"His Memoirs" The Pamphlet

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.

In last week’s post, Notes for Cerebus #49 & 50, we saw page one and two of Dave Sim’s sixth Cerebus notebook. The page was loose from the rest of the notebook, but the next page was still attached.

Notebook #6, page 3

Along with a sketch for the cover to Cerebus #52, and a bigger sketch of Cerebus doing his smashing, we get an outline for the same issue. The issue with three different stories in it: writing (4 pages), Elfguest (4 pages), The Insecure Sinecure (12 pages). 

In the upper right corner, we see what appears to be a monetary note with Weisshaupt’s name on it. On the bottom right corner is some text:

The most money fastest so he has it. He prints the (unknown) he can print dictated by how

- Lord Julius says money supplies are

- Guy knows about movable type, but he can’t find anyone with the resources to

- Send every country a bucket of yellowish liquid . . .drip paper and it goes litmus

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Then on page 4 there are more notes on Cerebus #52: a couple sketches of Cerebus sitting in a tavern.  Dave has the three still listed in a different order then the finished comic. He also has a bit on ‘writing part one’:

Cerebus writing “On Governing. The key guidelines for leadership by Cerebus, former Prime Minister of Iest” Cautions against extreme reactions since the tends to provoke the unforeseen consequences. The wise leader should learns to let the (unknown) events take their natural course. He learns patience.

Notebook #6, page 4