Dave Sim's Cerebus Notebook Index

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.

For the new year, how about a listing of the notebook entries? This column has been (mostly) weekly since June of 2014 (Hunters & Gathers) covering all of the notebooks that Dave Sim sent to me so I could scan them.

• Notebook 1: issues 20 to 28
• Hunters & Gathers (June 2014): Front cover, page 86
• Albatross One, page one (Aug 2016): Front cover, page 1
• Beat the Hsiffies, buy bonds! (Sept 2016): page 25, 28
• Captain Cockroach and Bunky (Oct 2016): page 37, 47, 49
• Out of the Depths (Oct 2016): page 151
• Adam Beduin (July 2018): p. 41 & 42
• Notebook 2: issues 28 to 37
  • Albatross, Too (Aug 2016): Front cover, page 1, 138
  • Hsssssssssssssssssssss (Feb 2017): page 74, 75 & 76
  • Unorthodox. Economic. Revenge. (Sept 2017): p. 83
  • A Letter to the Prime Minister (March 2018): p. 35
  • Larger Nostrils Than Most People (Sept 2018): p. 30 & 31
• Notebook 3: issues 37 to 40
  • Do You Know Elrod? (Aug 2016): page 11, 58
  • Notebook 2a, aka Albatross Three (Aug 2016): Front cover, page 10
  • Sketching the Countess (Jan 2017): page 140, 141 & 143
  • A Look At Iest (Mar 2018): p. 48
  • Remove the Prime Minister (Aug 2018): page 53
• Notebook 4: issues 41 to 44
  • Albatross Four (Aug 2016): Front cover, 14, 20
  • Wuffa Wuffa (March 2017): page 59
  • Decisions Decisions (Sept 2017): p. 13
  • The Deciding Vote (Oct 2017): p. 57 & 58
  • A Well Equipped Bar (May 2018): p. 77
  • Three Days at the Regency (Nov 2018): p. 79
• Notebook 5: issues 45 to 49
  • Albatross Five (June 2015): front cover, 5, 10
  • Cerebus' New Republic (Nov 2016): 1, 8
  • The Deciding Vote (Nov 2016): page 58, 59
  • Cover Art for the Comics Journal (May 2017): page 62
  • To Tilt or Not To Tilt (Apr 2018): p. 16 & 17
  • Travel to the T'capmin Kingdom (Apr 2018): p. 70 & 71
• Notebook 6: issues 49 to 59
  • On Governing (Sept 2014): page 8, 11
  • Cerebus Archive (Feb 2016): page 58, 157
  • His First Fifth Notebook Notes (Dec 2015): page 95, 97, 98
  • Boom (Jan 2015): page 132, 149, 150
  • The First Time That Something Fell (April 2016): page 142, 146
  • Sketching the Countess (Jan 2017): page 140, 141, 143 (mentioned no cover)
  • Bureaucrat Pudding (Nov 2017): page 7
• Notebook 7: issues 59 to 69
  • The Making of a Cover - Cerebus #60 (July 2014): page 27, 29, 38
  • Selling Insurance (August 2014): page 58, 60, 61
  • Mind Game III (May 2016): page 66, 67
  • Cerebus Jam 2: Campaign Stop (July 2016): page 69, 70, 71
  • Even More In 1984 or When He Was 27 (June 2016): page 106, 107
  • A Plan for Church & State I (July 2015): page 108
  • Talking to Muffins (Jan 2017): Front cover, 126
  • A Friendly Reminder (Dec 2017): page 21 & 22
• Notebook 8: issues 70 to 79
  • Cerebus vs The Spirit (March 2016): page 1, 3
  • Sane As It Ever Was (Jan 2016): page 23, 28
  • Naming Church & State (Jan 2016): page 31
  • Dave's Sketches of People (Aug 2015): page 37, 62, 66
  • Varying Reasons of Assorted Depths (Dec 2014): page 58, 59, 61
  • Dave Sim and the Crack-of-Dawn Orchestra (Oct 2014): page 64, 67, 73
  • All She Wants To Do Is Dance (March 2017): front cover, page 45
  • A Stay At The Regency (March 2017): page 8
  • Fascination & Fruition (Oct 2018): p. 36
• Notebook 9: issues 80 to 86
  • Flick (April 2015): page 1, 3, 4
  • Cover Thumbnails (Nov 2016): page 7, 57
  • Touch Not The Priestess (July 2014): page 28, 32
  • Boys! Dinner! (Oct 2015): page 51, 56
  • Cerebus Feels So Good (July 2016): page 74, 75
  • Fat Elvis Period (March 2015): page 114, 131, 135
  • Sketches of Familiar Faces (Feb 2017): 47, 48, 49
  • Total Control (Aug 2017): Front cover, page 126
  • When Your Life Flashes Behind Your Back (Nov 2017): p. 80 & 81
  • SNORT (Nov 2017): p. 90 & 91
  • A Bit O'Swank (Nov 2017): p. 58, 61, 62 & 63
  • Sketches of Prince Mick (Dec 2017): p. 64, 65, 66 & 67
  • Noice. Fank You (Dec 2017): p. 68 & 69
  • Give Me Strength: (Feb 2018): p. 26 & 28
• Notebook 10: issues 87 to 95
  • Out With the In Crowd (Nov 2015): page 15, 25
  • An Edge In His Voice So Sharp He Could Plotz (Apr 2016): page 34, 35
  • Assassin (April 2015): page 69, 71
  • Lord Julius (July 2014): page 72, 73
  • So. . .You already said that. (Oct 2014): Cover, 85, 87
  • Odds and Ends (Jan 2015): pocket, 92, 113
  • Odd Transformations... 4 (May 2016): page 109
  • Odd Transformations... 4 part 2 (May 2016): page 110, 111
  • Odd Transformations . . .3 (Feb 2018): page 30
  • Astoria! GO AWAY! (Feb 2018) page 20
• Notebook 11: issues 96 to 102
  • Not The Trial (March 2016): page 12, 17
  • The Sky is Falling (Sept 2015): page 32
  • The Unknown Given (July 2016): page 35
  • The Trial (Oct 2014): page 51, 53
  • Endgame (Sept 2015): page 85
  • Assorted Cerebus (Dec 2015): page 89
  • The Final Ascension (Sept 2014): page 102, 103
  • Purple Unicorn (July 2017): front cover, page 43
  • What IS Truth? (June 2018): p. 63
  • Point Hats (July 2018): p. 11
  • Before the Trial (Dec 2018): p. 37
  • Shoo (Dec 2018): p. 39
• Notebook 12: issues 102 to 111
  • The Judge Before He Was The Judge (Sept 2016): front cover, page 32, 33
  • D'King and the Actress (July 2015): page 10, 15
  • Dave and the Direct Market (Dec 2014): page 21, 22, 23
  • Jaka's Story Logo (Oct 2014): page 42, 43
  • Walking on the Moon (April 2016): page 48, 49
  • Extrusion Intrusion (June 2016): page 50, 69, 74
  • Alone. Unloved. And Unmourned (August 2014): page 46, 82, 132, 139
  • Boom. Big Boom. Big Bang. (Dec 2017): page 4 & 5
  • Devoid Was Tarim (June 2018): p. 111
• Notebook 13: issues 112/113
  • Vacation Sketches Part Deux (Oct 2016): 5, 7, 8
  • Jaka's Story (June 2014): page 14, 17
  • Jaka the Dancer (Jan 2016): page 29
  • Vacation Time: San Jose (Nov 2014): page 57, 58, 59
  • Jaka's Story II (July 2014): page 66, 72
  • Bits (August 2015): page 74, 78
  • Playing Bingo While Wearing Tight Pants (May 2017): Front cover, p. 70
  • Terror in a Turgid Tool (Oct 2017): pages 1 - 3
  • What About Trying That? (June 2018): p. 10 & 11
  • The Start of Rick (June 2018): p. 35 & 36
  • Not That Rick Nash (June 2018) p. 77
• Notebook 14: issues 113 to 117
  • Jaka and Missy (Sept 2015): page 1, 2
  • A Gold Coin? (Feb 2015): page 46, 47, 50, 53
  • Reprinting Cerebus Every Two Weeks (March 2016): page 60, 61
  • Thunder the Wonder Pony (April 2017): Front cover, page 16, 36
  • Refuge of the Shallow (Aug 2017): page 55 & 56
  • Get Him Out of the Hotel (Oct 2017): page 35
• Notebook 15: issues 118 to 122
  • Daughter of Palnu (Dec 2014): page 22, 23, 24
  • Daughter of Palnu: Lessons (June 2016): page 25
  • Oscar (April 2015): page 38, 39, 41
  • What Is Cerebus About? (Feb 2016): page 98
  • Rick in a Can (Apr 2017): Front cover, page 67, page 68
  • Oscar's Cigarettes (Sept 2018): p. 52
• Notebook 16: issues 122 to 127
  • Outlines for the Poet (Aug 2015): page 9, 28
  • The Waiting Dancer (Apr 2016): page 41, 45
  • Jaka's Sweet old Aunt Victoria (Feb 2015): page 46, 56, 57
  • Soul and Substance (Nov 2016): page 65, 31
  • One Fondue Set Please (June 2017): Cover, page 68
• Notebook 17: issues 127 to 135
  • Mrs Thatcher (April 2015): page 12, 46, 49
  • Bang Bang SMASH (March 2015): page 31, 35, 45
  • La Danseuse Marvellieux (May 2017): Front cover, page 17
  • Front and Back (August 2017): page 13 and 14
  • Issues Summaries (August 2018): page 1 & 36
• Notebook 18: issues 136 to 141
  • Worm Merchant or Grand Lord of Palnu? (May 2015): page 27, 32, 35
  • The Frustrations of normalroach (Jan 2016): page 54, 55
  • Dino's Cafe (Feb 2016): cover, page 45 46
  • To an Iestan Boy? (Aug 2017): page 38 & 42
  • Lord Julius or Like-A-Look? (May 2018): pages 29 & 30
• Notebook 19: issues 141 to 149
  • Characters of Melmoth (June 2015): page 3, 17, 33
  • Melmoth and Tiny Thumbnails (August 2014): 28, 29, 30
  • A Deal For A Single Gold Coin (March 2017): Front cover, 11, 13, 15
  • Melmoth Thumbnails Part 1 (Sept 2017): Page 35
  • Melmoth Thumbnails Part 2 (Sept 2017): Page 36
  • A Deal (July 2018): p. 5, 7 & 9
• Notebook 20: issues 153 to 164
  • The Good and Bad of Comics in the Early 90s (March 2015): page 18, 19, 20
  • The Good and Bad of Comics in the Early 90s pt 2 (April 2015): page 21, 22, 23
  • The Finale: Good and Bad of Comics in the Early 90s (April 2015): page 24, 25, 26
  • Po's Monologue About Bran (Jan 2015): page 53, 54
  • US Tour 1992 tour diary (July 2015): page 57, 58, 59, 60
  • POIT! SMASH (July 2017): Front cover, page 38
  • Venus Rising (Apr 2018): p. 5 & 6
  • Dead Paper (Sept 2018): p. 17 & 28
  • Playing Chess (Dec 2018): p. 7
  • King's Pawing (Dec 2018): p. 12 & 13
• Notebook 21: issues 164 to 187
  • Alcohol Is Free and There Is No Last Call (Sept 2015): Front cover, 21, 31
  • Ends & Odd Bits (Nov 2014): 19, 29, 30, 259
  • Crossing Over (Oct 2014): page 25, 26, 64
  • Campaign '93 Notes (July 2016): page 57, 58, 59, 60
  • The Gathering (August 2014): page 102, 103, 104
  • I Want To See Your Armpit (Feb 2015): page 118, 163, 164
  • Down In A Minute, Sweetheart (Oct 2016): page 256, 257
  • Three Saviors? (April 2017): page 107, 108, 109
  • Roach. . .Nevermore (Oct 2018): p. 9
  • Crossing Over Part Two (Nov 2018): p. 27 & 28
• Notebook 22: issues 186 to 201
  • Talking With Your Creator (Dec 2014): page 27, 41
  • The Origin of the Mothers (Dec 2014): page 46, 47, 48, 49
  • Uncomfortable Truth (April 2015): page 54, 55
  • A Creator Named Dave (July 2015): page 57, 58
  • Drunk Attic (July 2017): Front cover, page 65
• Notebook 23: Mothers & Daughters
  • On Tour '92 (Feb 2015): page 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 21
  • Shredded Tissue of Lies (June 2015): page 42, 43, 57, 58
  • Cerebus #152 Cover Prelims (Feb 2016) cover, p. 47 & 49
  • Get Out and Push (Mar 2018): p. 36 & 37
  • It's The Story Of A Lovely Aardvark. . . (Aug 2018): p. 25 & 27
  • The Thoughts of Red Sophia (Aug 2018): p. 11 & 13
• Notebook 24: issues 197 to 211
  • Joanne and Fred (not that Fred) (Jan 2015): Page 3, 4, 5
  • Talking With Dave (Dec 2015): page 25, 26, 27
  • Talking With Dave Again (Dec 2015): 29, 30
  • Calling Dave Sim (Aug 2015): page 34, 35
  • Dreams Pt 1 (Nov 2015): page 37
  • Notes for Dave's Chat with Neil (May 2016): page 93, 94, 95, 96
  • The Tavern at the Wall of T'si (July 2017): Front cover, page 46
  • Remember. . .jobs? (Jan 2018): page 102 & 103
  • Deep and Meaningfuls (Nov 2018): p. 104 & 111
• Notebook 25: issues 213 to 241
  • Cerebus is Tired - Aye. Aye. (March 2015): page 24
  • Thesbian Tavern Tramp Drunk (Sept 2014): page 36, 38, 39
  • Only Demons Lie (March 2015): page 40
  • Pleasure's Simple Life (April 2016): page 86, 87, 88, 89, 91, 92, 95
  • A Victim of A Laughing Chance (June 2017): page 19, 28
  • Drink a Gallon Jug of Soda Water (Apr 2018): p. 35
• Notebook 26: issues 224 to 230
  • Cool's Right (July 2015): page 44, 46, 47
  • Pig's Ear (Dec 2016): front cover, back cover, page 1
  • Good RIDdance (June 2017): page 16 & 26
• Notebook 27: issue 225
  • F. Stop is not an Aperture (April 2015): page 19, 20, 21
  • A Face Like The Back End of a Dog (Dec 2016): front cover, page 1, 3
• Notebook 28: issue 227
  • Rick's Story (June 2015): page 2, 5, 6
  • Dreams Pt 1 (Nov 2015): page 36 (doesn't really talk about notebook 28)
  • Blasphemous Lies (June 2017): page 23 & 24
  • Battling with Potato Chips (Aug 2017): Front cover, page 20
• Notebook 29: issues 240 to 250
  • Fall And The River (Sept 2014): page 6, 15
  • Going Home page 330 (Sept 2016): page 45,
  • Form & Void Shooting Script (July 2014): page 47, 51, 55
  • The Destruction of Iest (Nov 2015): page 96, 156
  • Dreams Part Deux (Nov 2015): page 157, 158
  • They Give Us Those Nice Bright Colors (Sept 2015): page 208, 209
  • Meeting F. Stop (Jan 2017): Front cover, page 3
  • Closing Like a Gate (May 2018): page 31
• Notebook 30: Minds Rehearsal
  • Minds Rehearsal (Nov 2014): Back & Front cover, 24, 25, 26, 27, 58, 59
  • Seemingly Lead a Charmed Life (Jan 2018): pages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  • Fascination with Gore (Jan 2018): pages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
• Notebook 31: issues 256 to 265
  • To Ham & Ham Not (Jan 2015): page 6, 7
  • What Shoreline? (Dec 2016): front cover, 58, 59
  • Go on. Beat it. Scream! (Oct 2017): p. 66 & 67
• Notebook 32: issue 255
  • A Movie Review: Julia (Feb 2016): Page 1
  • Hunting Lodge Thespians (Feb 2016): Page 2, 3
  • Breakfast Sandwiches Instead of Shooting Lessons (Jan 2017): both covers, page 7
• Notebook 33: issue 251
  • The Start of Form & Void (Oct 2015): front and back cover, 1, 2
  • Salad Fork Stuck To His Face (April 2017): pages 5 & 7
• Notebook 34: issue 289 / 290
  • The Smallest Notebook (Oct 2015): front and back cover, 1, 2, 3, 4
  • That is the entire notebook
• Notebook 35: Spore & Konigsberg
  • Spore & Konigsberg (Oct 2015): page 11, 25
  • Avoyd Fornication (Dec 2015): front cover, page 1, 2
  • Running Upstairs in the Dark (Sept 2018): p.3
• Notebook 36: issues 265 to 300
  • Listening to Dead Cirinists (Sept 2016): front cover, page 28
  • Fred Hammer Wins the Jakirbee Cup (June 2016): page 6
  • The Final Notebook (March 2015): Inside Front Cover, 43, 108
  • Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk (Nov 2015): page 7, 23
  • Sixteen Questions Before Breakfast (June 2017): page 67 & 68
  • Yoohwhoo and the Little Yoohwhoos (Jan 2018) p. 49
• Loose Pages
  • Don't Piss Off Tarim (May 2017): Pages 2 & 6