Cerebus Number Zero

Cerebus #(#51, 112, 113, 138

by Dave Sim

Reprints three stories from the Cerebus series not included in the phonebook collections: Exodus, from #51, a story based on the Marx Brothers famous stateroom skit that also serves to connect the High Society and Church and State storylines; Square One from #112, bridging Church with Jakas Story, and Like-a-Looks from #137-138, connecting Jakas with Melmoth. Also includes an introductory essay by Dave Sim for new readers. Story, art and cover by Dave Sim; backgrounds by Gerhard. Black and white; 90 pages

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels

Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

David Victor Sim is a Canadian comic book, artist and publisher, best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark.

Reviews

[Rockito · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of the "in-between" stories from Cerebus, 3 funny stories and the really great "Square One" which alone makes this worth it.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Someone pushes a button and blows up the sun."

This is a collection of five issues which, though part of the Cerebus continuity, has been left out of the phonebook trade paperbacks. These are not as such a book, technically it is a large comic book, but I am putting them in a post simply for completeness sake.

The issues collected here, numbers 51, 112, 113, 137, & 138, are transitional issues between arcs. Issue 51 “Exodus” comes between High Society and Church and State, 112 and 113 “Square One” go between Church and State and Jaka’s Story, and the last pair, “Like-a-Looks” bridges the gap from Jaka’s Story to Melmoth (which will be the next review after this one).

The action in “Exodus” takes place after our anti-hero has been deposed as the prime minister of the city-state of Iest, the area is now occupied by an enemy army, and he is forced to flee in the hold of a ship. He discovers he is not alone, as every other major official of the fallen government is making their escape on the exact same vessel. This leads to a war of words and puns between Lord Julius, Elrod of Melvinbone, the Roach, and so on. Cerebus, out for blood, can’t decide who to kill first.

“Square One” happens just after Cerebus has returned from his meeting on the moon with the Judge who has informed him that his dreams of military conquest will all fail, that he will die in a few years “alone, unloved, and unmourned”, and that life on the planet will eventually be snuffed out in a nuclear holocaust. Of course, to the Judge, who is hundreds of thousands of years old, a “few years” could be a long time from our perspective. Cerebus is understandably depressed and entertains thoughts of suicide. He walks through the wreckage of his life, physically and emotionally, and sees how little his ambition has yielded him. All of his money is gone, his loyal retainers run off, and his power evaporated.

The telling scene is when he is standing over the rotting corpse of Bran Mak Morn, a true believer that committed suicide. As the maggots devour his unburied retainer's flesh, he realizes the only thing he has ever accomplished is death. Now back to square one, he picks up his sword, dons his leather Han Solo vest, and reclaims his medallions (his outfit is so 70s, I’m surprised that he wasn’t into EST as well), and walks down the mountain into Jaka’s Story.

We learn a bit more of the Cirinist sex-negative militant feminist philosophy as well, at least the practical applications on it. Women are not allowed in bars (they might be attacked by sexually crazed men), no music is allowed (as if might cause lustful thoughts and cause men to rape women), no dancing either (for the same reasons), all children are raised in government nurseries, and voting rights and citizenry only extended to women who have given birth. That last stipulation is the cause of the great divide in their movement.

Mostly told with silent imagery, the silence is powerful and necessary. There are no words that could adequately express what he has learned. It is reminiscent of the “Silent Interlude” issue of G.I. Joe back in the early 80s. I truly wish these issues had been included in the beginning of volume 5 or the end of volume 4, because without them it appears as if Cerebus was completely unphased by his cosmic trip.

The last pair “Like-a-Looks” has a purely humorous plot. Lord Julius, the Groucho Marx analogue, has returned home to discover that a number of his stand-ins\body doubles, are now all claiming to be him. A power struggle occurs where it is nearly impossible for the reader to tell who is the real Julius (except for the pair that are obviously Elrod and Chico Marx). There is lots of snappy dialogue and a very humorous ending- not gut-busting laughs, but still funny. It also reveals that the Lord Julius who appears in Jaka’s Story is one of these like-a-looks.

These are not essential issues, but if you’re going to collect all of Cerebus then you will need this book.

[slauderdale]

In-between issues not included in the large "phone books" collecting the larger run of Cerebus. The funny ones are funny.

The main image on the Wikipedia article for Cerebus, at least as of this review, is the cover for "Square One," ie. issues 112 and 113. Anyone who has ever been struck by that image of Cerebus sitting on the steps in the rain should make a point of seeking this out. As Sim puts it in a prefatory note, "Square One" functions well as an epilogue to Church & State, but was not included at the end of the already very large Volume II for reasons of space. In keeping with the formalist experimentation characterizing so much of C&S, this is a mainly wordless mood piece/character study, with EXCELLENT artwork, following Cerebus around the ruined (Mar-a-Lago*cough*excuseme) hotel he treated as his headquarters during the papacy. I don't remember when I first read Cerebus Number Zero, probably some time after finishing Reads, but I know what stuck out for me when I did:

1. Cerebus' contemplation of suicide, which he will consider again at the end of Melmoth. I wasn't aware that he had thought about it before.

2. His encounter with the old man in the tavern. This sets up a great punchline of sorts, delivered by Cerebus, but it also forms a bridging function with the next volume, Jaka's Story, where that old man will turn up again. Re: the last line, your mileage may vary which is the better note to end C&S on. "And if you are tempted – ever -- to consider your suffering unjustified, just remember your second marriage" is the culmination of that story in its collected form: powerful, grim, unrelenting. But, "Someone pushes a button and blows up the sun" is marvelous, framed in blackly comic fashion by the old man's reaction.

So it depends. How do you like your Cerebus? Blackly comic or grimly unrelenting?

He also picks up a gold coin, which functions in the moment as a mocking final remnant of the vast fortune he amassed as pope, but which has continuing life in the two volumes that follow: it makes a noteable appearance in Jaka’s Story and will sustain Cerebus for a lengthy stretch during his nigh-catatonia in Melmoth.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title implies that this takes place before the Cerebus canon, but in fact is not. There are three short stories which take place between several volumes. The first takes place after "High Society", where he travels from the city he once ruled in the cargo hold of a ship, only to have Lord Julius and others from the city sailing with him and causing him aggravation. The second takes place after the "Church & State" volumes, where he is returned to the now-deserted city after his unhappy meeting with the Judge on the Moon, depressed enough to commit suicide, but failing to do so. The third takes place after "Jaka's Story", where the "Lord Julius" wearing a dress meets with a bunch of false Lord Juliuses.

Entertaining enough, but nothing essential to the overall Cerebus canon. Take it or leave it.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reprints three stories from the Cerebus series not included in the phonebook collections: Exodus, from #51, a story based on the Marx Brothers famous stateroom skit that also serves to connect the High Society and Church and State storylines; Square One from #112, bridging Church with Jakas Story, and Like-a-Looks from #137-138, connecting Jakas with Melmoth. Also includes an introductory essay by Dave Sim for new readers. Story, art and cover by Dave Sim; backgrounds by Gerhard. Black and white; 90 pages

[Gilly Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cerebus Number Zero is not needed in order to understand the rest of the Saga. It is still, nonetheless, worth reading in its own right.

The humour of these short single or double issue stories is some of the best in the series and, if read after some of the more text heavy phone book volumes they could provide an excellent pallette cleanse before continuing.

This volume could also provide an excellent jumping on point to introduce newcomers to the series and its characters although, I fear it would not help prepare them for some of the more serious material down the line.

If you were to read this, I'd recommend doing so after Melmouth, to fill the gaps and provide some comic relief before embarking on the much longer, and more series Mothers and Daughters Story arc. They should hopefully help tide you over until you go to Guys.

I would have scored the volume 4 stars (rather than 3) but for the fact that the material included isn't more related to the wider series.

[walrus]

Next to essential supplemental material. 'Square One' in particular is fantastic, it's absence in the Jaka's Story phonebook Dave Sim's biggest blunder in any of the phonebooks' construction.