Dave Sim Notebook Round-Up

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.

So it is the end of 2020. Thank fraking Terim. Tarim. Whatever. Time for rounding up all of the past notebook entries for AMoC, there have 315 notebook entries over the many years. Some notebooks only have had one entry - because that was the entire notebook - to Notebook #9 which has had 18 entries. So if you're looking for something to read over the weekend, here you go:

• 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
• Punchline for President (March 2019): p. 67 & 68
• Hold On There Y'Long-Eared Galoot (March 2019): p. 161 & 162
• The Way to Sannozay (Nov 2019) P. 118 & 124
• Playing Diamondback with Onliu Freelancers (May 2020): p. 168 & 170
• The Notebook Pages for The Challenge (June 2020): p. 113 - 117
• Notebook pages on Mind Game (Dec 2020): p. 7 & 21
• 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
  • Two Days Before (March 2018): p. 149
  • PetuniaCon Day One (May 2019): p. 186 & 187
  • She's Your Elf. . . (Aug 2019): p. 37, 38, 39
  • The Table Next To The Bed (Sept 2019): p. 47
  • Trying to Outsmart Lord Julius (Dec 2019): p. 2 & 3
  • Psychic Sound Club (Dec 2019) p. 4 & 5
  • A Soliloquy in Graveyard (Jan 2020) p. 6 & 7
• 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
  • First American Tour Poster (Apr 2019): p. 70
  • Hssssssssssssssssssss (Apr 2019): p. 56 & 57
  • PetuniaCon Guest List (May 2019): p. 3 & 6
  • Cerebus after Talking to Jaka in Cerebus #36 (July 2020): p. 1
  • Take Two of Cerebus Talking to Astoria in Cerebus #37 (Aug 2020): p. 5
  • Looking at Cerebus #37 part three (Aug 2020): p. 6 & 7
• 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
  • Cerebus' First Job (Aug 2019): p. 80
  • Issue 41 Page by Page (Aug 2020): p. 10 & 11
• 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
  • Suenteus Po Versus Astoria (May 2019): p. 46 & 47
  • Issue #48 Thumbnails (July 2020): p. 73
  • Summit Enchanted Evening (July 2020) p. 25 & 26
  • Summit Enchanted Evening Part Two (July 2020) p. 27 & 28
  • Rejected Plot Point After Summit (July 2020) p. 32
• 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
  • Frostonite Claws (June 2019): p. 47 & 48
  • A Friend of Astoria. . .Sort Of: (June 2019) p. 53
  • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (June 2019) p. 139, 140, & 141
  • The Countess' House: (Apr 2020) p. 36
  • Don't Swear at the Lady You Slug: (April 2020) p. 105 (close up of part of it, not entire thing) & page 109
• 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
  • Sproing (June 2019): p. 13
  • On Governing Part Who Knows (May 2020): p. 4 & 5
  • Feldan Flagg Roach (June 2020): p. 53 & 56
• 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
  • 6 of 30 (Oct 2019) p. 9, 10, & 11
  • So I Can Dance Probably (Apr 2020): p. 46 & 48
• 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
  • Blossom of My Sordid Youth (Oct 2019): p. 13
  • Chasing the Roach up the Tower (March 2020): p. 99
  • The Countess Calls the Boys to Dinner (Nov 2020): p. 43
  • Are They Always Like This?: (Dec 2020) p. 45 & 46
• 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
  • Cerebus Has Something Else To Do (May 2019) P. 55
  • Chasing the Roach up the Tower (March 2020): p. 1
  • Nobody Feeling Brave Today? (March 2020): p. 8 & 9
• 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, 86
  • 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
  • See You in Court (Oct 2019): p. 41
  • The Thing on Cerebus' Head (Feb 2020): p. 91
  • Odd Transformations 4. . .part 4 (Sept 2020): p. 1 & 2
• 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
  • The Judge (July 2019): p. 57, 58, 59, 60
  • She's Got the Devil in Her Heart (May 2020): p. 128 & 130
  • Suffering You'll Have No Trouble With (May 2020): . 131 & 132
• 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
  • Old Friends, Familiar Faces (Nov 2019): p. 26
  • What Could You Do Forever (Nov 2019): p. 18 & 25
• 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
  • Changes to the Princess of Palnu (Nov 2019): p. 31 & 32
  • Timelines and Memories (Oct 2020): p. 10
  • Jaka's Tale of a Mouse in a Mudhole (Oct 2020): p. 17 & 18
  • Jaka, Magic, and the Pageant Story (Oct 2020): p. 37, 38, & 39
• 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
  • The Locked Door Opened (Sept 2019): p. 27 & 29
• 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
  • Drinking At Dinner Time (Aug 2019): p. 50
  • Talking Back To Your Television (Sept 2019): p. 11
• 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
  • Melmoth One (August 2019): p. 65
• 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
  • Cinnamon Tea (April 2020): p. 33
• 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
  • Beth the Patio Goddess (March 2020): p. 32 & 51
• 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
  • The Reformer (Jan 2019): p. 32 & 33
  • Looked Like a Hyena (Feb 2019): p. 39
• 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
  • Swooncommamortals (Feb 2019) p. 3 & 7
  • Dany Snowy Storm (Feb 2019) p. 78
  • Dialogue from Reads (Oct 2020): p. 147 - 149
  • Dialogue From Reads Part Two (Oct 2020): p. 158 - 160
  • Viktor Davis Notes on Reads (Nov 2020): p. 170 - 172
  • Astoria Goes Shopping (Nov 2020): p. 13 & 14
• Notebook 22: issues 186 to 201
  • Talking With Your Creator (Dec 2014): page 37, 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
  • The Artist and the Princess (Jan 2018): p. 43
  • Leftovaries Feast Fer Evryone Eltz (Feb 2019): p. 64
• 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
  • Cerebus is a Terrible Person (Dec 2020): p. 33
• 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
  • Turning South to the River (Jan 2019): p. 62 & 63
  • Green-Eyed Monster (July 2019) p. 11, 12, & 13
• 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
  • This. Is a Bar. RAG. (Mar 2019): p. 13
  • Sick Mother (May 2019) p. 7
• 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
  • The Bed in the Ballroom (Jan 2019): p. 37
• 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
  • They Brought Back Ektachrome (Jan 20): p. 210
  • We Haven't Got A Boat (Jan 20): p. 211
  • Winky, Blinky, and Noddy (Jan 20): p. 44
  • She Has Her Palnu Face On (Feb 20): p. 46
  • They're On a Boat (Jun 2020): p. 7
  • Making a Stew (Sept 2020): p. 8
  • Nearly Finished Page from Cerebus #240 (Sept 2020): p. 9
• 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
  • Hurtling Through Dark Realms (Apr 2020): p. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17
• 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
  • True Romance (April 2019): p. 18 & 19
  • True Romance Part Deux (April 2019): p. 20 & 21
• 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
  • A Realy Mommy Type (Aug 2019) p. 25 & 26
• 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
  • Lots of Dead Cirinists (Nov 2020): p. 29 & 103
• Loose Pages
• Don't Piss Off Tarim (May 2017): Pages 2 & 6

For those of you who made it to the bottom of this super long post, how about the few pictures I took of some of Dave's notebooks when I had them for scanning?

The purple notebook is #24, white notebook is #23, and the tan notebook is #25

Notebook #29, pages 6 and 7

Yes, check out the entries for notebook #29, basically the first batch of pages in that notebook are pretty much completed pages without Gerhard's backgrounds. That stopped me in my tracks when I got to scanning it. I just had to take a picture of it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.