Notebook 21: Cerebus #169 Part Three

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 past couple of weeks we’ve seen pages from Dave’s 21st notebook which cover material in Cerebus #169, and this week is no different. Well, other than last week being page roughs and some sketches, and this week we’re back to walls of text. But they are funny walls of text: Lord Julius talking to Baskin while Boobah writes the transcript:

Notebook #21, page 81

And the text on the notebook page is line by line what is on “Boobah’s transcript” on page 17 of Cerebus #169 (page 143 of the phonebook Women). . .Except the last line from Lord Julius: “They want to know why they’re too high? Mm. How about this ‘I share your concern about high interest rates. For the life of me I can’t figure it out either.’ While that line did make the final cut, the bit written on the side of the notebook page gets slid in before that bit: “They want to know the reason? The reason you think my intertest rates are to high is that you aren’t taxing your people enough. If you double your taxes my interest will fade to insignificance.” And Baskin’s response: “No, no, they want to know why the IR (MRL: interest rates) are high not why they think they are.” 

And yes, the next page in the notebook is another “wall of text” which covers the Lord Julius, Baskin, and Boobah (as ‘me’) dialogue from page 18 of the same issue. And it is spot on. Like Dave just took his notebook and wrote it onto the finished page. Though it is missing Boobah saying what was already down so far. 

Notebook #21, page 82

And yes, the next page continues the Lord Julius, Baskin, and Boobah conversation:

Notebook #21, page 83

Yes, the page is a little more. . .rough? It has more crossed out bits and written in words. But it continues the dialogue from page 18 of Cerebus #169. 

I promise next week won’t be all walls of text. But hey, at least these walls of text were funny Lord Julius and Baskin material.