Notebook 21: The Reader, the story, and Viktor

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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After a couple of weeks of sketches from Dave’s notebook we are back to the “walls of text”. This is the notebook for Reads, so “walls of text” tracks. In the page below, the reader, the story, and Viktor Davis were all “getting closer”. 

Notebook #21, page #237

The above text shows up in Cerebus #183 page 14 (page 180 in Reads). Well, it mostly shows up on that page. I didn’t check it word for word, but most of it shows up there. Though the ‘what happens next’ is a phrase I don’t see on the finished pages. The next page of the notebook has the reader saying “Viktor?” Which does show up on page 181 of Reads. About two thirds of the way down the page, Dave crossed out ‘Yes and no’ and replaced it with ‘No and yes’. However, on page 181 of Reads it is back to ‘Yes and no.’

Notebook #21, page #238

Reading page 181 of Reads and the above notebook page, Dave wrote a bunch of stuff on this notebook page that he left out of the finished book. Though most of it did make it into Reads.

The next page of the notebook continues this preliminary writing for Cerebus #183. About halfway down the page noticed the ‘You’re all in here” is crossed out and replaced with:

‘Yes No the seats are empty. Yes you’re all in there now.’

There was a pause.

‘We’re all in here now.’

That was left out and the ‘You’re all in there, now’ was the final text.

Notebook #21, page #239

And yes, this text for Cerebus #183 continues on the next page of the notebook.

Notebook #21, page #240

The bit about the cover of Cerebus #181 made the final page – Reads page 182 if you’re curious – but around it was darkness as the cover faded into the distance, not the cover of Cerebus #182. Down the bottom of the notebook page a familiar accent is seen saying:

‘What. . ah say. . .what was that. Who’s there? Somebody ah say somebody put on the night light’. This joke has gone too far. . .(cursed the boundary that is). Ahm a story like’

Well, it looks like it continues onto page 241. And yes, Elrod does “appear” in the text of Cerebus #183.