Pieces from Cerebus #127 and #128

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.

Dave Sim’s 17th notebook used in the creation of Cerebus covers Cerebus #127 through #135. We last saw some of the 72 pages scanned in November of 2022 in Mrs Snatcher. This time we’ll be looking at pages 5 and 6.

Notebook #17, page 5

On page 5 there is a page thumbnail with a 12 above it. It is for Cerebus #127, page 12:

Cerebus #127, page 12, aka Jaka’s Story page 284

While the dialogue surrounding  the thumbnail for the page kind of matches the dialogue on the page, it is closer to the finished page than the thumbnail for it. Though we do get the gist of the page from the dialogue and page thumbnail in the notebook: Rick’s enthusiasm for finally taking the lead and Cerebus being upset. 

Along the bottom of the page we see some onomatopoeia for Jaka entering the apartment: click clack bang. And then her coming up the stairs with creak creak creak. The sounds and the dialogue match up with what is on page 286 of Jaka’s Story. Including Jaka’s angry face and the ‘Fine!’.

The next page of the notebook, right on the other side of the same physical page, we see Jaka finding something and calling out to Rick:

Notebook #17, page 6

Those sketches and dialogue are for page 1 of Cerebus #128. Then the bottom of the page has some dialogue from page 10 of Cerebus #128: the ‘No! No we willy! I’m up! I’m up!”. The sketch of Jaka with Rick lying on top of her chest with the dialogue “Seems weird for Fred not to be here.” “You know I was thinking the same thing.” Doesn’t show up (at least in my search). 

But the dialogue below it:

Jaka: We’ve been down here for hours

Rick: mmmm.

Jaka: I have to get ready for work.

Rick: mmmm.

Jaka: Rick, please

Rick: mmmmm.

Does show up as the dialogue on the top of page 10 of Cerebus #128.