Notebook 36: Cerebus #273. . .Nope, Cerebus #274

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 looked at four (!) pages from Dave Sim’s 36th notebook used in the production of Cerebus the Aardvark. Notebook #35 covers Cerebus #265 to the final issue, #300. The notebook only had 58 pages scanned out of the 108 pages in the notebook because so many of them were blank. And as you saw with last week’s entry, many only had the cover’s issue box number on the page, which is why we saw four pages last week. 

This week, the page for Cerebus #273, has material on it:

Notebook #36, page 22

If you don’t remember Cerebus #273, it is the issue where Cerebus finally trashes his Rabbi get up and leaps off the box he was on, falls and breaks his leg. And is in the dark for about 10 and a half pages. So about the only thing on the above page that was used in Cerebus #273. . .the issue number box. Some of the dialogue and the two sketches are for page five of Cerebus #274. The sketch of the ‘Na Na Neeee’ is of Koshie getting the cast ready for Cerebus’ leg.

The next page continues with material for Cerebus #274, not the #273 that these pages were slated to be used for. 

Notebook #36, page 23

Lots of dialogue for the Three Wise Fellows being rewritten. The dialogue: “Izzat so? It seemeth unto Mosher that what she actually “signifries” is that Kosher’s theology hath descendeth into his groin “tallywacker” again.” That is almost what actually appears on page 5 of Cerebus #273. Dave went back to using groin instead of tallywacker.

The next page of the notebook is still more material for Cerebus #274, not 273:

Notebook #36, page 24

But hey, we’ve moved onto page six of Cerebus #274. The three sketches are the panels on the left side of page 6. And the dialogue to the right of it also appears on page 6. Now I’m wondering why Dave pushed this material from Cerebus #273 to 274. We'll see next week what the pages from notebook #36 for Cerebus #274 contain - material for Cerebus #274 or some other issue?