Aw Geez 7: Diamonds are Forever (NEW Sim art)

Hi, Everybody!

Well, it was TECHNICALLY Thursday, but it's time once again for the Aw Geez. The anniversary of when I first started this gig.

For the Record:

The beginning of the End

Aw Geez

Aw Geez 2: Electric Bugaloo

Aw Geez 3: The Search for Spock

Aw Geez 4: A New Hope

Aw Geez 5: The Dial of Destiny

Aw Geez 6: Apocalypse

So, "Yay me!"

And then, TOMORROW makes thirteen years since Tim founded the joint. 

So, "Yay Tim!"

The TRADITIONAL gift at seven years is copper or wool. (Thirteen years doesn't even make the list...) But, I'll take whatever you send me.

I got you nice people the thing Dave wants. The Off-White House logo on Merch. (I know, Dave wanted it small. For the people who wanna see what it looks like: Big. And if you wanna look more official.)

Speaking of, The AMOC TeePublic Shoppe

35% off November 15-24, and 40% off November 25-30.*

*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

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In other news, since Twitter is a dumpster-fire and most people are skipping out of there, AMOC has joined BlueSky. Follow along. Or don't.

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Friend to the Blog, Steve Peters has NEW Dave Art for his Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent on the Kickstarter:

Click for Bigger

I was leaning more towards "Make Connie Lingus Great Again", but she's already pretty damn perfect:

You're already right-clicking to save. But left-clicking makes bigger.

Good news/Bad news: If you back and get the SIGNED variant, you'll get Dave/Jack's Sparky. If you only got the regular version or the UNsigned variant, you ain't getting it (Steve already had those printed before Dave's drawing came in.) Steve hasn't made up his mind on getting rid of the Original Art, but if I hear anything I'll tell you as soon as I want to...

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Got a message from my friends at the Waverly Press. They're doing Holiday Bundles for 2024. There are limited to 50 bundles. Available until December 31 or they sell out. Whichever comes first. Get 'em while they're hot. https://waverlycomics.com

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Okay, more of this guy

tomorrow...

Next Time: Cerebus! Momentarily! Like always!

Teenagers (Dave's weekly update #565)

Hi, Everybody!

Like it says on the Logo:

The little bit on the bottom there...

It's Friday, so that means:

Dave's Weekly Update:

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

 

_________________________

A Moment of Cerebus runs Saturday through Friday.

The Week in AMOC:

• Saturday: The November 2024 Please Hold For Dave Sim.
• Sunday: Dave takes us to school with New Dave Art, and Larry has Old Dave Art.
• Monday: The Monday Report, and I answer a question about Cerebus #2.
• Tuesday: Jen lets us know where we are with the Strange Death of Alex Raymond GoFundMe. TWO new pages unlocked! $175 until page 105 unlocks. John Meijer won the latest raffle. AND new Dave art!
• Wednesday: Hobbs shares toned images from Narutobus.
• Thursday: Margaret continues looking at pages from the first Notebook AKA Albatross 1, YOU can get your very own BETTER-THAN-MARGARET'S-POSTS-O.-M.-G.-YOU-GUYS-SERIOUSLY copy. See here. She's still looking through the pre-material for issue #27.
• Friday: that's this post. You're reading the Friday post right now. This is STILL like that bit in Spaceballs. (Should I link to LAST WEEK'S Update in these things?)

Okay, so that was the past week in AMOC. You're welcome.

Rigamarole:

The AMOC TeePublic Shoppe

35% off November 15-24, and 40% off November 25-30.*

*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

______________

Here's a thing:

The end is almost here! In just a few days, late pledges will end for the LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS: WORDS ONLY campaign! At that point, we will focus on sending out the backer surveys and pouring even more of our hearts and souls into making the book a masterpiece for all of you.

But you can still make the most of your support while making history! If you missed out on a certain reward during the campaign, there is still time for you to seize it! You can still order your digital, paperback, or hardcover edition of the book that brings together so many classic indie comics characters in prose fiction tales written by their original creators. Here's the link: http://kck.st/3Y11ZHu

Remember, thanks to the stretch goals, the book will include a brand-new DYNAMO JOE story, a SOUTHERN KNIGHTS tale, and black-and-white illustrations to accompany every story! And every backer will get a digital copy of the companion book, LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS: HISTORY AND TRIVIA.

Don't hesitate to jump in and help us make this book the absolute best it can be...all while scooping up fabulous rewards and great karma! JOIN THE LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS!

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Friend to the Blog, Steve Peters is BACK with Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent on the Kickstarter, featuring Dave's Variant Sparkybus: The Final Confrontation cover and 8 page collaboration with Steve. 

Get your copies here.

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The Cerebus Humble Bundle is over, you can STILL get all 16 volumes for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)

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Heritage has slabbed copy of  #1.

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The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. 

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The Last Day Without nothing.

   "      "     "        "  Dave's signature.

   "      "     "        "  an Old Cerebus Remarque

   "      "     "     Auction catalog for the Panoramic Remarques. 

_______________

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".

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Next Time: Aw geez...

Notebook One: Cerebus #27 Part Four

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.

Maybe instead of rewriting this opener every week, I’ll be a bit more efficient with my use of time and have this standard opening . . .though Boss Man saying I'm giving the notebook away for free, I see it as a way of advertising all the good stuff in the notebook, and wouldn't it be easier to have a hard copy to flip through and read at your own leisure? 

Have you got your copy of Albatross One? That is Dave Sim’s name for his first notebook used in the creation of Cerebus. If you want a copy of the notebook – and trust me, as someone who has held the actual Albatross One, it is a pretty close duplicate and looks great – you can check out this post right here. Well not this post. The one at this link. Go check it out, this post will still be here.

Please buy one so boss man stops yelling at me for "giving the store away for free". Perhaps if he sells one or two or all that he has left, he'll finally give me some PTO. Wait, why am I pushing this, boss man is on vacation. . .I should just take off. . .

And if you don’t want to buy one, you can wait as I release a couple of pages a week and check them out using the Notebook One tag. But trust me, the notebook is much much nicer then my silly little posts.

Okay, now that is done, on with this week’s Notebook One post.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Last week we saw pages 158 and 159 from Dave Sim’s first notebook used during the production of Cerebus. Those pages covered material from Cerebus #27. Page 158 was a list of plot points for Cerebus #27 and on page 160 we have a similar list, but it is more fleshed out. 

Notebook #1, page 160

There is another sketch of one of the kidnappers at the bottom left of the page. There is also more of a quick list down there as well of some familiar plot points: “2. Beats them up 3. Ransom note 4. Cerebus picks them up and dusts them off. 5. A really quick let’s get out of here from Cerebus. He's got the plan down pat by page four as well as the location – off over the rooves to demand – plays diamondback to win all of their squares and that’s when they doublecross him”.

After that and some more crossed out material, Dave starts writing down about how the squares work – Cerebus explaining it to his “kidnappers”. This continues on the next page when Dave switches back to the more fleshed out writing:

Notebook #1, page 161

Halfway down the page we get a description of the “kidnappers”: “both have hair trigger tempers. Reed haired Yosemite Sam type and black-haired Yosemite Sam type.”.  And again we see more sketches of the “kidnappers”. 

We get a tidbit of what is to come in Cerebus #28 down the bottom left of the page: “#28 Cerebus is going to have to hire a secretary to”. To? To do what? Will we find out on page 162? Will page 161 be the last page with Cerebus #27 material? Well, you don’t need to wait to find out, we already saw pages #162 and 163 in March of 2019 in Hold On There Y'Long-Eared Galoot. And as you can see, those two pages finalized the McGrew Brothers and still had material for Cerebus #27. We ain’t done yet folks.

Narutobus Tones!

Benjamin Hobbs:

The toning of Narutobus #1 is finished!

Here's a comparison of the first three Baby Throwing Panels from Church and State I to Narutobus #1:

Next week: More CIH? fun!

SDoAR 2.45: TWO New Pages Unlocked! $738 Raised in Raffle!

Let's see. Two more pages unlocked since last week and $738 raised in the Cerebus raffle! Not to shabby even if some commenters here like to scoff.

Not to mention new replacement art by Dave Sim for the Giant-Size Ashcan we are producing to continue the tale of The Strange Death of Alex Raymond!

The original mockup from 2021...

And the new art by Dave Sim in 2024...

I repeat, how cool is that?!?

Raffle News!

With 27 total entries, the winner of the Cerebus raffle for Cerebus #16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and Gold #0 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8, The T8 Ashcan Preview book with wraparound Green Foil cover (limited to 120 copies) and Cerebus/TMNT cards #87 and 88, Comics Journal no. 66 with Cerebus Six Deadly Sin ad within is... John Meijer a.k.a. Lord Julius!

SDOAR GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023

Just the GoFundMe Facts, Ma'am

• $15,825.00 raised to date from 267 donations

• 83 new pages released as mocked up by Dave Sim from 11 June to 28 December 2021

• 104 total pages available on Dropbox, including Dave's 2019 mocked-up pages

• $175.00 away from unlocking page 105

• If you have not donated > $5+ donation grants access to all 104 pages and all pages moving forward

• If you have donated, thank you, but if you want to donate monthly, GoFundMe does not offer that option, so please do so as we are nearing the middle of month #11 of Year 2.

SDOAR GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023

The Strange Death of Alex Raymond Preview, Part 44

The following are links to previous updates that featured pages from The Strange Death of Alex Raymond hardcover. If you click on the links in order, you can begin to devour the magnum opus that is the Strange Death of Alex Raymond...

This, 

This, this, 

This, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, this, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, this, this, 

This, this, this, this, this,

This, this, this, this, 

Then...

Ciao!

Jen xx

SDOAR GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023 <<-- SDOAR GoFundMe

A weird but "easy" question...

Hi, Everybody!

First, Mondays!

______________

So, I got a question at momentofcerebus@gmail.com, from...France:

Hello,

I'm French (English is not my mother tongue), and I've just recently started reading Cerebus for the first time, in the original version since there isn't really a French translation of the whole thing. In the second story, Cerebus says to his attacker: “COMNE YE TAMA STET FEGRIA!”. I couldn't work out what this meant, even using translators. Is it a pun?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Gio

He's referring to this page:

 Anyway, I replied:

Gio!

Hello. I believe there may be a French edition of the second volume: High Society.

As to your question, it's a made up language. Cerebus says it, and the caption says it's an insult (if I remember correctly).

I hope that helps.
Manly Matt Dow

He replied:

Thank you for your answer. I know about the French translation of the second volume (and the third).

It's a made up language, but does it have meaning? Will I understand the use of this made-up language later in the story?

Thank you,
Gio

And I said:

As far as I know, this is the only time the made up language is ever spoken.

In future installments, it's referred to but always in English.

So no worries.
Manly Matt Dow

Sometimes helping people is the best part of the job...

______________

Rigamarole:

Here's a thing:

IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Did you miss out on the LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS: WORDS ONLY Kickstarter campaign featuring a new CEREBUS tale by Dave Sim? The one that's making history by bringing together some of the most legendary characters and creators of the indie comics era in a book of thrilling prose fiction adventures? Well, SMILE! The LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS project is STILL accepting late pledges, so there's time for you to leap in, make a difference, and snag some spectacular rewards in the bargain! Here's the link: http://kck.st/3Y11ZHu

_______________

Friend to the Blog, Steve Peters is BACK with Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent on the Kickstarter, the Dave's Variant Sparkybus: The Final Confrontation cover is still in the mix: 

And Dave's 8 page collaboration with Steve will be in the book (even the regular cover version.)

_______________

The Cerebus Humble Bundle is over, you can STILL get all 16 volumes for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)

_______________

The AMOC TeePublic Shoppe

35% off November 10-24, and 40% off November 25-30.*

*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

_______________

Heritage has slapped copies of #1 and #2.

_______________

The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. 

_______________

The Last Day Without nothing.

   "      "     "        "  Dave's signature.

   "      "     "        "  an Old Cerebus Remarque

   "      "     "     Auction catalog for the Panoramic Remarques. 

_______________

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: Jen helps a guy translate SDOAR into Sanskrit...

Art School: Dave's advice on drawing your book

Hi, Everybody!

So, Better pics of Larry's Amazing Acquisition (courtesy of Larry):

Click for bigger

The back:

1979 price for a HAND COLOURED original Cerebus piece (what ain't never been printed anywhere):

Damn Sim, how high were you when you set that price?

__________________________

Anyway, Dave has more advice for Marc Di Stefano:

________________________________

Rigamarole:

Here's a thing:

IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Did you miss out on the LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS: WORDS ONLY Kickstarter campaign featuring a new CEREBUS tale by Dave Sim? The one that's making history by bringing together some of the most legendary characters and creators of the indie comics era in a book of thrilling prose fiction adventures? Well, SMILE! The LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS project is STILL accepting late pledges, so there's time for you to leap in, make a difference, and snag some spectacular rewards in the bargain! Here's the link: http://kck.st/3Y11ZHu

_______________

Friend to the Blog, Steve Peters is BACK with Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent on the Kickstarter, the Dave's Variant Sparkybus: The Final Confrontation cover is still in the mix: 

And Dave's 8 page collaboration with Steve will be in the book (even the regular cover version.)

_______________

The Cerebus Humble Bundle is over, you can STILL get all 16 volumes for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)

_______________

The AMOC TeePublic Shoppe

35% off November 10-24, and 40% off November 25-30.*

*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

_______________

Heritage has slapped copies of #1 and #2.

_______________

The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. 

_______________

The Last Day Without nothing.

   "      "     "        "  Dave's signature.

   "      "     "        "  an Old Cerebus Remarque

   "      "     "     Auction catalog for the Panoramic Remarques. 

_______________

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!

Please Hold For Dave Sim 11/2024

Hi, Everybody!

Please Hold For Dave Sim 11/2024:

Quite possibly the last Audio:

segment, because I fucking hate Spotify, and think I've finally reached my limit for tolerance of their shitty "service"...

Videos:

Part 1: Dave remembers Jeff, And I pimp the new merch

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Also available in White.

Part 2: Tony wanted to know about the Remastered Guys

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Part 3: Dave answers if there will be an Officially Licensed Cerebus Figure. And I show of Josh Even's Custom figure he's producing

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

I'm TRYING to get NECA's attention...

Part 4: Dave and I discuss Steve Peters and his second "go" at the Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent Kickstarter. My contribution to the book, and Dave's New contribution aside from the Variant Cover (available signed and unsigned) and the 8-page story he did with Steve. Then We anser Steve's question about Joe Matt's death. 

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Here's where Dave discussed Joe after his passing.

Part 5: Dodger wants to know if Dave will ever reprint his work from CANAR

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Part 6: Travis had a question about something from Chester Brown's Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Part 7: Michael R. of Easton Pennsylvania and I answer Dave's question "What's it like living in a Swing State?"

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Part 8: Dave answers just what the heck Larry got from Steve Hendricks

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

I personally did not see that coming...

Part 9: Dodger gets in another question. This time about Peter's Place

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

When in Scenic Lompoc, CA, eat at Mike's restaurant...

Part 10: We end with Michael R's question about Dave's favorite comedians

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Next Time: After party!

Political pugilism (Dave's weekly update #564)

Hi, Everybody!

Like it says on the Logo:

The little bit on the bottom there...

It's Friday, so that means:

Dave's Weekly Update:

Problems viewing this video? Watch directly on YouTube...

Speaking of Politics, I added two new designs to The AMOC TeePublic Shoppe

White on dark

Black on light

The whole store is on sale:

35% off November 8-24, and 40% off November 25-30.*

*Sale dates are not final and therefore subject to change.

_________________________

A Moment of Cerebus runs Saturday through Friday.

The Week in AMOC:

• Saturday: A bit for those going through though times.
• Sunday: New Dave Art, Old Valentino Art.
• Monday: The Monday Report, and faxes, and a bit more Melmoth.
• "Tuesday": Jen lets us know where we are with the Strange Death of Alex Raymond GoFundMe. $158 until page 103 unlocks. More Cerebus "rarities" being raffled. ONE Week left to get in on that...
• Wednesday: Hobbs shares...things I sent him, including (since he asked for clarification) the Bootleg Cerebus trading cards I printed myself. (I might not even have a set anymore...I was using one as a bookmark and I own a wall of books, so who knows where it is...
• Thursday: Margaret continues looking at pages from the first Notebook AKA Albatross 1, YOU can get your very own BETTER-THAN-MARGARET'S-POSTS-O.-M.-G.-YOU-GUYS-SERIOUSLY copy. See here. And she's *this* close to being almost at the end. Then Dave'll start selling replicas of Albatross #2, and she'll post all the pages from that. Or not...
• Friday: that's this post. You're reading the Friday post right now. This is STILL like that bit in Spaceballs. (Should I link to LAST WEEK'S Update in these things?)

Okay, so that was the past week in AMOC. You're welcome.

Rigamarole:

Here's a thing:

IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Did you miss out on the LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS: WORDS ONLY Kickstarter campaign featuring a new CEREBUS tale by Dave Sim? The one that's making history by bringing together some of the most legendary characters and creators of the indie comics era in a book of thrilling prose fiction adventures? Well, SMILE! The LEGENDS OF INDIE COMICS project is STILL accepting late pledges, so there's time for you to leap in, make a difference, and snag some spectacular rewards in the bargain! Here's the link: http://kck.st/3Y11ZHu

_______________

Friend to the Blog, Steve Peters is BACK with Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent on the Kickstarter:

Ok everyone, I've decided to give Sparky a second chance. This one will be short but sweet: a much lower goal, and just a little over two weeks for funding this time because I don't want to go through another whole month of torture!
If everyone who backed last time backs again, Sparky will easily make it this time. If not, well, perhaps it's time to put the little guy back on hiatus for another 11 years! What do you say?

Click here to rescue Sparky from ignominy! Thanks to everyone who supported last time, and thanks in advance for coming back!

Dave's Variant Sparkybus: The Final Confrontation cover is still in the mix: 

And Dave's 8 page collaboration with Steve will be in the book (even the regular cover version.)

And my team-up with the King:

Which I have offered the original art to Steve for the campaign -- an 8.5"X11" piece of original art featuring Sparky: Cosmic Delinquent, inked by me in 2024 over a scan of Jack Kirby pencils from 1975, as an add-on reward in the current Sparky campaign. It will include "a special message hand written/drawn(?) by me to the winner." Includes a "Red Sparkybus" print, numbered out of 28 copies and signed by Matt and Dave Sim.

Get your copies here.

_______________

The Cerebus Humble Bundle is over, you can STILL get all 16 volumes for $99CANADIAN at CerebusDownloads.com (More if you want the Remastered Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing...)

_______________

Heritage has slapped copies of #1 and #2.

_______________

The Help Out Bill Messner-Loebs Go Fund Me, or buy Rodney Schroeter's book with proceeds going to Bill. 

_______________

The Last Day Without nothing.

   "      "     "        "  Dave's signature.

   "      "     "        "  an Old Cerebus Remarque

   "      "     "     Auction catalog for the Panoramic Remarques. 

_______________

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: If I don't give up in disgust, Please Hold For Dave Sim 11/2024!

Notebook One: Cerebus #27 Part Three

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.

Maybe instead of rewriting this opener every week, I’ll be a bit more efficient with my use of time and have this standard opening . . .though Boss Man saying I'm giving the notebook away for free, I see it as a way of advertising all the good stuff in the notebook, and wouldn't it be easier to have a hard copy to flip through and read at your own leisure? 

Have you got your copy of Albatross One? That is Dave Sim’s name for his first notebook used in the creation of Cerebus. If you want a copy of the notebook – and trust me, as someone who has held the actual Albatross One, it is a pretty close duplicate and looks great – you can check out this post right here. Well not this post. The one at this link. Go check it out, this post will still be here.

Please buy one so boss man stops yelling at me for "giving the store away for free". Perhaps if he sells one or two or all that he has left, he'll finally give me some PTO. Wait, why am I pushing this, boss man is on vacation. . .I should just take off. . .

And if you don’t want to buy one, you can wait as I release a couple of pages a week and check them out using the Notebook One tag. But trust me, the notebook is much much nicer then my silly little posts.

Okay, now that is done, on with this week’s Notebook One post.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Last week we saw pages 155, 156, and 157 which contained more bits from Cerebus #27. And then boss man goes and says this “And she's *this* close to being almost at the end. Then Dave'll start selling replicas of Albatross #2, and she'll post all the pages from that. Or not...” I am almost that close. There are 38 pages left in Albatross 1, and we’ve seen 7 of those pages already, so really only 31 pages left to look at. And yes, we will see them all. Perhaps not before the end of the year, but they will be posted here sequentially. And then. . .

Are we on to Albatross 2 once we’re done looking at Albatross 1? Umm. . .

But on to page 158. And is it more on Cerebus #27 or are we moving forward to Cerebus #28, the final issue covered in this notebook?

Notebook #1, page 158

It is more material for Cerebus #27. This is closer to what becomes Cerebus #27 than what was in the previous notebook pages. Notice that Dave crossed out ‘Eye in the Pyramid’ between items listed as #4 and #5. If you’re wondering what the line by #9 is: “Engravings . . You remember don’ya? The old peacock road chap what cut up half a dozen derelicts with a pair of rusty hedge trimmers”. Dave had this to say on it: “Didn’t know who the kidnappers were, yet, and I was toying with the idea of doing The Maltese Falcon – that’s Peter Loree in the lower right. . .which is where the Mary Astor character, Astoria, originated.”

Well, Dave didn’t know who the kidnappers were on page 158, but with page 159, he starts sketching some:

Notebook #1, page 159

As Dave says about this page: “Two of the original three kidnappers / first concept sketch.” We know who the “kidnappers” are going to be, so perhaps the first sketches of the McGrew Brothers.