The Origin Of Elrod

Cerebus #4 (June/July 1978)
Art by Dave Sim

MICHAEL MOORCOCK:
(from Aardvark Comment, Cerebus #6, October/November 1978)
Dear Dave,

I thought Cerebus the Aardvark was great and thoroughly enjoyed the Elrod sequence, particularly the bit with the black blade. My only complaint - and it's hardly that - is that the Elrod drawn derives from no description of mine, but from Barry Smith who used Jack Gaughan's Elric covers for Lancer as a model. Jack Gaughan's ideas were all his own and did not follow my descriptions at all. Interesting to see a third generation version. Thanks for Cerebus. I look forward to issue 7!

Very best,
Michael Moorcock

DAVE SIM:
(from Swords Of Cerebus Vol 2, 1981)

I distinctly remember a day, in the midst of drawing issue #3 when I suddenly started laughing hysterically. When Deni asked me what the problem was, I sort of gasped, "Elric. Picture Elric saying 'Mind yo' mannuhs, son. I've got a tall pointy hat." She looked at long and hard with that "My God this time you've finally flipped." look of hers. I knew I was on to something. For the next few days, however, when anyone came over to see us, Deni would insist that I tell them. I got a lot of blank looks. I laughed a lot myself, but no one else did.

To be honest, I don't even know where the connection came from. Wendy Pini's jaw hit the floor when I told her that I had never read an Elric story. "But it's perfect," she managed to insist, "the way he's always talking non-stop - it's just like Elric. You've got to read one of the stories so you know how good the parody is." That was last summer and I still haven't read an Elric story - except of course for the Roy Thomas/Barry Smith Conan issues he appeared in.