Astoria Goes Shopping

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.

While we’ve been looking at pages of text from Dave Sim’s 21st notebook for the last couple of weeks – thanks Jeff! – this week I thought we’d take a break. From blocks of text, not from notebook #21. Near the start of the notebook, which covers Cerebus #164 – 187, are some sketches of Astoria.

Notebook #21, page 13

Umm. Now Looking at the phonebook Women, I can see where Astoria is getting her hair done and a new outfit at the start of the phonebook, Cerebus #163.  Astoria trying on a skirt and talking to the person helping her out, I called the person shop keeper below, about bringing the hem line up:

Shopkeeper: About here.

Astoria: Mm. Higher.

Shopkeeper: Higher, dear?

Astoria: Higher. Above the knee.

Shopkeeper: ABOVE the knee? But it isn’t. . .I mean, no one. . .What will people think?

Astoria: People will undoubtedly think as they always have. Along ancient tribal patterns and in rhetorical around about. Which is to say they will think without thinking.

That didn’t make the final issue that I can find. Neither did the bit on the next page of the notebook:

Notebook #21, page 14

Shopkeeper: What will people say?

Astoria: About the length? Probably not much. They’ll all be talking about the slit on the right side to mid-thigh.