Monday 30 March 2020

"WHY'N TH' HELL DINYA ASK FER MONEY, HUH?!"

Hi, Everybody!

Attractive Cousins!

VARK WARS: WALT'S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

The four different High Societys.

But with Diamond being closed, I don't know how any of that works.

But, if you wanna read a free issue of Cerebus in Hell?, "Hare Krishna"...or something......

And there might be a sequel soon.
___________________________________________

Okay, This.

Then:






And Dave's calling on Thursday, so get your questions to momentofcerebus@gmail.com, or post them here. Whatever.

Next Time: I dunno...

24 comments:

The Refuge Elf said...

Why don't you just shuck the questions this time Matt? Mine too. This is just an idea. It's always the questions and selling Cerebus, but to turn your money quote around for this post, I've always liked your talks about family and things with Dave. Just a fan talking to him.

I think Dave is so like, Ok, it's talk to Matt Dow time now on Thursday at this time for 60 minutes, after prayer time # 3, then after talk with Matt, read Koran, then prayer time # 4, and then... You get it. Why not just surprise him and say, No questions....that's why I didn't fax them Dave...just want to talk to you today and what do you want to talk about?

I think he'll think you mean Cerebus, and might need to be told you're just meaning, No, what do you want to talk about right now? I'm guessing it'll probably be to tell us to pray 5 times a day and to read John in the interlinear. But, if that's it, that's it. I'm not going to read John. Maybe, he'll read it to us. Then, you wouldn't have to humor him by reading it yourself.

Why not go the Lulu Lang route and just ask him how he's doing? I don't have any questions for him. Do you? He seems to like talking about your family. I kind of like the play like parts he suggested you provide for them in a group reading of John or something. That actually sounds interesting. Is it possible for others to ...what is it...party line with you and we could all read John for 60 minutes. Would your wife and kids talk on the other phones in the house?

We'd all have different speaking parts. Is that even possible? What would we do, Skype or something and you'd put the Mic real close to your monitor? Maybe, Dave would talk for 2 1\2 hours to you and read with everyone. Would 2 1\2 hours be a record? He probably would to get us to read John seriously. How many speaking parts are there?

The Refuge Elf said...

I don't know, I just really think it would make the man's day. He did Cerebus all those years and we all liked it mostly. So, I just thought if you asked the man, Do you want to read from John for however long you want to today? No matter if I or anyone else doesn't want to read it, it just seems Matt, Dave would like once to just humor himself, and especially during this virus because he really seemed to think the answer to everything was in John or something. Any thoughts there anyone what he meant?

Does it address why the virus is happening or did he mean God is punishing us or what? I think he just meant reading it was to him a good idea, like he said he read it at City Hall or whatever. Anyway, if Dave goes for it and he'd actually want to read all of John with or without you or whatever, and that would exceed your phone bill, I'd pay for the over normal time or whatever. Just thought it would be neat now that I've thought it all through. Oh, well, I hope we all find what were looking for.

Brian West said...

So, take this how you will, Refuge Elf, but from what I have read, and heard, about Dave's comments about reading aloud the Gospel according to John is that doing so -- for however long it takes in one sitting -- is the absolute best use of one's time. This is based on Dave's inference that the Gospel according to John -- specifically as translated word for word from the original Greek by Westcott & Hort -- is as near Man -- with his flawed being and perception -- can get to absolute Truth.

This is really out of my depth. Dave explains it waaaaay better (five "a"s Hobbs) than I can here. Read this: https://momentofcerebus.blogspot.com/2020/02/please-hold-for-dave-sim-22020.html

Jeff said...

My questions for Dave this month:

1: Who?
2: What?
3: When?
4: Where?
and
5: Why?

Sorry, the former journalist in me couldn't resist.

Brian West said...

Hi Dave!

With #stayathome the words of the day in my home state of KY I found it interesting that there are still those who chose to dissent from the conventional wisdom of state officials here. This being that individuals and businesses must follow strict social distancing guidelines and/or to leave money on the table to stay at home for days, maybe even weeks at a time.

Case in point is a bill filed on 03/19/2020 by House representative Sarah Maddix of Dry Ridge, KY which would, in principle, limit "the scope of a governor's executive orders issued during a public health emergency" and "also allow Kentuckians to sue the state if an order adversely affects their business."

Those quotations were taken from the Courier-Journal, the Newspaper of record of Louisville, KY.

My question is how can an individual in a society, which is professed as open and free, hope to have autonomy if his rights as a citizen towards redress are curtailed, even abrogated, by fiat or by an executive order, even in times of public health emergency?

This has been on my mind of late and Ms. Maddix's House Bill seems to have brought that to the fore to me. Thank you for your time.





Brian West said...

Hello again Dave,

Here's an alternate question if the first question I offered here seems uninteresting: Who was a better goalie, Fuhr or Hasek?

Got the idea for this question via a question by a user on Twitter.

Matt, here's the link, if you are interested:https://twitter.com/Sebstown/status/1244727406037958660?s=19

Thank you again for your time.

Brian West said...

Hey Matt, the name of the House Representative I referred to in my first question is in fact Savannah L. Maddox. Sarah Maddix was a girl I knew at my job at a movie theater many moons ago. So, if you and Dave do choose to use that question for this month's "Please Hold" please use "Savannah L. Maddox" instead of Sarah Maddix when referring to House Bill 322 in the KY General Assembly. Sorry for that error and I thank you.

Brian West said...

When referring to the Representative who filed House Bill 322 in the KY General Assembly. Dave might parry with this joke in light of my grammatical error, "That's a fine Bill,Ms. Maddox, you have there, as fine a Bill as I have ever seen. Please, proceed!"

Glen said...

This question to Dave will likely only interest Canadian readers of "A Moment of Cerebus" like myself.

What do you think of Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister?

Birdsong said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David Johnson said...

Thanks Brian, I checked out that link, and found the following quote by Dave Sim that I think sums up all of our questions here so far.

"It's why I'm so strongly wedded to Scripture. Scripture, to me, is Truth. Reading all of John's Gospel aloud over the course of 2 1/2 hours (at least!) once a week (sometimes three times a week) is, I infer (perhaps wrongly) making the conscious choice to focus on Truth and to subject my soul and my mind and my brain to Truth to the exclusion of all else for that period of time. A much better use of my time, I infer, than watching a hockey game or a long movie or reading THE ODYSSEY or discussing Scripture, eating unhealthy food, drinking, taking drugs, hanging out, fornicating, masturbating, surfing the net, etc."

Therefore, David, I'm not sure what you mean about ignoring people. If you're implying something else, here I am. Either way, concerning your recent reply elsewhere here on AMOC about if or if not another fan or yourself was or wasn't justified, in partaking in what may or may not be making fun of human lives dying in this virus and much more, when doing Cerebus In Hell?, David, I love you, but you're crossing a thin line into defending a cause you judge others for opposing, because you're openly justifing it when you know it's wrong.

People are dying. CIH? is making fun of it. It's not a ?. Dave admits it and justifies it as due punishment for the wicked. He wants people to listen to and to obey John's gospel according to his inference of it. He just told Dave recently that it held the answer so to speak as to why God is allowing the virus to happen. Why this virus is happening, is like why Cerebus went to hell. It's because of a series of life long bad choices that all led to his total separation from God.

David, this is reality. Cerebus is made up. Speak life. Be it, if I call myself The Refuge Elf, David Johnson, or whatever, as Dave implied in the quote before the one I quoted, whatever my life's choices or personas have been in my own living analogy portrayal and witness of that life, God will judge me in the end good or bad. I've come to you playing a flute and being quite so to speak, and like Jesus said, both you have rejected.

David Johnson said...

"Dave told Matt" I mean.

Let me clarify what I think would really happen, if Matt asked Dave if he wanted the floor so to speak for however long to read John on the phone. Dave would probably laugh, be polite, agree with Matt and others that I'm often wrong and long winded on such things (How long has Dave's commentaries and essays been in comparison to my longest 13 page letter or so?), and conclude that it would be rude to even suggest to Matt in any way that he'd rather in any way spend the 60 minutes or so reading scriptures aloud, because it's Matt's phone call and time and such.

And, so, as Matt has implied before how Dave's scripture commentaries are TL:DR, and how Matt has rightly also implied that AMOC is his blog and his opinions and not Dave's, yes, all of these things are indeed right.

Therefore, my suggestion to Matt who asked for them to ask Dave about, was to ask him, What if Matt did offer to give him the floor for that purpose? And, if so, would Dave do it? It wasn't to me about anything else. It's about, after 40 years are you or are you not ever going to tell your friend, "Dave, I love you. Do you want to read John aloud with me for however long today for our call? I want to humor you because I love you more than I love myself. It's not about what I think is or isn't true about your faith divided from your work. It's about me doing unto others as I'd have them to do unto me."

And, that's been Dave giving all of you what you've wanted for 40 years. 42+ years. 45+ if you followed him before Cerebus.

David Johnson said...

Peace.

To clarify it all more, Yes, I totally know Dave believes in God and Jesus in a totally different way than I do. He has often told me so. He has often lately (7-8 months ago) told me he was ignoring my mail and putting it in his Gene Colan file because it was too long, hard to read, and against his views, but he said for me still to write and such. He with Matt both openly made fun of me for such things live on their phone call, so I told Dave I wouldn't bother him anymore. He's afraid of his world falling apart since Gerhard left, and money wise his living expenses keep having shorter and shorter supply.

And, as he nears retirement, now the world is coming undone and that with Diamond closing and more, is all catching up to him. He no longer addresses or will answer my past queries (As he did 16 years ago in Collected Letters) about, Why does he no longer see the things and physical ones that have happened to him recently, as punishments of God as he described to me in CL as being what Charles Shultz got with God punishing him with bad health, his hurt hand, and finally death?

Concerning the rest, I still admire Dave's zeal. Yet, when for example he has told Carson Grubauh, Watch out before you get involved on that project (The one Dave told me that he agreed it was making fun of him in an acidic way.), and when that creator openly in the commentary for the project with Gerhard (Who has also openly made fun of Dave) made fun of Dave, but Grubauh got mad at me not in truth because I used a pen name or such, but because I hit him pretty close to the mark, and Matt Dow concluded I'm wrong even though he admitted he hadn't read the commentary. So, those involved kept touting the thing as a salute to Dave even though it's creator and Dave said it wasn't.

If you'll not believe Dave, you're calling him a liar. That, I'm not guilty of. Dave likes honesty. Here I am. Say, I posed as this or that. But, that doesn't change the truth. Have I been often wrong? Yes. Am I wrong about this? No. Read the commentary. Ask Dave yourself. Most of you love Dave and so do I. But, some of you are just fake and evil and against him. Keep throwing the past in my face. Again, read the commentary and ask Dave Carson and Matt. Or, go on.

Here's the sum of it. Dave said he believes he's using dark humor with people going to hell, including LGBT, nudity, sex jokes, and such and such, isn't wrong at all, but what God wants him to do in keeping the Cerebus business alive. And, he believes his inference of God is correct. I don't agree and have told him so. He understands. That's where I leave it. And, that's where he leaves it. As he, said, we've both made a choice. I've stopped communicating with him. And, he's not communicating with me, but he welcomed me to keep writing if I typed or such contrary to my bad hand writing.

For those of you who will accept it, strengthen what remains. For those who will not, you've made your choice.

Dave Kopperman said...

I got one: is there anything that Dave regarded as a creative sacrifice when he went from the issue-by-issue mindset to the serialized novel format? I'd say the shift starts to happen in the middle of High Society but really starts to kick in during the C&S II and then becomes complete with Jaka's Story.

Like it's clear that the long-form approach gave him access to some major benefits from a narrative, visual, and formal perspective - but opening a window shuts a door, as it were, so some things that were part of the more discrete issues approach were lost. The individual issue titles, for one, a thing that Dave had a real gift for. So, again: was there anything he regarded as a deficit to making comics in that shift?

David Johnson said...

Dave K, good question. I'm sure Matt will ask Dave and he'll answer it. I'm thinking Dave might say the shift began around Cerebus #11 around the time he was on cocaine he has said before, when he's said before that his mind was open and he got all these ideas, including to end Cerebus with #300. He's before kind of blaming Dani for not be open to his new thoughts at the time. I also believe, this is about the time that Dave expanded on Haka as a character, with the letter he got concerning her, where beforehand, I think Dave just would've kept doing single stand alone stories.

I think one has to at some point start telling stories in these cases, that follow the course of a beginning to an end, where the characters age and life continues. A film director once gave a good speech on, how a good story teller must begin with the sum of the story's point and finish. He said the story is about how the characters get there.

To me, like some other stories, Cerebus until about #11, was simply an issue to issue story. If Dave hadn't changed to making it have an ending and a beginning, then it never would've been a story, but only entertainment. A story like the director spoke of, is one that is advice.

To me, interestingly is that the Bible as explained by Dave concerning how Genesis 1 in relation to John 1, isn't a book by book stand alone story in-between, but a story with a beginning to an end, because John clearly shows that Genesis 1 wasn't stand alone, but an analogy pointing to John 1 concerning how Christ would fulfil all things. That, even if one does or doesn't agree, is good story telling. I like the Bible as a story. Without Jesus's advice, I wouldn't know salvation.

Brian West said...

Well, Matt, looks like this month's "Please Hold" ought to be pretty interesting.

Brian West said...

Oh, I almost forgot. David Johnson, you're welcome. Happy to be of service.

David Johnson said...

You're welcome Brian! As for this month's Please Hold, there's always I agree interesting, but in relation to me, I know Matt's going to ask your question, the others asked here, and anymore to come. But, if or if not you meant that anything at all that I suggested will ne apart of it, it will not because I've never specifically asked him to ask him a question in regards to it.

I've suggested, but Matt will not do that. He may out of anger or for fun or such bring me up collaterally, but any way, Dave and he would only make fun and light of me, and never specifically address my simple point. Even if, now Matt did, it is still going to be something like I said it would be. I don't think they're going to read John and I think that is that. Ok. I could pay Dave and Matt each a $100.00 probably and I think they'd still decline. For me, people who say they need support because they're supporting each other, who would still decline that, shows me they've made a choice as I've said. Ok.

You'll see, with those like Grubauh, Birdsong, Matt, and such, they such much about much, and have all said to ignore me because I haven't been short or correct in my responses, or mysterious and a liar using cloak and dagger, that now as I've done before, when I say, Ok, here I am (even if it's after one of them has said they'll address me if I simply do so), they'll still ignore me and ignore my simple statements or such.

So, it isn't that they're ignoring people who call themselves an elf, or liars, or lunatics, or such. It's simply choosing to love the one, while hating the other. All of us see God is judging the entire world. The entertainment world is being hit the hardest because God is destroying the false God's.

Our comics distribution has stopped. Our comics are ceasing. CIH? is nearing its finish. And, so on. Yet, some of us are still hoping for the impossible that we can indulge in one more issue of CIH? where we again make fun of such and such. I advise such, let God win the chess game. If not, He'll win either way. It's better to admit He's better than us, than calling Him a liar. But, yes, it's one's choice. I choose Jesus.

Mouse Skull Entertainment said...

David/Elf/Hazel/whomever,

I answered as much of this as I want to in today's post.

Manly Matt Dow

David Johnson said...

Do you see Brian Wilson, Matt Dow quietly all so sits atop his own mountain until one hits him to close to the mark. Hence, as before when Matt starts throwing stones, I also now no longer pay any attention to him either. And, when I come here to Blogger to use this comment space kind of as a word processor to usually only copy and paste my text elsewhere online, like on a message submission contact form or such, I'm always over joyed to by chance (like now) to accidentally glance and notice that Matt or such, has elaborated with bold highlighted tic for tac examples of his past things concerning my points, all to my otherwise due gratitude except for one thing Brian.

You see, as I said, he just breezes right over my simple point doesn't he? It's kinda like a hyped up sales promotion isn't it. Like, "BIG SAVINGS AT MATT'S! GREAT DEALS! HURRY! OFFER ENDS SOON!" Yet, read the small print so to speak, and there's no simple, "Yes" or "No, David." No, "I will" or "Will not, ask Dave if he'd like for he and I to read from John for the Please Hold for Dave Sim today." It's that simple Brian.

You and anyone else see, I need not read any of what he's said (and I'm not) because it only concerns trying to justify all that I didn't talk about. I'm sure he brought up the Grubaugh, Gerhard, the other creator triangle thing again, and used good data to show such and such.

But, my point was that Dave had told Grubaugh to be careful about what he was getting involved in. And, Grubaugh admitted that Dave had no faith much in it, but Grubaugh disagreed. And, my point was that Matt said that he hadn't read all of the other creator's commentary, which I said had the creator showing that their work was specifically against Dave, like Dave said he kind of agreed with me on. Yet, both Grubaugh and Matt continued to say that the work wasn't against Dave. But, Grubaugh and Matt kept reposting the link to the creator's sites to help sell it - A work that calls all of yours stated beloved creator Dave Sim an idiot.

To me, that doesn't add up. I simply suggest the two look up and agree on the facts, and Matt has another SALE! Read the small print if you want Brian. Believe your own eyes and ears. Based on my two simple points about simply asking Dave what I suggested, and, asking to read what the other creator said against him and to verify that with Dave, all of Matt's good photos, mention of Margaret (?), and whatever else are only icing on his SALE cake isn't it?

Matt, I love you, the cake, the icing, your good ability to weekly provide the Cerebus fans with an engaging blog. It isn't personal Matt, Grubaugh, Birdsong, and such. I'm just sharing a story. Don't be overcome but be of good cheer. You have your opinions. I have mine. You don't have to do what I or anyone suggest. It's your blog Matt. It's your phone call. I'm just saying a friend would ask Dave to read John on the phone because some of the fans would actually listen to it, and that would humor Dave. That's my main point.

I don't think you're going to do that. That's your choice. When you ask Dave about it on Thursday, and he agrees with you that it's your phone call and that he'd never impose such a thing on you, that wasn't my point, which was that a friend wouldn't mention me at all, but would simply offer Dave the choice to read John in however many Please Hold for Dave Sims it took.

I don't think that will happen, but if it does and you truly keep my name out if it (this includes everyone else), I think all of you would see that Dave would happily read John to you. If so, ok. If, he didn't, then I confess happily now, ok. And, that is that either way.

Thanx all. Nothing in God is in vain. But, Jesus' gospel and not anything else is the needful point.

JLH said...

Why would Dave want to read us the Gospel of John on Please Hold when he already did so years ago on Youtube? If it was so important to Dave that he be heard reading it aloud on the internet, he could ask whoever's in charge of posting the Weekly Updates to repost those videos (I actually have copies of them on my computer).

Anonymous said...

I'm not really sure I understand a lot of what's going on up there. Usually I'd just move on but felt like commenting.

IF Dave made fun of someone, well...that doesn't sound like him, I'd be very surprised and disappointed to learn that. But like I said, that's a big IF.

As for the rest of it, I like this site because I find some of the information interesting, interviews, takes on art and so on.

I've mixed feelings on CIH. It's very hit or miss, but sometimes the cumulative effect kicks in and the absurdity of mixing Dore, Cerebus and what's said is quite funny.

Overall, I'm not sure what to make of the state of Cerebus/Dave Sim/Strange Death. I'm most interested in the last one, as I think whatever insights he has, expressed through his (or Carson's?) art will be unique. Maybe when it's done it'll be a one volume work, something casual comics readers will be interested in.

For me, the biggest loss has been Dave's artistic ability due to his injury and the thought of more comics from him. I guess I'll just be grateful for Strange Death when it eventually arrives.

Even when I disagree with Dave I think his perspective is very interesting.

Well, I guess that's it for now.

Peace and good health to you all,

A Fake Name

Jeff said...

David Johnson? Seriously, please don't forget to take your pills. I'll send you one of those plastic weekly pill containers, if you want.

David Johnson said...

Jeff, thank you for the pill case. One might be surprised how helpful little cases are like that. I was so happy to see a free one included the free ear plugs I bought last. I love my little case. Thank you Jeff. Love one's neighbor it says.