Saturday, 27 June 2020

The Vark Wars! All Hail The Vark Wars! *woot* *woot*

Hi, Everybody!

Dave's calling on Thursday, but we're NOT doing Please Hold. Since the only question anybody is gonna send in is "What the hell happened on The Strange Death of Alex Raymond?" we're doing a little something I like to call The Bizarre Autopsy of The Strange Death of Alex Raymond: What Went Wrong, AND HOW!
Here's a little preview for you...

Heritage has the cover for issue #30, and some glamourpuss art too, NEW ADDITION: Strange Death of Alex Raymond preliminary sketches by Dave.

Be sure to order your copies of the newest Cerebus In Hell?: Batvark PENIS! or the "Censored for Grandma" variant: Batvark XXXXX!

Speaking of Cerebus in Hell?, I got my contributor copies of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back:

AND DAVE SIGNED THEM ALL!!!!!!!


Click for bigger


Seen here, the guy who wrote part of the left hand one, and the majority of the right hand one. And his Vark Wars shirt. Because nothing says success like "merch"... 

So I'm selling 'em!

Now, since they're all numbered out of 1860, you can have your pick of numbers, that I got*:
4
5
12-25
27
28
35-37
39-50
52-54
60-63
65-69
74-76
78-80
82-90
96-100
102-104
106
108-110
112 and 113

*Plus I'll sign and personalize your copy, so if you want a number that I don't have, I'll write that on it. I ain't proud. 

So, if you have a Cerebus Archive Number you want, I can put that on there.

I also have, 40 copies of the first Vark Wars, so if you want a copy of that, I got your back.

Just send an email to momentofcerebus@gmail.com, and let me know what you want:
Vark Wars
Walt's Empire Strikes Back
 or both**
How you want it:
unsigned (weirdo) (Vark Wars only)
signed by Dave (Walt's Empire only)
signed by Dave and me (Walt's Empire only)
signed by just me (Vark Wars)
crumbled into a ball and very much UNmint (weirdo...)
And if you want them "Bantha Wrangled" (I was credited on the first one as: "Matt Dow Bantha Wrangler") where I go through and note who wrote what.
 
Everything is shipped bagged and boarded. 

Four bucks US per issue, and I'll let you know how much shipping is (The USPS is such a pain.)

**I only have 40 copies of Vark Wars, so there's only forty sets of both available.

Okay, since I'm done shilling, and this ain't really a Moment,

Here's what Dave had to say about Vark Wars, and why we made a sequel:


 

This is one of my proudest moments (heh.).

Okay, 

Next Time: Oliver.

CiH? Daily Strip #64

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:



Friday, 26 June 2020

CiH? Daily Strip #63

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:



A Moment Of Matt (Dave's Weekly Update #345)

Hi, Everybody!

Heeeeeere's


"You may have heard of him." Heh.

As I said on the Youtube:
I mean, they're all signed, and personalized to "To whom it may concern," because I THOUGHT Dave would auction them off... But I'm not...offended? Upset? Perturbed? 
I mean, now, flattered. 
I guess I'll have to send Dave reproductions of the July 2019 "Please Hold For Eddie Khanna" strip I sent Eddie, and the Steve Peters Week one from...whenever that one was that I'm sending to Steve Peters...
Speaking of Please Hold For Dave Sim, Dave's calling on Thursday, but we're NOT doing Please Hold. Since the only question anybody is gonna send in is "What the hell happened on The Strange Death of Alex Raymond?" we're doing a little something I like to call The Bizarre Autopsy of The Strange Death of Alex Raymond: What Went Wrong, AND HOW!

And, of course: The newest Cerebus In Hell?: Batvark PENIS! or the "Censored for Grandma" variant: Batvark XXXXX!

And my contributor copies of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back are supposed to be here tomorrow:
Meme by Birdsong (You can tell that's not my house, I don't own weights...)
Heritage has the cover for issue #30, and some glamourpuss art too, NEW ADDITION: Strange Death of Alex Raymond preliminary sketches by Dave.

Next Time: Vark Wars, Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back, my Vark Wars shirt, pens...

Thursday, 25 June 2020

CiH? Daily Strip #62

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:



The Notebook Pages for The Challenge

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.

The Challenge is a Cerebus story that never got past the layouts and script format. That material was published in The Comic Buyer’s Guide #977, published August 7, 1992. From Dave’s introduction:
This is an unpublished Cerebus story which was commissioned by Comely Comix for The Captain Canuck Summer Special #2 (summer 1981). Comely went out of business shortly after approving the script and layouts for the story. A small blessing: his last letter suggested coloring Cerebus purple so that he would stand out in the color story! The last page of the script is missing but I have reconstructed it.
You can see the story – well, layouts and script – here at my site. I looked through Dave’s first Cerebus notebook, used in the create of issues #20 to 28, and found five notebook pages that have material for the seven-page story. Pages #113 – 117. The next page, 118, starts off material for Cerebus #25.

Looking at the notebook pages, Dave starts with a quick overview:

Notebook 1, page 113
Then puts down a page listing with what needs to happen on each page, and then starts in on some dialogue:

Notebook 1, page 114

Notebook 1, page 115

Notebook 1, page 116

Notebook 1, page 117
Not all of the dialogue is the same word for word, but the gist of it is what appears in the semi-finished story.

Wednesday, 24 June 2020

WALT'S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK...Now ON SALE!


Benjamin Hobbs:

Now on sale at your LCS, VARK WARS: WALT'S EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!

Show your LCS some love and buy multiple copies!

Now available to order: BATVARK PENIS and, what's bound to be the super rare cover variant, BATVARK XXXXX!




Next week: Batvark Penis Cover progression!

CiH? Daily Strip #61

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:


Tuesday, 23 June 2020

The Postman always rings three times, because he has OCD...

Hi, Everybody!

TOMORROW: You can pick up and read your copy of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back:
Meme by Birdsong.
And while your there, talk to the person behind the counter and say: "I NEED BATVARK PENIS IN MY BOX!" or ask for the "Censored for Grandma" variant: BATVARK XXXXX!

I'd read MY copy of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back, except mine are in a box in Toronto.

But I got other neat stuff in the mail, like:

Aw, she used her Cerebus stamp...

Aw, that was nice.
 Well since she wanted to jam, first I emailed her this:
He's right there Mags...
 And then, I finished it up:
Click to see the Power & The Glory!
 And yes, Iguana's shirt is the same pink as Floyd.

What do you guys think? Cerebus Birthday Card #2?
____________________________________

And even though I can't get the latest Cerebus in Hell?, Benjamin Hobbs is my Huckleberry:
"MATT, LET CGC KNOW THIS IS THE FIRST "BENJAMIN HOBBS COVER"
"JINGLES FIRST ISSUE...RUINED. AGAIN!" "TO MATT, FIRST EVER JUNGLES SKETCH! YOU'RE WELCOME."
Thanks Benjamin!

"TO MATT! LAURA SAYS I SHOULDN'T "SCRIBBLE" ACROSS THE COVERS. I'M IGNORING HER."
Funnily enough, my wife said the same thing when I was signing copies of the first Vark Wars... 

"VARK DEFACE COVER!" "*sob* HE'S STEALING MY LIME-LIGHT!"

"MATT, THERE ARE 1392 copies of this comic. THIS is the fifth I'VE DEFACED"

"JEFF, MATT THINKS HIS SIGNED BOOKS WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS. I'M SUBVERTING HIS EXPECTATIONS BY SIGNING HIS BOOK TO YOU. (NOW WHO'S JEALOUS?)" 
Hobbs is so awesome, you should tune in to his column tomorrow to see how you can give him all your money for awesome signed and sketched and personalized Cerebus in Hell? comics...

Next Time: Hobbs doesn't give you any way to give him money for awesome signed and sketched and personalized Cerebus in Hell? comics...

CiH? Daily Strip #60

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:

Monday, 22 June 2020

The REAL Truth about Cerebus #1.

Hi, Everybody!

Happy Monday!
So...video Updates from Dave on Fridays, faxed religious observations from Dave on Mondays. Hobbs and CiH? on Wednesdays, Margaret and notebooks on Thursdays, Oliver and the link-storm on Sundays? I gotta work what? Two days a week? I ain't gonna bitch...

But you guys probably will, SO:

Helping research the Secret History of the Counterfeit Cerebus #1 for the Waverly Press (I'm part of the "compiled and edited by" credit...) I noticed a serious flaw in the legend of Cerebus #1.

What am I talking about?

As every Cerebite learns in Cerebus School*:
In late 1977, Dave Sim wrote and drew, and Deni Loubert published Cerebus #1. There were two thousand copies printed, with five hundred copies going to Now & Then books in Kitchener, Ontario. Five hundred copies to Big Rapids Distribution in Lansing, Michigan. And one thousand copies to Sea Gate Distributing in New York, New York. Dave and Deni then sold copies at a Toronto Comic Convention when issue #2 came out in 1978. When they were down to their last twenty copies, Dave set them aside. Ten went with Deni when they divorced in 1983. Dave auctioned a signed CGC'ed copy for $10,000 to benefit ACTOR (now the HERO Initiative) in 2004.
Notice the problem?

As I faxed to Dave:
Hi Dave!
 I’ve been reading through the rough (Really rough, how rough? I turned my back for a minute and all the hubcaps were missing from my car when I turned back around, I mean rough…) first draft of CEREBUS THE COUNTERFEIT SAGA**.
 And something funny occurred to me. How many copies of the REAL Cerebus #1 were printed?
 “Cause, I say cause, the numbers don’t add up, son. The math’s all wrong. Arithmetic boy. Ya got yer numbers all jumbled…” So, two thousand copies were printed, yes? And Harry Kremer took 500. 1000 went to a distributor in New York, and 500 to Detroit. (These numbers come from one of the articles about the counterfeits.)
 So: 2000 minus 500, minus 1000, minus 500 means where the heck did the copies you and Deni sold come from? (And the twenty you set aside that Deni got 10 of when you guys split the company.)
 Something is rotten in the City-State of Palnu (And I’m not talking about the stuffed tomatoes I had for lunch.)
 Would you please elaborate on how the numbers work?
 Manly Matt Dow

And Dave faxed back:

So there are/were 2000ISH copies of Cerebus #1. And half of them are smudgey on the cover. Also, there are an unknown number of counterfeit copies that aren't printed as nice.

This is why I backed the remastered #1 Kickstarter. It'll look nice, and I don't have to sweat whether I wasted a crap-ton of money on a #1 that wasn't once touched by Dave Sim...

*I got my BS from Cerebus School in 2017...
**The Secret History has been completely reworked since I wrote that, and is *MWAH* PERFECT!
Next Time: I got mail!

CiH? Daily Strip #59

From the Head Office in Kitchener, Ontario, it's TODAY'S Cerebus in Hell?!!!:


Sunday, 21 June 2020

Cerebus Around the World and Web #33 by Oliver Simonsen

Hi, Everybody!

Quick! Everybody call your local comic book shop and tell them: "I NEED BATVARK PENIS IN MY BOX!" or ask them to order you the "Censored for Grandma" variant: BATVARK XXXXX! You should know the number, you called it to ask them to order you The Amicable Spider-Vark, and they had your copy of Green Dante/Green Virgil, and they'll have your copy of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back on Wednesday:





Oliver Simonsen:



Remember when I would plug my comic of yesteryear here?
https://momentofcerebus.blogspot.com/2019/11/hi-everybody-olivers-back-oliver.html
What happened to that...so here he is again. This is an earlier incarnation from High School - as you see my drawing ability has not gotten any better
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhM3Dz0Hf4b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
I've gotten plenty rusty and do itch to draw more - so therefore the banner this time:). That's my excuse. "CZ" from my publishing company "WC"! Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't use acronyms. Anyway, here's some "ASMFDOC" related news:)
Will Cerebus become the Godfather of indie animation? Here's some indie animated movies making a splash this week.
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/interviews/no-budget-no-animation-pros-no-problem-for-kenji-iwaisawa-director-of-the-madcap-anime-feature-our-sound-193188.html
https://variety.com/2020/film/global/animal-crackers-launch-on-netflix-july-27-1234635238/
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/06/animal-crackers-trailer-netflix-rescued-animated-feature-stream-july-24-1202237271/

Or better yet will it get the budget (and not to mention one of my favorite Directors) that it deserves - is James Gunn Directing Cerebus in his upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie?
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1273418792643604480
he'd watch it anyway:)
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1273419363668787200
...with a cameo by Film and Comic Book Critic, Kyle Pinion, as Lord Julius?
https://twitter.com/kylepinion/status/1273422317771730945

Ticket lines are lining up around the block
https://twitter.com/seanyodarouse/status/1273507992797769728
https://twitter.com/KyleGamgee/status/1273499081206198272
https://twitter.com/TChadEdwards/status/1273488390629908491
https://twitter.com/BloodyStrange/status/1273702330446295047
https://twitter.com/RockoEstalon/status/1273666588017917954
https://twitter.com/Pksoze/status/1273649241043410944
https://twitter.com/HeroHobbiesATX/status/1273600662341849088
https://twitter.com/svenfan87/status/1273538935914930177
https://twitter.com/Kercal/status/1273528741797519361
https://twitter.com/donmothra/status/1273485157601869824
https://twitter.com/mutedtulips/status/1273481258882994178
https://twitter.com/d_g_reeves/status/1273479375720083456
https://twitter.com/dougside/status/1273477435128983559
https://twitter.com/OpinionCaptain/status/1273469831216459776
https://twitter.com/DelReid/status/1273468360127381510
https://twitter.com/montelight/status/1273462915887009792
https://twitter.com/Lhyaran/status/1273452282189721602
https://twitter.com/patty__mac/status/1273445069685690368
https://twitter.com/AceDuck505/status/1273435643943817216
https://twitter.com/Al_Nickerson/status/1273431329040932869
https://twitter.com/WhitlockAndPope/status/1273431102280081411
https://twitter.com/edwardderuiter/status/1273427557765939200
https://twitter.com/BenTrandem/status/1273426718477303808
https://twitter.com/mikey_ticket/status/1273422801567956993
https://twitter.com/rogerpriebe/status/1273421826471976961
https://twitter.com/TekkZero/status/1273420754173001728
https://twitter.com/Thorvaaldr/status/1273419420631793665
https://twitter.com/bunnjoviLR/status/1273814929821310977
"ThaiMarvelFan" has this covered
https://twitter.com/Marvel_TH/status/1273442510782644224

and i had to get in on the fun too



With James Gunn directing Cerebus I'll be directing Silver Surfer - here with background drawn by Gerhard http://gerhardart.com/surfs-up/

Meanwhile here's some traditional 2D Cerebus animation progress by Theodore Trout


From this page
Here's his Lord Julius duckwalk test
http://www.thefishshow.com/Archive/Cerebus%20Sc%2003.gif
Cerebus Sc 03.gif

And here is Theodore's progress on his Cerebus reread:
https://www.facebook.com/theodore.trout/posts/10158075557490935
https://www.facebook.com/theodore.trout/posts/10158061474405935
https://www.facebook.com/theodore.trout/posts/10158057567565935

Cerebus and Roger Rabbit
https://twitter.com/Ponynstuff320/status/1273295124231938048

Cerebus original art
https://www.comicartfans.com/sketchbookpiece.asp?piece=1641544


Cerebus changed legendary Colin Upton's world
https://www.facebook.com/colin.upton/posts/10156815730862723

Cerebus also changed this mystery person
https://twitter.com/deadabovethelip/status/1272925560935575552

Cerebus Syndrome part of vernacular
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/234547-super-smash-bros-ultimate/78773716?page=10

Cerebus guide to self publishing
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBih0LlDCyq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://twitter.com/iamdashcunning/status/1273260754313961474

Dave Sim "Bill of Rights" in Spanish
https://twitter.com/SalaDePeligro/status/1272794672558194688

Bleeding Cool spotlights "Strange Death of Alex Raymond"
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/dave-sim-strange-death-of-alex-raymond/
https://twitter.com/bleedingcool/status/1272673739981959176
https://twitter.com/bleedingcool/status/1272422718437232642

plugging away
https://twitter.com/MomentOfCerebus/status/1274045717003329540
https://twitter.com/CerebusFilm/status/1274152723382845441
https://twitter.com/BigBWest/status/127433681714850201

Frank Thorne and Cerebus
https://twitter.com/LeonardBlathe/status/1273850884456353793

Cerebus drawn by "alianganger"
https://twitter.com/alienganger/status/1273272690158297090

Cerebus "Going Home" volume reviewed
https://twitter.com/JPBehrens/status/1273810353881853958

A look at the Cerebus "Melmoth" volume
https://twitter.com/jlr_1969/status/1273497417447387136

Cerebus and manga
https://twitter.com/TUCKsez/status/1273207826547163136


Cerebus panels shared
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBkF3nbBx12/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBZ9DI3Bv5d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBcc8KsBz2R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBekMxrBhfW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link



Cerebus and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic and TV episode
https://twitter.com/TheTonicmole/status/1272940695414849536

Cerebus hardcopy
https://twitter.com/magdacsiebert/status/1272743713018691584

Growing up with Cerebus
https://twitter.com/jaowriter/status/1272692584058703874

Got into Cerebus early on
https://twitter.com/doodleattack/status/1272217633287548928

Cerebus is the favorite
https://twitter.com/MrWade01/status/1272218540645351424
https://twitter.com/jaowriter/status/1272692584058703874

Cerebus on list of greatest comics ever produced
https://twitter.com/DonalTDeLay/status/1273970597798850564

When you think Canadian you think Dave Sim
https://twitter.com/kevinkimmes/status/1273265883721408512

Dave Sim drawing lesson in Potuguese
https://twitter.com/odyrbernardi/status/1273034129194528768

Cerebus in painting by NFN Kalyan
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBf07qljKxP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Cerebus and Friends
https://twitter.com/HShenaniganz/status/1273651204577390593

Bleeding Cool spotlioght upcoming "Cerebus in hell?" comic: "...the target of this parody is the comic book that killed Vertigo, Batman: Damned. The one that managed to get on Stephen Colbert and saw DC Comics crack down on all content as a result of Bruce Wayne showing us all that he was circumcised."
https://twitter.com/bleedingcool/status/1273994322850058242
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/now-dave-sim-parodies-batman-damned-in-cerebus-in-hell-one-shot/
Also in Russian
https://twitter.com/d_varkov/status/1274015183724318721
https://twitter.com/d_varkov/status/1274015293254352897

Batvark is comfort comics
https://twitter.com/Chad_Parenteau/status/1273970303446761473

They forgot about Dre
https://twitter.com/McGreedbottom/status/1274204558877691904

Cerebus and Scooby
https://twitter.com/JusticeTrek/status/1274333879592198152

Dave Sim autobiography
https://twitter.com/RockoEstalon/status/1274094265254187008

Cerebus in Spanish
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBn1_lwBqlA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Cerebus and Spawn in Portuguese
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBo6ZCxJHDK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And because today is Father's Day here in the USA

Cerebus Facebook Group


"SkyHigh" paints Cerebus
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3069210729812948/


SkyHigh draws a female version of Cerebus
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3069549799779041/

Robert Cox thanks Margaret Liss who sent these to him in the UK out of the goodness of her heart
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3059309824136372/

Clay Moore: I’d like to share this piece a friend of mine commissioned for me from Gerhard- an illustration of my family’s cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s among my prized possessions and I thought you all might enjoy it.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3055638834503471/
[Click for bigger -Matt]

James Windsor-smith shares:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063486763718678/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063492633718091/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063482567052431/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063481240385897/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063480480385973/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3063477003719654/

[Also with the clicking and the biggering -Matt]

The last one is for the Cerebus radio show!
http://www.cerebustheaardvark.com/Cerebus_The%20A-V%20Room.html

David Branstetter shares
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3062638950470126/

John Glismann shares 1986. When Dark Knight and Cerebus ruled the world.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3052747584792596/

Dan Eckhart asks about the lack of musical instruments in Cerebus ie does Jaka dance in silence?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3060893603977994/
[I answered. It turned into "stump the Editor" -Matt/"Ron"]
Stephen Conley isn't hearing back from Graphitti Designs regarding shirt - at least one other person had the same issue
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3055137134553641/

Cody Blaylock: Finally bought the High Society Audio/Visual book I've been wanting to buy for a long time. I wish all the Cerebus books were adapted in this format.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cerebus/permalink/3057799417620746/



_____________________________________________________

Thanks Oliver!

Next Time: Unless something else "blowed up real goooood..." Mail Call!