Wednesday 4 November 2015

Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk

MARGARET LISS:
A few years ago I scanned all of Dave Sim's notebooks. He had filled 36 notebooks during the years he created the monthly Cerebus series, covering issues #20 to 300, plus the other side items -- like the Epic stories, posters and prints, convention speeches etc. A total of 3,281 notebook pages detailing his creative process. I never really got the time to study the notebooks when I had them. Just did a quick look, scanned them in and sent them back to Dave as soon as possible. So this regular column is a chance for me to look through those scans and highlight some of the more interesting pages.

A couple weeks ago we had a request from Tony D to see some of the notebook pages for the Three Wise Fellowes. Aka Koshie, Moshie and Loshie, they first appeared in Cerebus #268. There is only one notebook for the issues they appear in: notebook #33, which covers #265 to 300. We've only look at notebook #33 once: it was the final notebook.

The first page of the notebook that has some three wise fellows material on it is page 7:

Notebook #33, page 7, as always, click to enlarge
This page covers #268, their first issue, it looks like Dave would come back to this page and write bits at different times. The top of the page has some info on the stooges - the list of four dates and initials are the dates the stooges died, and the initials indicate which stooge it was.

The next page which has some interesting things about the Three Wise Fellowes is on page 23. We see Kosher making the statue on Cerebus' cast.

Notebook #33, page 23,  as always, click to enlarge
The finished page that these sketches can be seen on is page 165 of Latter Days, or page 5 of Cerebus #274.  Most of the dialogue can be seen there as well along with the sound effects of Kosher making the cast.


10 comments:

Unknown said...


Picking up from yesterday's thought: I have no idea who YOU are who is reading this. Supporting The Matrix model: as far as I know none of the people who said they were coming to the WAREHOUSE GIVEAWAY actually got there, supporting the idea that the people posting to this site are Matrix-like "cybernetic attendants": basically here (on assignment?) to ensure the conversation is always steered in the direction of "fixing Dave Sim", "how Dave Sim needs to fix himself" and "everything is fine, Dave is very well regarded: move along now in an orderly fashion, nothing to see here". Or, rather, those people are metaphysical sock-puppets of entities charged with those duties. Not necessarily Reality but not necessarily Not Reality since it fits the known facts which are otherwise inexplicable.

I've had a few people tell me that I'm considered an icon in the MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) online movement. "Dude was MGTOW back in 1998!" Which tends to be viewed as misogyny (no big surprise: anything that isn't 100% endorsement of feminism is considered misogyny in our Feminist Theocracy).

I DID decide in 1998 that it was the only ethical position to hold. As I told Susan on the phone, "You need a squishy feminist you can push around". "NO!!!" she yelled. You literally couldn't make that up.

So, addressing myself to the theoretical audience reading this:

The advantage of being YOU is that only YOU are linked to the people YOU know. That's the core flaw in ANY Matrix construct. YOU can link to people who can help keep this going and the Matrix isn't watertight enough to stop it.

Sample e-mail:

Dear _____: Long time no e-mail! Even though you're not a comics fan,I always think of you whenever Dave Sim is trying to raise money for the restoration and preservation of his 6,000 page graphic novel CEREBUS. Dude had his career SERIOUSLY effed-over by the feminists back in 1995 and has never really recovered. He's almost 60, now. I always think of you because of how you were effed-over by [________] when she [______].

Anyway, as a personal favour to me I'd appreciate it if you could donate $_____ at cerebusdownloads.com

If not, no harm no foul.

...and obviously you can individualize it any way that you want. "I, personally, have NEVER had ANY trouble with feminism or feminists!" if that's the situation. EVERYONE knows someone who has been effed-over by A feminist or feminists generally, at this point. You might surprise yourself with your mental inventory list.

At the same time, I can understand reluctance to do something like this. What if someone reads the e-mail besides Dude? What if it gets back to my Human Resources Director?

[Did you know 93% of HRDs are women? Should have guessed that around the time they stopped being basic employment gatekeepers -- Personnel Managers was what they used to be called -- and became The Feminist Thought Police everyone LEGITIMATELY dreads]

I bring it up because so many people tell me that I remind them of...whoever it is...the list of Known Misogynists Voted Off the Island growing by the day.

But only YOU know three or four (or five or fifteen or twenty or twenty-five) guys who would be in that category that YOU could contact directly. It seems to me a possibility, anyway: eventually, all of us bobbing up and down in the waves and staring at the island we KNOW we are never going to be allowed back on (and which would be untenable in exactly that Thought Police way even if we were) have to stop acting as if the Occupied Island is the Only Reality.

I'm just sayin'.

See you tomorrow!

Ethan Burns said...

Wait what was yesterday's thought?

iestyn said...

I think I missed yesterday's thought as well.

BTW Dave - no one is trying to 'FIX' you, it's a matter of differing views. I for one couldn't care WHAT opinion you have as I'm secure in my own thoughts and philosophies.

It's a matter of presenting dissenting facts to ensure that you are still making an informed decision based on facts. Facts like the positive opinions seen on TCJ website, Fantagraphics and IDW WANTING to publish your work and many other such things.

Consider us as the left to your right.

Separately - I hope that your health is or will soon improve.

Best wishes

iestyn

Michael said...

mental or physical?

Anonymous said...

Ha! I thought at first he was being sarcastic about the email, but then he was being serious. Dave, this is why people think you are crazy.

Tony Dunlop said...

Meanwhile, on the topic of this post - thanks, Margaret! Fun stuff. I especially like the notes about which sound effects go with which kind of physical abuse!

And in my workplace I insist on referring to the "personnel" office; its current official title ("human resources?" Really?) sounds like it should be an organ bank.

Anonymous said...

I did an internet search to see if Dave is really an icon in the MGTOW movements and found this:

http://www.mgtowhq.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5716

I don't know if that makes him an icon, but some of these MGTOWers seemed to think that Dave wrote well and ahead of his time.

Perhaps there's some money to be made in marketing Cerebus to MGTOWers, MRAs, PUAs and WAFs (Women Against Feminism). It seems like those folks would be the right audience for Dave's "critique of feminism".

- Reginald P.

Sandeep Atwal said...

This is how people find out about Dave Sim and Cerebus...one at a time, usually through a friend. Why NOT email your friends about it, anonymous?

I've definitely seen references to Sim in the MRA/MGTOW/RedPill world. But there's a generational gap now with Cerebus not being in comic book stores. But that's where the online promotion comes in! I'm a little surprised at how receptive Reddit's comics community has been, to be honest. They really likes them some Cerebi.

Ethan Burns said...

Marketing to MRAs and MGTOWs could work, but I'd stay away from the red pill crowd, they aren't all bad but some of them have become heavily associated with holocaust denial and other neo-nazi stuff which is the absolute last thing Dave needs.

Jeff Seiler said...

Two thoughts occur to me: 1) Al Bundy (played by the brilliant Ed O'Neill) started the organization called NoMaam; and 2) I remember telling Dave the head of HR at my workplace back in the late 90's, a female, was called a Human Resources OFFICER (my emphasis). He wasn't exactly amazed by that, but was amused.