Varying Reasons of Assorted Depths

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.

Notebook #5 covers Cerebus issues #70 to 79. It contained 100 pages at the start, but only 86 pages to scan, with page 83/84 being blank. Starting with page 58 there is material for issue #76, the issue in which Cerebus tells Weisshaupt to go to hell. There are a total of seven pages for the issue, starting on page 56. However, on page 58 is when it starts to get interesting:

Notebook #5 page 58

The page layouts for page 6 through 9, pages 498 though 501 of the Church & State I phonebook, follow the layout of the finished pages with one exception: on page 8 the middle panel (panel #5) shows Cerebus to the far right with the two word balloons are in front of him but on the finished page the layout is reversed: Cerebus is to the far left and the two word balloons are behind him. The dialogue is also pretty much the same, just changing out 'the long night' with 'the eternal night'.

The next page is mostly dialogue, the top of the page starts with the text from page 10 (phonebook page 502).

Notebook #5 page 59

The first bit is the first panel of page 10, but the stuff beside it - is a first draft of the dialogue on pages 14 and 15, page 506 and 507. It has the basics of the discussion about "The President's Uncle", but not per verbatim. There is dialogue along the bottom of the page which is crossed out - about losing track of that Elrod chap, "a mouth without a brain attached" according to Weisshaupt. Or like exhaling without inhaling. . .

It also looks like Weisshaupt thinks that "living without hallucinations is like breathing through one nostril." (used on page 14, C&S I p. 506)

Skip to page 61, where we see Weisshaupt telling Cerebus about the other aardvarks in Estarcion, which starts on page 10 (C&S I p. 502)

Notebook #5 page 61

Dave didn't use much of this dialogue - just the bit about the two other aardvarks. Nothing about them being more human in appearance or them envying Cerebus' purity of form. The other dialogue along the bottom left hand corner - about the end of the world. That doesn't make the final cut.

Though the 'Go to hell'. That does.

Hat tip to Reginald P for the request.