From: Jonny Axelsson <jonnya@ifi.uio.no>
Subject: A few thoughts on Cerebus (160)--spoilers aplenty
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Organization: Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo, Norway
Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1992 16:12:43 GMT
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To: jonnya@ifi.uio.no
From: "Jonny Axelsson"  <AXELSSON@cslab.felk.cvut.cs>
Date:         6 Sep 92 17:47:58 CET
Subject:      A few thoughs on Cerebus (160)--spoilers aplenty
X-Mailer:     Pegasus Mail v2.3 (R3).

I can't regularily post now, so I accumulated my comments on currently hot
topics. Here they are:

Philosophy.

There has been some discussion on Cerebus' nature, to me this boils down
to two questions

QUESTION 1: What is death, and how is it influenced by aardvark nature?
QUESTION 2: What is magic, and how is it influenced by aardvark nature?

They are quite old ones, from way back in the early roaring 80's when
original Elfquest and Cerebus were published simultanously. In Elfquest
too they were major plot factors. The Pinis hinted, then stated that
being dead was the natural state of being for elves -- they were
immortal, the flutter-flutters were robots and the rest went the way of
flesh (wherever that was). The nature and goal of Cerebus differed from
EQ, but here there seemed to be some similarity.

Aardvarks seemed to have a role of their own. Read Sword of Cerebus #4
(Deadalbino). Add that they were worshipped as gods, they didn't see to be
a race (now we know they aren't), but did change history from time to
time. Or: They profoundly changed the life and death of the people around
them, they died themselves, had no aardvark parents, but were still around.

Aardvarks seems avatar-like in nature (I thought connecting Astoria
changes the baby & the ascension of Kevillism clever). What makes them
appear is unknown. We are supposed to find out more on the whys and hows
very soon (some time next year) if the "around 175" is to be believed.


Back to magic. First note that if Elrod is a magician, then so is the
Roach. He is after all a magician turned business man that hasn't stopped
turning since. Seriously, he showed considerable awareness at the time (to
which some old leaves and spare change now testifies). Not being an
attractor to that multitude of conflicting personalities and personae may
have helped.

Remember back in the sixties. Cerebus decided the world was about to end.
He had no reason to believe this, no one told him to believe it, and he
didn't; and it didn't. But what did happen couldn't be dismissed as
self-fulfilling prophesy. Some of the spetaculars were in motion in /High
Society/ already (asterix)(asterix In fact Claremont showed off at an
early time), but how come the coincidence with the ascension (personal *:
Why the Artist chap?), the fall of the pidgeon molester etc. The awaying
of Astoria and the trial seems to be an effect with several causes.

Then there are the prophesies. They never were wrong as mentioned before.
You should look at the canned lines Bran used instead of conversation
before he, uhh, changed posture. I just recently rediscovered his
reference to his many wives and concubines, speaking of his second wife. I
don't know if this means his many wives and his many concubines or just
his many wives 'n concubines. In the first case Cerebus probably will
marry again.

You may have noticed that the race growing marijuana in burrows and making
a habit of worshipping misformed humanoids (speaking of which, I don't
think the silly-puttyness is accidental) is the same race that caused the
magical cataclysm to start with.

The hat trick varieties of magic is generally of the illusion (#1, #18) or
conjuration and control (#2, #18, #23-25) kind. The more serious
practioners (including the two other aardvarks) tends to go for more
indirect effect. Magic looks equivalent to a reshaping of reality (like
moulding of crops...). Reality seems to be silly putty too.


QUESTION 3: Is question 1 related to question 2?


Chess.

Fool's (scholar's?) mate won't happen unless Cerebus changes his mind or
moves his king's bishop (at C8) to a meaningless (D7) or stupid (G4, H3)
position, even forgetting the mate. E6 seems by far most likely, unless he
wants to sacrifice his bishop. He *might* go for D7 to "protect" the king
>From a check from the white bishop, but to quote Sacred Wars Roach: Stupid
move. My chess program favored queen's knight from G8 to F6 as the next
move for black.

This is interesting as there are three ways this game might end: A short
game (maybe now thwarted?), a normal game, or an interuption. A short game
would have fitted neatly in with /Flight/. A normal length game would last
a minimum of 40 turns, less maybe if Suenteus was clever, so he'd to talk
less and play faster if he wanted to finish before the end of Mothers &
Daughters. An interuption could of course happen at any time, within the
game (capitulation), a withdrawal or an outside event might interfer.

I'm not too surprised Cerebus chose to play. Look around, there is not
much else to do, is there? (Being grateful for having his life saved would
not be in character) Second, there is no reason why Suenteus Po should
play by any standard formula for good playing. In ordinary chess the only
objective is to win (or at least get a stale mate), in this highly
allegorical game of chess, the way to win might be just as important as
winning itself.

What "win" (or an interupt) means here is unknown. It might even mean
nothing. Indeed the purpose of the game is unknown; it might be yet
another attempt to measure/gather information, another attempt to
influence/give information, the game itself might be important in the
current context, it *does* have heavy aardvark nature.

The classical analogy is already broken. Posey died, and "his" pawn is not
slain or even under threat. He *could* come back as revenger queen Posey,
but really. No one has said that there is a one-to-one relation between
the pieces and the personae either. Anyway, given Elrod as white bishop
and his interaction with the Roach related to the chessboard, the Roach
must be the pawn at F7 (King's bishop). Rather ominous, wouldn't you say?
Splurt! Whatever his role will be, I doubt saviour of Julius (or like-a-
look) would be it.

Another candidate for E7 might have been Bran (the dead one), but I don't
think so.

Ownership seems quite metaphorical -- like Cerebus' pawn K'Cor. We know
little of Suenteus' pieces (in every sense). He probably doesn't look like
the one we see at the chessboard -- that was his appearance in a previous
generation (but then looks is insubstantial). He might keep his name
though, as everyone else does. I'd guessed Lower City anyway so I believe
that, he's a character that would like slumming. Maybe he's the long lost
Harpo character? Oh, well.

A question for the interview could be "Why three aardvarks?"

   T O   B E   C O N T I N U E D


--
Praha: axelsson@cslab.felk.cvut.cs          Oslo:jonnya@ifi.uio.no