Cerebus: Book Two

(Book Two is done; if I keep this pace, I'll be done in no time).

Ah, here's where things really start coming together. The end of the self-titled first volume of Cerebus starts introducing a lot of the characters and concepts that come to the fore in this book, High Society. The level of detail that Dave Sim starts to introduce to his world, the ongoing political machinations of various city-states, all these become the basis of what may possibly be the most successful volume in the series.

But this is only book two! Did the series really peak that early? Well, yes, no and maybe. It depends. I think High Society is my favorite book for several reasons. It's the most transitional book, and I've noticed myself gravitating towards transitional works from authors, filmmakers, musicians, and other artists, so it makes sense that I would like this one. For example, my favorite Beatles album is Rubber Soul, because it stands comfortably astride a bridge in the Beatles legacy, just as they were outgrowing the simpler sentiments and straightforward, accomplished songcraft of their early albums, but before they took off on some of their more wildly indulgent later experiments. So too, I feel like High Society is the real beginning of the ambitious, upward slope of Cerebus, but still relies heavily on the quick wit and talent for both character and setting that make it's early years really shine. It may not be the most formally adventurous volume, although it has a trick or two up it's sleeve (the move away from an over-reliance on narrative captions that typify the early stories; the use of newspapers, letters, transcripts, etc. as additional methods to develop background information...not too unusual for the times, but it does demonstrate an increasing comfort with the medium). It may not be the most complicated storyline (Church & State and Mothers & Daughters are both longer, more intricate, and multilayered), but it's probably the tightest plot in the series, with fewer divergences and distractions from Cerebus' rise and fall as a political leader/puppet.

While the first volume consists of mostly individual stories that follow a slow, loosely defined arc, High Society flows from issue to issue without ever hitting a breaking point in the narrative. This is the way the series will progress from here on out, with a handful of exceptions (like the bridging stories that are collected in Cerebus Number Zero), but the ease with which Sim leaps into this massive undertaking is impressive. There were plot threads that flow from issue to issue in the first two year's worth of stories, and a few multi issue arcs, but nothing to prepare for a continuous two year story.

And of course, there's Jaka. When I first started reading Cerebus (post Jaka's Story), the character of Jaka is practically a mythical figure. Not a lot of page time, but a lot of presence, in a sense. I always got the impression that she had a huge amount of history in the first half of the book, but having just read through the first two books, she really only has 3 appearances so far, not counting a letter from her to Lord Julius that's briefly shown. When she shows up in High Society, it seems like there's been more development to their relationship than what we've seen on page (which at this point is their first encounter, involving a love potion, which ends with Cerebus seemingly unconcerned with her; and the aforementioned letter, that reveals her feelings for Cerebus somewhat indirectly). Maybe there's some Cerebus/Jaka stories that take place outside of the official, collected series? Is there some material I've missed in Swords of Cerebus, perhaps? I'll have to look into that. I'm not sure where or if there's a clear transition in Cerebus feelings towards Jaka, between her first appearance and her return in High Society.

Jaka is an interesting figure in Cerebus. In a book filled with interesting female characters, she's probably the most sympathetic. Astoria, arguably the biggest female character at this stage, is a stone-hearted manipulator (and I hear she's based on Dave's then-wife, Deni? This brings us to very interesting places in Church & State). Red Sophia is a walking caricature only slightly less ridiculous than the Cockroach (although we see a bit of growth from her in the next two books). We have yet to meet Cirin, one of the most important male or female characters, although we get a lot of hints at her actions from behind the scenes. But Jaka...she might be the one that tells us the most about Dave Sim, and even though she's currently cast as the noble, idealistic woman at this point, the way that she's portrayed is a great barometer of how far down the path to Issue 186 Dave has gone. But more on this as it becomes relevant...For the moment, she's possibly the only character who's not making any attempt to manipulate Cerebus (aside from the characters who are unable to, like Elrod the albino, who lacks the intelligence to comprehend his surroundings much of the time, let alone manipulate anyone).

Humour has always played a huge part in Cerebus, but this book is probably the funniest, and the most consistently funny. Between the multitude of characters who are essentially homages to comedians and characters, the increasingly ridiculous situations (Cerebus running an election campaign against a goat...and almost losing), and a narrative voice rife with one-liners, puns, and Marx Bros. style inversions, it's almost enough to make you forget you're reading a tale of political intrigue. It's almost like a dream line-up of comic voices playing off of each other, and the High Society epilogue story in Cerebus Number Zero takes this idea to it's logical conclusion, with Cerebus, Lord Julius (Groucho Marx), Duke Leonardi (Chico Marx), Elrod the Albino (Foghorn Leghorn), and a character based on Rodney Dangerfield trapped in a cargo hold riffing off of each other for 20-some odd pages.

Which of course, brings us into the loosely structured introduction to what would become Church & State. But that's another post.