Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220545 in Books
• Published on: 1991-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 534 pages

Customer Reviews

Cerebus the Barbarian, uh, the Aardvark, Issues #1-25
Now that I have read the 300th and final issue of "Cerebus the Aardvark," it seems appropriate to go back and read the beginning again, knowing what the earth-pig's final fate (and word) will be. "Cerebus, Volume 1" reprints the first 25 issues in which Dave Sim figures out what he is doing with his cute and furry aardvark. The starting point, as Sim himself admitted in teh beginning, was to "Look as much like Barry Smith as possible," a point which is never more obvious than in issue #2 "Captive in Boreala," which the opening pages are basically Sim's version of Smith's "Frost Giant's Daughter." But by the end of these 25 issues "Cerebus" has been remarkably transformed, and by this I mean more than the fact that somewhere doing those two years of comics that Cerebus starts to look like Cerebus (it takes until issue #4 to actually start wearing clothing).

In retrospect what is fascinating here is to reconsider these stories and see how a funny-animal comic book, that begins with Cerebus bouncing on top of a horse as he a city to engage in some Conan the Barbarian like thievery. After all, Cerebus is wearing Conan's helmet and has a necklace with large round things on it just link Conan in the beginning. But then in #3 "Song of Red Sophia" and #4 "Death's Dark Tread" two important things happen. The first is that Sim undertakes some parodies of some supporting characters from the Conan comic book: Robert E. Howard's Red Sonja becomes Red Sophia and Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melibone becomes Elrod the Albino who has a tall pointy hat and speaks exactly like Foghorn Leghorn. The second is that these two twisted characters become the first recurring characters in the "Cerebus" world, and from them Sim branched out in other directions for his targets.

Sim did go back and have some fun with turning another of Howard's original characters into Bran Mak Mufin (#5), but ultimately what took "Cerebus" to the next level were three characters. The first was the original character of Jaka the dancing girl (#6), who was clearly intended as a one-shot character. But the pathos of her parting with Cerebus, who has forgotten her once he sobers up, suggested for the first time there could be some pathos in these tales. The second was the ultimate parody character, the Cockroach (#11), who would pop up from time to time in the series and embody whoever was the hot comic book character of the moment. Okay, that makes sense for the Wolveroach but not the Moon Roach, but you get the idea. The third character was Cerebus' greatest foil, Lord Julius, who was first introduced in "Silverspoon" in the "Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom" (Lord Julius is the father of a spoiled Prince Valiant type son) and then took center stage in the Palnu Trilogy: "The Walls of Palnu" (#14), "A Day in the Pits" (#15), and "A Night at the Masque" (#16), at the end of which we learn that Jaka is Lord Julius's neice. However, what is important here is that Lord Julius looks and talks like Groucho Marx, a coincidence that is explained by the fact Groucho's real name was Julius.

Lord Julius is important because he made it easy for Sim to do stories about politics and to do so with a character whose major strength is his imperturbability and his refusal to be cornered on any point of contention. Add to this the fact that he is running the whole show in Palnu and it is impossible not to take great joy in every scene in which he appears. Every other "real" person who appeared in the 300 issues of "Cerebus," from Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, got through the front door because Lord Julius ripped it off the hinges and threw it on the floor.

The Palnu Trilogy is also Sim's first 71-page Cerebus story, which is what sets the stage for the "books," the first of which is presented in the second volume in this collection "High Society." This is clearly the point at which Sim starts thinking of having a big picture and eventually getting to the point where he can announce he knows how the whole thing is going to end. For the record I consider "High Society" to be the high water mark of Cerebus and the justification for giving this first volume five stars as well is because the historical value of watching how Sim turns his funny animal comic book into a first rate socio-political satire becomes a key part of the equation.

I definitely think that there was a point where "Cerebus," in the current vernacular, "jumped the shark," but before that point (which I hope to pinpoint as I reread all 300 issues) there was a period of time when this comic book was as the one I most looked forward to reading each month. Going back and starting over from the beginning certainly reminds me what that was the case.

Brilliant intro to the worlds first barbarian aardvark
Despite being a very underachieving book in its own right, this introductory compilation starts to set up the intense world of cerebus which develops in the later stories. The change of cerebus from a cartoon joke to a physical entity is also seen in the story lines as well as the quality of the graphics. The one off joke pace of the first few stories is soon replaced by a continuous story line which draws the reader in, wanting to know more about cerebus's future and, more importantly, his past.

All in all one of the best introductions to a cartoon character ever

A Parody of all things fantasy
Started in the late 70's, Cerebus starts as a parody of the fantasy novels and films of the time. Dangerously cool, murderously good with a sword and 'Third greatest bowman in the land,' Cerebus is everything needed to make a fantasy barbarian hero in the classic sense, all wrapped up in a 3 foot body covered in fur that stinks when wet. Designed from the start to run to 300 issues the story grew to always include new parodys of contempory events. The first book sets the scene as a collection of short storylines that introduces most of the warped civiliastions Cerebus deals with. Many characters are introduced that will go on to aid and/or plauge cerebus as he grows through 25 years of storylines.

All in all one of the most uniquely funny comic strips ever written which leave you in tears of laughter as you follow Cerebus's many failed attempts at amassing a fortune fit for king (Although in most cases he makes the fortune, to lose it again immediatly).

If you enjoy fantasy and you enjoy comedy, get clicking! This is the book for you. And when you are finished you will be e-mailing Amazon to stock the other Cerebus books.