Dreams Part Deux

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.

Last week we looked at two dream diary entries written by Dave Sim in his notebooks. In notebook #21 page 37 and notebook #25 page 36. This week we conclude our look at Dave's dream diary entries - at least the ones I could find in his notebooks - with notebook #26, page 157 and 158.

Notebook #26 covers issues #240 to 250 and is one that we've looked at before, most recently just a couple weeks ago in "The Destruction of Iest" entry.

This page is dated June 19, 1999 at 10am and opens with Dave working on a Cerebus story involving Cerebus, the Countess and Robin Williams.

Notebook 26, page 157

Dave mentions a Walper Pub, which I'm guessing is the bar located at the Walper Hotel, a hotel in downtown Kitchener on the corner of King and Queen streets. Real life and Cerebus story intertwine as the woman based on the Countess has gone to bed and his father is Ernest Hemmingway. The dream concludes on the next page with Hemmingway taking the chicken sandwich with cookies and a whole pizza to the dining room table.

Notebook 26, page 157

The rest of page is Jaka's dialogue from Cerebus #248 page 15 - or in Going Home page 341 if you're following along in the phonebooks - between a Cirinist and Jaka. The dialogue isn't word for word - there is some extra and some missing.  You can see where Dave drew a horizontal line and started the dialogue over again. Jaka never does say "Yes, well. . .that's what they".