Monday, February 27, 2017
Cerebus Archive Number Four Reviewed!
Cerebus Archive Number Four Reviewed!
Cerebus Archive Number Four
Kickstarter Campaign: October/November 2015
Raised CAN$31,640 from 250 backers
Featuring the 10 earliest pages from Church & State II in the Cerebus Archive
Raised CAN$31,640 from 250 backers
Featuring the 10 earliest pages from Church & State II in the Cerebus Archive
JEFF SEILER:
I received my two sets of Cerebus Archive prints today (June 29th) six months after ordering and paying for them. But thats all I have to say about that -- its already pretty well covered.
As usual, phenomenal reproduction values! For example, look closely enough at panel 5 on plate 3, as well as panels 1-6 on plate 4, and you can actually see the texture of the dried Liquid Paper!
The notes, as usual, are scintillating! Leave it to Dave to actually look up and print the lyrics to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and then discuss them, theologically, in notes on comic book pages. And, leave it to Dave to bring the theory of penis envy and the issue of transgenderism to the same comic book pages notes. My hero! Really!
And, leave it to Dave to find and print a photo of the "Buddy Christ" statue!
A little quibble with page 1 of the notes, regarding the photo on the upper right side: Its identified as "Gerhard inking", but Ive spent enough time with both Dave and Ger to say that I recognize that hair, that ear, the jawline, the brow, and the hands as belonging to Mr. Sim. Pretty darn sure.
And, then, we come to the notes for plate 4. Plate 4 needs little background because its simple. Any passing fan can look at it and immediately suss out how it was put together. So, instead, in these notes we get an utterly fascinating and ultimately very moving, bare naked (so to speak) page and a half of the Florida segment of his sexual autobiography. Dave Sim -- his life pretty much *is* an open book.
Plate 5: The cosmic shit. Again, the resolution of these plates is phenomenal. If you look very closely, you can see where the cross-hatching lines extend into the solid blacks because, hey, who cares? It wont show up on the printed page. More Liquid Paper, this time on Henrots wizard hat.
So, now were back to more autobiography, this time about Daves growing awareness of needing to read the Bible, as well as some biography. And, again not too much to add about the art or dialogue on these pages.
Plate 8: I always liked the inclusion of the Archie Goodwin-based character, though I suspect it misrepresented him as wanting or trying to be a mouthpiece, in real life. The production notes here are, as ever, fascinating.
Plate 9 notes: I would assume that the tone issues Dave mentions, as well as others (like Astorias collar in panels 1 and 2), will be taken care of by Sean in the remastered C&SII.
You know, I always thought (and still do) that Lord Julius step-ladder joke here had a vague sexual connotation. I also think that his joke in panel 4 was one of the best, if easiest, that Dave ever wrote.
Plate 10: More great cosmic shit, including the string nebula in the upper right corner, just below the two big stars and to the right of the "Whoa" word baloon. And, a bit of a problem below Sump Things left elbow, where lines for the motion effect fade away but then cross over the cosmic shit. "Sean can fix that in post," I hear Dave saying.
Plate 10 notes: Great "inside baseball" notes about using Letratape!
And, finally, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for that gorgeous Wrightson/Totelbon page!
Okay, thats it for my review of CAN4.
*Thats* a whole afternoon of my life Ill never get back, but I mean that in a good way. :)
As usual, phenomenal reproduction values! For example, look closely enough at panel 5 on plate 3, as well as panels 1-6 on plate 4, and you can actually see the texture of the dried Liquid Paper!
The notes, as usual, are scintillating! Leave it to Dave to actually look up and print the lyrics to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and then discuss them, theologically, in notes on comic book pages. And, leave it to Dave to bring the theory of penis envy and the issue of transgenderism to the same comic book pages notes. My hero! Really!
And, leave it to Dave to find and print a photo of the "Buddy Christ" statue!
A little quibble with page 1 of the notes, regarding the photo on the upper right side: Its identified as "Gerhard inking", but Ive spent enough time with both Dave and Ger to say that I recognize that hair, that ear, the jawline, the brow, and the hands as belonging to Mr. Sim. Pretty darn sure.
And, then, we come to the notes for plate 4. Plate 4 needs little background because its simple. Any passing fan can look at it and immediately suss out how it was put together. So, instead, in these notes we get an utterly fascinating and ultimately very moving, bare naked (so to speak) page and a half of the Florida segment of his sexual autobiography. Dave Sim -- his life pretty much *is* an open book.
Plate 5: The cosmic shit. Again, the resolution of these plates is phenomenal. If you look very closely, you can see where the cross-hatching lines extend into the solid blacks because, hey, who cares? It wont show up on the printed page. More Liquid Paper, this time on Henrots wizard hat.
So, now were back to more autobiography, this time about Daves growing awareness of needing to read the Bible, as well as some biography. And, again not too much to add about the art or dialogue on these pages.
Plate 8: I always liked the inclusion of the Archie Goodwin-based character, though I suspect it misrepresented him as wanting or trying to be a mouthpiece, in real life. The production notes here are, as ever, fascinating.
Plate 9 notes: I would assume that the tone issues Dave mentions, as well as others (like Astorias collar in panels 1 and 2), will be taken care of by Sean in the remastered C&SII.
You know, I always thought (and still do) that Lord Julius step-ladder joke here had a vague sexual connotation. I also think that his joke in panel 4 was one of the best, if easiest, that Dave ever wrote.
Plate 10: More great cosmic shit, including the string nebula in the upper right corner, just below the two big stars and to the right of the "Whoa" word baloon. And, a bit of a problem below Sump Things left elbow, where lines for the motion effect fade away but then cross over the cosmic shit. "Sean can fix that in post," I hear Dave saying.
Plate 10 notes: Great "inside baseball" notes about using Letratape!
And, finally, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU for that gorgeous Wrightson/Totelbon page!
Okay, thats it for my review of CAN4.
*Thats* a whole afternoon of my life Ill never get back, but I mean that in a good way. :)
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