Cerebus #20 (1980)

Cerebus' expressions from the beginning of the blow job to the end.

This is the issue where Cerebus truly became presidential. Or whatever adjective I should be using to describe how Cerebus was just a Swords & Sorcery parody comic book with guest appearances of parodies of other fictional characters (Come on. We all know Groucho Marx is a fictional character) but then suddenly became a political and religious and philosophical parody comic book with guest appearances of parodies of political, religous, or philosophical personas. Maybe I meant it matured? Sure, it'll still have Elrod for a bit and satires of DC and Marvel heroes and, sometime after the next couple dozen issues, the McFleagle Brothers but it'll also have a bunch of stuff I don't understand too! And if I don't understand something, you better believe it's smart! That's gospel coming from somebody who just finished reading Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and understood exactly 12% of it (that 12% deals with boners, sex, drugs, and coprophilia (my parents would be proud that I didn't even need to Google how to spell that!)).

Why do I think this is the issue where Cerebus matured? Because it begins with a quote from Cirin's The New Matriarchy. Shit's about to get real, goose.

This is the second great joke in Dave's blank page series of jokes.

I absolutely mean it when I call the blank page jokes great. It's an important example of what I think differentiates Early Stage Writer Dave Sim with Late Stage Writer Dave Sim: his whimsy. At some point after this moment when the comic book matures, Dave Sim begins to take things way too seriously. Sure, he still gets goofy even at the end when he introduces the Three Stooges. But it's different because it's goofiness in service to the serious. It's not just goofiness for goofiness sake. It might be slapstick but it's not whimsical. Or maybe it is but it's hard to see it that way after you've just read a year or two of horribly dry and reaching Biblical explications.

Last issue, Cerebus was captured by Perce, a Cirinist. He has been drugged and about to have his cards read to see if he will be a fitting ally for the rise of the Matriarchy. It's either that or be destroyed even though the quote from Cirin's book says "We cannot dismiss any soul as extraneous. All originate with the Mother and all must be instructed in her ways." I suppose later when we learn Cirin isn't actually Cirin but Cirin's general, it makes sense that the words of Cirin don't match the action of the current Cirinists.

While in his drugged state, Cerebus reaches the Seventh Sphere and begins talking to somebody (not Gort). I believe it's Cerebus' first communication with Suenteus Po (the third aardvark after Cerebus and "Cirin" (really Serna, Cirin's general who takes over the movement)). I'm sure that will be revealed by the end of the issue. It probably isn't too important now.

This conversation takes place after Cerebus tells the voice he has been drugged. "Some of my best friends drug people" is a fantastic line.

Suenteus Po reveals himself and Cerebus recognizes the name as the founder of Illusionism. I don't remember any of Po's Illusionist philosophies. That means he probably isn't super important to the story except for a later big reveal that he's also an aardvark. It seems like Astoria and Kevillism become more important. That's probably because Astoria and Cirin are out there on the battlefield crossing swords while Po is, I don't know, hanging out with guys who drug people and partying in the seventh sphere. Hmm, you know what? That might actually be the basic tenets of Illusionism: drink, fuck, and blow your mind, dudes!

Oh, I also just remembered that this might not even be the actual Suenteus Po! I guess Dave Sim loves the "this character wasn't really the character you thought it was" reveal! Or maybe Sim just found that a convenient way to shift continuity when he realized an early voice of a character didn't exactly fit the character he wanted it to be in a later story arc.

Cerebus tries to pit the Illsuionists against the Cirinists in a battle just outside the place he's being held captive. It almost works but before Wenda and Perce both leave him alone to fight Illusionists, Wenda drugs him again and he loses consciousness.

So the Illusionists (at least this version that probably interpreted all of the real Po's writings incorrectly because who wouldn't want to believe in a philosophy where you just indulge in debauchery?) get their asses kicked by the Cirinists because the Cirinists mean business and the Illusionists mean fun. And business always trumps fun for some stupid reason. I guess maybe that reason is ambition or something.

The letters page was unremarkable. The Single Page had an Evan Dorkin "Milk & Cheese" strip. The best part was seeing the address to Slave Labor Graphics on Bascom Avenue in San Jose, some of my old stomping grounds. Pretty sure it was located next door to a shop that sold old toys and collectibles. It wasn't too far from Taco Bravo.

Cerebus #20 Rating: B+. Remember when Neil Gaiman wrote that 24 hour comic book about "Heliogabalus"? I do. See you next time, farts!