Thursday, 15 January 2026

Notebook 21: Cerebus #175 Reads Text

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

~*~~~*~

Last week we looked at three pages from Dave’s 21st notebook that showed some really nice page layouts. And we had looked at the rest of those pages earlier. Full page layouts that are tightened up and take up most of the notebook page? Yah, those are eye catching and get posted pretty quickly. But now we’re back to the ‘walls of text’ pages. We are starting to cover Reads, so it is to be expected on some level.

And since I’m in the middle of a span of five Boston Bruins games in eight days, I’m exhausted. And I’m not even playing hockey. I finally got to see the Bruins score 10 goals – first time at the Garden since the late 70s. A whole lot of other stuff happened at that game as well. It was crazy. Never been to a game like that before and I’ve been to over 700 Boston Bruins games. By the time you read this, Thursday night the Bruins will be retiring Zdeno Chara’s number 33 and game five of five for this eight day stretch. 

What does this mean for you dear reader? You’re getting four pages from the notebook today. Don’t get too excited, they’re walls of text. Interesting text, but still a lot of text. Good news? Little commentary from me, as I’m exhausted. So, lets get at it:

Notebook #21, page 111

Notebook #21, page 112

Notebook #21, page 113

Notebook #21, page 114

As always, you can click on the pictures to see them bigger. Next week? Yah, probably more walls of text. . .Probably.

Wednesday, 14 January 2026

 CEREBUS IN HELL? WEEKLY STRIP #24

CEREBUS IN JAIL? PART 8

Scott Adams 1957-2026 R.I.P.

Next: Margaret

Monday, 12 January 2026

From the A/V Family Photo Album: The Women of Aardvark Comment! (Okay, SOME of them...)

Hi, Everybody!

Mondays! 

I don't know how different this is from Last Monday's Report, but interested parties can read them both and write an essay on what they find. (I won't read 'em, but it's good to have a hobby...)

NORMALLY, here's where I post a Please Hold Transcript, but I'm a little Please Held out, so enjoy an amusing detour... 

Going through the A/V Family Photo Album to get the Susan Alston photos for yesterday's  post, I found these photos, and was gonna run them instead, but Susan won the coin toss...

AND NOW: The Women of Aardvark Comment:
(okay, this one may not have ACTUALLY run in Aardvark Comment...)


And then:
(It SAYS "Aardvark Comment", so if it didn't run there, blame Dave...)

(Five will get you ten, Margaret knows what issue this ran in...)

Dave has her REAL name on here, but I don't know that I want to throw it out there so Everybody! can stalk her on Social Media. Sorry Mags...



I don't think this is the Con where Dave slept with her after (I thought Dave told me it was New York), but it might have been...






(Margaret can tell you which photo of Connie appeared in what installment of Aardvark Comment. She has a spreadsheet!)

There ya go. (If THIS doesn't become a "Top Ten" post at the end of the year, I'm gonna be really disappointed in you people...) "Moment"!

Youse welcome...
__________________________
Like the logo? I stole it...








____________________
Friend to the Blog, James Lingus-Smith has a new Papa Balloon and Cactus Comic on the Kickstarter.

And, coming in February, The 1982 Tour Book (click the link to be notified on launch).
______________
The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. OR(!) you could buy Bill's book with the Dave backcover. I have discovered links:
Wanderland (Paperback)
Wanderland (Hardcover for the guys who get "hard" for hardcovers...)
Wanderland (Paperback but slightly more expensive...I dunno why...)
The site offers UK shipping, so PRESUMEABLY it's printed and shipped there(?).
And Journey Complete:
Hardcover
Paperback
And if you wanna see how the book looks in Real Time...

Over on the Facebookees, Mike Jones shared that Dave has a five SEVEN page Strange Death of Alex Raymond story in YEET Presents #68. Mike Jones still has 30 copies of the second printing available, ya gotta back them on Patreon to get it.
____________
Larry Shell could use a hand to keep his house.
____________
Dave also wanted me to post this:

Lots of little words, click for bigger.
______________
Up to 35% off January 12-18 and January 28-February 1.*
*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

Speaking of Merch, if you want a strange near-antique, shoot an email to momentofcerebus@gmail.com, and I'll tell ya where to send the $20USD I want for these. No shipping charge in the States or Canada. Everybody else add $10USD for shipping. I'll send 'em anywhere the postman is willing to go...
Back and front.
______________
You can get all 16 volumes of Cerebus, many of them Remastered for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)
_______________
Heritage has:
  • The original art to Cerebus: the Six Deadly Sins Cover, Avarice, and Gluttony? Why doesn't Dave have this? (Coming soon)
  • Cerebus #81 page 11 (coming soon)
  • Cerebus #81 page 12 (coming soon)
And ComicLink (remember ComicLink? Seiler brought us ComicLink. R.I.P Jeff.) has:
Thanks to Steve for sending the links. 
_______________
Oliver' Simonsen's Cerebus movie: The Absurd, Surreal, Metaphysical, and Fractured Destiny of Cerebus the Aardvark it's currently available on "Plex", "Xumo", "Vimeo On Demand", "Tubi". If you're in Brazil..."Mometu", "Nuclear Home Video".
_______________
Next Time: I'ma gonna post something if Jen is still M.I.A.

Sunday, 11 January 2026

From the A/V Family Photo Album: Labor Day Weekend 1996 AND Some Cerebus History!

Hi, Everybody!

So in this month's Please Hold For Dave Sim (see yesterday) ((scroll down)) (((keep going until you see me say "Hi, Everybody!" again...))) Dodger brought up Susan Alston's Dave Sim's Last Girlfriend book (which as far as I can see has never actually been published...). You know it:

Classy...

Well that's the one version of the cover, there's another one:

That photo looked familiar, so I ran through the A/V Family Photo Album:














That's not it...

There it is!

But, hey! There's more:




Far be it from me to argue with Granpaw, but this photo is dated THE SAME DAY as the two above. I don't think this is what Dave thinks it is...

And this one is the day BEFORE the last one...



So, there ya go. "Cerebus" history. (Okay, okay. FINE! I'll give you some REAL Cerebus History...)

See?

Click for bigger.

Okay, more "Moments" than you can shake a baby at.

Youse welcome...
__________________________
Like the logo? I stole it...








____________________
Friend to the Blog, James Bing-Bong-Shama-Lama-Ding-Dong Smith has a new Papa Balloon and Cactus Comic on the Kickstarter.

And, coming in February, The 1982 Tour Book (click the link to be notified on launch).
______________
The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. OR(!) you could buy Bill's book with the Dave backcover. I have discovered links:
Wanderland (Paperback)
Wanderland (Hardcover for the guys who get "hard" for hardcovers...)
Wanderland (Paperback but slightly more expensive...I dunno why...)
The site offers UK shipping, so PRESUMEABLY it's printed and shipped there(?).
And Journey Complete:
Hardcover
Paperback
And if you wanna see how the book looks in Real Time...

Over on the Facebookees, Mike Jones shared that Dave has a five SEVEN page Strange Death of Alex Raymond story in YEET Presents #68. Mike Jones still has 30 copies of the second printing available, ya gotta back them on Patreon to get it.
____________
Larry Shell could use a hand to keep his house.
____________
Dave also wanted me to post this:

Lots of little words, click for bigger.
______________
Up to 35% off January 11-18 and January 28-February 1.*
*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

Speaking of Merch, if you want a strange near-antique, shoot an email to momentofcerebus@gmail.com, and I'll tell ya where to send the $20USD I want for these. No shipping charge in the States or Canada. Everybody else add $10USD for shipping. I'll send 'em anywhere the postman is willing to go...
Back and front.
______________
You can get all 16 volumes of Cerebus, many of them Remastered for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)
_______________
Heritage has:
  • The original art to Cerebus: the Six Deadly Sins Cover, Avarice, and Gluttony? Why doesn't Dave have this? (Coming soon)
  • Cerebus #81 page 11 (coming soon)
  • Cerebus #81 page 12 (coming soon)
And ComicLink (remember ComicLink? Seiler brought us ComicLink. R.I.P Jeff.) has:
Thanks to Steve for sending the links. 
_______________
Oliver' Simonsen's Cerebus movie: The Absurd, Surreal, Metaphysical, and Fractured Destiny of Cerebus the Aardvark it's currently available on "Plex", "Xumo", "Vimeo On Demand", "Tubi". If you're in Brazil..."Mometu", "Nuclear Home Video".
_______________
Next Time: Mondays. But maybe I'll skip the transcripts since we JUST held for Dave...