Cerebus the Original Aartvark

January 17, 2012 Seeing red

2012-01-17T08:11:00.002-05:00

So, Ger... let's just for fun see what the faux illuminated manuscript page would look like if we take a cue from the original tapestry and think about it sitting on a field of rusty reddish background.

Wow. I think this is stunning.

Reminder:

January 13, 2012 No bad luck today

2012-01-13T19:25:00.002-05:00

It was a good day.

News from Texas

December 30, 2011 Market Report 2011

2011-12-30T17:50:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again. Here's the scoop. I have been tracking mainly the eBay sales since 2006. In that time, I have recorded 239 sales that I deemed as normal, that is, not counting double pages (4 of these), obvious grail pages (21), and not pre-Bay (31).

In 2011, there were 14 auction sales and all were counted.

DVS only (5) @ $787 (no change from 2010, $782)
+Ger thru 100 (1) @ $760 (about the historical average)
+Ger (101-200) (8) @ $800 (up from 2010, $710)

The prices on Cerebus original art have definitely crept up over the years. The first number is the average price during that year, while the parenthetical price gives the older price in 2011 dollars... it's time to start accounting for inflation.

2006 (48 p) $596 ($723)
2007 (11 p) $659 ($762)
2008 (41 p) $574 ($636)
2009 (12 p) $670 ($716)
2010 (11 p) $735
2011 (14 p) $793

Using the weighted average of the inflation adjusted prices, you get $700 (+/- $170) as the historical price for these pages.

So if you take one standard deviation rule, then a mediocre page ends up in the $530 range, while a snazzy page ends up in the $870 range.

What can I expect for a normal Cerebus page?

About $700, I'd say.

December 22, 2011 Solstice Solace

2011-12-22T09:38:00.003-05:00

As some know, I have been living and working in Beijing for the last 11 months while on a sabbatical from my home institution. What a great time.

No Cerebus art purchases for me in a while... nor much for anyone else, for that matter.

I have picked up a few things I liked in the last couple of months.

I've never actually read "Mouse Guard" and yet I find this artist's work to be exceptional, so I wanted a nice sample. And I thought this was nice.

I've mentioned the young oil painter Abbey Ryan before. This is an 8x10 piece she did that I just added to my collection of her work.

And I really (really) liked this depiction of the FF that Paolo Rivera did this year. So classic and fitting for this group.

December 9, 2011 Draft colour...

2011-12-09T23:08:00.003-05:00

Computerized draft:

And, in related historical background news:

In 1996, the Detroit Institute of Arts held this exhibition:
"Woven Splendor: Five Centuries of European Tapestry in the Detroit Institute of Arts," at which this tapestry was on display:

"Millefleurs Tapestry with the Arms of the Brachet and other Families of Orleans, Blois, and Anjou," probably designed in France and woven in the southern Netherlands, ca. 1500-20, wool & silk, 9'6" x 10'1", Founders Society Purchase, General Membership Fund, DIA no. 56.190.

And, in unrelated but highly relevant news, these two pages did not sell for $700 each, so they're up again at $600 on eBay.

December 5, 2011 Spectacular!

2011-12-05T21:24:00.002-05:00

OK. I think this piece is just spectacular.

Although nominally an entry in the WWC series, it stands alone as a rather interesting juxtaposition of a purely secular idea cast into a typically non-secular genre (okay, see, it's the antipode to the last part of the "Cerebus" series, where idiosyncratic non-secular views are cast into a typically secular genre... but I meta-textually digress).

Now.

Let's imagine someone was willing to subsidize the cost of making some nice quality b/w prints on nice paper in order for Gerhard to offer hand-colored editions where 100% of that charge stayed with artist? No b/w copies to be made available, just Ger's colored versions.

Let's see hands up and conversation on that? Write to me privately if you don't want to leave it in the comments.

December 3, 2011 Gerhard Update

2011-12-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

You might recall, back in October, the complicated idea I had for a combination of "World Without Cerebus" with my own long-time sig file quote, inspired by a kickstarter project being done by someone else altogether.

Heh - you got all that? Good.

The kickstarter project was a person who was pushing on the illuminated manuscript art form, mainly, as it turns out, using ornate and gilded letters to decorate poetry or other sorts of sayings.

(P.S., did you know that kickstarter.com is currently only open to artists with US bank accounts?)

The WWC idea was to conflate the ideas of using an illustrated manuscript page, a decided non-secular art form, to convey a strong secular allegory about science and knowledge. Given the nature of this transformation during the run of the Cerebus series, it draws a little less on the usual WWC events and more on a concept. Picking a remarkable breakpoint, I decided to title this entry as Page 185, coming just before "186" (an issue with strong meaning in the series).

And the subject matter centers on the 14th C Old French quote that has sat on the bottom of my email messages for decades:

"Vaille Que Vaille Lors se Verras"
One goes as one goes, then one shall see

And to include, as the universal power from the big sword-wielder in the sky:

"Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est"
And thus knowledge itself is power (Sir Francis Bacon).

And to wrap science, emerging from the tree of knowledge, in the most basic operational philosophy of science, namely, Occam's Razor:

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate"
one should not multiply entities beyond necessity
(William of Occam)

While the symbolic enemies of science do their best to attack it, and while - all the while - the sheep look on.

Hey, I didn't say it was going to be easy.

But, when Gerhard is on the job, you know it is going to be beautiful.

December 1, 2011 圣诞快乐

2011-12-01T04:04:00.003-05:00

I was in Indonesia over Thanksgiving and did not even notice what day it was until my email traffic dropped for a while. What a nerd.

No sale on this one:

Cerebus 22 p 12
Ebay 120817553553
Seller: wmprod1959
Price: $460 (reserve not met)

I'm back in Beijing again and the stores are, well... it's a little freaky, actually.

圣诞快乐 (Merry Christmas)

November 14, 2011 Gerhard/Zeck mash-up

2011-11-14T19:47:00.003-05:00

From our friend M.E., who picked up and ran with the idea of having Gerhard retro-draw awesome backgrounds on huge character pieces. Here's the latest. Ger can probably fill me in on whether this is the first time for a mash-up piece with anyone other than Dave. Brilliant idea, M.E., and stunning in its execution (sic). And don't miss the movie!

November 10, 2011 A Small Circle of Friends

2011-11-10T01:34:00.004-05:00

In dishonor of the horrendous events coming to light at Penn State, I offer up perhaps the most cogent commentary on the general topic of social irresponsibility, from a musician little-known today. I was introduced to Phil Ochs by a dear friend, during college, about 2 years before Ochs' suicide.

Phil Ochs (1940-1976)

Ochs was inspired to write "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" by the case of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed to death outside her home in Queens, New York, while dozens of her neighbors reportedly ignored her cries for help. The song was released in 1967.

"Outside of a Small Circle of Friends"

Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Riding down the highway, yes, my back is getting stiff
Thirteen cars are piled up, they're hanging on a cliff.
Maybe we should pull them back with our towing chain
But we gotta move and we might get sued and it looks like it's gonna rain
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Sweating in the ghetto with the colored and the poor
The rats have joined the babies who are sleeping on the floor
Now wouldn't it be a riot if they really blew their tops?
But they got too much already and besides we got the cops
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Oh there's a dirty paper using sex to make a sale
The Supreme Court was so upset, they sent him off to jail.
Maybe we should help the fiend and take away his fine.
But we're busy reading Playboy and the Sunday New York Times
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer,
But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years
Maybe we should raise our voices, ask somebody why
But demonstrations are a drag, besides we're much too high
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Oh look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

[ Additional verse, 1974]

Down in Santiago where they took away our mines
We cut off all their money so they robbed the storehouse blind
Now maybe we should ask some questions, maybe shed a tear
But I bet you a copper penny, it cannot happen here
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

November 7, 2011 Texas (take II)

2011-11-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Wish me luck:

Newspaper Article

Robert Foster Cherry Award

November 4, 2011 Texas

2011-11-04T17:54:00.002-04:00

I just spent an interesting week at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. More about that in a few days.

While I was on campus, I was touring the Art Museum (small), which was in the same building as their Art & Design School. This was a great tour because I got to meander through the galleries and studios and classrooms. Those artsy smells are extremely evocative and make me want to have pursued more of that side of my brain than I have been able to find time for.

This pair of characters, from a junior undergraduate in the ceramics class, really caught my eye. They were on display:

In addition to the inherent humor, I think these faces recall so strongly the late 19th C British editorialists whose drawings I like so well. I made the comment to the Director, who was my guide, that if she found out that the artist ever put a price tag on these that I would be first in line with my wallet open.

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely. I do not kid about stuff like that."

She made sure to take me by the ceramics classroom because she thought that the professor whose student did these would be around. He was (and he had a small class there). I expressed my enthusiasm, as I had in the hallway, and he lit up like a Christmas tree.

He turned and announced me, and what I said, to the class. A teaching moment.

And best of all: the artist was sitting there.

And, it turns out she had been a bit mopey because she had received a bad critique in another class, that day, and a letter, that morning, that had been a rejection from some program or another.

So I got a chance to express my enthusiasm in person. The professor got a chance to make a point to his class. And the artist got a chance to think about my offer, directly from me.

I got a note passed to me the next day, from the Director, with a price on it.

Score.

October 26, 2011 Call Me...

2011-10-26T04:30:00.002-04:00

I was eating lunch in the ground-floor Cafe of the building where my apartment is, in Beijing, with one of my colleagues from Peking University. I think she must of thought that I had flipped my lid when I jumped up to go outside into the courtyard in order to take a picture of a woman who was...

talking...

on her mobile phone.

This is perhaps the only BoingBoing-worthy picture I have ever taken!

October 24, 2011 Revolution

2011-10-24T06:57:00.004-04:00

October 24, 1929: "The optimism and financial gains of the great bull market were shaken on "Black Thursday", October 24, 1929, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) abruptly fell."

October 24, 2008: "On October 24, 2008, many of the world's stock exchanges experienced the worst declines in their history, with drops of around 10% in most indices."

A tip of the feathered fedora to the clever mutants at www.libertyfox.com:

"In Case of Revolution - Break Glass"

October 19, 2011 WWC: Page 185

2011-10-19T22:14:00.005-04:00

This is, by far, the most complicated idea for a "World Without Cerebus" piece, yet.

Let's start with Kickstarter. Kickstarter.com is a quite cool idea in public philanthropy for supporting artists. Check it out. It's likely you will find something there that turns your crank, and you will always get a little return on your generosity.

I was intrigued by a young artist/designer who was offering to do modern versions of illuminated manuscripts (those highly ornate 4th-15th C hand-written and drawn pages - think of monks as photocopy machines). Anyhow, this designer is mostly into calligraphy, so you can give her a poem and she'll do a big-ass illuminated letter, or 6, with gold or silver foil embossment, using alphabets from the ancient times. I was not so interested in this. It's kind of high-school art class: put your favorite Lady Gaga song lyrics into graphic font.

Hmmm... I never mind.

What I was interested in (and you would not necessarily know this) was using my favorite 14th C saying as the basis for an actual illuminated page, including picture, allegory, and leafy detailed borders. About 20 years ago, I went to an exhibition of Medieval tapestries at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and one of the 14th C tapestries had a saying on it that has been put on the note card on the wall, and was translated from its Old French.

Vaille Que Vaille Lors se Verras
"One goes as one goes, then one shall see"

As some know, this encapsulates a strong philosophical orientation for me, and I immediately adopted it as my slogan. It has been in the sig file of my email, basically forever.

So here was my idea:

I want to represent SCIENCE (as a woman) under constant attack by the enemies of science

Castaneda said there were four enemies: fear, clarity, power, and old age

Shaw said it was ignorance

Humanists, of course, see religious fundamentalism as all of these wrapped in one package

The idea would be to integrate the female figure into the trunk of the tree of knowledge

the sword or dagger of wisdom in the sky, perhaps sporting the third, all-seeing eye in its hilt

I would have the woman/tree/knowledge/science (scientia) speaking two things, in Latin

"Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est"
And thus knowledge itself is power (Sir Francis Bacon).

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda sine necessitate"
one should not multiply entities beyond necessity
(William of Occam)

Or maybe the first one is the saying of the dagger in the sky, and the second one is hers - a human precept

And under attack by the symbols of antiscience

She should be anchored to the earth, looking to the starry sky, and I like the 4 winds in the corners

In the border, there ought to be beasts that are various symbols of wisdom, searching, investigation... owls and ravens come to mind

Here are some designs I like, and which also inspired the thinking:

OK. Seat belts in place? Tray tables in their upright and locked position? Here is the leap to WWC.

This could be a page from the original Book of Ricke. After all, in the early Cerebus series, science, knowledge and rationalism ruled, and ignorance and religion were the enemies. So pick "the place" where everything changed? That is hard to do, but let's agree that Dave's religious conversion took place during the research for Rick's Story, which started with Issue 220.

So it was tempting to title this Page 119, but who the hell recalls that Rick's Story started with Issue 220?

It was tempting to make a Book of Ricke reference, directly.

But I decided on Page 185. If you know the series, then you know the significance of Issue 186, and you probably already caught that allusion long ago. If not, you might want to Google it.

And so, I went ahead and sent the same exact description to the Kickstarter artist and then to Gerhard.

Guess what? Ger is a fan of illuminated manuscripts.

And guess what: his first sketch for "Page 185" knocks the idea right out of the frackkin' ballpark and into the next county.

I mean, really, look at that! And the followers of antiscience are sheep in the background. Bwah hah hah. That's just perfect.

We're guessing that we could probably not get Dave to do the lettering on this. all things considered.

October 19, 2011 Cerebus 75 p 8

2011-10-19T06:33:00.007-04:00

And what will Cerebus pages run for?

Oh, about $700.

eBay item no. 380375115568
Seller: swing_daddy
Price: $760.00

And, still available:

Cerebus 68 pp 3-4 (colorized by Ger, although he's not particular of the job he did), it's in for its 4th round, so there's no nibbles at $1250, so it's heading into the perennial category that a few pieces end up in, like that inside back cover to #6 with Elrod, and the $1500 price tag on Cerebus 67 p 5.

October 3, 2011 Bradbury & HItchcock

2011-10-03T09:01:00.004-04:00

TITLE: Celcius 233

Following from the (rather spectacular) cover to Cerebus #151, I figure at some point there was a book burning (before things got grand and all the books were thrown into the furnances).

So here's a first look at the early aftermath.

My only suggestions here were: (a) perhaps a wheelbarrow on the lower level, carting books away, and (b) [so easy for me to say] I think it is an early dusk, and we get to see reflected through the windows the flames and smoke. Maybe even a door open on the lower level letting more of that light in. Ahhhh... Ger... good luck with that!

TITLE: MacGuffin

On one side of this alley, we have Jaka and Rick's place, where Cerebus, er, Fred was staying. On the other side of the alley, Pud's bar. And at the entrance, the Guffin.

Eventually, the only thing left standing is the remains of the buildings and the ruins of the offensive Guffin. I wanted a shot of the alley giving a perspective on the entire scene because we only ever really saw snippets. I've got a few ideas on how to give some subtle clues so that it gets signaled that these were, in fact, those two familiar locales. More on that as it happens. I also think an early dusk or late dawn is called for here - long but lit shadows, dark enough to catch the glow of embers and some mega-cool lighting effects on the mountain of faces.

September 25, 2011

2011-09-25T22:22:00.007-04:00

"OK, Alex, I'll take 'funny animal sounds' for 400 Crowns!"

Steady on your buzzer, contestants! And the answer is: "Crickets, crickets, crickets."

Bzzztttt...

Fred, you rang in first. What's the question?

"What did Pinocchio pull out from his wooden butt-crack after falling on ol' Jiminy?"

Oh, sorry, that's wrong. Anyone else?

Bzzzzzzttttt...

OK, Ethel, what do you think?

"Oh, I know. What did Buddy Holly pull out from his wooden butt-crack after falling backwards on stage?"

Oh, sorry, nIce try, but no one here gets that allusion.

Last chance. How about it, lit...

Bzzzzzzzzztttttbzzztttzbbtbtbtzzzzzzz...

OK, cool it on the buzzer. So how about it, little guy with the hair? What do you say?

"What is the sound you hear when you ask the question: so, what's up in the Cerebus art world, recently?"

RIght!

...

Heh. That was fun to write.

And for my non-Cerebus followers, there was this character, see, who was a merged entity of ... well, that is too complicated, but it ended as one kinda gross character called "Fred, Ethel, and the Little Guy with the Hair." So, as one entity with 3 parts, it's funny to think about them playing a game show. There's why only a singular buzzer, y'see, and... oh, never mind. It's much funnier if you already know all this. Now I see why Dave never tried to explain his jokes.

...

Let me plug the new season of "Fringe" while I am at it. I am not sure you can really jump on, but like many an Abrams production before it, Season 4 of "Fringe" is meant to be a jumping on point because there was a re-boot of sorts. Unlike the re-boots that unfortunately plagued "Alias" (which I loved, for the most part, by the way), this re-boot is completely within the plot of the overall story, and has a very cool tip-of-the-hat to Credit Dauphine (or maybe APO) near the end.

And maybe only for the fans, but I am telling you, this does not happen that often on scripted TV: I was riveted to my computer screen, watching the pirated, commercial-free download of the episode, wanting to see what happened next - at every moment.

And before you get all up in my ISP over it, I would have gladly paid for my download because I am in China and away from my DVR, but those idiots at FOX have an 8-day delay on showing the new episodes on line, they are not pumping them over to hulu, and they did not make the season available at iTunes until the end of the summer following the end of the season. Puh-lease. Way to make it easy to get the new viewers in. Morons.

September 6, 2011 Cerebus 173 p 9

2011-09-06T12:20:00.003-04:00

This one hit the general market value zone, too.

eBay item no. 270810349199
Seller: redheadcollections
Price: %709.00

And, in case you missed it, because it is listed under "Cerebrus." It's got a healthy Buy-It-Now price on it, so it'll still be there.
Cerebus 67 p 5
eBay item no. 350486839449
Seller: amazing-adventures
Buy-it-Now: $ 1,500.00

August 27, 2011 Cerebus 189 pp 18-19

2011-08-27T08:56:00.005-04:00

Yowzer! Actual pages on eBay! No wonder there have been earthquakes and a hurricane this week.

Historically, pages from the 180s ought to average about $660-700.

eBay item no. 130565179544
Cerebus 189 p 18
Seller: santa_lives
Price: $680

eBay item no. 130565179896
Cerebus 189 p 19
Seller: santa_lives
Price: $810

August 20, 2011 Both sides now...

2011-08-20T09:19:00.003-04:00

This is from Gerhard, and really, I cannot say it any more eloquently than him. Plus, I used up my poop-reference quota for about the next 2 lifetimes with that last post. Take it away, Ger:

So we're sailing along, it's pretty calm.

There's not much else to do but watch the passing rocks and trees

and look for shapes in the clouds.

This one looks like Cerebus squatting down having a crap.

Cerebus Original Art by, er, Terim, I reckon.

August 14, 2011 All about B.S.

2011-08-14T02:09:00.005-04:00

My Chinese tutor is doing his MS on English as a second language, so he often has questions about usage and definitions that I can help him with, which is great fun for me. One of yesterday's questions was just great: So why is it BULLshit? Why not some other animal?

My best guess, which was total BS at the time, was that the use of the term "bull" in this sense was probably already in use, and the "shit" was added as an emphasis, as I was also guessing to be the case with "chicken."

Turns out I was pretty close.

There is no direct evidence, but there was a Old French (ca. 800 or so years ago) verb "bole" which meant deception, or trick. In the 15th Century, they think it evolved to a Middle English term "bull" meaning "false talk, or fraud." The same word, used for big (non-castrated) male animals, comes from a historical progression of words for (non-castrated) genitalia. So they just ended up being homophones.

And now, for the rest of the story.

The use of the term "bullshit" (and "BS") does not appear until the early 1900s, meaning "eloquent and insincere rhetoric." And a simply related term - "horseshit" - is even later, from the 1940s.

Germans use the word "Bockmist" in the same sense, which is "billy-goat shit."

The term "chickenshit" came from the military during World War II, referring to regulations that were so stupid that they were not even worthy of being called "bullshit" (I love that). But the term "chicken" to refer to cowards goes back to the 14th Century, so the meaning of chickenshit rapidly changed to be an extra cowardly coward. What a pity. Most people at the mercy of administrative bureaucracies deserve a word like chickenshit in its original meaning. Someone should really start a campaign about that.

And finally, right around the time that the Old French were using "bole," the word "bull" was, in fact, being used, so I am not sure why we need this "bole" story. The Middle English term "bulle" was derived from the Old French term "bull," which in turn came from the Low Latin "bulla." This word was used to refer to official documents from the Pope (a papal bull), and in particular to the seal affixed to a papal document.

You can see right where I am headed with this, can't you?

Call me a heretic, but it seems to me that the whole Old French "bole" story could be total bullshit, given that it's likely to have been as true then, as today, about the loads of bull that can come out of Vatican City. At least I'm supposing this could have been true for at least one person, right about this time. It was a June 1520 papal bull ("Exsurge Domine") that called out Martin Luther to recant his theses... a bull which Luther did a public burning of, in late 1520, leading to his excommunication (by another bull), leading to the Diet of Worms, usw.

It made me wonder how much of this Teddy Roosevelt might have know, in 1904, when he coined the term "bully pulpit," which is, according to everything I can find, completely and unfortunately unrelated.

Coincidentally enough, the word "bully" dates to the 1530s, also. It was a generic term for a 'sweetheart' of either sex, thought to have been derived from a Dutch noun, boel (lover/brother). It then co-evolved, through the late 1600s, as a word that meant a protector of prostitutes, then ruffian (our modern term) and as slang for jolly/worthy/admirable. The latter meaning being the sense used by Roosevelt, evoking a familiar mid-19th C exclamation "bully for you!"

I mean, really, don't you wish there was more Cerebus Art News for me to think about?

August 13, 2011 妈妈咪呀!

2011-08-13T07:23:00.008-04:00

If you have been paying attention, then you know that the stage production of "Mamma Mia!" is an addiction to me. I get a serious high when I attend a performance, and I quite enjoy buying a ticket for a person who is convinced that there is absolutely, positively no way that s/he is going to enjoy anything that has to do with ABBA, jukebox musicals, and so on. I have yet to be with a person who was not converted, including two English Professors whose main area of work is Shakespeare, and anthropologist, and a north London geographer.

Unlike the English language tour that one of the US production companies did in China a couple of years ago, there is now a potentially permanent troupe in China, from China, who puts on an all-Chinese version. They started in Shanghai a few weeks ago and opened in Beijing last night. My language tutor, a 24-yo graduate student from Peking University, had never been to a professional stage production of anything (include Peking Opera) and so I invited him to join me in my addiction. I warned him that he would likely be bitten by the live-performance bug after this experience, so to watch out for that infection. He was at least familiar with some of the music, but did not know anything about the story of either the plot or the way the show was constructed.

I'll remind you that I have been attending performances of this musical since 2000 or 2001, and while I do not think I have seen it 50 times, it is closer to 50 than 30, I think. Put it this way... even with the little bits and pieces of Mandarin that I know, the entire script is so well burned into my noggin that I was picking up plenty of words from the production and certainly had not a whit of trouble following it. All of the more-or-less risque or potentially controversial lines and situations were 100% faithfully translated (taking a native speaker with me had its purpose, too).

When I was talking with my tutor ahead of time, my prediction about the show was that it actually ought to play really well in China. The reason is that the plot revolves heavily around two things that are prevalent in Chinese culture: stories about interpersonal relationships, especially between family members and close friends, and farcical humor. Having been in US, British, and Canadian audiences, and in the US in all sorts of locations, I am tuned in to both the pacing and emphasis of the shows, and the way most audiences react to the scenes, humor, and situations.

My prediction was accurate. The sharpest interpersonal interactions in the script were definitely beefed up in the way the actors played them, and the audience was most affected (just judging by sound, laughter, applause, talking) by the interpersonal situations and the big picture farce of the plot. In my view, there are many aspects of the Mamma Mia! story that could easily be lifted straight from the classical Peking Opera.

They are charging Broadway level prices for the tickets, which is too bad, because it will limit the exposure.

And my tutor? We talked for a few hours about the show, live theater, the translation (which really does appear to be superlative), and then on the subway ride home, he asked: "Do you know of some other things in Beijing we might see?"

Heh
Heh
Heh

Dude has never even seen a live performance of Peking Opera. I think he's hooked.

August 4, 2011 It was 30 years ago...

2011-08-04T01:38:00.006-04:00

I was reminded earlier today that there was a much more significant and noteworthy 3-letter 30th anniversary to recognize this year than the start of MTV.

On June 5, 1981, the Center for Disease Control reported on the first cases that will later be determined to be HIV infection.

AIDS at 30.

HIV infection still on the rise in young people of color.

Today's posting is dedicated to GSB (1955-1992).

August 1, 2011 It was 30 years ago today...

2011-08-01T08:09:00.004-04:00

August 1, 1981

The premiere of MTV. You young Smaartvarkians out there got no idea what a revolution that was.

How to pick just one video to mark the day? So many to select from... and so interchangeable!

Ahhh... I know. Something with a Cerebus theme. Seductive chicks as demons. Perfect.

Happy Birthday, MTV.

Let's put this in context, shall we?

The August 1981 issue of Cerebus.

Well, lookee here. The issue from which the first page of original comic art I ever bought is located (p 19), where I picked up the companion page (p 20) from the auction of the Pini stash, and from which I also have pp 4-6, featuring the first and oh-so-memorable appearance of the Regency Elf. Not to mention those two really awesome full-colour re-imaginations, including the dialogue/script, that I got from Dave and Ger.

July 31, 2011 The Scoopage

2011-07-31T21:52:00.002-04:00

From Ger... floating on his boat... the story on that Cerebus piece currently at the Heritage auction:

It is indeed the original drawing that was used for the cover of #272. Matthew commissioned me to finish off the character and add a background. So, the description on the HA website as a Cerebus splash page is somewhat misleading. The church in the background looks different because the photo used on the cover (which I had nothing to do with, by the way) is of a Christian church and the drawing I did is a Synagogue since he's supposed to be a Rabbi after all.

And that, as Paul Harvey used to say, is the rest of the story. Good day.

July 27, 2011 Not quite a page?

2011-07-27T23:23:00.004-04:00

Thanks to M. Kitchen for the alert, here.

Heritage has this up with the label:
Gerhard "Cerebus the Aardvark #272 Splash page Original Art"
It's listed as 10x12.5" and I am no where near any copies of issue 272 to know what this is. I'll update when one of you Smaartvarks figures it out.

http://comics.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7036&lotNo=92254#Photo

UPDATE: As Smaartvark Margaret points out - this sure matches the foreground Cerebus figure on the cover to #272:

July 19, 2011 reinvention

2011-07-19T22:56:00.005-04:00

Wow. I am about to swing so far off-kilter that I think I will be on-kilter or perhaps in-kilter, whatever the heck kilter is in the first place.

I am always impressed by clever and creative ideas, and I think this is a remarkably clever and creative way to pitch this topic.

The youtube posting is linked to these words.

And, FYI, the word kilter means "good condition." Its etymology goes back to the 1630s as the English word "kelter." Other than this, the origin is unknown.

July 10, 2011 a widdle art news

2011-07-10T20:14:00.002-04:00

eBay no. 200628024886
Seller: greatexpectations
Buyer: jeffwucookie
Price: $96.00

awwwwww.....

July 3, 2010 Untergang (Downfall)

2011-07-03T20:32:00.002-04:00

You have seen, I am sure, one or more of those bazillion parodies where the video clip from some Hilter movie is used to show him ranting about ... anything: peer review, Windows, the World Series, bacon and eggs, not getting a Wii, and so on. One of these is just begging to be done where Hitler is reading a certain issue of The Comics Journal and gets offended by a certain comparison. If you can't figure out THAT illusion, then you are just not paying attention.

But I digress.

I had never wondered about the source material for this video clip until recently.

In case you don't know, there is a heck of a movie under there. Inspired by the documentary named "Blind Spot: Hilter's Secretary" (itself simply one long, contemporary interview with the only surviving member of the inner circle, before she died in 2002 - it's quite compelling), the underlying movie used by the parody-makers is called "Untergang" ("Downfall").

I should stop here. There is an inevitable tangle that anyone who has written anything about this movie gets into.

It is performed in German with English subtitles that you get used to really fast. The performances are first rate, and by every report, even those who were negative on the film, the work of the lead actor, Bruno Ganz, is astounding. Also, by every account, the film has as much legitimate historical detail as you might get on the last days of the Third Reich.

The debate around this movie is the reason to watch it. Controversy is not the right word for it. Breaking taboo comes much closer. Until this film, it was important (and probably still is) for Hilter to remain as a monstrous, unsympathetic character, or as a buffoon, a cartoon, or otherwise separated from, you know, the rest of us. Collectively, the only way we seem to be able to deal with him is to make sure he's off to the side, uniquely inhuman. It provides a better explanation than the one we are less comfortable with: wrestling with Hitler's status as a human being.

You see how you reacted to that? Taboo.

The negative reviews all reflect the same thing: nothing about the film is bad except the existence of the film itself. Because Hitler is portrayed as a human being and not as a parody, then the film's problem is in the insufficiency of its response to Hitler's inhumanity. It's a Möbius loop.

Roger Ebert does a really good job of addressing the paradox at the end of his review:

"Admiration I did not feel. Sympathy I felt in the sense that I would feel it for a rabid dog, while accepting that it must be destroyed. I do not feel the film provides a sufficient response to what Hitler actually did, because I feel no film can, and no response would be sufficient. As we regard this broken and pathetic Hitler, we realize that he did not alone create the Third Reich, but was the focus for a spontaneous uprising by many of the German people, fueled by racism, xenophobia, grandiosity and fear. He was skilled in the ways he exploited that feeling, and surrounded himself by gifted strategists and propagandists, but he was not a great man, simply one armed by fate to unleash unimaginable evil. It is useful to reflect that racism, xenophobia, grandiosity and fear are still with us, and the defeat of one of their manifestations does not inoculate us against others."

This might also help explain why this particular movie ends up with hundreds of parody clips that reinforce the idea of an insane rant against anything, and of acceptance of failure. The clip is iconic because it is the point in the film where Hilter is depicted as understanding - to the degree that is possible - his downfall.

The director of "Untergang," commenting on the parodies, gives insight into the movie itself:

"The point of the film was to kick these terrible people off the throne that made them demons, making them real and their actions into reality. I think it’s only fair if now it’s taken as part of our history, and used for whatever purposes people like."

End of review.

It's already the 4th of July here in Beijing.

Happy Independence Day, America.

June 29, 2011 Casting for Hair

2011-06-29T13:06:00.002-04:00

This video was picked up on BoingBoing earlier today, but it is too good to not make a note because you need a recommendation before spending an hour of your time watching something (these days).

Trust me; watch this:

http://vimeo.com/25690196

It is a documentary about the 1970 production of the musical, Hair, in Memphis, at (then) Memphis State University. This was the first production of Hair outside of Broadway.

That is not why this is interesting, though, although the behind the scenes look at this production somewhat recalls the recent "Every Little Step" (the documentary on the revival of A Chorus Line).

This documentary is interesting because of the rather profound lens it brings to the "deep South" of 40 years ago, in a city still only two years out from the MLK assassination, and where even in 2011 there are plenty of race-related tensions. Even more compelling is that you get just a hint of a taste for what this play meant, socially, in the context of its day. You have to listen carefully and think hard about what they are saying: hair... actual hair... and how it was worn... was stirring up the wing-nuts of that era to the same End-of-Days extent that same-sex marriage is doing today. Listen to the short interviews with the students as they reflect on things.

The documentary is also a nice piece of teaching on the part of Professor Keith Kennedy, whose work is featured prominently. His commentaries on what he was dealing with are worth paying attention to, including the unusually strong and positive relationship he has with these students, who were not inclined to think that a 40-year old could possibly have any relevance to "their generation."

You'll want to know what happened to Kennedy because of the way the documentary ends. He continued to teach through the early 1990s, stayed active in retirement, and died in 2008 of congestive heart failure.

June 28, 2011 Gasping for air

2011-06-28T01:16:00.002-04:00

As of this moment, there are 240 listing for "completed items" if you search on "Cerebus" over at eBay. A few of those are the typical misspellings of Cerberus, and a couple of odd items unrelated to Cerebus the Aardvark. So let's say 230 Cerebus the Aardvark listings, starting with the perennially unsold Inside Back Cover to Issue #6 with The Return of Elrod (unsold for $1389.99).

Here's what did sell:

1984 Pope t-shirt $39.50
9 phonebook editions (#6-14) for $24.46
a copy of the Going Home TP for $21.00
the animated portfolio $20.50
1966 UK t-shirt $20.50
a copy of Cerebus #7 $20.00
Spawn #10 CGC 9.8 $19.95
10 issues (251-260) $19.16
56 issues (40-100) $18.49
Form & Void TB $17.00
7 Bi-weeklies (1-7) $15.99
Guys TP $14.99
Cerebus TP $13.77
Rick's Story TP $10.97
Cerebus and HS 1&2 $10.00
87 issues (pre-200) $9.99
15 bi-weeklies $7.49
Newsletter #18 $6.00
Reads TP $5.99
CRIC #4 $5.00
Cerebus Jam $2.50
Bi-weekly #20 $2.40
4 issues (180s) $2.10
Bi-weekly #17 $1.57
Bi-weekly #19 $1.10
Bi-weekly #12 $1.10
Issue 112 $1.10
EPIC #26 $1.04
7 issues in 90s $1.00 each

That would be 35 successful auctions (15%) with an average price of about $10.50.

June 4, 2011 Cerebus 187 Cover

2011-06-04T19:56:00.004-04:00

Cerebus 187 Cover
eBay 140556707025
Seller: random185
Buyer: unknown
Price: $2000
(offer accepted; buy-it-now list = $2500)

Two parts to this one because the Mars painting was done separately and then copy/pasted into the rest of the cover art.

This cover has changed hands a few times (at higher prices) and is finally settling in at its normal expected market value.

And this in from the Fabulous Fangirlish One: Cerebus 144 p 14 is available at a healthy premium price of about $1300 USD (this sold for $910 in 2006)

http://www.reedcomics.com/dave-original-comic-cerebus-aardvark-page-1991-p-47220.html?cPath=105_6671

Just a reminder that 6-4 is the anniversary of a quite historic event that CNN actually did a pretty nice job at summing up in 3 minutes:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/05/20/vault.stout.tiananmen.square.cnn?

May 27, 2011 Taxing

2011-05-27T09:09:00.002-04:00

Cerebus.
Original.
Art.
activity.
is.
doornail.
dead.

In memory of Jeffrey Catherine Jones I shot a donation in the direction of the outfit working on the documentary that was being produced when she died.

http://macabfilms.wordpress.com/

They're offering up a s/n print in exchange.

http://www.glimmergraphicsprints.com/NativeSon.html

I'm a true sycophant for Wiley's Non-Sequitur (I think I have mentioned this before). This strip, from a couple of weeks ago, is just brilliant. Brilliant enough that this here is the original art. You definitely need to click on it to see it!

May 22, 2011 Robots & Monsters

2011-05-22T11:41:00.006-04:00

I have posted here before about Joe Alterio's "Robots and Monsters" project. They select a cause. They offer to do original color drawings of your monster or robot of choice (size is about 6x6 inches) for $50. You specify whether you want a robot or a monster, and you give them 3 words that describe what you want your creature to embody. Any 3 words - this ain't played by Scrabble rules. Joe started it, but he has a group of artists in the bullpen, now. I think they split this $50 about 50:50; artists got to eat. Their causes have been Doctors without Borders, water.org, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the SF AIDS Foundation. Fifty bucks for a cool custom art piece with a charity ping... make good gifts. Imagine those hard to shop for nieces and nephews who have interests you know... just send the interests and get a robot or a monster that depicts these.

http://robotsandmonsters.org

Just as with my requests to DVS, I like to ask for a series. Why get one piece when you can get 12 in a theme?

This time around, I decided to see what Joe could do with the signs of the Chinese zodiac. Although these are usually associated with our Western years, you should probably go by the Lunar calendar. And there are variations depending on the translation (sheep vs goat, mouse vs rat). Here are the lunar years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac

I'll put in one main Western calendar year and you can go in multiples of 12 to figure out any others. I'll cluster these in groups of three, for the signs that are meant to be compatible with one another. For my 3 words I used the animal, and a couple of the main descriptors of the character.

1960: rat, friendly, greedy

1964: dragon, leader, lover

1968: monkey, unrestrained, immoral

1961: ox, protective, introverted

1957: rooster, analytical, meticulous

1965: snake, seductive, intelligent

1962: tiger, charming, authortative

1966: horse, energetic, impatient

1958: dog, moody, dishonest

1963: rabbit, popular, entertaining

1967: goat, high-strung, disorganized

1959: pig, perfectionist, vengeful

May 20, 2011 Jeffrey Catherine Jones (1944-2011)

2011-05-20T07:12:00.005-04:00

Legendary fantasy artist Jeffrey Catherine Jones passed away today, Thursday May 19, 2011 at 4:00 am surrounded by family. Jeffrey suffered from severe emphysema and bronchitis as well as hardening of the arteries around the heart. Jeffrey’s dear friend Robert Wiener reported that there was a no resuscitation order as Jeffrey was weak from being severely under weight and had no reserves with which to fight. - Facebook posting

I am happy to have a few paintings and drawings from Jones in my collection. This one, in particular, is definitely in my top 20 list. I was lucky to get it, and even luckier to have a nice email exchange with Jones about it. It was painted quite a while ago, back when she was a he, and on his honeymoon. I liked this, in particular, because of how ambiguous it is: is it a serene sunset, or is it a nuclear holocaust?

Jeffrey Catherine Jones (1944-2011)

May 1, 2011 Public Service Announcement

2011-05-01T21:06:00.005-04:00

We interrupt this program for a Public Service Announcement.

Three days ago, I washed my iPhone. I did not check carefully enough in all the pockets of my jeans when I was putting them in the wash, apparently.

Damp phone in hand, and dashing to the computer, I googled "I washed my iPhone" ... and, of course, there is an entire culture that exists around washing your iPhone.

Apple, as it turns out, knows that dunking your phone is an inevitable hazard, so they built them with this in mind - including a couple of color-changing sensor strips inside the phone that change color upon soaking, so you cannot bamboozle the Apple Store Geniuses.

The standard cure:

Step One: resist turning on the power (this is the hard step).

Step Two: sit your phone in a closed up bag of desiccant (and while I almost went over to the chemistry building to nab some silica gel or magnesium sulfate, I took the on-line advice and just used a bag of rice).

Step Three: let it sit for 3 days, then plug it in as usual for power/synching.

That was 3 days ago.

SCORE:

iPhone : 1
washing machine : 0

We now resume our regular programming, already in progress.

April 30, 2011

2011-04-30T23:11:00.004-04:00

1975 Sim artwork

eBay no. 290557986571
Seller: atormorkan
Buyer: i***e (439) stoopid eBay
Price: $147.55

Speaking of eye-bending, roll your baby-blues over these and try to remember that they are not animated. All that action is being provided by your hallucinating brain. You will need to embiggen them to appreciate the effect (or just zoom your screen to the images).

April 24, 2011 - Ultimate Cerebus #1 p 2

2011-04-24T01:58:00.004-04:00

eBay item no. 220770912278
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for DVS)
Buyer: unrevealed
Price: $512.97

Running tally:
Page 1: $1802.77 (05/2010)
Page 2: $512.97 (04/2011)

Only one question remains. What will happen first: the opening of the recreation of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" or the publication of the recreation of "Cerebus #1"?

April 18, 2011 - What if Cerebus...

2011-04-18T04:35:00.004-04:00

... had lived in the time of Mad Men? Ten pages auctioned from Glamourpuss #18. All auctioned on behalf of DVS by bonecrusher86 on eBay.

Issue 18; page 1 ($532.00)

Issue 18; page2 2 & 3 ($530.00/ $265 ea)

Issue 18; page 4 ($331.00)

Issue 18; page 5 ($355.00)

Issue 18; page 6 ($200.00)

Issue 18; page 7 ($200.00)

Issue 18; page 8 ($212.50)

Issue 18; page 9 ($266.00)

Issue 18; page 10 ($259.11)

.

March 26, 2011

2011-03-26T22:25:00.004-04:00

So far, the Captain America movie looks 100% perfect.

And if I have not waxed enthusiastic about Fringe, let me do so now. It's a quite novel take on the whole parallel universe genre, so it is literally two series in one. Artistically, they are willing to do some clever things for the fans that are clearly a lovely nod to the geek in all of us. For instance, shows set in the other universe would have their own introductory sequence, or perhaps a show set in 1985 would also look the part, and if the red and blue universes were merging, well...

March 20, 2011

2011-03-23T04:57:00.005-04:00

January 26th was always a great day because two of my favorite people in the world both had birthdays on that day. A coincidence. One of them was born in 1972 (Hi, Ferry!), and the other was born in 1926. Robert E. Lyle, Jr (1926-2011) is no one whom any of you knew, but he sure as hell gets his memorial due, here, today. Bob was my organic chemistry professor during 1975-76 at the University of New Hampshire. I was Bob's last undergraduate research student at UNH before he left for a position in Texas, and he was a dear friend and generous mentor.

Bob moved to the University of New Hampshire in 1957, the year I was born. Another coincidence. I often joked that he moved to UNH in order to wait for me to get there, for which anyone would need a world of patience.

I recall Bob's organic chemistry class for three episodes.

First of these was the first quiz we took on the first week of class. There was a question about a "CH3" unit in some molecule. The answer to the question was to make reference to "the methyl group" and I wrote "the methyl molecule" as my answer, for which I lost a point and got a 9/10 on the quiz. I was pissed and pleaded my case (of course I had no case). Bob thought this entire complaint was pretty funny, and let me know in a kind, gentle, but adamant way "but the point is, that it is wrong to call it a methyl molecule instead of a methyl group, so know you've learned that." It seems he got my attention at that moment.

Second of these was the insanely funny love of organic chemistry he had, and how that shaped every class. Anyone who likes something this much gets my attention (again).

Third was when he tapped me on the shoulder and told me, in no uncertain terms, that I should be getting involved in undergraduate research. To which my small town, wholly naive and unaware self replied: "Really, I can do that?" I appear to have gotten his attention, too.

I can tell you, now, that having an eye for talent and nurturing it is simply one of the best parts of this job - that and never having to buy your own airline ticket.

Bob never asked me to do that much for him over the years. We would see each other for a few dinners 2-3 times a year at professional meetings. But when he did ask, it just did not matter what it was - it was reasonable and appropriate, usually in my best interest anyhow, and it got done.

The small handful of my own students who read this are all nodding in that knowing "uh-hunh" sort of way right now. "So that's where he got that from..."

Yep. Spot on.

Thanks, Bob.

March 11, 2011 The Burden Pages

2011-03-11T23:06:00.009-05:00

Ut!

I thought these were all great pages.

I love the Carrot and this issue. I'm happy to have already that page from FC #18 (Dark Horse, 1988) where Cerebus has a guest appearance ("Mr. Geepus, the Sweeper?"... Lord help us Awll..."), and an unpublished cover with FC and Pope C.

I got in these 5 auctions at the average page price, mainly so I could snag the ID of the buyers (inquiring minds DO want to know).

So now there are 5 less pages in the vault, $4201 that is going to be divvied up, and 3 happy owners. Congrats all around. There are a few other sellers out there who were going to be putting up pages and ended up holding back. What will they do; what will they do?

Cerebus 104 p 8
eBay item no. 270715417129
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for Bob B, et al)
Buyer: comicartboston
Price: $818

Cerebus 104 p 1
eBay item no. 270715412940
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for Bob B, et al)
Buyer: packt_like_sardines
Price: $760

Cerebus 104 p 14
eBay item no. 220749386749
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for Bob B, et al)
Buyer: graphittid3m7q
Price: $711

Cerebus 104 p 5
eBay item no. 220749383036
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for Bob B, et al)
Buyer: comicartboston
Price: $922

Cerebus 104 p 3
eBay item no. 220749381696
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (for Bob B, et al)
Buyer: comicartboston
Price: $990

March 10, 2011

2011-03-10T05:36:00.006-05:00

Yo.

I'm using a VPN connection to breach the Great Firewall, behind which I am currently located.

Not that there is much to say. All the aartvark news that is fit to print pretty much dried up. Now we have Bob Burden's 5 pages from issue #104 up at the same time. I'll post those results when they are in, a couple of days from now.

But first, a little commentary on popular culture: Glee.

I think I get it.

I mean, there was a lot I liked, particularly reintroducing this generation to some great music, and introducing me to some great music.

But the hyperbolic characterizations really confused me for a while.

Then, I think I got it.

Glee is written from the exaggerated perspective of the teens it portrays: young people in whose minds... where everything is hyped up, exaggerated, dramatic to the nth degree. Sue Sylvester barely bumps into someone in real life, but in the eyes of the teens in the hallway, it is an out and out attack. And so on. So that is what we see. Relationships start up (in one's mind) and flare up to full-fledged in a moment, so that is what we see. It's a POV thing, and it is brilliant.

Much the same way that St Elsewhere, as I understand it, was written from the POV of an autistic child. Or how "Newhart" was
the dream of Bob Hartley. And so on. Much like "My So-Called Life," which nominally explored a teen angst perspective more or less through the lens of Angela Chase (although I think I can argue pretty strongly for the show actually having been through Brian Krakow's POV), I think that Glee gives an astounding insight into the lens through which teens see the world, adults, relationships, etc.

Once you get that, I think you can understand why it hits such a high note with that age group, especially with college-aged first-year students, who are supposed to be a huge demographic. Same for how the effects of music play out in expressing complex ideas and emotions, and what is being thought about when they... we... are plugged in.

And so, now, for the most recent episode: Sexy.

I think there must have been parents all over the United States just cringing, covering their eyes and peeking at the same time. For the most part: a remarkable episode of television. And this is on the Fox network?

Everyone ought to go to hulu and watch the the 1965 "Go Tell the Birds and the Bees" episode of Dick Van Dyke to see where things have come 45 years later.

Another brilliant move: waiting to use Paltrow in this way - superstar power to legitimize the message. A little over-exposed, perhaps, but I see intent and misdirection in the design: put a lot of star power in the moving right hand and then deliver with the left.

And the father/son scene with Burt/Kurt will go down in TV history. Pitch perfect. I hope there is a follow-up after Kurt browses the pamphlets.

And that's what you missed, on... Glee.

February 23, 2011 Loco for a Logo

2011-02-23T08:21:00.004-05:00

Alchemist57: So, Ger, we need a logo for WWC.

Ger: voila!

Alchemist57: How do he do dat?

And, this just in...

February 21, 2011 Completely off topic!

2011-02-21T15:40:00.002-05:00

I just think this is so freaking clever.

It's the Marvel versus DC Rorschach test:

bwah hah hah

This comes from the super-talented and disturbingly young (b. 1987) Olly Moss.

http://www.moss.fm/

The blog is OK, but sit down for an hour and go through his Flikr account sometime and prepare to have your mind blown with his clean, clean graphic designs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollym

February 20, 2011 Gerhard Dreams - postscript

2011-02-20T17:51:00.008-05:00

I may or may not be able to post over the next week. Welcome to all the new lookers-on who have keeping up with the "Gerhard Dreams" installment of the World Without Cerebus series.

A couple of postscript notes from Gerhard:

(1) He's open to conversations about commissions.

Note from Alchemist57: While my sense of privacy keeps me from revealing what I have paid for the various pieces in the WWC series, I'd recommend you think hard about the work that goes into this stuff (you've seen the details of "Gerhard Dreams" unfolding in pretty much real time over a period of weeks, and that was not constructed de novo).

Post a comment like James did that includes your email and Ger will get back to you, or email me and I will pass it on (bcoppola at umich dot edu).

(2) If you want something with contributions from Gerhard and Dave, think of it as two separately negotiated commissions.

(3) A bit of background on the composition of "Gerhard Dreams" (this is also archived at the WWC entry):

Gerhard Dreams

The piece is based on an M.C. Escher perspective trick and I incorporated a couple of other Escher elements:

And, of course, the “Little Nemo” falling out of bed element. I had laid this out in its entirety---fully pencilled---before I turned it over to Dave, who then pencilled and inked the Cerebus figures on the original. He also inked a few of the elements on the chess board. Dave added the pork-pie hat, wings and stinger to the pig standing on the earth, which of course was my "Earth Pig" Rebus Puzzle. Other than a couple of elements from the storyline such as the checkered bird and the albatross statue rising phoenix-like from the flames, the rest of the images (apart from just trying to be creepy, dreamy) were based on dream symbols (described in www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/) as follows:

Snake:

Signifies hidden fears and worries that are threatening you. Maybe alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or has not yet surfaced. May also refer to a person around you who is callous, ruthless, and can't be trusted. A sly or cunning person in your waking life. It may also represent something or someone who has slipped out of your hands.

Spider:

Indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situations or perhaps you want to keep your distance and stay away from an alluring and tempting situation. A spider refers to a powerful force protecting you against your self destructive behaviour. Spiders are also a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. They may also indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship. It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you. To see a spider climbing up the wall denotes that your desires will be soon be realized. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship.

Wasps:

Signifies evil, anger and negative feelings.

Lock:

Signifies your inability to get what you want. You are being kept out of some activity or situation. Perhaps an aspect of yourself is locked up inside and needs to be expressed.

Skull:

Symbolizes danger, evil or death or alternatively, a skull represents the intellect or secrets of the mind. You are keeping certain things hidden.

Hands:

If you dream that your hands are detached or see disembodied hands then it indicates that you are not getting your point of view across. You are not being understood. Feelings of loneliness.

Moon:

Represents some hidden, mysterious aspect of yourself. Also, the moon signifies your changing moods. A full moon signifies completion and wholeness.

"Hung the Moon" - if you refer to someone as having "hung the moon," you think they are extremely wonderful or amazing or good.

Noose:

Represents your lack of independence. You feel restricted and restrained from being able to express yourself.

Knife:

There may be something in your life that you need to cut out and get rid of. Perhaps you need to cut ties or sever some relationship. (Note that the knife is cutting the rope that is “hanging the moon.”)

Fire (or Burning):

May suggest you need to take time off and relax. Perhaps you are feeling burned out. Can signify purification, transformation or enlightenment. May suggest that something old is passing and something new is entering your life.

Palm Trees:

Represents tranquillity, high aspirations also paradise and leisure. Perhaps you need to take time for a vacation and relaxation.

Church (or Chapel):

May mean that you are questioning your life path and where it is leading. You are reevaluating what you want to do.

Bridge:

Signifies an important decision or critical junction in your life. Represents a transitional period.

Castle:

Signifies reward, honour, recognition. Alternatively, indicates your desire to escape from life's daily problems.

Chess:

Indicates that you need to carefully think through the situation before making a decision. May also comment on how you have met your match.

Waterfall:

Symbolic of letting go. You are releasing all of those pent up emotions and negative feelings. Also suggests that you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. You are experiencing difficulty coping with your feelings.

Cactus:

Suggests that you are feeling invaded, that your space is being crowded into and that you are feeling suffocated. You need to defend yourself in some way. Also implies that you have found yourself in a sticky situation.

Message in a Bottle:

Help!

Angels:

Symbolizes goodness, protection and consolation or it signifies an unusual disturbance in your soul.

Hourglass:

Denotes that time is running out for you or represents a situation that is being turned upside down.

Diamonds:

Signifies wholeness of the self. You may be finding clarity in matters that have been clouding you.

Feather:

May represent confusion, hastiness and loss of dignity.

Leaf:

To see leaves in your dream signifies happiness and improvement in various aspects of your life. The leaves may also be a metaphor to "leave" you alone.

Key:

Symbolizes opportunities, access, control, secrets, freedom, knowledge or responsibilities. You may be locking away your own inner feelings and emotions, or you are unlocking the answer to some problem.

Tongue:

Represents the things you say and express. You may have either said too much or you may need to express yourself more.

Unlit Candle:

Denotes feelings of rejection or disappointment. You are not utilizing your fullest potential.

Elf:

Refers to some imbalance or disharmony in your life. Suggests that you need to be more carefree, worry free and lighthearted.

Climbing:

Climbing up something signifies that you are trying to overcome, or you have overcome, a great struggle. It also suggests that your goals are within reach.

Curtains:

Open curtains indicate that you are ready to reveal something about yourself.

Window:

If the window of the house is dark it indicates a loss to your perception or vitality. To see a tinted window in your dream represents your need for privacy. You are keeping some aspects of yourself hidden. To see a shut window signifies desertion and abandonment.

Camel:

Denotes that you need to be more conservative, that you are carrying too many responsibilities, burdens and problems on your shoulders as in the phrase “the straw that broke the camel's back.” You tend to hold on and cling to your emotions instead of expressing and releasing them. Learn to forgive and forget. Alternatively, the camel represents your stamina.

February 20, 2011 Catching up

2011-02-20T09:11:00.005-05:00

Cerebus #5 p16
February 14, 2011
eBay 190499608731
Seller: zengarden4
Buyer:hidden
Price: $760.00

Cerebus #21 p6
February 13, 2011
eBay 190499396264
Seller: zengarden4
Buyer: none
Starting Price: $699.00

February 19, 2011 Two surprises

2011-02-19T09:34:00.005-05:00

You've probably seen the unofficial entries of the Great Wall of Tsi in the World Without Cerebus series, the 4 pieces that Gerhard did for me based on pictures I had taken at the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall of China. If not, you can check them out over there at the WWC link.

Previously unknown, except to a few, is the surprise fifth image that Ger did. He mined my pictures and found one that he thought deserved to be drawn, also: yours truly, in Mongolian (or faux-Mongilian) garb, astride a camel.

Yes, for about $3 you could get decked out in silks, sit on a camel, then sit on a small horse that would rear-up on command. It wasn't even on my bucket list.

OK, back to the story at hand. This just shows up in my in-box when I was expecting one of the Great Wall drawings.

Too funny... and an awesome gift.

So, imagine my utter ends-up-grinning-like-an-idiot delight, a week or so ago, when Ger pulled off the same surprise in a different way. As I was poking around the first high-resolution image of the line art from "Gerhard Dreams," searching for the "DVS," there it was.

Or, rather, there I was.

February 18, 2011 "Gerhard Dreams"

2011-02-18T00:50:00.005-05:00

.

.

February 17, 2011 Almost there...

2011-02-17T01:19:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of the super-von-duper final version, low-res, in different tones, neither of which matches the real-life version (according to he-who-has-seen-it). Expect the hi-res image soon.

Happy
Happy
Joy
Joy

Extra treat repeat: the line art (click to embiggen its awesomeness)

February 16, 2011 A month'o'Ger goodness

2011-02-16T12:24:00.008-05:00

I've put the whole "World Without Cerebus" collection at its own site, which is now over there, you know, to your right, in the links, under the Big Scarlet A (did you never notice that was a link?).

I really liked Sean's interview with Ger. Nicely done, guys.

Gerhard's Interview Part 1.

Gerhard's Interview Part 2.

Gerhard's Interview Part 3.

And don't miss the postscript at Sean's site.

Vintage Ger:

Some more cool Ger images from the "Gerhard Dreams" project:

Stalling for the high-res image of the final version.

Stay tuned.

February 15, 2011 Nearly done

2011-02-15T10:32:00.002-05:00

Don't miss the really swell interview that Aartvark Commentator Sean did with Ger. Part 1 is up now.

Gerhard's Interview (Part 1)

Here's the man and his smile:

A bit more colour contrast to go in the center, but the foreground is pretty much done. I love drawing out the spectrum here, and the way it makes the line work more prominent:

February 14, 2011 Almost done

2011-02-14T08:14:00.004-05:00

A few notes:

(1) As the end draws near: do not look for this to be a duplicate of the original cover - art evolves in the mind of an artist! Except for my posting the original cover, Ger quite intentionally did not study the original and came at the colouring job with a fresh perspective. Just like, in addition to the obvious changes in the composition, the drawing itself is not a xerox of the original and filled with dozens of evolved ideas.

(2) When the time comes, if the time comes, for hand-coloured prints... look for artistic freedom to rule in the way these might be done.

February 13, 2011 Art of Colour

2011-02-13T08:13:00.001-05:00

February 12, 2011 Colour - Like No Other

2011-02-12T00:14:00.002-05:00

And, speaking of odd colours:

eBay 290531196095
Seller: bookhobby1
Buyer: albertmoy
Price: $1,136.11

February 11, 2011 "Gerhard Dreams" in Hi Res

2011-02-11T17:10:00.002-05:00

There are two "Easter Eggs" in here. One is expected, and you'll eventually find it. One you'll see and have no idea what you are looking at and why it is so damned cool. It's a lovely gift from Ger to me.

February 10, 2011 And, in other art news...

2011-02-10T10:54:00.003-05:00

The art for "Gerhard Dreams" is being scanned, and paper prices for print/litho logistics are being discussed.

And, in other Cerebus art news from a few days ago...

Cerebus 48 p3
eBay 260730266579
Seller: cerebus2004
Buyer: jkaliszcolor
Price: $840

Cerebus 46 p6
eBay 260730264471
Seller: cerebus2004
Buyer: konrad5
Price: $818

Cerebus 46 p3
eBay 260730261431
Seller: cerebus2004
Buyer: dannomarx
Price: $818

Also, there was a Sin Deadly Sins portfolio with 3 sketches ...

eBay 200567264660
Seller: stinklizard
Buyer: Steve
Price: $142.50

February 9, 2011 The Future That Was

2011-02-09T11:13:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the thinking of the Aartvark Faithful, there may be 3 ways for you to grace your nest, snowfort, or bungalow with a copy of "Gerhard Dreams."

(1) a black & white print/litho of the uncoloured line art
(2) a color print/litho of the coloured piece
(3) a hand-coloured version of the black & white print

If any of that happens, you will read it here, first.

Now, we we need is the high-res version of this to figure out if and where there is a "DVS" hidden!

February 8, 2011 Nearly there

2011-02-08T00:02:00.003-05:00

Where is... or will be... the "DVS" mark in this Ultimate WWC masterpiece?

"...well, I tried to get it inked today, but my eyes went funny." (not sure if this is attributed to Ger or "Dude")

Answers to other questions:

(1) That lapboard... it is the coolest thing. It has an adjustable base that allows various tilt angles and a built in, removable straight edge, and a carrying handle:

https://www.currys.com/catalogpc.htm?Category=A014B000274

(2) I stopped using a Hunt 102 nib a long time ago. Never liked it. I also gave up on technical pens since I found these markers. Yes, markers. If Dave were dead he'd be spinning in his grave. There's the Staedtler Pigment Liner and Micron Pigma. Both waterproof and light-fast "#1 archival ink". They come in a vast array of line widths and some have chiseled or tapered tips. They work great on the watercolour paper. I let the ink cure for at least 12> hours before putting water on it. For solid black areas: Speedball Superblack, waterproof India Ink. I usually put that on after the colour. I don't ink with brushes. Never have. Tried. Can't. For filling in solid blacks, any half decent brush will do. I don't spend much money on them because they tend not last if you don't clean them immediately and thoroughly.

For colour I use, and have used for a long time, Winsor & Newton Brilliant Watercolour Designers. That's all it says on the label. They are like watercolour dyes. Intense yet transparent colours in little glass bottles with eye-droppers in the lid. I like them because if you use one drop of this colour, two drops of that colour, one drop of black and fifteen drops of water, you will end up with exactly the same hue, tone, tint and shade of colour every time. A little drop of this stuff goes a long way. I tried to buy some replacements recently and they told me that not only does W&N not make them anymore, but they never did.

Brushes are usually a gold sable or sable/synthetic. W&N series 700, Cotman 111, 101,and the series 725 and 777 for the wider brushes. Not the most expensive brushes, but not the cheapest either. I'm not a painter. I just colour. That's why I do what amounts to a finished pen & ink drawing and then colour it in... trying to stay inside the lines. Always light to dark.

(3) My cigars are Colts Rum & Wine and my beer is Tuborg Gold.

February 7, 2011 Super Monday

2011-02-07T08:22:00.002-05:00

"I'm hoping to get the inking done today. Wouldn't surprise me if it takes longer...

it always takes longer.

Good thing I have that nice, comfy chair."

In reference to one of yesterday's pictures:

"The little blue dog's name is 'Dude'."

February 6, 2011 Ger Draws

2011-02-06T10:08:00.002-05:00

February 5, 2011 - A diary

At the Board

On the Board

Out Bored

February 5, 2011 oh boy

2011-02-05T00:29:00.003-05:00

oh boy
oh boy
oh boy
oh boy

happy birthday to me
happy birthday to me
happy birthday to meeee-eeeeeeee
happy birthday to me

February 4, 2011 Gerhard Dreams

2011-02-04T10:48:00.007-05:00

Every knows and loves the cover for "Following Cerebus" #11...

Ger and I were talking about "World Without Cerebus" ideas, and I expressed my deep and abiding lust for that cover.

Ger had some interest in doing it again, and that got a boost when he came across the original tracing-paper version of the cover. "What should be there in place of Cerebus, though?" Saint Ger the Brilliant came up with the super-extra-duper idea of putting himself in the picture. Here is the original with those two little tape-overs.

I could go on and on here about how cool this is, and deconstruct it to death: World Without Cerebus meets Little Nemo meets Gerhard's personal World Without Dave meets waking up from the Aardvark-Vanaheim dreamscape and/or nightmare. We'll leave that one up to the scholars. Here is the full set of pencils on the redone version. This sucker is huge, by the way.

My suggestion, after it is done, is that Ger ought to do a high-quality matte finish full color lithograph or print or whatever of this. Limited Edition of 100. Whatever. Anyone think there are not 100 people who would pick that up?

February 3, 2011 Happy New Year

2011-02-03T08:47:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit, I say... is that just a kid in a bunny suit?

Another clue... let's pull the camera back a bit...

Extra special end-of-the-day detail in honour of Elrod Hubbard mentioning where this is from. Stay tuned tomorrow for more of the story.

February 2, 2011 Earth Pig

2011-02-02T02:00:00.001-05:00

February 1, 2011 Another Clue

2011-02-01T01:11:00.001-05:00

January 31, 2011 Ultimate WWC

2011-01-31T09:35:00.002-05:00

Just a little tease, for now...

January 24, 2011 RIP CCA

2011-01-24T11:18:00.006-05:00

Wow. Talk about a slow time in the Cerebus art bizniz. I could have Rip van Winkle'd for a month and woken up to nothing really new to report. So I'll editorialize, instead.

Thanks to Margaret (Cerebus FanGirl) for the mention in the latest Cerebus The Newsletter. Anyone, really, could have transcribed and edited down the CerebusTV broadcast about The Last Signing.

Thanks to the FOX Network (did I say that?) for Fringe, which restarted again in the Friday Death Slot (and had the highest ratings of all Friday shows... of what possible value are broadcast ratings, really?).

Thanks to the FOX network twice (twice!) for Glee, which I finally caught up with over the last 3 weeks. Teacher-stuff - check. Championing the misfit underdogs - check. Musical theater - check. That's a triple-check on my brain. The show has flaws a mile wide, but in this case that's like saying someone is cutting your opium dose with chocolate. I'm completely addicted.

The extended conversation ("conversation") between Dave Sim and Steve Bissette at srbissette.com over all-things-self-published was pretty interesting. I was not too keen on DVS breaking radio silence on things related to Gerhard, though. This is a topic about which the less is said, the better, in my view.

And this delightfully quaint report: the impending death of the Comics Code Authority. You know the history. Marvel abandoned it for content labels a decade ago, and now DC and Archie are following suit. Of course, any child with a web browser and access to the internet now has instant connection to nearly unspeakable content that would make the side of Frederick Wertham's head blow off (note: formerly incorrect spelling of Wertham has been retconned). At least, in the Dayes-of-Yore, you had to actually carry printed content to the clerk, plunk your money down and take public ownership of what you wanted to look at.

A Dave Sim video essay on the history and demise of the CCA would be interesting.

Speaking of which, more or less, did anyone else think that the entire CerebusTV episode last week - constructed around a juvenile reply to a childish comment related to Frankenstein scars and the curious habit of depicting Glamourpuss covergirls with crossed eyes and extended tongues - was the first true Fail of the series? It has to be bad - I was sitting alone, listening to it with headphones, and I was just horribly embarrassed by the whole thing.

January 8, 2011 Sane as it ever was

2011-01-08T15:52:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned before my penchant for late 19th and early 20th Century political and editorial cartoonists and their pen and ink work. Frederick Opper is the person whose work I like the most.

I just picked up a couple of pieces by Rollin Kirby,and they are more than worth the price of admission.

Rollin Kirby was a 3-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his cartoons (1922, 1925, and 1929), which were generally published in the New York Post, the New York Mail, and the New York News. In fact, he was the first recipient of a Pulitzer for editorial cartooning.

These two cartoons are simply stunning because of the subject matter. Re-do then with a touch of modernity and you have to change absolutely nothing to have a still-relevant message. These might have been done in response to the Scopes trial, which took place in 1925. I need to do a little detective work on them.

January 7, 2011 It's not easy being green, again!

2011-01-07T20:05:00.003-05:00

eBay item no 120666277335
Seller: bonecrusher86
Buyer:snowsuspended
Price: $310.55

Another new name on the auction win list! Not clear from the 500+ purchases made in the last 6 months, at least those that can be seen, what was interesting about the Vark Thing. Sometimes I hear... sometimes I don't.

I was on the $300 fence with this one. It would have made a nice bookend to the Savage Dragon piece, Varky Varky Night, and I have to admit, once again, that I pick up a stronger appreciation of these things after seeing the work that goes into them when I watch the videos. It's certainly just as weird as Varky Varky Night. And I thought the little golf green was funny. But I was not too partial to the way those thick lines came out in the front and the discontinuity of that area with the Aardvarkian snout.

Plus... I am saving up for the potentially imminent reboot of WWC (no pressure, Ger!).

For the final time: the Incroyable Vark Thing!

January 1, 2011 Commission Covering A Wall

2011-01-01T15:34:00.006-05:00

Elsewhere (from here) in the great mitten-shaped state of Michigan, one of the Cerebite brethren has commissioned a wall-sized montage of drawings commemorating "Church & State." Here's a first view of not-all of it.

December 31, 2010 Non-Sequitur

2010-12-31T10:04:00.003-05:00

I really like the strip by Wiley Miller named "Non-Sequitur." He is just so wry and satirical. Non-Sequitur has been around since the early 1990s. He's got a few sets of continuing characters, and runs both strip and panel formats. Naturally, I have some of the ones I really liked in my collection.

Here's an example of a strip from earlier this year:

In collecting examples of some of the panel format, which I almost always enjoy, it was easy to note something really clever that it turns out Wiley pioneered: drawing a panel that could run both vertically and horizontally. You can see it immediately. Damned clever, and a cute little secret you would never really know without seeing the original. Here's one I just picked up:

I have examples of this going back years, but three things occurred to me, yesterday.

(1) Holy Crap. He superimposes two compositions that you cannot see simultaneously (like the duck-and-bunny optical illusion) on the same canvas. That's impressive.

(2) I never - EVER - thought about cropping one of these originals to see what the two different versions might look like. What a maroon!

(3) I just have to ask Wiley about what it is like to do this.

Here is the vertical version:

Here is the horizontal version:

And what did Wiley say about how he does this?

Well, what you're asking me to explain is like asking a bird how it flies. The creative process defies logical explanation as it is an abstract, and attempting to do so just screws up your brain, making it more difficult for that creativity to flow. It simply can't be forced by the static grid of logic. The best I can is tell you that I use perspective in my work, as opposed to the flat, eye-level dimension that nearly all other cartoonists use. This allows me to fill out the space in a natural, three dimensional manner, making it simple to separate the piece into the two different formats.

Awww, dammit. I always forget this part about most creative people: "I just do it."

Right brain... left brain... it just gives my brain a headache. I forget this because I am pretty sure my left and right brains are all scrambled. When I think about my scholarly work, I approach it like art, and I usually see entire solutions in my head, first, and then dig out the details that have the idea make sense (the best I can tell you is the old saying: sculpting is easy, just take away the parts that do not belong). In my early years of giving seminars to professional audiences, the criticism I got (and still get, but I am better) was that they could not understand what I was saying - "he's speaking in poetry again" according to a colleague of mine in the CUNY system. And when I do art, I am overly analytical, deliberate, and intentional.

Happy New Year.

December 30, 2010 "Quick Cuts" montage

2010-12-30T07:56:00.002-05:00

A photoshop mash-up of the "Quick Cuts" pieces in the Christmas collection.

December 28, 2010 Cerebus #300 p 9 A Bit of the Ol' Grail

2010-12-28T07:45:00.003-05:00

eBay item no. 270684823685
Seller: tatteredjeans42 (not for DVS, this time)
Buyer: anonymous
Price: auction ended before any bids (shhhh... this NEVER happens)

This is a milestone sale, pushing a grail page from issue 300 up into the rarified air of pages from issues #1 & 2.

Private sale: $2100.00 (framed)

Thanks to tatteredjeans42 for the info.

This is post #800 for Cerebus the Original Aartvark. Happy Anniversary.

December 25, 2010

2010-12-24T18:35:00.000-05:00

December 22, 2010

2010-12-22T20:02:00.001-05:00

December 21, 2010 Cerebus #8 pp 2-3

2010-12-21T00:06:00.002-05:00

eBay item no. 190480029051
Seller: zengarden4
Buyer:gek
Price: $1,005.05

Another good deal at $500 a page!

December 20, 2010 Swords #1 p 6

2010-12-20T08:27:00.003-05:00

eBay item no. 320628922833
Seller: tufkittn
Buyer: unknown
Price: $375.00

A pretty nice Diamondback page from 1981... I would have thought this might go higher.

December 19, 2010 Sermon on the Chimney

2010-12-19T07:30:00.002-05:00

Re-Imagination of p 327 of "Church & State"

eBay item no. 120658721632
Seller: bonecrusher86 for DVS
Buyer: lafitenewfiedogs
Price: $1,525.00

Everyone in unison now:

anna one...

anna two...

"Color commissions generally top out at $1500."

Thanks, that was great.

December 18, 2010 Cerebus 72 p 7

2010-12-18T17:58:00.002-05:00

Iconic: the "Boobah and the Pie" page.
eBay item no. 330507367398
Seller: stevieallstar
Buyer: jeanpaulg
Price: $1200

December 17, 2010

2010-12-17T17:12:00.004-05:00

I have not decided yet, in case you were wondering, on either the price-per-page or whether I will even make the offer.

In the meanwhile, let me gush again over the work of Abbey Ryan and her painting-a-day project: http://ryanstudio.blogspot.com/

I just won both of these in auctions, and I am just thrilled to have them. Her style is classic and moody, and given that these are usually around 4x5 to 5x6 inches or so, they are always a surprise when you see them.

December 15, 2010 Ultimate Cerebus...

2010-12-15T19:05:00.008-05:00

You've seen the re-creation of Cerebus #1, page 1.

The re-creation (not re-imagination) of the entire Cerebus #1 will be called "The Ultimate Cerebus" (super-secret ninja sneak preview below - I cannot tell you if the cover to Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing will be used for the Ultimate Cerebus #1, I can only tell you it was included along with the fax from DVS).

And here is the $10,000 question. Or is it the $20,000 question? What if the person who has the re-creation of page 1 (and I think we all remember who that is) had right of first refusal on the entire re-created book? The cover and 21 more pages?

What is a realistic offer to make for that... if one was given the, whaddyacall, right of first refusal? What is the open auction market going to be on these pages when no one except the owner of page 1 has the chance, at the moment, to have the complete book? What are the benchmarks for that?

Let's review some relevant facts:
(1) the original art to actual issue #1 page 1 was sold, privately, for $11K
(2) the other 5 pages from actual issue #1 that I know of sold for an average of $2200 each
(3) the re-creation of issue #1 page 1 sold for $1800
(4) and the only entire book of art that I know of (without the cover) was issue #4, which sold for $11.5K about 10 years ago in the Beguiling auction (where, one might recall, the Synchronicity triptych went for $10.1K)

Let's hear your thoughts on this.

December 15, 2010 When it rains...

2010-12-15T01:06:00.002-05:00

A veritable Cerebus art bonanza on eBay.

Must be Christmas.

December 12, 2010 Varky Varky Night

2010-12-12T09:29:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, this is a case where seeing the finished piece, only, was not enough to motivate owning this one. My interest in the Savage Dragon is 0.00 (and a few more billion zeroes). What put this one over the bar (and certainly for $185) was the CerebusTV episode, watching the process and telling the story - including the whole "holding the paintbrushes in the Erik Larsen style." I had $250 on it... and that proved to be enough.

eBay item no. 120654734497
Seller: bonecrusher86
Buyer: alchemist57
Price: $184.19

December 9, 2010 Merry Christmas package arrived

2010-12-09T08:02:00.003-05:00

Arrived in the mail: another preview poster for the upcoming eBay auctions

And in the Christmas package: a bonus! I asked for one of the inscriptions to be Cerebus with a 'buggid' of egg nog and got it drawn into a copy of High Society

And for the Ultimate Guide inscription, I was THINKING of Cerebus with some holly... I WROTE Cerebus under the mistletoe... and I GOT Cerebus under some holly... go figure!

December 4, 2010 Merry Christmas package

2010-12-04T20:45:00.003-05:00

eBay item no. 120652614197
Seller: bonecrusher86 for DVS
Buyer: alchemist57
Price: $330

(a) all of the artwork for the CerebusTV "Quick Cuts" episode (Nov 26, 2010)
(b) the original tracing paper art for the cover of Cerebus #98
(c) CGC-9.8 copy of Cerebus #98
(d) #437/1750 Cerebus Deadly Sins portfolio (1981) personalized
(e) Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing (of 100) with a Cerebus the Barbarian finished ink drawing, personalized
(f) 4 Cerebus Christmas cards
(g) 3 Cerebus Christmas Day phone calls (20 minute minumum) to the recipients of my choice

You think I did not mean that? I sure did.

Elrod Hubbard gets the first one.

Sean R gets the second one.

Whomever posts their request next, in THAT comment strand (not this one) gets it. First in, first served.

[UPDATE: Steve gets #3. Thanks for playing, and Happy Holidays to the 3 of you from the home office of Cerebus the Original Aartvark.]

Elrod and Sean, you need to send me a real email with your contact info that I can pass on to Dave. Preferred time of day should take your time zone into account! We've got plenty of time to work it out.

Happy Chanukah, y'all.

December 4, 2010 5th Annual Market Report

2010-12-04T14:34:00.005-05:00

Greetings. It's early December and it is time for the annual report on the open market prices for original art from the Cerebus series. Auctions only.

Overall, except for "grail" pages, there are 225 auction sales that I've logged. Here is how the price per page has done. No adjustment for inflation has been made. These are the running cumulative numbers:
2006: $599
2007: $603
2008: $596
2009: $602
2010: $606

There were only 6 new, non-grail pages added, so the average price per page for 2010 is higher than previous years.

Dave-only pages: 2 pages sold ($765 and $850), while in 2009 the overall price-per page was $575, and overall the price-per page is $560.

No new Ger-100 pages. 2009 price-per page was $659; historical cumulative = $712

Mid-series (101-200): 4 sold (ave=$710); 2009 prices were $659; historical price = $687

No new Later-series (201-300): historical price = $614

Grail pages (something special: throwing the baby, paired up page, etc):
pages from issues 1 & 2: $2010
other grail-type pages: $1260
5 in 2010, ave = $1190

So, here's the deal:

(1) fewest number of auction pages sold since keeping full records (2006)
(2) although based on a few pages, all prices were up a bit
(3) the 2006-2010 average page was $606, meaning (using a plus/minus 1 standard deviation as a guide:

Prices over $770 would be considered high.
Prices under $442 would be considered low.

Except for something with Grail appeal, in which case $1200 is the norm, with a plus/minus 1 sigma range of $995-1425

November 29, 2010 Cerebus 66 p 8

2010-11-29T22:43:00.004-05:00

eBay item no. 120651064089
Seller: wmprod1959
Buyer:champlainman
Price: $1,499.00

The page that leads up to one of the most famous moments in 6000 or so pages. Not too surprising to see this one go for a premium. In some respects, the last panel on this page is funnier than the baby-toss on the next page, because we know it is coming up.

2010-11-28T13:56:00.002-05:00

Now On Auction: eBay item no. 120652614197
A cornucopia of Cerebus swag... including 3 Christmas Day phone calls from DVS to the person or people of your choice.

So, if I win, which I won't, I'll give those phone calls away. Who wants a call from Dave on Christmas?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

November 27, 2010 Glamourpuss/Cerebus

2010-11-27T19:48:00.005-05:00

Cerebus Original Art: Glamourpuss 14 p 22

eBay item no: 120650997834
Seller: bonecrusher86 for DVS
Buyer: investmentqualitycollectibles
Price: $676.66

And the other (Cerebus-free) Glamourpuss pages went for:
$1009.00 (Glamourpuss cover to issue #16)
$421.67 (Glamourpuss #13 p 8)
$391.00 (Glamourpuss Olsen twins)
$350.67 (Glamourpuss #4 (p 7)
$330.00 (Glamourpuss #16 p 22, the Russ Heath girl)

And, in other updates:
The Lady Gaga piece: no sale
The Elrod back cover piece: no sale
The 4 Jaka pages: no sale

November 26, 2010 things I like

2010-11-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

Another reflection on collecting-as-curating: one of the things that attracts me to some art is that it speaks directly to its time without being self-aware of it. When you are drawing from the life around you, then you capture a sense of that in the art... we say it is "of a time."

There are lots more examples, but these are among my favorites.

Frederick Opper, from the 1880s

Barbara Shermund, from the 1920s

Faith Burrows, from the 1930s

"Becky", from the 1940s

George McManus, from the 1920s-40s, I like the fact that the War Bond stamp was pasted on

November 24, 2010 a few new highlights

2010-11-24T21:23:00.004-05:00

There is other comic art out there, you know, just craving the collector's (I prefer curator's) attention.

Longtime readers know of my penchant for the first Marvel work of John Buscema: Avengers #41 (the REAL Avengers #41, that is). I just picked up the 6th page from this issue that I now own (thanks to he-knows-who for the heads up on this one):

I'm not into DC Heroes, but I liked this rendition of Superman by Steve Rude in support of the CBLDF:

November 20, 2010 Off-line purchase

2010-11-20T20:39:00.005-05:00

Contacted by a Cerebite looking to sell in order to raise money for an awesomely creative cause, so I was happy to oblige with an offer to buy.

Cerebus 192 p 11

Cerebus 146 p 2

Cerebus 105 p 4

Cerebus 80 p 7

November 18, 2010 Calling Fringe Division...

2010-11-18T07:31:00.005-05:00

One of the great lessons from the history of science that hardly ever gets learned (again and again) is not to over-interpret interesting observations. First let's let everyone settled on the idea that there is a there, there... and then let's set to the business of figuring out what it might be telling us about the world, the universe, time... all the little stuff.

So here's a draft of a paper from a retired Cornell Professor, reported out by Richard Wiseman over at his swell puzzle blog.

Richard's blog.

The entry in question.

And the paper.

OK... here's where the Fringe Division comes in.

What if you wanted to design a whole set of simple, computer-based experiments, the kind where even the Amazing Randi can see that you are not hiding stuff. And you keep the statistics simple, so that any competent high school student could do them. And you keep the tests really simple and based on a bunch of familiar tests that everyone knows about, you just turn time's arrow around in your methodology and look for deviations from 50:50. And then make your tests widely available so that others can try them out.

You are turning time's arrow around because the experiments are designed to pick up precognition.

Go ahead. Read the paper. See what you think. For the most part, he does a good job at reporting out "I got no clue what we are seeing, but I think we are seeing something." And while it is impossible NOT to suggest explanations (I wish he had not, actually), the worst part of this paper is the digression to quantum mechanics and the attempt to provide a model. I think when it comes to this sort of stuff, you just ought to do great experiments and report the results, and in the discussion you write "WTF?" and be done with it.

I'm feeling that Walternate is involved here, somehow.

November 17, 2010 upcoming auction

2010-11-17T16:18:00.002-05:00

Got this little signed and numbered surprise in the mail:
(actually, it is not that little)

November 14, 2010

2010-11-14T20:56:00.003-05:00

No sale on the Elrod page (again).

No sale on the 4 Jaka pages (again).

eBay item no. 120643028038
Seller: bonecrusher86 for DVS
Buyer: hulkesq
Price: $898.88

eBay item no. 270663616695
Seller: tatteredjeans42 for DVS
Buyer: (mercifully, none)
Starting bid: $399.99

November 3, 2010 available again

2010-11-03T21:53:00.003-04:00

now available:
eBay item no.190463211650
Seller: unovis
opening bid: $2000

these were up last week:
eBay item no. 190460551800
Seller: unovis
Buyer: none
opening bid: $2200
buy-it-now: $3500

and previously:
eBay item no. 190421023474
Seller: unovis
Buyer: none
opening bid: $2500
buy-it-now: $4000

Cerebus 234 pp 10-13

And, in the same vein...

eBay item no. 160501164681
Seller tomjk
Starting Price: $1,049.99

previously:

eBay no. 160469090492
Seller tomjk
Starting Price: $1,499.99
no bidder

eBay no. 160472734145
Seller tomjk
Reposted for $1,311.99
no bidder

eBay no. 160490583559
Seller tomjk
Reposted for $1,099.99
no bidder

October 28, 2010 The Last Signing

2010-10-28T01:01:00.003-04:00

“On September 24th of this year, I held my last public signing.” - Dave Sim, CerebusTV, Friday, October 22, 2010

For those of you who do not watch to the streaming video, here is a transcript of the salient parts of the story, from CerebusTV, Season Two, episode #1, that culminates with the Last Signing event in Halifax. We here at the home office of “Cerebus the Original Aartvark” see this as a relevant to our mission, given that public signings are one source of Original Aartvark, and that text is a worthy medium for contemplation when the streaming video is not easily available for on-demand replay (unless you have recording software like ScreenFlow, which we heartily recommend… just don’t go posting the episodes to YouTube cuz the gendarmes will eventually find you and remove the content, not that we would ever do that, mind you, but we heard about it once).

We’re not quite sure if an excerpted transcript and screen captures of some of the content of a streaming video broadcast is the same as the broadcast itself, in terms of copyright, but our legal department reminds you that the full content of the CerebusTV broadcasts is copyrighted to its appropriate owners, and this excerpt is provided as a public service report, without comment, in support of the interests of the readers of “Cerebus the Original Aartvark.”

And now, the story:

[Cerebus 186 comes out]

Mob rule became the order of the day, particularly on the relatively new internet. There were really only two groups. One, the mob screaming for my metaphorical blood, and two, those standing off to one side letting them do it, without a word of dissent.

[comparison to Sherman McCoy, central figure in Tom Wolfe’s Bonfires of the Vanities]

I don’t know if it’s because I’m different from Sherman McCoy, or because Tom Wolfe had himself never been through it, but my reaction was very different. My reaction was: all of these people that I thought were my friends, aren’t my friends. Not only aren’t my friends, but never were my friends. You can’t miss what you never had.

[Reads from “Profiles in Courage,” by JFK, for the second time in this episode. The first was illustrative of being the lone hold-out for some of the language in the Creator’s Bill of Rights that came out of the 1988 Northampton Summit:]

“To be courageous, these stories made clear, requires no exceptional qualifications, no magic formula, no special combination of time, place, and circumstance. It is an opportunity that sooner or later is presented to us all. In whatever arena of life one might meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces, he follows his conscience. The loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men, each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient, they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration, but they cannot supply courage itself. For this, each man must look into his own soul.”

[Insert story here about eventually pursuing a collaboration with Harvey Pekar, and doing up a cover for “American Splendor,” along with a planned story. Previously, Dave had been in a quite short non-negotiation with DC Comics over doing some work for them, which they cut short when he raised some questions he wanted answered about their work-for-hire contract.]

So I called Harvey up and I said “Harvey, what did you think?”

And he said “I called my editors at Vertigo, and I said, I got a guy here wants to do a story… have you ever heard of Dave Sim?”

And according to Harvey, what they said was: Oh, we’ve heard of Dave Sim, all right.

I had been surprised to find out that just asking DC questions was a dealbreaker. I was more surprised to find out that it represented a dealbreaker in all future negotiations, as well. There wasn’t much that Harvey could do about it. Reading his work, you couldn’t help but be aware, he had a lot of expenses. The Vertigo deal was a very big deal for him. Certainly a lot bigger a deal than a Dave Sim cover and a Dave Sim story.

I got one written apology from one of the active participants on-line in the character assassination that was directed at me, almost ten years after the fact. As I write to him, it’s the first letter in “Dave Sim Collected Letters 2004:” “your present fax is the only apology I have received, and frankly one more apology than I ever expected to receive, given the nature of the people in the comic book field. I can say without question that I accept your apology, gratefully and unreservedly, I can think of nothing more dishonorable than to allow one’s self to suspect the motives behind an apology. An apology must always be taken at face value or, as a society, we are surely doomed.”

Finally, a couple of years back, I asked Margaret Liss (cerebusfangirl, publisher of “Cerebus the Newsletter”) to start an on-line petition: “I don’t believe Dave Sim is a misogynist.” And I resolved to only have contact with those people who agreed to sign it. Coincidentally, about a week later, Chester Brown called to say that the jury members for the Doug Wright Awards, named for one of Canada’s greatest cartoonists, a man I had interviewed back in 1972 in “Now and Then Times” #1, when I was 16 years old. The jury composed of himself, Doug Wright award-winner Seth, and Canadian journalist Jeet Heer, as well as Brad McKay, that they wanted my help in judging the Doug Wright Awards that year. I told him I was flattered by the invitation, which I was, but explained that I could only do so if they would agree to sign the petition.

All four refused, so I severed all contact with them. If you think I’m a misogynist, why are you disgracing the memory of fine gentleman like Doug Wright by asking a misogynist to judge awards named in his honor? And if you don’t think I’m a misogynist, why won’t you say so publically? It is in response to exactly these kind of these peculiar hypocrisies that I have slowly and incrementally withdrawn from the comic book field over the course of the last 16 years. There are 250 names on the petition, with every indication that that’s the maximum number of signatures I can expect.

On September 24th of this year, I held my last public signing.

On rare occasions, I have attempted conciliatory gestures with those who have viciously attacked me for 16 years, the most recent example being my agreeing to write an introduction to Nate Neal’s excellent graphic novel “The Sanctuary,” even broadcasting Nate’s excellent “Sanctuary” commercial early on Cerebus TV, in Season One. Even though it was going to be published by the vicious scandalmongers at “The Comics Journal.” A paragraph from my introduction ran on the back cover, attributed to Dave Sim, (quote) Controversial Creator of Cerebus (unquote).

There are occasional glimmers of hope.

Every year, someone from the Motor City ComiCon in Detroit phones to invite me to their annual convention, and every year I explain to the individual in question that I think it would be inappropriate for me to go anywhere publically in the comic book field so long as only 250 people worldwide don’t believe that I am a misogynist. A very nice young lady who confided to being new to the comic book field left the annual invitation on my answering machine this year, and I left my annual explanation of why I would not be attending on her answering machine. Much to my surprise, she left another phone message a couple of days later, saying that she had done some on-line research and had determined for herself that I wasn’t a misogynist, and had signed the petition, and furthermore, was now urging others to do so. I am very gratified that I have 250 inclusive, open-minded friends with whom I can associate comfortably and easily. How many signatures would it require for me to be assured that I was welcome, publically, in the comic book field, and that I could associate with everyone, comfortably and easily? Let’s just say: substantially more than 250.

Thank you as always for tuning in, and I hope that you enjoy the rest of Season Two of Cerebus TV.

October 25, 2010 X-varks

2010-10-25T23:24:00.004-04:00

I've really lucked out in the head-sketch arena with Dave going the extra parsec for my multipart ideas.

You'll recall - the Seasons of the Aardvark - a 4-parter...

And the extra-cool cuz it included information (the lack of dates) - in the 16-part Ages of the Aardvark...

And now, a 6-parter over 5 pages: a super-cool parody/homage piece featuring Cerebus as all of the original X-Men, ca. 1963

Behold! The X-Varks!

click to embiggen... sorry about the whacky scan variation...