Pretty sure "Mind Game" is code for "Cerebus on LSD."
In the first "Mind Game," Cerebus was indeed drugged. While unconscious, he supposedly had a conversation with Suenteus Po, the fabled Illusionist and, I believe, creator of the Illusionist philosophy (whatever that is. I don't remember the exact tenets of all Sim's ideologies in Estarcion. I think it's a bit of a mix between anarchy, hedonism, Taoism, and, um, well, illusionism!). At the end of the last issue, Cerebus had been knocked unconscious so that's probably how he enters this "Mind Game." No drugs needed! It's probably some kind of side-effect of being an aardvark. When aardvarks lose consciousness unnaturally (as in not simply falling asleep), their minds travels in the astral plane. It totally makes sense and to test it, I'm going to the zoo tomorrow with a baseball bat.
In my comments on Cerebus #27, I noted how the Aardvark Comments section was really starting to expand. Deni's "A Note from the Publisher" this month pretty much says the same thing. And since every month, I mention how boring Deni's Note is, does that mean I now consider myself boring for passing along the same information?! Why am I cursed to constantly insult myself, God?!
The Swords of Cerebus essay section is called "Notebooks." It may have been called that in the previous "High Society" Bi-weeklies as well and I just didn't realize it. At least now I can stop calling it "the section that used to be the Swords of Cerebus essay." In this one, it just has notes and sketches for the Cerebus/Suenteus Po dialogue and some "Corn-Roach" rejected material. Yes, there was going to be a Cockroach story where he was called the Corn Roach. That's because the Cirinists had some kind of Corn King ritual that was probably this festival where they all dressed up, danced down the road to a giant corn man, and then burned some cop alive in it. I don't know if the Corn Roach was going to be a parody of a Marvel character or just a parody of Orville Redenbacher. Sim eventually decided against the Corn Roach and made him the Moon Roach instead. Probably a good call.
In "Mind Game I," Cerebus traveled between black and white spaces as he spoke with Suenteus Po in the black and the Cirinists in the white (was it the Cirinists? Or were they Kevillists? Kevillists are pretty much Cirinists who believe in abortion. Oh, they probably have more differences than that but remember how I don't remember any of that stuff?). The black spaces, if you cut up your Cerebus comic book, could be laid out to form a huge twenty page Cerebus. I'm sure somebody out there did it and lined their wall with it. In this one, Dave has chosen to have Cerebus falling between black and gray spaces while all of the dialogue is typewritten outside of the panels. It's basically the set-up Dave uses later to suggest that you're reading a "Read" (Estarcion's comic book/pulp novel equivalent).
In my comments on Cerebus #27, I noted how the Aardvark Comments section was really starting to expand. Deni's "A Note from the Publisher" this month pretty much says the same thing. And since every month, I mention how boring Deni's Note is, does that mean I now consider myself boring for passing along the same information?! Why am I cursed to constantly insult myself, God?!
The Swords of Cerebus essay section is called "Notebooks." It may have been called that in the previous "High Society" Bi-weeklies as well and I just didn't realize it. At least now I can stop calling it "the section that used to be the Swords of Cerebus essay." In this one, it just has notes and sketches for the Cerebus/Suenteus Po dialogue and some "Corn-Roach" rejected material. Yes, there was going to be a Cockroach story where he was called the Corn Roach. That's because the Cirinists had some kind of Corn King ritual that was probably this festival where they all dressed up, danced down the road to a giant corn man, and then burned some cop alive in it. I don't know if the Corn Roach was going to be a parody of a Marvel character or just a parody of Orville Redenbacher. Sim eventually decided against the Corn Roach and made him the Moon Roach instead. Probably a good call.
In "Mind Game I," Cerebus traveled between black and white spaces as he spoke with Suenteus Po in the black and the Cirinists in the white (was it the Cirinists? Or were they Kevillists? Kevillists are pretty much Cirinists who believe in abortion. Oh, they probably have more differences than that but remember how I don't remember any of that stuff?). The black spaces, if you cut up your Cerebus comic book, could be laid out to form a huge twenty page Cerebus. I'm sure somebody out there did it and lined their wall with it. In this one, Dave has chosen to have Cerebus falling between black and gray spaces while all of the dialogue is typewritten outside of the panels. It's basically the set-up Dave uses later to suggest that you're reading a "Read" (Estarcion's comic book/pulp novel equivalent).
This is what it looks like. All the pictures in this one were improvised on the drawing board and probably don't matter much. It's all about Po and his lies.
I mention that Po lies in the caption because from what I remember, a lot of what Po tells Cerebus every time Cerebus talks to him winds up being a lie. My take is that Dave used Po to explain things that Dave thought were true about the story and eventually Dave changed things which turned Po into a liar. Plus Po is an Illusionist! Of course he's going to be a huge liar!
The conversation between Po and Cerebus begins with discussing where Cerebus finds himself. It turns out to be the Eighth Sphere, a place to consider the infinite crossroads a life passes through. Cerebus was in the Seventh Sphere before which is where a person finds themselves or comes to terms with themselves or, I don't know, chills out. Accordingly the First through Sixth Spheres are probably like steps to be worked through in Alcoholics Anonymous. You can't be your true self until you abandon all of your flawed thinking and selfish desires. Then once you come to terms with your true self in relation to the world around you, you can head to the Eighth Sphere and move on.
But remember: these are probably all lies! But maybe he's not lying maliciously! He sort of sounds like a stoner who thinks he's smarter than he actually is so he doesn't really comprehend all the information that comes his way during meditation and gets it all garbled.
Next Cerebus, like a bunch of impatient readers over the last year or so, wants to know how he got from Togith to Beduin after the last "Mind Game." Po doesn't know but he has some theories. It was probably the Cirinists or the Kevillists and not sleep-walking or teleportation.
The conversation between Po and Cerebus begins with discussing where Cerebus finds himself. It turns out to be the Eighth Sphere, a place to consider the infinite crossroads a life passes through. Cerebus was in the Seventh Sphere before which is where a person finds themselves or comes to terms with themselves or, I don't know, chills out. Accordingly the First through Sixth Spheres are probably like steps to be worked through in Alcoholics Anonymous. You can't be your true self until you abandon all of your flawed thinking and selfish desires. Then once you come to terms with your true self in relation to the world around you, you can head to the Eighth Sphere and move on.
But remember: these are probably all lies! But maybe he's not lying maliciously! He sort of sounds like a stoner who thinks he's smarter than he actually is so he doesn't really comprehend all the information that comes his way during meditation and gets it all garbled.
Next Cerebus, like a bunch of impatient readers over the last year or so, wants to know how he got from Togith to Beduin after the last "Mind Game." Po doesn't know but he has some theories. It was probably the Cirinists or the Kevillists and not sleep-walking or teleportation.
Estarcion has two churches just like the Catholic church does. Or did? Did some Pope in the 15th Century find the two gold ducks and join them so the church could become united?
See? This is why Po winds up caught in lies later. Because Dave maybe goes into a little too much detail too early. Although I think maybe Cerebus calls him out by the end of this issue which is really convenient because all of the facts Dave lays out can't be trusted. Also, Cerebus might realize he's not talking to the real Po during this "Mind Game." Po definitely makes a mistake at some point and Cerebus calls him on it.
Ultimately, Po doesn't reveal much as he's mostly just trying to get information from Cerebus. Why? Probably because he's a hermit monk sitting in a dark room somewhere in Iest spending all of his time meditating and drinking psychedelic tea. But Cerebus, while speaking with Po, does seem to start planning for a future that's more than just drinking and playing Diamondback. Like maybe getting a little power in the Tarimite Church so he can declare drinking and gambling forms of worshiping Tarim.
And then Cerebus wakes up leaving Po alone in the Eighth Sphere.
The letters in Aardvark Comments praise both Cerebus and Elfquest but probably Elfquest a bit more, as it should be.
Cerebus #28 Rating: B. I probably ate this stuff up when I first read the book. "Ooh! Back story! History! Philosophical factions and religion!" But now I read it and think, "Pooh. Po isn't as funny as the McGrew brothers."
Ultimately, Po doesn't reveal much as he's mostly just trying to get information from Cerebus. Why? Probably because he's a hermit monk sitting in a dark room somewhere in Iest spending all of his time meditating and drinking psychedelic tea. But Cerebus, while speaking with Po, does seem to start planning for a future that's more than just drinking and playing Diamondback. Like maybe getting a little power in the Tarimite Church so he can declare drinking and gambling forms of worshiping Tarim.
And then Cerebus wakes up leaving Po alone in the Eighth Sphere.
The letters in Aardvark Comments praise both Cerebus and Elfquest but probably Elfquest a bit more, as it should be.
Cerebus #28 Rating: B. I probably ate this stuff up when I first read the book. "Ooh! Back story! History! Philosophical factions and religion!" But now I read it and think, "Pooh. Po isn't as funny as the McGrew brothers."
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