Friday, 30 June 2023
The Hero No. 37 (Dave's weekly update #492)
Thursday, 29 June 2023
Guys - Pages 1 through 3
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.
We last saw Dave’s 22nd notebook last July in Notes for a Potential Essay / Speech by Dave Sim. The notebook covers Cerebus #186 through 201 and only had 71 out of 80 pages scanned as there were 8 blank pages and 1 missing page.
On page sixty-two of the notebook, Dave put the issue number box in the upper left corner: 201. Then three page thumbnails. One for page one, which is just the word, guys. Then we have pages two and three of Cerebus #201:
Cerebus #201, pages 2 & 3 |
Notebook #22, page 62 |
Even though those thumbnails are pretty dang small, they do resemble the final pages. They include the word balloons along the edge of both pages. And Dave put the word balloons and dialogue below the thumbnails. The dialogue is similar, but it is different on the final pages.
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
She-Aversions: On sale NOW!
It's the last Wednesday of the month. A new CIH? is at your LCS. This month's installment is She-Aversions #1! Available in both Signed and Unsigned:
Now available to order from Diamond. Hell?Bot #1! Available in both Signed and Unsigned:
Next Week: More Cerebus in Public Domain Romance.
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
SDOAR 2023 #26: Fundraising Help $5 - The Fundraiser is OUT?!?
JEN: Yeah, I have lots of questions about the vacation policy. You need Tuesday for something? I could write the opening of the post and you can "interrupt" since I'm on holiday. Pro wrestling at its best.
MANLY: I literally gave you the Lucy gag as an out. I got nothing planned, but you are closer to Tim W than any of the rest of us, and can use the "I'm on the wrong side of the planet card." But if you WANT to do a stupid blog post when you're on vacation, feel free to not act like me... (I literally have Brian on speed dial so I can get out of this as quickly as possible...)
JEN: Hahaha. I got you now. The post is close to done, so I might incorporate your gag and post in the morning. Thanks for the vacation plan!
JEN (CONT'D): On second thought, could you split "COMICBOOK" into two words and change 5¢ to $5?
MANLY: Snazza frazza rashin' fashin' Ren RiRiacomo.
JEN: I can't tell if Manly and I are more pro wrestling, Spy vs. Spy, or Staged. Anyone care to weigh on on that?
Just the Facts, Ma'am, a.k.a. The SDOAR Toteboard
- *THREE* new pages unlocked since last week
- $7,075.00 raised from 118 donations (plus $62.08 outside of GoFundMe).
- 39 new pages released as mocked up by Dave Sim from Jun. 11 to Sep. 21, 2021
- 60 total pages available on Dropbox, including Dave's 2019 mocked-up pages
- Only $125.00 away from unlocking page 61
- If you have not donated >> $5+ donation grants access to all 60 pages and all pages moving forward!
- If you have donated (thanks!!) >> GoFundMe does not have an option for monthly subscriptions. So... if you want to donate on a monthly basis, please do so as we are in the very end of month #6.
- GoFundMe is a dreadful communication platform -- if you haven't heard back from me, gotten access to the new pages, etc., please email me at jen@typingmonkeys.com
Monday, 26 June 2023
Listen, as long as the strips take too long, that's pretty much all you're gonna get...
Tell your fans! Remind them that everything will be up to 35% off
Hey Matt!Could you add a link to SDOAR 2023 GFM at the bottom of your posts on AMOC?Thanks!Jen
Sunday, 25 June 2023
"Did Cerebus smile when he said that?"
_______________________________________
Saturday, 24 June 2023
News from the Ol' AMOC Mailbag...
You know where to send my money Spatula... |
Hey Matt!Could you add a link to SDOAR 2023 GFM at the bottom of your posts on AMOC?Thanks!Jen
Tell your fans! Remind them that everything will be up to 35% off
Friday, 23 June 2023
KEVIN EASTMAN interviewed by DAVE SIM #13 (Dave's weekly update #491) & some other stuff
So, The Nightstand Object is up for grabs. $233CAD or $250CAD depending on where you live. Because you're bidding at an auction house run by a cartoon doggie:
"Hey." |
Hey Matt!Could you add a link to SDOAR 2023 GFM at the bottom of your posts on AMOC?Thanks!Jen
Tell your fans! Remind them that everything will be up to 35% off
Thursday, 22 June 2023
Page 16 of Cerebus #174
MARGARET LISS:
Last week in Page 20 of Cerebus #174 we saw page #110 of Dave Sim’s 21st notebook, which covers Cerebus #164 through 187. Pages 102 through 110 of Dave’s notebook have sketches of pages from Cerebus #174. The one page in that selection which we haven’t looked at yet is page 106:
Notebook #21, page 106 |
And that sketch in the notebook of page 16 from Cerebus #174 looks pretty dang close to the finished page. The dialogue is there – just above / below the panels. Missing Gerhard’s backgrounds, yes, but only a few other slight changes. Like Po’s dialogue balloons do not have the “tail” on them and how Po in the fourth panel is lower so that his robe goes under the bottom panel.
Cerebus #174, page 16 (aka Women page 242) |
But Dave put hard lines around the panels that have the panel borders around them on the finished page. I also like how Gerhard put the background from panel two around the top of the first panel.
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
More Cerebus In Public Domain Romance
I'm moving VEEEERY slowly on the pages for Cerebus In Public Domain Romance. (Not the final title, or even the working title.) But I am making progress!The next section I'm tackling starts with this panel:
It's tempting to call it Cerebus and Batvark: Up In Smoke. Alternatively, I have the title The Smoking Section. I suppose I should write the story before titling, as then I'll know what it's about.
Next Week: It's the last Wednesday of the month! New CIH? at you LCS!
Tuesday, 20 June 2023
SDOAR 2023 #25: Lightning Strikes! Bait and Switch! Will Jen Survive?
Wait, isn't Jen supposed to be in London?
Why yes I am! Unfortunately my plane was struck by lightning, grounding it for several day and delaying my travel to London by two days. <sigh>
THEN, my AirBnB host tried to bait & switch me from a cozy Notting Hill flat into a horrible antiseptic British holiday apartment.
Something I like to call... Trouble Waiting to Happen!
Why am I sharing all of this? Well, because it explains why I had time to write this post -- whilst on hold with Virgin Atlantic *and* AirBnB, intermixed with WhatsApp calls with my aforementioned gaslight-y AirBnB host.
[EDIT: Jen here, jet lagged in rainy London. Tis the strangest thing. I keep catching glimpses of two individuals following me throughout London. And they're both wearing Cerebus t-shirts. Manly, the game is afoot!
So whilst I attempt to shake my pursuers, let's travel back in time via the SDOAR time machine <obligatory TARDIS sound> ...
"Dave Sim is my favourite comic book creator." - Lee Thacker, GoFund Me Donor, Brit *and* SDOAR Artist
- Sparse backgrounds (I hate drawing backgrounds!)
- A nice close up in the last panel
- It related well to Raymond’s alleged affairs (in my mind)
- The pretty girl
- It was from 1956, the year of Raymond’s death
CLAUDE FLOWERS (SDOAR PAST): Spectacular work! Hopefully you've shared those pictures with celebrities who are still around. I bet they'd be impressed.
LEE (SDOAR PAST): Hi Claude! Thank you for your kind words.
I actually sent a copy of Yellow Stars to Neil Gaiman (at Dave’s suggestion) but never heard back from him. Not surprising as he’s a very busy man.
I recently posted a drawing of Mark E Smith from the band The Fall on their Facebook page and received 236 ‘likes’ and 47 very flattering comments within the space of two hours. I’m thinking of doing the same on a few other Facebook band pages. Self promotion is something I’m not very good at. I feel like a chancer/opportunist every time I mention my work on forums and blogs. I always give Tim the choice as to whether to add the links to my sites here (he always does) – it’s the British way, I suppose…
DAVE SIM (SDOAR PAST): Hi Lee! Yes, the simmering edginess between Alex and Helen Raymond really communicates itself (and is a core element in SDOAR) and you've captured that very well -- especially since she was the original model for Dale Arden in FLASH GORDON. And then was replaced by photos of Olivia de Havilland. And then the parade of teenagers through her Mayapple Road quasi-mansion. Ouchie.
I go back and forth on whether the models were ENTIRELY a cover story for Raymond wanting pretty young girls in his studio and an actual "fine-tuning" that only Raymond was going through (can he make his "made up" women look enough like the models that you can't tell when he's making them up or drawing them from life? A lot of times I can, which means it still needed work).
As you've noticed, Honey Dorian is Quantum Levels Above any realistic comic art 1946 to 1953. NO ONE but Raymond could do a 100% accurate Honey Dorian and -- just as you say -- the eyes and the jawline are the biggest problem. And, of course, Raymond KNEW he was that far above everyone else (except Hal Foster). How could he not? (I always think of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" as Raymond's internal theme song).
That held true until Stan Drake came along and did Eve Jones in THE HEART OF JULIET JONES. To go from "Can't Touch This" to "Right with you, Alex: check out THIS facial expression, check out this hair, check out this pout, check out this sulk, check out this radiant smile".
LEE (SDOAR PAST): Hi Dave! Ha! Now I’ve got ‘Can’t Touch This’ running through my head – thanks for that!
I’m glad I got the gist of the ‘shimmering edginess’ in the strip. I also have the preceding strip on my ‘to do’ list – Honey seductively reclining on a sofa in the first panel – hubba hubba!
Having attempted a copy of Raymond’s work, it’s made me aware of what an absolute master of his craft he was. Although the stories hold little interest for me, I’m seriously considering purchasing the IDW ‘Rip Kirby’ reprints just to study and admire the composition and drawings.
- The Wedding Present shop which has both volumes for sale along with a few of the comics: Shop | Scopitones
- Bandcamp page: Merch | Raw Shark (bandcamp.com)
- Lulu page: Lee Thacker - Books and Publications Spotlight | Lulu
- Steve Peters' website: Home - . (webs.com)
- *ZERO* new pages unlocked since last week
- $6,410.00 raised from 114 donations (plus $62.08 outside of GoFundMe).
- 36 new pages released as mocked up by Dave Sim from Jun. 11 to Sep. 11, 2021
- 57 total pages available on Dropbox, including Dave's 2019 mocked-up pages
- Only $190.00 away from unlocking page 58
- If you have not donated >> $5+ donation grants access to all 57 pages and all pages moving forward!
- If you have donated (thanks!!) >> GoFundMe does not have an option for monthly subscriptions. So... if you want to donate on a monthly basis, please do so as we are in the middle of month #6.
- GoFundMe is a dreadful communication platform -- if you haven't heard back from me, gotten access to the new pages, etc., please email me at jen@typingmonkeys.com