Dialogue From Reads Part Two

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 took a look at pages 147 though 149 of Dave Sim’s 21st notebook in Dialogue From Reads. Those three pages covered the dialogue between Po, Cerebus, Cirin and Astoria. Lets skip over some of the pages that just had walls of text for Victor Reid, and go to page 158 which has some of the same dialogue on page 147, but instead it is closer and in some cases the same as the finished text.

Notebook 21, page 158

Pretty much the same for the first bit, but then when Po starts talking about Cerebus and his claim to the throne. Just a little different. And instead of talking about being an agnostic who sees manifestations of Tarim and Terim everywhere around him, Po in the book talks about echoes and breaking the cycle. Then on page 159, some of that same dialogue repeats, but the manifestations of Terim and Tarim are no longer there (though this dialogue does appear later in Reads, on page 60, but instead Po says God or Goddess):

Notebook 21, page 159

Only a few bits and pieces of this was used. 

Then on page 160 there is more of the dialogue, along with some character sketches, used on page 94 of Reads (aka Cerebus #179, page 8):

Notebook 21, page 160

This dialogue matches up very well with the finished book. The only thing that is missing is Cerebus’ reactions when Astoria springs that heavy news on him.