Sunday 1 December 2019

Cerebus Around the World and Web #4 by Oliver Simonsen

Hi, Everybody!

The Silver Cerebus

And Dave's calling on Thursday. Get your questions in. momentofcerebus@gmail.com, or just comment here.

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Oliver Simonsen:
"Scotchscotchscotch...where is Cerebus' buggid o' scotch?"
Still working on a CATWAW (Cerebus Around The World And Web) banner....

RIP Howard Cruse:(. He was kind enough to give my comic a blurb waybackwhen and we even worked on an animated short based on one of his comics. It was in the end too difficult to do two projects (actually 3 as we were working on Lafler's BugHouse as well). So the idea was to wait till we finished the Cerebus film which we had already started...and taking much longer than expected.

There's a Rolling Stones "Best Comics" list dated Nov 16 2019 making the rounds and according to our investigative reporting it's the same as this one shared on this very blog back in 2014
and the link in the 2014 blog post goes to the list now dated November of this year. An updated version perhaps?

At least it's still there. (I was going to use this occasion to share my old list of "best comics" lists that Cerebus appears on, but so many of the sites don't exist anymore)

How Dave Sim did 300 issues? [Not quite true, Dave did A LOT of Cerebus stoned, but had quit before the end.-Matt]

Bleeding Cool spotlighting Savage Dragon #250: "...it seems likely that if anybody is going to surpass Sim as a writer/artist who basically conjured an independent book out of thin air for 300 issues, it would be Larsen." [Oliver provided a link to comicbook.com.-Matt]
Superman and "Cerebus Syndrome"

"Harvey Street Kids" and "Cerebus Syndrome" or "Cerebus coaster"?

Todd from Cerebus
Cerebus and Spawn

Cerebus in Spawn

VARK WARS is now in stores! A break out hit in the "Cerebus in hell?" series and already spawning sequels.

[Brian sent me this pic and: "Hey Matt, I did what you had suggested at the blog and bought extra copies of VARK WARS #1 in my VARK WARS gear. Have a look.  Happy VARKSgiving!"-Matt]

There's nothing else like "CiH?" in comic stores as it has defied expectations and now in it's third year already, longer than just about any other indie comic. A testament to the ingeniousness of Dave and his crew. I have nothing to do with the series, except for this one issue - I'm humbled and consider myself honored and very lucky to have a strip featured.

The VARK WARS sequels are being penned mostly by Matt Dow and who I can attest does very funny scifi from when my "Heavy Metal comedy scifi mag" was in the works.

I see now Heavy Metal has actually it's own "scifi comedy mag" version with "Soft Wood" and it is a smash hit.

Jeff Seiler is in love with a Cerebus fan

A Cerebus demon reference in Neil Gaiman's Amazon Prime series "Good Omens"? Gaiman supports Dave on Patreon and is an old friend. Jeff Seiler mentioned the Cerebus reference in "Good Omens" a couple of weeks ago in the comments of this very column
 

Then Gabriel McCann also mentioned it in the Cerebus Official Facebook Group and a fun debate ensued that has since been deleted. Is the reference a stretch? It was pointed out by Larry Wooten that Marvel's homage to Cerebus, the character Sy'm, was a demon. I'm pretty sure Neil Gaiman was asked on twitter whether he was referring to Cerebus or not and has not given a reply as far as I know. I seem to remember quite a few in fact in the twitterverse taking it as a nod to Cerebus.


Speaking of Gabe, who came to visit me from Australia and who I met via the Cerebus facebook group - here are a couple more pics of our time together. Friends through Cerebus!! Here he is in the Bradbury building where the Blade Runner story took place in November 2019, as all good comic book folks know as we are now in December the film is set in the past.


And here he is in front of the Bat Cave from the 60s TV show and yes that is the view of the Hollywood sign from the Bat Cave.


Here we are in Venice chilling with Snoopy (he's in the glass)

Snoopy in his scotch! Well, that's just wrong. Now if you want a Cerebus figurine in your scotch you are in luck because Zeke Szabolcs will soon have them available for sale.

Dave has given the go ahead and will get a percentage of the proceeds.

It was originally to be sold with IDW's unique multi-media format "The Cerebus: High Society Digital Audio/Visual Experience". Since it got the approval of both Dave Sim and IDW that makes it I reckon the FIRST OFFICIAL Cerebus figurine - and this long awaited figurine will now finally be available for sale!! 


Zeke is currently working on a "You Don't Know Jack" pitch/trailer based on a concept by Dave Sim.( "You Don't know Jack" is the "Strange Death of Alex Raymond" spin off comic by Dave Sim and Carson Grubaugh - both comics to be released next year I believe?)


A look at the Cerebus card game Diamondback and the comics themselves

TV Producer Adam Barkin was first and foremost a Cerebus fan, but the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" episode of "The toys that made us" got him choked up.

Cerebus and the Far Side

None rank as high as Cerebus

Cerebus lettering unmatched

Favorite homage cover is Cerebus

Hope everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Here's from "War of the Independents" by Dave Ryan and various artists, published by Red Anvil Press. With the blessing of the creators of all the characters involved it was a comic series featuring almost every indie character in a huge crossover quest story as they searched for Cerebus' helmet. 

My character Captain Zap (and his sidekicks "A-1 the robot" and "Polly the Bird") were featured in issue #4, here illustrated by none other than Don Simpson himself.


Cerebus on list of "Five Things to be Thankful For". (Thank you Larry Wooten!)
From the article: "...a masterpiece. It remains one of the towering achievements in the field" "...of late it seems to be regaining some of its tarnished reputation." "I’ve seen quite a few “Best Comics Ever” lists recently (those tend to proliferate at the end of a decade), and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how often Dave Sim and Cerebus are mentioned."

Dave Sim contribution (Spanish google translation)

Cerebus clarification

Cerebus displayed

Cerebus displayed in French

Cerebus fan draws Cerebus
and here

Dion Turner draws "Vark and Morty" with accompanying text:)

....And then we're gonna go on even MORE adventures after that, Morty. And you're gonna keep your MOUTH SHUT about it, Morty...
..because the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important. And they'll TEAR us apart, Morty!!
But if you stick with Vark, Vark is gonna accomplish great things, Morty, and you're gonna be part of 'em.
And together we're gonna run around, Morty, we're gonna... do all kinds of wonderful things, Morty. Just you and me, Morty. The outside world is our enemy, Morty... we're the only.... friends we've got, Morty! It's just Vark and Morty. Vark and Morty and their adventures, Morty.. VARK AND MORTY FOREVER AND FOREVER A HUNDRED YEARS Vark and Morty.. some...things.. Vark and Vark and Morty runnin' around and... Vark and Morty time... a- all day long forever.. all a - a hundred days Vark and Morty! forever a hundred times.... OVER and over Vark and Morty... adventures dot com.. W W W dot at Vark and Morty dot com w..w..w... Vark and Morty adventures.. ah- hundred years..... every minute Vark and Morty dot com.... w w w a hundred times... Vark and Morty dot com......." [Edited to change to the third person in a few places- Matt]

Dave Sim and Gerhard on Cerebus are faves

Cerebus is daunting

Cerebus original art bought

Cerebus and Jaka "motion comic"

Alexander wants to read a classic

Cerebus foreign editions? High Society is available in Spanish, Italian and French
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Thanks Oliver!

Next Time: An in-depth look at...I got nothing...

7 comments:

Larry Wooten said...

There is a lot of win going on there with Brian, his Vark Wars shirt and his Vark Wars comics haul.

Jeff said...

I'm pretty sure, but feel free to disagree, that Dave didn't do *all* of the 20+issues of Cerebus stoned, before became celibate of ... well, everything, in 1998.

Just a lot of the early ones. But, hey, "Mind Games" 1, 2, and 3!

Yay, us!

Jeff said...

Er, that was supposed to be "20+ years". And, "before he became".

D'Oh!

Brian West said...

Mr. Wooten, thank you for your kind words. I feel fairly good about what I am doing. It's fun most of the time and I get to help solicit a pretty good comic. It is a lot of winning for me, though I would prefer not to try any tiger blood, if you know what I mean.


p.s. Matt, thanks for posting that pic of me along with my message.

Mouse Skull Entertainment said...

Brian,

Oliver had the picture in his column, I just added the caption. Since I had it.

But, you're welcome.

Matt

Brian West said...

Well, Matt thanks to you and Oliver both!

Tony Dunlop said...

" "You Don't know Jack" is the "Strange Death of Alex Raymond" spin off comic by Dave Sim and Carson Grubaugh - both comics to be released next year I believe?"

Wait, WHAT???!? This is a bigger "bombshell" than anything the Deep State Minions have dropped in the Waterg - uh, Ukraine hearings. Tell us more!!!