Notebook 36: Cerebus #300

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.

We made it. To Dave Sim’s last Cerebus notebook’s pages for  Cerebus #300. We’ve already seen 57 of the 58 pages scanned in for Notebook #36. The notebook that covers Cerebus #265 though 300. Yes, only 58 pages scanned for 36 issues. Why so few pages scanned for so many issues? Well, if you’ve been following along these past weeks, you’ll know the answer. Or if you want, you can get caught up by using the Notebook 36 tag.

Yup, there were a lot of blank pages in notebook 36, and if they were completely blank, I didn’t scan them. I was scanning the notebooks as efficiently as possible to get them back to Dave in a timely manner while still getting the highest quality scans – so blank pages were skipped.

So what do we have for Cerebus #300?

Notebook #36, page 103

We’ve seen that page before in Lots of Dead Cirinists back in November of 2020. Not much to see. But what of the other two pages that were supposed to be for Cerebus #300. Wouldn’t that be pages #104 and #105?

No. Those pages were blank as well. The next page that had any content was page 107:

Notebook #36, page 107

Wait, is that. . .content? Very faint pencil marks for two pages. The material in the panels is only visible from the page behind it:

Notebook #36, page 108

Yes, we have seen page 108 before, but only a close up of it, in The Final Notebook way back in March of 2015. Ten years. Over ten years ago. Anyhoo, the final layouts of the four pages above almost match the final four pages of Cerebus #300.

Final three pages of Cerebus #300

Instead of four panels per page, Dave went with six panels. The fourth page is blank as there is just the quote from II Maccabees 15:38 – 39. But the dynamics of the pages are roughly the same – Cerebus being shocked in the first page and turning away from the light, Cerebus trying to run away from the light and falling while calling for god, and his final call for help.

Note that in the notebook page layout, the top says HEELLLLLL and then the bottom says PP. I’m wondering if Dave changed it as the top was just basically saying H-E-double hockey sticks. Yes, hell. 

And that is a wrap on Notebook #36. Next week we've had a request for something from a Please Hold for Dave Sim.