Dave Sim's Notebooks: Cerebus / X-Men Crossover Part 2

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.

Last week we saw three pages from Dave Sim’s seventh notebook: pages 155, 156, and 160. Though not in that order. Those pages, some of the last ones from the seventh notebook, are Dave’s notes on the Cerebus / X-Men crossover that never came to be. Though we did see some potential artwork for it on the cover to Cerebus the Newsletter #8:

Cerebus the Newsletter #8

Last week we left off with page 156, which was in a black ink and on page 157 we have blue ink, the handwriting is a bit different, and more plot points:

Notebook #7, page 157

Along with the plot points, we get Professor Xavier talking with Scott and Wolverine. One line stood out to me:

Xavier: A pure mutation of some kind, Logan - - I can detect no human genes whatsoever.

The line that puts me off is “Cerebus cowering” as I can’t picture that happening unless Prof X is controlling Cerebus. . .

The next page in the notebook the color of the pen again changes color, as if Dave worked on it at another time:

Notebook #7, page 158

About half way down the page is this bit:

X-Men Xavier: Reminds them him of that talking duck that was supposed to have appeared out of nowhere in Cleveland a few years back.

Cyclops: A mutant, sir

Xavier: In a manner of speaking. . .Actually he’s the essence of mutation itself. 

Then the next page is a few different pen colors and types, so it looks like Dave would come back to this from time to time:

Notebook #7, page 159

Looks like we finally get an explanation for aardvarks: “Cerebus is less a mutant than the recurring after effect of an omnipresent quirk in our human genetic structure.” 

Well, maybe not.

Most of the page is some more discussion of the logistics and promo work for the crossover.