tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post6048218396938282815..comments2024-03-28T21:17:45.398-05:00Comments on A MOMENT OF CEREBUS: Cerebus: In My Life - John RobersonA Moment Of Cerebushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02718525538144698138noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-71749754020896704722013-08-14T02:29:44.571-05:002013-08-14T02:29:44.571-05:00Jeff: No offense taken, of course; we're all h...Jeff: No offense taken, of course; we're all here because we find <i>Cerebus</i> worthy of discussion.<br /><br />Sometimes indeed, to make a complex or subtle point, an author might have to make the reader work. I might say that the last third of <i>Cerebus</i> requires more work for less reward, and that ratio increases the closer we come to the end. As Dave had Oscar say, "Less a grand finale than a grand finally."<br /><br /> -- Damian T. Lloyd, MT, MT & MT<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-30891906638450544352013-08-13T17:14:14.908-05:002013-08-13T17:14:14.908-05:00Parts of the last 100 issues were brilliant, and m...Parts of the last 100 issues were brilliant, and meet or exceed the standards Dave set in the "main storyline," but then there's..."Cerebexegesis." <br />Reading that's like wading through a thick, mucky swamp...in long pants and a sweater.<br />As for the "unpleasantness" in "Reads," I have to say that I keep having experiences that make me say, "Damn, Dave is still right." (For the record, I'm very happily married. Paradox is as paradox does.)Tony Dunlopnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-68898673939033445862013-08-13T13:12:27.298-05:002013-08-13T13:12:27.298-05:00Damian, no offense, but you seem to be saying that...Damian, no offense, but you seem to be saying that the last third of the book is somehow lesser because the reader has to. . ."work". . .at understanding it. Same could be said of: Moby Dick, War and Peace, anything by Dostoevsky. In fact, it was the latter who Dave said on many occasions that he was trying to emulate, at least in the structure of doing a long, LONG, work.<br /> And, what's up with the repeated slam on books like Guys, just because some of the characters require some understanding of older, independent comics. Even without that, the book is hilarious. Hell, I had no idea who Gently Bent was based on, but perked up every time I saw him in an issue of Cerebus because he WAS so. . .bent. Besides, that book best underscores James A. Owens' comment (I know I keep returning to it, but it bears repeating here) that whenever Dave spoofed some other creator's character, he not only did it well, he did it better. I could go on and on about some of the inside info on those last third books, such as the model Ger built of the boat for Fall and the River, but I won't.Jeff Seilerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543690118315946039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-20450388601439129592013-08-12T23:54:54.671-05:002013-08-12T23:54:54.671-05:00Parts of the last third are really good, but parts...Parts of the last third are really good, but parts ... are not.<br /><br />"Guys" has a lot of ha-ha, but not as much if you don't know who those guys are (from <i>Cerebus</i> and the other comics Dave borrows from). "Rick's Story' is pretty tough going, and again depends on having read <i>Cerebus</i>, especially "Jaka's Story". The Hemingway and Fitzgerald parodies were well done, but most of what Dave says <i>about</i> those writers and their wives is ... debatable. And the story parts of "Going Home" through "The Last Day" often don't make a lot of sense on their own, and require Dave's annotations to figure out what he intended.<br /><br />R. Fiore once said that Dave was lucky his artistic instincts ran counter to his "philosophy", but for the last third of <i>Cerebus</i> the balance shifted the other way; the cast ceased being characters and became puppets to the Theme, as did the plot. Most of the truly brilliant pieces of cartooning (including Ger's backgrounds) are primarily of interest to cartoonists (ooo! A whole issue that's one long tracking shot!) rather than directly relevant to furthering the story.<br /><br />And of course, there's the simple fact that by the last third there are 200 issues of back-story necessary to understand who these people are and what's going on. But more: you have to understand the meta-world of the comics field, as well as Dave's life and his critics, at that period. <i>Cerebus</i> the work is very much of its time.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, though! I'm a big fan of <i>Cerebus</i>. But I can certainly understand why people think the last third is the weakest.<br /><br /> -- Damian T. Lloyd, Esq.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-80684985317523872002013-08-11T18:14:56.694-05:002013-08-11T18:14:56.694-05:00GOING HOME is one of my favourites in the Cerebus ...GOING HOME is one of my favourites in the Cerebus story. The Fitzgerrald parody is spot on, and Gerhards backgrounds (his use of tone in particular) is masterful.Jason Winternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-49813519263127147212013-08-11T06:21:46.664-05:002013-08-11T06:21:46.664-05:00I also think the last third is the best third. I g...I also think the last third is the best third. I gather most folks disagree. Darrell eppAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2837001751311078781.post-79952850535469661202013-08-11T05:09:31.526-05:002013-08-11T05:09:31.526-05:00"however I feel it falls short in its last th...<i>"however I feel it falls short in its last third."</i><br /><br />I hear that a lot and it always mystifies me. Personally I thought GUYS, RICK'S STORY, GOING HOME and FORM & VOID were the strongest books of the series. They were a bit of a struggle to read as 20-page monthly installments, but in book form they really shine.<br /><br />Or is that just me?A Moment Of Cerebushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02718525538144698138noreply@blogger.com