Notebook 21: Minds or Viktor Davis

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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Well, what do we have here? A Minds logo? An issue box number for Cerebus #187? Are we finally done with Viktor Davis? 

Notebook #21, page 192

The text below the issue number box seems to be tilted towards the content of Minds, the "only gradual absorption into a powerful orbit of mindless decay.” The text above Minds also seems geared towards Minds, “The best a creator can do is to try and understand his own creator.”

The next page has what appears to be some thoughts and connections being made. Though, “Men are furnaces”? Umm. 

Notebook #21, page 193

And since only two pages of barely any content. . .I know you’re all clamoring for more walls of text. So without further ado, more Viktor Davis – “what are you thinking”, well, Viktor won’t stop talking about what he is thinking about:

Notebook #21, page 194

That is an interesting quote on the above page, “You’ve known instinctively that there is nothing certain in these pages for some time now. . .You don’t know where I’m taking you. . .Cerebus is an hermaphrodite. Elrod never existed. Cerebus just had his ear cut off. Cerebus be all right, right? His name’s on the cover, right? A hundred and eighteen issues to go, right?” 

Right? 

Notebook #21, page 195

“This is Cerebus. Sixteen years of being alone complete isolation. Deathly quiet. Just the sound of your thought, which is no sound at all. Does it bother you? When I first came out in here in 1970. July. All the way out in here. I ended up spending a couple of days in the Psych Ward at K-W Hospital. Couldn’t sleep. Speaking in strange voices. One word at a time. One word at a time. Can you stop? Stop reading I mean.”

“Maybe the question isn’t what sort of person would do this. Maybe the question is what sort of person follows a person like this around for years on end.”

Notebook #21, page 196

“What if I was lying?”

The text of the above three pages gets turned into the text for Cerebus #183.