Reprinting Cerebus Issues 1-25 Welcome to Estarcion, the wildly absurd and funny world of Cerebus the Aardvark. This initial volume collects the first two years of stories from Dave Sim's 300-issue magnum opus. Don't be discouraged by the initially crude artwork or the silliness of the stories. It gets better—even noticeably within this volume. This first installment is the most valuable in preparing for the larger stories ahead. When we first meet Cerebus—a small, gray, and chronically ill-tempered aardvark—he is making his living as a barbarian. In 1977, when the Cerebus comic book series began, Sim initially conceived of it as a parody of such popular series as Conan, Red Sonja, and Elric but quickly mined that material and transformed the scope of the series into much more. Even by the end of this volume, the Cerebus story begins to transform beyond "funny animal" humor into something much more complex and interesting. High points in Cerebus include the introduction of Lord Julius, the dictator of Palnu, who looks, acts, and talks just like a certain cigar-smoking, mustachioed comedian; Jaka, Cerebus' one true love; Elrod the Albino, an innept swordsman; and the Cockroach, the-mother-of-all-superhero-parodies and "inspiration" for the much-later TV and comic character—the Tick. All of these characters appear later on in the series as part of a constantly present ensemble of supporting figures. Even if Cerebus doesn't knock your socks off, give its successor, High Society a try, as this is where the plot really gets going.

Book by Sim, Dave

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 52-80

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 81-111Church and State, Volume II, is the second part of a story that exists as a whole and as part three of the Cerebus the Aardvark series. Many consider this volume to be Dave Sim and background artist Gerhard's best visual work to date. The action picks up right after the cliffhanger at the end of part one of Church and State . Cerebus attempts to regain his lost throne amidst warnings of a larger crisis. Mountain climbing, the introductions of Prince Mick and Prince Keef (exactly who you might think they are), the Super Secret Sacred Wars, and an Ascension to Vanaheim mark this second half of the Church and State opus. The major plot lines, which started 10 years earlier in Cerebus and High Society, are resolved (to some degree). The ending sets the stage for the more restful and introspective volumes—Jaka's Story and Melmoth—that follow.

In this volume, reprinting Cerebus #114-136, Cerebus returns to find his life in ruins and ends up as the house guest of the love of his life, Jaka, and her new husband, Rick. SC, 7x10, 500pg, b&w

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 139-150 More than 11 years into a 25-year project of chronicling the life of a single main character, Dave Sim took a small detour (of sorts), put his main character Cerebus on the sidelines, and told this story of the last days of Oscar Wilde. Some Cerebus readers think this book is a needless distraction from Sim's master epic; others think this is one of Sim's finest achievements, and that by combining and slightly altering the very real letters of Robert Ross to More Adey (originally printed in the Collected Letters of Oscar Wilde), Sim was able to add a depth and breadth to his fiction never before possible. Either way, Sim and exquisite background artist Gerhard are in fine form as they weave this tale of Wilde into their fictional landscape of a new matriarchal establishment.

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 151-162 The counterpoint to the impressive foundation of the two-volume, 1,200-page Church & State is the equally impressive, equally complex Mothers & Daughters, the first volume of which is Flight. This graphic novel concerns the fight between the newly established matriarchy and the opposing "daughterarchy." Cerebus, trying to regain the power he lost when the matriarchal Cirinists took over, heads down a fateful, blood-soaked path. Dave Sim is often reviled as a misogynist because of the radical politics and philosophy laid down in his books, the groundwork of which begins here and builds toward the climax of Mothers & Daughters, which was so explosive that when it was initially released it cost Sim several close friends.

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 163-174 In Cerebus' world, the battle of the sexes has been fought and won - by the women. The government is a matriarchal dictatorship, run by an all-seeing psychic called Cirin. Her rule is totalitarian with, bizarrely, a bias towards motherhood. And her biggest threat comes not from Cerebus, a mere male; but from Astoria, the old consort of Cerebus' who started him on the road to power. Astoria is a libertarian, believing that women shouldn't be tied to their domestic responsibilities - in stark contrast to Cirin's fascism of the family. Women focuses on the differences between Cirin and Astoria, as Cirin's prepares to follow Cerebus' attempt to ascend and become a god.

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 175-186 The ninth volume of the Cerebus the Aardvark series, Reads, is the penultimate chapter of the larger Mothers and Daughters story. This is one of the most powerful editions in the series and one of the most ambitious narratives that Dave Sim has ever attempted. In addition, Reads is the most controversial volume of the Cerebus series to date because of a parallel narrative involving two characters—Viktor Reid and Viktor Davis—who are both alter egos for Dave Sim. This controversy is a shame because the offensive section in Reads\—which explores the relationship between men and women—represents only one possible view of this subject. When read as part of the whole series, the passages that may have seemed shocking to some, appear (like all points of this narrative) to question and provoke rather than offend. Viktor Davis is far from a reliable narrator, an idea that is reinforced by the final paragraphs of his narrative and demonstrated by the scariest of all Cerebus practical jokes. Are Viktor Davis or Viktor Reid representative of Dave Sim or simply aspects of his persona? The ending suggests the answer. Meanwhile, Cerebus, Po, Cirin, and Astoria debate the important stuff, including our aardvark friend's genitalia, the history of Illusionism, the nature of power, and the fate of Astoria's child. Despite the bad rap, Reads is Cerebus at its finest. Like the best of art, Reads has the power to shock, surprise, amuse, and offend—and it even has a whiz-bang fight scene. What more could you want?

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 187-200

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 201-219 Dave Sim looks at life in a pub as the male patrons interact. Lots of guest stars from previous Cerebus books appear: Mick & Keef, Bear, and others. This book will make you think about platonic friendships between males and their relationships with women. Shows some insight into the Cirinist regime that has been set up and how Cerebus deals with it. Mrs Thatcher also returns. Many laughs in this one!

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 220-231

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 232-250 Cerebus and Jaka travel towards his home village but don't get there. Instead it offers an extended critique/partiche of the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald, as F. Stop Kennedy.

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 251-265 This book continues the storyline that began in "Going Home." Dave Sim turns his literary lens to Ernest Hemingway, using entries from Mary Hemingway's journal as script and inspiration. Beware. This is not the glowing review the most give 'Poppa', but a critical look at deeply troubled writer and his equally disfunctional wife. Dave Sim puts forth a well-documented argument to support his ideas. You could take him to task on his opinions, or enjoy this terrific Cerebus story without ever looking at the notes included in "To Ham or Ham Not"

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 266-288 The penultimate volume of Sim's uncategorizable 6,000-page comics epic about a talking aardvark and medieval politics is the oddest one yet. Since its debut almost 25 years ago as a parody of barbarian comics, Cerebus has become one of the most maddeningly idiosyncratic tales available anywhere.

Reprinting Cerebus Issues 289-300