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.
Another look at Dave Sim's 23rd Cerebus notebook that he entitled Mothers & Daughters and Tour '92. We've seen the sketches that make up the first five pages of this small notebook, lets look at the next two pages. Pure text:
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| Notebook #23, page 11 |
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| Notebook #23, page 13 |
2 comments:
I know this will shock some of you, but Dave has been accused of misogyny; I think these couple of pages show he's more of an equal-opportunity misanthrope. The men this "Sonja" is describing are not being portrayed in a very flattering light. (But then neither is Sonja, for not just telling them to piss off.)
I should amend that; he's a misanthrope in the abstract, but most people who've actually met him (including myself, briefly) almost universally report a polite and pleasant gentleman. Oh, the paradox!
He's not only an Equal-Opportunity Misanthrope (and thank you, Tony, for coining that plus-parfait phrase), he's also a really nice guy. I have been blessed by spending a fair amount of time with Dave on multiple occasions and have never been disappointed by his wit, his politeness, and his generosity.
Having said that, I will add that Dave never hesitates to be a truth-teller. These pages about Red remind me of Dave writing about how he researched the Mothers & Daughters storyline by going out to bars and asking women about themselves. I think he said something about them initially being shocked, then guarded, and then (when they figured out that he wasn't coming on to them), they spilled all their secrets like an eight-year-old girl. How I wish I coulda been a fly on the wall back then.
The Feminine Mystique--cracked by Dave Sim.
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