Reads

Reads could possibly be the most challenging book of Cerebus I've ever attempted to review. It's actually a bit of a challenge to read it in the first place. In this case it not being broken up into bite sized issue length chapters is a definite strength. I can't remember reading it as it came out, I know I did, because I was still collecting the comic at this point, but I can't recall it. I know reading Reads issue by issue month by month would have been a deeply unsatisfying and confusing experience. Reads, to me, is designed to be read as a single book. It's another example of Dave pushing the boundaries of the medium he was working in.

Dave actually describes Reads best in his introduction: Reads is a mixture of autobiography, a meditation on the traditional role of the creator in a capitalistic society, the nature of creativity itself, a re-examination of the conclusions reached at the end of Church & State, and a big fight.

He never actually says who the characters of Victor Reid and Viktor Davis are other than to say that they were fascinating and challenging companions.

Reads is 3 stories, that of Reads author Victor Reid, the continuing story of Cerebus and the story of a creator/artist/author called Viktor Davis. I'll try and break it down that way.

First we encounter Victor Reid. Victor is a moderately successful author of the Reads that are the main opiate of the masses in Cirinist controlled Estarcion. When the concept of Reads were first introduced in the book by Weisshaupt I always saw them as trashy romance novels or pulp books, but in this book it is obvious that they are comics. The story of the hapless Victor is largely that of a clueless author who is seduced into selling his creative soul to a heartless publisher in order to make more money and once he's in, he can't get out. It's largely a series of observations on the comics industry at the time in which the book was written.

Sandwiched between, in and around the stories of the two Vic(k)tors is the story of Cerebus. It picks up where Women left off with Po, Astoria and Cerebus confronting Cirin in the cathedral. Po semonises on the nature of the 4 people in the cathedral and the nature of aardvarks in a human dominated society. There's something different about all the aardvarks, but at this stage Cerebus has the ascendancy, mainly because he's a trained warrior, armed with a sword and can kill everyone in the place if he wants to. At times, mainly due to the way he was occasionally drawn I wondered about Po's gender. Cirin is female, Cerebus is male, was Po either or both? I'd discover the answer later.

Po leaves and the other 3 look at each other. Astoria tells Cerebus that it will not be necessary to kill her as she is also leaving soon. Before she does she comes out with some stunning revelations. Cerebus is a hermaphrodite. What bothers Cirin about Cerebus is that she believes he can impregnate himself and possibly produce an entire race of aardvarks. She's had a child and he was human in every respect. Astoria did not fall pregnant when Cerebus raped her, but as she's never carried a child before and no one knows if Cerebus has fathered any, there's no way of telling if either or both of them are infertile or if it was just one of those things. Astoria seems fed up with controlling things and trying to gain power, she tells Cirin and Cerebus to play nice and suggests that maybe Cirin and Cerebus try having sex, then leaves the building.

Enter the Roach. He's now dressed in a robe and referring to himself as Kay Sarah Sarah. I never knew if this was another character or an extension of the Sandman parody. Elrod is still done up as Snuff, so it's possible that this was a continuation of the Sandman parody. Readers discovered the truth of Elrod. How he could keep popping up no matter how definitively he seemed to have been killed. He wasn't actually real, he was only kept alive by belief in his own existence. Upon hearing this he popped out of existence with a loud POIT, leaving the Kay Sarah Sarah incarnation of the Roach standing on a platform floating in space.

Back in the cathedral Cerebus and Cirin fight. Initially, having a sword Cerebus has the upper hand and it looks like he's going to cut the leader of the church into pieces. Cirin fights back and manages to get the sword, she cuts off Cerebus' ear and that's about when the entire cathedral collapses around them and they are both clinging to the throne and the platform it sits on when it lifts off and floats towards, you guessed it...the Moon!

The 3rd part of Reads is extraordinary. The story of the successful Reads author Viktor Davis. Part autobiography, part political treatise, part musing on what is and isn't real. Rambling internal monologue, Talk about the book, it's history, it's present and its possible future. It came across as something like the Ulysses of comics. The character of Viktor Davis as written by Dave Sim, absolutely fucked with the readers heads the entire way through it. I don't know if I totally understood what was being said, it's hard to say if anyone did, but it was an entertaining look into someone's thought process.

Inreresting to see if Dave can pull this all back on track in Minds.

Endgame

Astoria's trial continues, all that remains is for Cerebus to pass sentence on Astoria.

The chapter opens with Posey dashing back and forth bringing water to Cerebus. Gerhard's beautiful intricate backgrounds dominate and really bring the interior of the cathedral to life.

Astoria appears to have lost her mind and is speaking nonsense. Cerebus orders her gagged. When it comes time to pass sentence, and the only sentence can be execution Cerebus cannot bring himself to order it. In echoes of Pontius Pilate, Cerebus washes his hands of the matter and tells Powers if he wants Astoria killed then he can order it. However by the rules of the chuch whoever orders the execution of a Pope killer would then become Pontiff. Cerebus retires to consider the matter.

The action resumes with the messenger bird reaching it's intended destination. It is received by a black veiled servant of Cirin. She takes the message to her mistress. Readers cannot see Cirin, only her thick bandaged fingers. The message is the signal for the Cirinists to begin their invasion of Iest. Those pages are bordered with a design of leaves twining up slender columns.

The final page is Cirin. Because of her veil we can't see all of her face, but we don't need to, to know that Cirin is an aardvark!

I can remember when I first read this chapter I nearly fell of the chair when I got to that last page. I don't know what I was expecting the reveal to be, but that wasn't it. The game just got real interesting.

The Trial

Back to Iest. Church & State II continues.

It is time for Astoria's formal trial, although the word formal has to be used rather loosely when dealing with a church of Tarim that is headed by Cerebus.

It begins with Cerebus dressed in his formal papal robes in a cavernous room making his way to the ornate altar. The big difference with the formal robes are a large, ornate mitre, that is also quite heavy and really looks stupid. Cerebus appears to be wearing a cruise missile on his head. Then there is the robe's train, ridiculously long, the fact that Cerebus is only 3 feet tall doesn't help. Cerebus is attended by a tall, cadaverous, unnamed priest, whose chief duties seem to consist of holding up the train.

A shadowy figure watches the window of the cathedral from somewhere nearby and sends out a messenger pigeon into the night.

Powers and Posey are assisting with the trial. Posey is his usual nervous self and it's apparent that Powers doesn't like him any more than Cerebus does, in fact it's probably less. Powers doesn't like anything, except for Spike.

Most of this until Astoria begins to speak in her defence is a power struggle between Cerebus and his bishop. By due of his position Cerebus wins the struggle, but I can't think Powers will allow it to continue and wonder if the aardvark isn't pushing the cleric too far.

Astoria's defence is that after Cerebus ran past her to destroy the false pope she blacked out and woke up in a room with a dagger. She felt compelled to take the dagger and stab the Lion of Serrea. The Lion's last words were that he would go to hell, they were also Weisshaupt's last words. The entire time Astoria is talking about the moment she assassinated the Lion Cerebus has an image of the dying Weisshaupt in his head.

Powers screams that Astoria has to be executed, but in a rare moment of courage Posey says that if she was not in control of herself when she committed the deed then the law is on her side and she cannot be executed. The trial continues next chapter with Astoria giving Cerebus the truth.

This chapter was both amusing and interesting. It also made full use of Gerhard's awesome backgrounds. The interior of the cathedral is at times simply stunning.

The Prisoner

That's about the most straightforward title Dave has had since High Society. It refers to Astoria, who has assassinated the Lion of Serrea, and is being held to account for her crime.

Powers tells Cerebus that there is also some evidence of sorcery. Sensing a brewing explosion, or temper tantrum from Cerebus, Boobah quickly exits the room. Julius says that he wants to accompany Cerebus when he questions Astoria, he claims in typical Lord Julius style that it would be an ideal time to restructure his alimony payments, but I think he still has some affection for Astoria, and he's also curious as to why she would do something so directly, it's just not how she works.

Along the way Cerebus encounters some old 'friends'. His coach runs over the Cockroach, who is still trying to recover from the injuries sustained climbing up the mountain and being kicked off the top by Thrunk. They see Prince Mick and his brother Keef still stranded on the road side and drive right past them, much to Mick's chagrin, who still wants the money Cerebus promised him and of course Keef, who is so desperate for drugs that he's snorting up the gravel from the road.

There are a few panels of darkness as Astoria's blindfold and gag is removed in order to allow Cerebus to question her. Cerebus' former campaign manager is chained to the wall and she looks a little the worse for wear. They look at each other and both say: 'So'.

This should be an interesting interrogation.

Out With The In Crowd

Astoria is on her hands and knees in the snow staring after the Roach and shouting Artemis! She gets to her feet and runs after him and then realises with mounting horror that he's going to take on Thrunk by himself. The Roach is bigger and stronger than most normal people, he also appears to be indestructible, but Thrunk is still going to squash him like a bug (the pun was not intended, but I can see how it sounds).

All that Artemis can do against Thrunk; a mountainous being made of rock, is bruise his knuckles and feet. Astoria covers her face with her hand, unable to look at the inevitable annihilation. Thrunk kicks the Roach, still hanging onto Elrod in his ridiculous costume, off the mountain. Somehow I think he'll survive it.

Astoria backs up against the wall, wondering how she'll get out of this, when Cerebus clambers onto the same platform she's standing on. She believes that he is somehow going to ruin everything for her. The aardvark begins to run towards the hotel, ignoring his angry former lover, telling her to go away and as he says it, Astoria loses form and dissolves into bubbles.

Thrunk is issuing challenges, proclaiming himself as Tarim. Cerebus gets to the top of the building across from the hotel he held court in and finds a note reading Good Luck. W. Thrunk sees Cerebus standing next to the cannon and goes over, intending to destroy his enemy once and for all. Cerebus lights and aims the cannon and shoots Thrunk's leg off. Cerebus asks Thrunk who Tarim is. Desperate to avoid destruction Thrunk offers Cerebus the gold and then screams that Cerebus is Tarim. Damn right Cerebus says and then blows Thrunk's head off.

Initially the people are pleased that Cerebus has replaced the false Tarim, but soon realise that he was no better when he was running the show. Cerebus crosses the square and goes back into the hotel. He finds Boobah gorging himself, then sends him to get Cerebus food. Things are back to normal.

Towers Analogous

It's obvious that not all is well in Iest.

As the Bug continues his upward assent, carrying Elrod, and with Cerebus desperately trying to stop him, others in the city have begun to notice that the big tower like mountain that hangs over the city is starting to lean.

The Roaches ascent is drawn very cinematically. I don't know if Dave ever wanted Cerebus to be made into a film or if he studied movie making, but he drew a lot of the novel as if it were a very elaborate storyboard. As Artemis climbs he incurs a number of serious injuries, and catalogues them as he goes ever upwards to his goal. It's rather like a parody of James Bond or John McClaine, it doesn't matter how badly these celluloid heroes get hurt they just keep on going. From the Cockroaches frenzied muttering it appears he believes he has a score to settle with Thrunk (or as Artemis refers to him Epop). As always Astoria is at the heart of it. The insane 'superhero' thinks Thrunk has taken his beloved hostage.

Around the city the fall of the tower is being noticed. It crashes through the window of Powers cathedral. It is not known if the Bishop survives the impact. Thrunk appears not to notice it, but as he's a mountain himself it may not appear to be unusual to him. Astoria sees it happening and runs to the edge.

She sees the Roach and joyously welcomes him. It's highly likely she arranged this, telling Artemis that she was being held hostage, knowing that he'd move heaven and earth to rescue her. Imagine her surprise when he pushes past her with a growled 'Out of the way, bitch. I have a score to settle.'

Odd Transformations Part Two

I didn't think the end of the last chapter was really the end of this. Very glad to see that it wasn't. The first part of Odd Transformations was both fun and thought provoking.

It begins with Cerebus sleeping soundly, then shifts to a jail cell, once again the aardvark is back in his vest and medallions. The cell opens and Lord Julius appears at the door. He tells Cerebus that they're having some trouble in the kitchen so the Red Marches may not be well done, but he could take the ladder to Upper Felda. Cerebus is wearing his papal robes and now notices a ladder up against the wall.

Cerebus climbs out of a pillar with Julius telling him not to bother wiping his feet, Astoria's busy changing the baby. Cerebus' robes are tatters and he's holding a white sword with runes clearly visible just below the hilt. He hears a voice calling to him and the Wolveroach is standing on a stone telling him not to stand on the quick grass. Cerebus suddenly realises that he is sinking, he manages to grab onto a stone just in time, haul himself up on to it and look at the landscape.

The stones lead Cerebus across a grassland, through a canyon and across a river. Professor Claremont's Woman Thing appears in front of him. Cerebus' papal robes are back, he stabs the Woman Thing and leaves his sword in it, it topples off the pillar into the water. Suddenly the pillar that Cerebus is standing on begins to tip alarmingly. Cerebus jumps off and lands on the water. He rides a wave up to it's peak and then it crashes, taking it's passenger with it.

Back in the hotel Cerebus wakes before he falls, following the old myth about a fall in a dream leads to a fall and possibly death in the real world, Cerebus looks around and falls back to sleep and back to his dream. He is standing in the snow, dressed in winter clothing, out the front of a cathedral. Elrod is shouting about chickens and Lord Julius looks like one of Henrot the Wizard's magical creatures.

Cerebus, now wearing a shapeless white robe, trimmed around the collar with fur, leaves Elrod shouting nonsense and looks in on an argument between Astoria and Countess Michelle about who was a better niece to Lord Julius. Cerebus is again a child. Maybe it's just me, but as a child Cerebus looks incredibly cute, absolutely drawn to make a soft toy out of.

Continuing on, and now maybe dressed as he was when he was a child, with a cap covering his ears, Cerebus sees the adult Jaka and a child, who is either Jaka's child or Jaka as a child. Echoing through Cerebus' head is the argument he had with Jaka so many times about love and loss. Cerebus morphs back into an adult and his vest and medallions are back. The child Jaka's hand, holding a flower appears out of the wall and Cerebus' hears someone shouting: 'Did you hear me?'

Sitting by Cerebus' bed is Lord Storm'send from The Deciding Vote, way back when Cerebus ran for President. It's not a dream any longer.

If the first part of this chapter stretched Dave and Gerhard then this one must have damn near killed them. Dreams are hard enough to write I can only imagine how difficult they are to draw and keep the quality throughout the chapter. It was also a way for readers to connect to all the recurring characters they'd come to enjoy and possibly missed throughout a lot of Church & State.

Day Of Greatness Age Of Consent

Either Henrot couldn't find Boobah or he managed to outrun her, because he's right there on the first page of this chapter. He is now acting as Cerebus' scribe. Cerebus, or as he now prefers to be known; Most Holy, seems to be believing that he is some sort of God and has Boobah writing down all his conversations in case he says something profound. Another character from the past also returns; Bran Mak Mufin, or as he is commonly referred to in Boobah's scribblings: Muffins.

Cerebus asks why he shouldn't condemn Bran to a horrible death for failing to bring an army to Cerebus aid and causing him to lose the Prime Ministership. Bran explains that another of the tribesmen; Fret Mac Murry (I had to laugh out loud at that, wonder if Dave had been watching 'My Three Sons' reruns) convinced them in Bran's absence that the aardvark was in fact a false Cerebus (another laugh out loud moment). It's rather hard to satisfyingly condemn Bran to death, because he so happily accepts anything that Cerebus says.

It seems Sophia, now often referred to as Mrs Most Holy (he just kept making me laugh in this one, that's right up there with Mrs Ari from Entourage), has gone back to her usual wardrobe of chainmail bikini and she and Cerebus are having marital difficulties. I'm actually glad she stopped being a doormat.

Believing that for Most Holy's thoughts to flow properly requires aloneness, Cerebus and Boobah (Boobah doesn't count as a person) climb to the roof of the hotel, but it rains and this disturbs Most Holy, and also makes him realise that whatever he thinks, and whatever the people who congregate outside the hotel daily think, he is NOT a God.

Another face from the past reappears: Astoria. The former powerbroker is discussing Cerebus' increasing power with the Cirinist mother superior of Good Abbey. I presume that this settles once and for all the matter of Astoria's religious affiliation. No matter what Theresa may think Astoria is most definitely allied to the Cirinists, not the Kevillists. The two ladies are forced to come to an agreement that Cerebus is out of control and there's nothing either of them can do about it.

Weisshaupt brings the Vice President of the Bank of Iest to heel by going over his head to the President, and then having the President thrown out the window as a demonstration of power and conflict resolution Weisshaupt style. I wonder if he learned a few things from his former Prime Minister, because that has often been Cerebus' approach to a problem.

Cerebus...sorry Most Holy takes to the rooftops, or rather a chimney pot, to squeeze more gold out of the Iestans before Tarim brings the world to an end in 10 days time. The series of panels with Cerebus standing on the chimney, haranguing the crowd, gesticulating and shouting, with the wind whipping his papal robes and stole every which way are true works of art. We get the words of the speech below from Boobah, but you almost don't need them, the drawings tell the full story.

Someone, somewhere is forging Cerebus' letters. Bran finds 4 different transcripts from 4 different locations in Iest, but all 4 are in Most Holy's handwriting. This convinces Cerebus that Bran is rather useful to have around.

Theresa

This is the last of the character chapters and it curiously focusses on someone who is at best a fringe character; the Astoriaesque protege Theresa. I say Astoriaesque, because Theresa is in every way like a younger Astoria. It's no surprise as the girl obviously modelled herself on her mentor.

Like Astoria in an earlier chapter outward looks bely inward feelings. She looks perfect, but she is chain smoking and obviously under pressure.

The background is non existent. For the 5 pages of this chapter we see only the two characters in it; Theresa and Weisshaupt, never together only singly, they needn't even be in the same room as they are drawn separately. Objects such as a vase are also drawn singly, only a line to suggest that the object is not supported on thin air.

Theresa is recounting the story of how she was taken in by a high ranking official in government and eventually installed as this man's mistress. The name is never mentioned, but I kept getting the feeling she meant Lord Julius, could she have been another of his 'nieces'. Whoever she was actually talking about it was obviously an attempt to tear down one of Weisshaupt's political opponents in order to gain favour with the master bureaucrat. In the final page of the chapter, she leaves him her card and bids him a'dieu. Interestingly enough Theresa does pepper her language with French expressions. I wonder in which part of New Sepra they speak French?

Astoria

An old friend returns. Although this short thumbnail sketch of Astoria (2 pages) featured the same immaculately coiffed, impeccably dressed femme fatale who had master minded Cerebus' initial tilt at the Prime Ministership of Iest, there seemed something frazzled about her.

It's dialog driven and for most of the chapter it seems as of Astoria is either talking to herself or rehearsing a speech that seeks to run down her enemy Weisshaupt. That is until the final panel when her audience is revealed as a bleak looking Bishop Powers. I get the feeling that the Church has well and truly entered the State now.

Alliance

Sometimes when you’re reading a long running comic you come across the occasional issue which is somehow better than the others. The stars align, and everything in that issue just works. Alliance is one such issue. It’s funny, it introduces some key plot points, and it advances the story.

Cerebus is in a quandary, thanks to the Roach he has two sets of people on his tail: the Prime Ministers wolves demanding their money, and the Inquisitors who believe he was involved in Holland M Hadden’s rather surprising death. He can’t get rid of one problem without creating a new one. As the Elf in her role as exposition explains to him if he doesn’t give the contract Hadden signed to the Prime Minister then the Prime Minister will throw him to the Inquisitors, if he does give the contract to the Prime Minister then the Inquisitors will pounce, believing that to be evidence that he was involved with the killing of Holland M Hadden. What to do?

Stalling for time, Cerebus enters another room of his suite to find the Moon Roach and his female carer lounging there. Cerebus orders them both out, and is prepared to enforce that, until with a few words the lady gives him the key to getting rid of the Prime Minister, she then tells him that she can make him wealthy. That was the magic word: wealthy. All Cerebus has ever wanted in life is money, if this woman can help him reach that goal then it might be worth putting up with her and her insane boyfriend.

The woman, whose name is Astoria, is as good as her word, and proceeds to use her considerable political know how to exploit Cerebus’ position as Lord Julius’ Kitchen Staff Supervisor, and make them both an obscene amount of money. She also explains to Cerebus that it was highly likely Lord Julius gave Cerebus the position because it was the position he started in, and possibly it amused him to do so, and watch people’e reactions to the appointment.

The one fly, or rather elf in the ointment, is the Elf. The Elf doesn’t like Astoria. Cerebus thinks that this is because there has to be something wrong with her, something that will ruin his new found wealth, because something always does whenever Cerebus gets some money. The Elf then confesses that there’s nothing wrong with Astoria, no secrets or skeletons in the closet that she knows about, the Elf just doesn’t like the woman. Possibly it’s jealousy. The Elf had Cerebus all to herself before Astoria came along, and now he’s spending more time with Astoria because she can make him money. The only thing that stops Cerebus from losing it is that he once got an elf mad at him in Imesh and it was not a pleasant experience. He grips the table, repeating to himself: ‘Don’t get mad at an elf.’ Predictably the aardvark does lose his temper with the Elf, and she quite promptly vanishes with a huffy 'WELL!’. I love the drawings of Cerebus’ face afterwards, he makes a number of horrified expressions culminating in a stricken look, and the small words: ‘oh oh’

While Astoria plots, Cerebus stews and wonders what form the Elf’s revenge will take. A messenger arrives with a package from an Edmonds, Lord Francis. Astoria takes it and wonders who Edmonds, Lord Francis is. Cerebus realises what the initials spell and immediately throws the package in the fire. Lucky for him it wasn’t explosives. Seconds after, two Inquisitors arrive saying that they’ve been tipped off that there are illicit, illegal and immoral substances on the premises, and they have authority to search the rooms. Astoria attacks the package in the fire with a poker, desperately trying to break it down. The Inquisitors search, and then finding nothing, depart with an apology.

Judging by Astoria’s reaction there was definitely some sort of narcotic in the package, she’s inhaled the fumes from the fire, it has given her a high, and also made her rather amorous. She starts coming onto Cerebus, and he’s trying to fend her off when the door crashes open and an angry Moon Roach looms in it demanding to know what’s going on.