Notebook 21: Cerebus #168 Part One

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’re continuing our look at Dave Sim’s 21st notebook used during the creation of Cerebus #164 to 187. We’ll be looking at this notebook, which there were 260 out of 300 pages scanned, until we’ve seen every single page of it. Well, the pages scanned. If you want to see all of the notebook #21 posts to date, just use the Notebook 21 tag. 

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For the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at pages of the notebook that cover Spawn #10. Now we are (finally) moving forward to Cerebus #168 material and it starts with page 66:

Notebook #21, page 66

The issue box shows us  yes, it is Cerebus #168 material, and the circled numbers indicate page numbers this time as the issue opens up with that quote at the top: “But, you know, I know when it’s a dream.” The quote is even typeset just like it is in the notebook. Page two of the issue does have Astoria saying this very  dialogue and the rough thumbnails look very similar to the finished page. Down at the bottom of the page where the circled 3 is located, the thumbnails stay very similar to the finished artwork, but the dialogue is different as Astoria doesn’t say “That feels. . .so. . .so. . .”

Notebook #21, page 67

At the top of the page we see a four circled, so this should be the rough thumbnails for page four of Cerebus #168. But it doesn’t match up. The first two “panels” of Astoria turning and looking in surprise are on page 3 of the finished issue. And then part of what shows up on what is labeled as 5 in the notebook show up on page 4 of the finished issued. The bottom three thumbnails and dialogue don’t show up until page 13 of the finished issue. That is when Swoon meets up with Cirin. 

The next page of the phonebook continues the Swoon dialogue from the previous page of the notebook, which kind of shows up on page 13 of the finished issue. In the notebook the dialogue is: “Events are moving quickly. The ascension will occur. But not in the way that you anticipate.” In the finished issued the dialogue is: “Er. . .the Ascension will take place. . .But not in the way that you” and then Cirin interrupts him.

Notebook #21, page 68

Below Swoon and his dialogue is a calendar for the end of January and part of February. I’m thinking this is January and February 1993, as Cerebus #168 has a cover date of March 1993. Then we have some dialogue, which as far as I can tell, doesn’t show up in the finished issue.