark" thing.

**Roquefort Raider** · 07-20-2012, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by dan bailey

Except, of course for the whole "talking aardvark" thing.

Dan, if it's any relief, the three Aardvarks we saw in Cerebus were not anthropomorphic animals but misshapen children born of human parents. Still weird, sure, but closer to Hank McCoy than to Howard the duck.

Cirin (one of the the three) suffered greatly from being born with such an ugly shape, and sort of overcompensated by becoming a world conqueror. (Take THAT, Bonaparte)! Cerebus didn't mind being odd-looking, I guess, but his parents were embarrassed enough that they made him wear a big floppy hat when he was a kid.

**dupont2005** · 07-20-2012, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by sonicx1977

No one had the guts to write his own character like Sim did.

It's actually very common in creator owned comics.

**dr chimp** · 07-20-2012, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by dupont2005

It's actually very common in creator owned comics.

i dont know - i cant think of anything from that era (with my very limited knowledge) where the lead character is so unsympathetic yet compelling

**dupont2005** · 07-20-2012, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by dr chimp

i dont know - i cant think of anything from that era (with my very limited knowledge) where the lead character is so unsympathetic yet compelling

Well I don't read much Bronze Age comics, but I see it a lot in more contemporary comics. And I see creators writing their character "their way" in pretty much the majority of the comics I read. If their way doesn't include the main character being an engaging misanthrope doesn't mean they didn't have the guts to do that. It just means their vision was different.

**FanboyStranger** · 07-21-2012, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by Roquefort Raider

Dan, if it's any relief, the three Aardvarks we saw in Cerebus were not anthropomorphic animals but misshapen children born of human parents. Still weird, sure, but closer to Hank McCoy than to Howard the duck.

Cirin (one of the the three) suffered greatly from being born with such an ugly shape, and sort of overcompensated by becoming a world conqueror. (Take THAT, Bonaparte)! Cerebus didn't mind being odd-looking, I guess, but his parents were embarrassed enough that they made him wear a big floppy hat when he was a kid.

And Suentius Po became a Buddha-like figure. They may look likw aardvarks, but they represent far, far more.

**FanboyStranger** · 07-21-2012, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by dr chimp

i dont know - i cant think of anything from that era (with my very limited knowledge) where the lead character is so unsympathetic yet compelling

I'd say Hunter Rose in Grendel, but Cerebus had begun to evolve into something more by that point. Not sure where Matt Wagner stands on Cerebus, but it would be an interesting question to ask him.

There's a few others, too: Reuben Flagg, John Gaunt (Grimjack), and Nexus, but they do tend to be more towards the heroic mold.

**sonicx1977** · 07-21-2012, 03:39 AM

Still, Cerebus is so unique. I just love him and hate him at the same time. He has a scary personality. Maybe i see myself in him, in some parts. Or we all do.