Time Passes And Life Manouevres

You could just about write a book with the chapter titles in this part of Church & State.

We get an idea of just how big Powers is when we see him and Lord Julius standing side by side. Because Cerebus is so short it's often hard to get a good handle on how big normal people are, next to Cerebus they're all large.

Julius is using the old Br'er Rabbit bramble patch trick to try and get Powers to appoint him President. The more he tells Powers how much he doesn't want to be President and he wouldn't give that job to his worst enemy the more likely Powers is to do it. As expected Powers does exactly that and once again Julius gets what he wants.

Bran manages to convince Cerebus that getting his adoring believers to invade the Red Marches would be a good idea, although if Boobah had not dropped a large chunk of blackberry pie on Cerebus' head it probably would not have happened. I started to wonder exactly what Bran's agenda is. He's the one who wants the Red Marches taken over, not Cerebus.

Cerebus address to the crowd is another one of those great speeches that Dave wrote for him. Talk about no more Mister Nice Pope and telling the starving crowds that being Pope is not easy. Most Holy is still trying to get pie crust and blackberries out of his left ear! Cerebus doesn't tell the people this, but I would imagine cleaning ears the size of Cerebus' would be no easy task.

Having sent his 'army' off to the Red Marches Cerebus wanders into the hotel gardens where he finds Sophia seated on a bench sewing. Yes, you read that right. Red Sophia is sewing. She's become remarkably domesticated since her marriage. Cerebus asks her what she's doing and she says that she's mending his robe, Cerebus remarkably gracious response to that is couldn't she hire someone to do it? At times I really want to reach into the book and slap the aardvark silly, this was one of those times. The former warrior woman then shows remarkable insight by asking if what is happening is really Cerebus' dream or Brans? Cerebus responds that people have been waiting for centuries for the Great Cerebus (can you say delusions of grandeur?), Sophia comes up with the great counter that it will be a great disappointment that Cerebus is so short and obnoxious. Predictably Cerebus screams that he could condemn her to an eternity of torture. This won't wash with Sophia, who knows that Cerebus isn't a God. She stands up and tosses his robe at him, he falls into a bush and lays there with his freshly mended robe over his head, rather resembling a small child pretending to be a ghost.

An angry Cerebus goes to his treasure room. Presumably being in the presence of so much money calms the avaricious aardvark. Sweat beading his furry brow, Cerebus picks up the Tarim coin. It immediately starts to shine brightly and other coins begin ripping out of the sacks and joining with the one in Cerebus' hand. In 5 wonderful intercut panels Cerebus drops the coin and climbs high onto the pile of coin filled bags where he lays cowering and staring with horror and fear at the large glowing coin on the floor.

Curiouser and curiouser.