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| CEREBUS |
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BOOK
ONE |
| by Dave Sim |
Paperback
Aardvark Vanheim
ISBN: 0919359086 |
$25.00
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| 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 (still in progress after 20 years). 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. |
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| 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's 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. |
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| CEREBUS
THE AARDVARK |
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BOOK
TWO:
HIGH
SOCIETY |
| by Dave Sim |
Paperback
Aardvark Vanheim
ISBN: 0919359078 |
$25.00
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| Volume Two of
the CEREBUS THE AARDVARK series, HIGH SOCIETY is the beginning of the main
Cerebus story line and one of the finest graphic novels ever published.
If you have to start from the very beginning, you'll need the first volume,
CEREBUS, but if you don't mind a modicum of confusion, this is a much more
satisfying place to begin. The artwork is much improved and the level of
humor reaches its high point in the series to date. (Unkind critics point
to HIGH SOCIETY as the older, funnier book of the CEREBUS series.) |
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| Parliamentary
politics were never so much fun as they are in the Prime Minister election
of 1414. Lord Julius and the mysterious Astoria battle for control of the
city-state Iest with Cerebus as their unwitting pawn. Goats, bunny sketches,
the Regency Elf, and Moon Roach join the pandemonium, helping to set the
stage for things to come. HIGH SOCIETY is a home run; an instant classic
both as a stand-alone volume and in the context of the rest of the series.
Beware though, the ending dovetails directly into CHURCH AND STATE; You
may want to grab that volume as well, because once you start the series,
the story of Cerebus gets increasingly harder to put down. |
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| CEREBUS
THE AARDVARK |
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BOOK
THREE:
CHURCH
AND STATE,
Volume
I |
| by Dave Sim & Gerhard |
Paperback: 592 pages
Aardvark-Vanaheim
ISBN: 0919359094 |
$26.00
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| CHURCH AND STATE
is volume three of the CEREBUS THE AARDVARK series and picks up right where
High Society leaves off. To compound matters further, this reprint volume
is part one of a two-part story that is self-contained within the larger
framework. |
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| A face from
Cerebus's past returns with an offer he can't refuse. But the gray one
has learned a few lessons from the powers that be and turns the tables
on the would-be puppet masters. This volume also marks the addition of
Gerhard as a background artist, and the artwork begins to create a visual
impact equal to the creative impact of the comic book's ideas and stories.
The storytelling also becomes subtler, the beginning of a stylistic trademark
in CEREBUS that leads the reader to believe more action is taking place
peripherally than in the actual pages. High points include a two-part dream
sequence, which is visually unparalleled in the history of comic art; a
pee-break which is unrivaled in length in the history of comic art; the
return of Jaka; and "the baby incident."
Don't forget to pick up CHURCH
AND STATE, Volume Two, as volume one ends with the cruelest of cliffhangers.
This is the IVAN THE TERRIBLE of graphic novels, both in terms of its subject
matter and the creative peak it represents for the author. |
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| CEREBUS
THE AARDVARK |
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BOOK
FOUR:
CHURCH
AND STATE, Volume II |
| by Dave Sim & Gerhard |
Paperback: 630 pages
Aardvark Vanheim
ISBN: 0919359116 |
$37.50
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| CHURCH AND STATE,
Volume Two, 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. |
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| 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. |
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