recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Rabbit Hell vs. Cerebus

**"Rabbit Hell vs. Cerebus"** is a two-page story by David Nowell, Steve Peters, Dave Sim and Gerhard. It was created in 1992, but did not see publication until 1997.

## Summary

Bel, an anthropomorphic dog, is given a vision by Doktor Dream of what damage the Portal of Kosmic Krossovers is doing; Cerebus arriving at the edge of Rabbit Hell "the place 'toons go when their creators no longer draw them."

Then, Elephant Boy dreams of his search for a guru, ultimately landing at the feet of the Most Holy.

## Characters

* Bel
* Doktor Dream
* Cerebus
* Elephant Boy
* Melvin G. Moose

## Story Notes

* This story portrays Cerebus in Hell many years before *Cerebus in Hell?*

## Publication Notes

* First printed in *Awakening Comics No. 2*

## External Links

*A Moment of Cerebus*; "Cerebus In Hell, Rabbit Hell! Steve Peters Week (and Vark on his Mighty Steed)"
Pigts

The **Pigts** were a race of warriors who lived in the underground catacombs in the Red Marches of Estarcion.

## History

At their height, the Pigts had great cities and an impressive system of roads. They claimed to have toppled many empires, including the Redeemer Dynasty and the Eastern Monoliths. They also brought about the end of the Black Tower Empire, allegedly by causing the Mystic Cataclysm.

During Cerebus' time, they were led by Bran Mac Mufin who commanded an elite group of fifty warriors.

An ancient Pigt Shaman-King created the sword, medallions and helmet that Cerebus later found. According to Dave, this shaman-king gathered his people together and stated that those items would be his, plunged the sword into his chest and spilled his blood all over the items, killing himself in the process. This gave the objects special powers.

A fraction of the Pigts who believed in the icon of "He who is to come after", the aardvark icon, went underground and were protected by the spirits of those ancestors who believed that the icon was the perfect aardvarkian form.

A party of four Pigts, including two named Partha Qua Non and Cromag Macs Milc, discovered Cerebus a half-hour from their camp while he was hiding in a tree hollow, during the summer rains of his 26th year. They hunted him, thinking he was food, and are stunned when they see that he resembled their idol.

At the time, they were trying to topple the Dehrsion monarchy, but hoped to get to the Borealans within a decade. These plans may well have been put on hold due to Cerebus' brief presence.

Later, Fret Mac Mury attempted to talk the Pigts into staying underground, but when he was struck by lightening and killed, the Pigts armed themselves and marched across the Red Marches.

## Traits

* They were fond of drinking fermented goat's blood.
* They spoke a dialect of the Conniptin Tribes, but their ancestral land was Iest.
* They worshipped a large clay idol of an aardvark, who looked very much like Cerebus. Their name seemed to derive from "sons of the pig", referring to the common name for aardvarks, "earth-pig".
* They marched in units twelve men deep and twelve men abreast.

## Quotes

* "We are a private people and find the privacy comforting"
* "We exist only to \*topple\* the empire"

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 5*
* *Cerebus No. 28* - cameo or mention
* *Cerebus No. 32* - cameo or mention
* *Cerebus No. 34* - cameo or mention
* *Cerebus No. 151*
* *Cerebus No. 155* and *Cerebus No. 156*
* *Cerebus No. 157* - cameo or mention
* *Cerebus No. 158* and *Cerebus No. 159*
* *Cerebus No. 161* and *Cerebus No. 162*
* *Cerebus No. 164* and *Cerebus No. 165*
* *Cerebus No. 195* amd *Cerebus No. 196* - cameo or mention

## Basis

The Pigts are, to some extent, based on the Picts, as written by Robert E. Howard.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 28*, page 13
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*, page 12
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 28*, page 14
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*, page 13
5. ↑ *Cerebus No. 196*
6. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*, page 12
7. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*, page 12
8. ↑ *Cerebus No. 159*, page 17
9. ↑ *Cerebus No. 159*, page 16
10. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*, page 9
Thugg the Unseemly

**Thugg the Unseemly** was a tavern patron in Branpur.

## History

Cerebus and Red Sophia came to the tavern on their way to meet Tanes Feras. Thugg took issue with Sophia's interest in an aardvark and challenged Cerebus for her. Cerebus, having no desire to kill anyone for Sophia, knocked Thugg out with the butt of his sword and departed. Sophia, however, returned to the tavern to avenge her besmirched honor and apparently violently dealt with Thugg.
The Cerebus High Society Notebook

***The Cerebus High Society Notebook*** (*Cerebus: High Society Notebook* in the indicia) is a collection of sketches and notes about the "High Society" storyline published by The Waverly Press in collaboration with Aardvark-Vanaheim as a supplement to the "Regency Edition" of the *High Society* phonebook. It includes "highlights of sketches and studies from Dave Sim’s 1981-1983 notebooks".

## Contents

The book opens with an introduction by Margaret Liss going over the history of Dave's notebooks, how she came to be entrusted with scanning them and what kind of material they contain.

The book proper follows with reproductions of various pages from 1981 - 1983, including character designs, page layouts, dialogue and cover sketches for many issues from *Cerebus No. 34* through *Cerebus No. 50*, as well as the "High Society"-related cover to *The Comics Journal*. This includes the earliest drawings of the second logo used by the comic.

## Publication History

The comic-sized book was initially made available as part of the "Candidate" and "Prime Minister" bundles of *High Society: The Regency Edition*. The book was originally intended to feature two versions with equal print runs; a wraparound cover in color with a black background and a previously unpublished illustration by Sim featuring Cerebus and the Regency Elf and a black-and-white cover featuring an archival sketch of Cerebus. These were to be limited to 250 copies each. A shipping accident led to much of this first printing being severely damaged and subsequently pulped, with only approximately 65 copies of the color cover and 200 copies of the black-and-white cover surviving. A second printing with a modified version of the color cover was then issued, with a print run of 200 copies.

## Gallery

First printing color cover
65 copiesFirst printing black-and-white cover
200 copiesSecond printing
200 copies
## References

 1. ↑ "Another Hot Canadian Price Variant (Dave's Weekly Update #381​)", *A Moment of Cerebus*
Spawn

**Spawn** was a supernatural being instilled with powers from Hell.

## History

Albert Francis "Al" Simmons was an assassin who was murdered in Botswana by his partner, Bruce Stinson. Winding up in Hell, Simmons made a deal with the demon Malebolgia and returned to Earth with the powers of Spawn.

Early in his career, Spawn found himself in a strange world, where a mysterious grey aardvark explained some complicated truths of existence to him.

## Appearances

*Cerebus-related only*

* *Spawn No. 10*
* *Spawn No. 10 - Remastered & Expanded*

## Basis

* Spawn is the creation of writer/artist Todd McFarlane. He invited Dave Sim to write an issue, which resulted in the story "Crossing Over" in *Spawn No. 10*.
* Spawn would be parodied in *Cerebus* with the "Spore" identity Cerebus adopted to scare Todd McSpahn (himself a parody of McFarlane) and his followers.

## References

 1. ↑ *Spawn No. 10*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 276*

## External Links

* Al Simmons/Spawn's entry on the Image Comics Database
* Al Simmons/Spawn's entry on the Spawn Wiki
Scorz

**Scorz** was a merchant, a member of Scorz, Scorz and Sons.

## History

He talked with Cerebus (whom he referred to as "Famous the Aardvark") about building underground sewage pipes. He told Cerebus that he had talked with Baskin and that he had had difficulty getting an audience with Lord Julius. He offered to make Cerebus a member of his firm, but Cerebus had heard enough and left for the night.

Later, he came in upon a discussion between Lord Julius, Adam Weisshaupt and Duke Leonardi, again trying to sell them on his idea of underground sewage.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 26*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 62*
Swords of Cerebus

***Swords of Cerebus*** is a series of trade paperbacks published by Aardvark-Vanaheim that collect the first twenty-five issues of *Cerebus*, predating the phonebooks. Each volume includes introductory notes from Dave Sim and additional back-up stories.

The title would receive a spiritual successor in *Swords of Cerebus in Hell?*, the collections of the later *Cerebus in Hell?* series.

## Cover Gallery

*Swords of Cerebus Volume One**Swords of Cerebus Volume Two**Swords of Cerebus Volume Three**Swords of Cerebus Volume Four**Swords of Cerebus Volume Five**Swords of Cerebus Volume Six*
Togith

**Togith** was a City State directly to the north of Palnu. Included the satellite city Sennachin.

Togith had a death penalty for theft.

Togith is a major center for both the Cirinists and the Kevillists.

The Illusionists also have a fairly significant presence there.

## Quotes on Togith

"By Cerebus' time, the Principality of Togith had become the main clearing house for Feldan mercenaries. The Prince had become a figurehead, and the real power was wielded by various Barons who had become involved in trade (mercenary and otherwise). They had originally been rather enterprising, lawless types who had pushed out west, but they eventually settled down and organized."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 18*, map
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 19*, page 5
3. ↑ *Swords of Cerebus Volume Five*, Introduction to issue 19
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 19*, "The Aardvarkian Age"
Pluto (planet)

**Pluto** was the ninth planet from the Sun. Following Cerebus' second ascension, Dave left Cerebus on Pluto (although Cerebus' confused mind thought the name was "Juno"). From Pluto, Cerebus returned to Estarcion and the Wallis Pub.

## Notes

* The real-world Pluto is a celestial body currently classified as a "dwarf planet" following a controversial reworking of the definition of "planet" by the International Astronomical Union. It has a moon, Charon, which is mentioned to Cerebus by Dave.
Artist

The **Artist** was the sole resident of a castle near Iest. He later merged with Woman Thing and Sump Thing to form Fred, Ethel and the Little Fellow with the Hair.

## History

The Artist began painting with high artistic ambitions, but then he discovered that people paid more for works featuring busty women. He claimed the paintings were highly symbolic and contained subliminal messages.

Charles X. Claremont (with Cerebus in tow) arrived at the Artist's castle, which the Artist was renting, to make it his headquarters. Claremont was about to unleash his Abomination Beast, Woman Thing, on the world when the Artist saw it and was struck by its resemblance to the Sump Thing, an Abomination Beast left behind by the legendary wizard Lord Sump, a previous tenant. When Woman Thing and Sump Thing met, they attempted to mate, trapping Claremont between them. The Artist felt bad about Claremont and gave Cerebus some gold and jewelry as compensation.

During Cerebus' first Ascension, he met the Artist again, now fused with Woman Thing and Sump Thing. They were also attempting to complete the Ascension and they beat Cerebus to the top of the tower as it rose towards the Moon. The Artist, fearing the karmic consequences of killing Cerebus outright, tried to convince him to jump off the tower. By failing to act, he allowed Cerebus to hide inside the tower, which was still growing but becoming smaller at the top. Fred, Ethel, and the Artist realized that they had almost arrived, but, unfortunately for them, the tower had gotten too thin to support them. The top section broke off and they fell back towards Earth.

When Cerebus reached the Moon, the Judge explained that "Fred, Ethel and the little fellow with the hair ... drift in the hard vacuum of space for a number of years until they re-enter earth's gravitational field ... they are drawn into the atmosphere, accelerating faster and faster, until they burn up from the friction and fall, as a light sprinkling of ash, over an area of several hundred square miles"

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 25*, page 8 & 9
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 37*, page 18
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 37*, page 18
4. ↑ *Church & State II*, page 1137
Normalman No. 10

***normalman No. 10*** is an issue of *normalman* published by Renegade Press.

While visiting the "Sym Inn Tavern", normalman gets drunk on "Old Aarvark" ale. After passing out, he encounters a confused, floating and glowing Cerebus. normalman explains he's the soon-to-be president, and Cerebus imparts some advice from his own experience with politics, specifically that he should never listen to his advisors, especially the ones he trusts. normalman denies Sophie would ever backstab him for her own gains, so Cerebus asks if she has any secrets. He says she won't tell him what "the magic" is, which proves Cerebus' point to never trust anyone. He then asks why he should trust him (later calling him a "silly-little-dog-thing"), Cerebus reveals "the magic" is his ruby slippers. Cerebus vanishes, and normalman collapses from the booze and the revelation.

## Additional

* "A Note from the Publisher" by Deni Loubert
* Captain Everything pinup by Jim Valentino and Murphy Anderson

## Characters

* normalman *(only Cerebus-related appearance)*
* Cerebus

## Story Notes

* "normalman for President" is primarily a parody of Dave Sim's Cerebus story "High Society".
	+ References include recasting characters in roles similar to those in *Cerebus*. Other comparable characters are included such as "Orange Julius" and "Paste-Pasta Pete".
	+ Although *normalman* was published in color, the two-page sequence that features Cerebus is in black and white.

## Publication Notes

* "normalman for President" was reprinted in *normalman - The Novel* (July, 1987) from Slave Labor Graphics, *The Complete normalman* (July, 2007) from Image Comics and *normalman 40th Anniversary Omnibus* from Image/Shadowline Comics (March 5, 2024).
	+ Both collected volumes are entirely in black and white.

## Dave Sim on *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8*

* "Iconic\, High", "Normalman for President", "(1985/08) Normalman 10", "n/a", "", "Crossover/Jam with Jim Valentino", "N/A"

Agree – Dave Sim
Social Secretary to Lord Julius

The **Social Secretary to Lord Julius** was a bureaucrat in the government of Palnu and one of the leaders of The Eye in the Pyramid, a rebel group devoted to the overthrow of Grandlord of Palnu Lord Julius Tavers.

## History

When Cerebus arrived in Palnu and was named Kitchen Staff Supervisor, Lord Julius' Social Secretary provided Cerebus with insight into the nature of the bureaucracy. After several attempts on the life of Lord Julius, all thwarted by Cerebus, the Social Secretary finally revealed himself after trapping Lord Julius in the Pits beneath Palnu. After challenging Cerebus to a duel, the Secretary begins to boast about his subterfuge, only to have Cerebus hit him in the head with a rock, knocking him off a bridge into a chasm below.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 14* through *Cerebus No. 16* (the "Palnu Trilogy)

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 14*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 16*
Swords of Cerebus Volume Two

***Swords of Cerebus Volume Two*** is a trade paperback collection of stories about Cerebus from *Cerebus No. 5* through *Cerebus No. 8*, plus a additional stories. Each story has a new introduction by Dave Sim.

## Stories

### "Demonhorn"

from *Nucleus No. 1*

Cerebus faces off against M'isly, a god who enjoys practical jokes.

### "Cerebus the Aardvark"

from *Cerebus No. 5*

Cerebus finds himself among the Pigts.

### "The Secret!"

from *Cerebus No. 6*

Cerebus is drugged by a pair of thieves, causing him to fall in love with a dancer.

### "Black Sun Rising"

from *Cerebus No. 7*

Cerebus travels to the Temple of the Black Sun in search of a treasure, only to meet up with Elrod.

### "Day of the Earth-pig!"

from *Cerebus No. 8*

Suffering hallucinations from a giant spider attack, Cerebus finds himself a pawn in the plans of the Conniptin Tribes.

### "The Morning After"

new story - inks by Joe Rubinstein (drawing) & Mike Higgins (lettering)

Cerebus deals with the effects of a hangover.
Mr. Van Hellemond

**Mr. Van Hellemond** was the Chief Medical Officer of Moosehat.

## History

Van Hellemond was proprietor of the Maple Sugar Candy and Back-Bacon-on-a-Stick Concession at Moosehat Gardens and manager of the Van Hellemond Jack-a-Dandy Players theatrical company.

When Paul "Coffee" Annan collapsed during his last Five-Bar Gate Finals against Cerebus, it was Mr. Van Hellemond who declared him dead from natural causes.
Vera

**Vera** was a Cirinist stenographer who watched over the original Cirin. She was so out of practice, due to the original Cirin not speaking for so long, that when Cerebus crashed into the living quarters, she had a hard time keeping up with the conversation.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus* No. 163 through *Cerebus* No. 165
Dwarves

Dwarves are hardy, short, bearded people with a penchant for crafting armor and weapons.

Dwarves live inside massive sprawling **Forge Cities,** large underground fortresses that contain thousands of forges where weapons and other specialized metal objects are made. Dwarves have a close relationship with the Orcs, often trading custom made weapons for an alcoholic beverage made in orc camps called Tu'a'muk. Dwarves are reclusive, and Dwarven technology is among the most advanced on the continent of Arthuria

### Appearance

Dwarves are very short, with blonde, black, or ginger hair and beards. Dwarves grow their beard around the age of four,

## Dwarves

### Language

Dwarven

Their bones are very wide and durable, being able to escape unscathed from blows that would break the bones of any other creature, this also has the effect of making them appear overweight, despite not actually being so.

#### Relationship with the Orcish People

The Orcs and the Dwarves, being from the same region, have always co-existed with eachother, though they only became seriously aware of eachother's existence around the time Dwarven people began to industrialize. Initially, the Orcs attempted to take over one of the Forge Cities, but the Dwarves sheer numbers drew them back into the forests of western Arthuria. Years later, during the Orc Skirmishes, Half of the now splintered Orc clans would attempt to utilize the Dwarves' skilled weapon crafting to their advantage; Seeing the Dwarves drinking habits, the Chieftan of the Screaming Eagles clan began to trade The locally made Tu'a'muk for axes and warhammers, while originally being a small business deal, this eventually spiraled into the near Symbiotic relationship it is in modern day Arthuria.

##### The Dark War

The Dwarves, living in the same region as the Orcs and Humans, were hit very hard by the Initial invasion of the Drow necromancers. Fearing another attack, the Dwarves locked up their forge cities and began making preparations to join the Elven Empire and Human Military forces in their war against the Drow. The Dwarves joined in the war against the Drow during the battle for Solomar, where they helped fight off the Wraith that the Necromancers used in their attack.
Frank Thorne

**Frank Thorne** (June 16, 1930 – March 7, 2021) was an American comic book artist and writer. He drew the cover for *Cerebus No. 7* and the characters he was best known for, Red Sonja and Ghita of Alizarr, are parodied in *Cerebus* as Red Sophia and Geet-A, respectively. Thorne, himself, was parodied in the character Henrot (an anagram of "Thorne").

## Dave Sim on Frank Thorne

* "I had interviewd him back in the SON OF TOMAHAWK days. (which was one of the reasons he remembered me. I had been a fan pre-RED SONJA when the most charitable things said about him in the comic BOOK field was that he was a Joe Kubert clone). The interview is long-lost as is the DR. GUY BENNETT (1956 to 1962) original strip he sent me."

## References

 1. ↑ *A Moment of Cerebus*, "Dave Sim Remembers Frank Thorne"
Çağlar ve Kıta Tarihi

## **Antik Yaratık Çağı(???-0)**

Irkların ortaya çıktığı çağdır. Farklı ırkların yaratıkları baskılaması ve insanların rünleri kullanmayı öğrenmesi ile bu çağın sonu gelmiştir.

## **İlk Çağ(0-147)**

Farklı ırkların kendi köylerini, sonra şehirlerini ve daha sonra ülkelerini kurması ile başlayan İlk Çağ'ı bitiren şey ırklar arasında ki savaşın başlangıcı olmuştur.

## **Savaş Çağı(147-685)**

İnsanların, vampir ve gulları dünyadan silmek için onlara savaş açması ile birlikte başlayan savaşın insanların ve diğer ırkların aç gözlülüğü ile fetihlere başlayarak başka savaşlara yol açması ile birlikte dallanan ve uzun yıllarca devam eden tamamı savaş içinde geçen bir çağdır.

## **Ethera Çağı(685-1123)**

Ethera'ların ortaya çıkması ile değişen güç dengelerinden sonra tüm ırkların 5 farklı krallığa bölündüğü ve savaşın son bularak barışın imzalanması ile başlayan çağdır. Bu çağda tüm kıtada büyük bir huzur görülmektedir.

## **Terresia Çağı(1123-2064)**

Krallıklar arasında huzursuzlukların ve küçük anlaşmazlıkların çıkması dışında kıtanın genel olarak huzur içerisinde olduğu çağdır. Hannya Deneyi'nden sonra Terresia geçidinin ortaya çıkması ile başlayan bu çağda yine geçidin etkisi ile büyük yenilikler görülmüş, ekonomi yeni bir hâl almış ve güç dengeleri yeniden değişmeye başlamıştır.

## **Modern Çağ(2064-**????)

Irklar arasında imzalanan barış antlaşmasının insanların Sengineis Krallığı'nı bir önceki kralı öldürmekle suçlaması üzerine bozulması ile birlikte başlayan bu çağ günümüzde devam etmekte olan çağdır. Henüz büyük çaplı bir savaş yaşanmamasına rağmen yeni bir savaşın körükleri her yere dağılmaktadır. Kıta şu an 2115 yılındadır.
Swords of Cerebus Volume Five

***Swords of Cerebus Volume Five*** is a trade paperback collection of stories about Cerebus from *Cerebus No. 17* through *Cerebus No. 20*, plus a new story. Each story has a new introduction by Dave Sim.

## Stories

### "Champion"

from *Cerebus No. 17*

Cerebus buys a cottage in Parmoc, where T'gitan mercenaries are planning the overthrow of Fluroc and Palnu.

### "Fluroc"

from *Cerebus No. 18*

After capturing Fluroc, Cerebus and the T'gitans deal with the aftermath while Lord Julius copes with their threatening forces.

### "She-Devil in the Shadows"

from *Cerebus No. 19*

Cerebus and his T'gitan companion Graus travel to Togith, where Graus becomes entangled with a fortune teller while Cerebus meets someone who seems familiar.

### "Mind Game"

from *Cerebus No. 20*

Drugged by the fortune-teller Perce, Cerebus has an other-dimensional meeting with Suenteus Po.

### "Cerebus Dreams"

new story - written and drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith; tones by Dave Sim

Cerebus dreams.

## Story Notes

* "Cerebus Dreams" is the first (and to date, only) Cerebus story not to be written or drawn by Dave Sim.
The Moon

**The Moon** is the Earth's largest natural satellite.

It is the location of Cerebus' First Ascension and of the July 16, 1969 lunar landing of Apollo II when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon.

It served as the home of the Judge until the 20th century.

## Dave Sim on The Moon

* Q5: Cerebus almost tells the Interviewer that he went to the moon, and then cuts himself off. Is his ascension to the moon a secret and not part of his iconic, religious legend? (i288/LD p444)
	+ Dave: Since there’s no irrefutable proof that he went to the moon, it seems politic to Cerebus to just avoid discussing it. That’s really the first point where he, at least unconsciously, realizes that he needs to tread carefully with the interviewer having already been “bitten” by a couple of hard questions. He doesn’t really know how he got to the moon and he doesn’t really know what he was supposed to learn when he got there, he missed a good chunk of the Judge’s monologue, he’s forgotten almost everything he did hear, he has no idea who the Judge is or how he got to the moon nor did he think to ask. All in all, not exactly a can of worms that he would be eager to open in his new context where he is perceived of and perceives of himself as The Great Cerebus, a figure possessed of absolute, thorough-going knowledge in all areas. It’s typical of Cerebus that he would draw the lesson from that that he has to hide his level of ignorance rather than face it square on and the implications of it.
The Frost Giants' Wedgie

**"The Frost Giants' Wedgie: The World's Shortest Cerebus Story"** is a one-page, two-panel story by Dave Sim. It was printed as a poster in a print run of 100 copies, which Dave sold at the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, Columbus, Ohio and at the Toronto Comicon, Toronto, Ontario, in 2006.

## Summary

Cerebus, walking through the snows of Boreala, is surprised by a Frost Giant yanking on Cerebus' loincloth.

## Characters

* Cerebus
* Frost Giant

## Dave Sim on "The Frost Giants' Wedgie"

* "...a parody of Robert E. Howard's "The Frost Giant's Daughter", which Barry Windsor-Smith did a beautiful job on very early in the Conan run *The Savage Sword of Conan No. 1*, I believe..."

## References

 1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Frost Giants’ Wedgies, for instance... (Dave's Weekly Update #226)
Terim

**Terim** (pronounced "tay-rim" was a female god, worshipped most recently by the Cirinists. She was a northern god.

Her name was used in spells.

## Dave Sim on Terim

* "As I recall, the two different spellings of Terim and Tarim were accidental at first, in the same was that I had trouble bearing in mind that Cerebus was supposed to refer to himself in the third person and would later cover for it by saying that he referred to himself as 'I' when he had been around the civilized areas too long. I was covering for not remembering how to spell Tarim by making it the masculine version of the deity's name."

* "Cirin is attempting to revive the worship of the Single Goddess - Terim, preaching that Tarim is a bastardization of the original deity. The Kevillists disagree, but we're getting to that. This is why genuinely antiquitous references (like the Spheres of the Gods are always to Terim (with an "e"). It's my way of showing I agree with Cirin, even though she might be wrong."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 96*)
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 2*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 1*
4. ↑ Unknown Source
5. ↑ *Cerebus No. 55*, "Aardvark Comment"
Red Marches

The **Red Marches** was an area of Estarcion between the Sepran Empire to the west, the T'capmin Kingdoms to the east, and the Feldwar States and the Kota Mountains to the south.

## History

* Once solely owned by the Pigts, it was later occupied by their remnants along with several other scattered tribes, including Conniptins and the Hsifan Khanate.
* During the summer, sub-tropical rainfall would pour down for weeks constantly.
* Plains dwellers of the Red Marches were said to burn ceremonial skunks.
* During the Summer of 1411, Cerebus spent some time doing border patrols in the marches for mercenary captain Turan Genn.

## Dave Sim on the Red Marches

"No, I had no idea that the Marche region was called that because they sat on the border of the papal estates, but I'd be willing to bet that my former brother-in-law who created the map and place names - and so named the Red Marches - knew it. He was and is very well-read and self-educated. I continually trip over his sly references to obscure historical items - like Clovis and Suetonius which he transmogrified into Suenteus."
Swords of Cerebus in Hell?

***Swords of Cerebus in Hell?*** is a series of volumes published by Aardvark-Vanaheim that each collect four individual issues of the *Cerebus in Hell?* series and one-shots. The volumes are distributed widely in softcover and in limited edition hardcovers from Benjamin Hobbs via Kickstarter. Other than covers, which are reworked from the originals, the volumes contain no new material.

The title is a reference to the *Swords of Cerebus* series of trade paperbacks that collect the early issues of *Cerebus*.

As of *Volume 12*, the series has been put on hiatus, perhaps to be replaced with phonebook-style collections.

## Volumes

### Softcover

*Cerebus in Hell? No. 1*
*Cerebus in Hell? No. 2*
*Cerebus in Hell? No. 3*
*Cerebus in Hell? No. 4**Batvark*
*Aardvark Comics*
*Strange Cerebus*
*The Death of Cerebus in Hell?**The Vark Knight Returns*
*Watchvark*
*The Amazing Cerebus*
*World's Finite Cerebus**Love and Aardvarks*
*The Undateable Cerebus*
*The Un-Bedable Vark*
*Teenage Mutant Ninja Cerebi**Nick Calm, Agent of C.O.D.P.I.E.C.E.*
*Crisis on Infinite Cerebi*
*The League of Extraordinary Cerebi*
*Cerberus in Hell?**Canadian Vark*
*Giant-Size Jingles*
*Sim City: A Dave to Kill For*
*Sim City: That Issue After**Super Cerebus Annual*
*Cerebus Woman*
*The LGBTQetc, People*
*Fornicators inc.**Tales of Sophistication*
*The Iron Manticore*
*Colour Your Own Cerebus in Hell?*
*Vark Wars**Vark Thing*
*The House of Cerebus*
*The Silver Cerebus*
*The Varking Dead**Green Dante Green Virgil*
*Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back*
*Attractive Cousins*
*The Amicable Spider-Vark**Batvark Penis*
*The Vault of Cerebus*
*Spider-Whore*
*Hermann**Cerebus in Hell? 2021*
*The Amazing Batvark*
*Flaming Cerebus Comics*
*Cerebus the Duck*
### Hardcover

Volume 1Volume 2Volume 3Volume 4Volume 5Volume 6Volume 7Volume 8Volume 9Volume 10Volume 11Volume 12
Serrea

**Serrea** was the capital city of the Sepran Empire. It was located on the Sofim River.

## Dave on Serrea

* "...this might be a good place to point out that Serrea was a typo/misreading on my part of Michael Loubert’s microscopic pencil lettering. The first “r” was supposed to be a “p” and was intended to be the more natural-sounding “Seprea” as the capital of the Sepran Empire..."
Visions of Turtles 8

***Visions of Turtles 8*** (*Visions of Turtles Eight* on the cover) is a pin-up comic published by Aardvark-Vanaheim in collaboration with The Waverly Press.

## Contents

The pinups are based on the collection of Joshua Even, who had been commisioning pieces from various artists of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles alongside Cerebus in a "fantasy setting". The crossover of the Cerebus and the Turtles had been one of Even's favorite comics and the collection had gained a certain amount of recognition when the remastered edition of *TMNT No. 8* was going into production. As part of the rewards for the Kickstarter campaign, *Visions of Turtles 8* was planned, alongside a subset of trading cards featuring some of the same art.

## Publication History

*Visions of Turtles 8* had a print run of 200 copies and was only available to the general public as a reward on the Kickstarter. It was not made available for purchase afterwards. Most copies went to the artists whose art appears in the comic, as well as the team involved in the remastered *TMNT No. 8* project.
Sofim River

The **Sofim River** was a river that ran through the southwestern part of the Sepran Empire and was generally considered to be its border. The capital city of Serrea was located on the river, as was Dehrsion and Imesh.

## History

* Cerebus traveled down the Sofim River on a merchant ship that was eventually destroyed by a hatching Gargoyle egg.
Upper Felda

**Upper Felda** was a City State that was occupied by the Seprans for 100 years. When they left, they killed all males from 5 to 40 years of age. This left a power vacuum that the Cirinists used to gain control over the area. Lower Felda conquered it soon after, but since Upper Felda had no monetary system or precious metals to tax, the Lower Feldan government started to lose money occupying the country. Due to this, the Lower Feldan government was overthrown in a coup, and left Upper Felda.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8 - Ashcan

The ***Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8 - Ashcan*** is an ashcan comic one-shot published by The Waverly Press in collaboration with Aardvark-Vanaheim. It is a work-in-progress version of the Remastered & Expanded reprint edition of *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8*.

Three covers were initially made available. Later, leftover copies of the Platinum cover, intended for members of the "Cerebus Team", were released to the public.

## Story

In another dimension, Renet, who is an apprentice timestress, is attempting to steal a scepter that holds the sacred sands of time, which allows the holder to travel anytime and any place in the known universe by wishing it. She gets the scepter and is found by Lord Simultaneous. She wishes herself somewhere, anywhere to avoid him and ends up in New York City in 1986 with the Turtles.

Lord Simultaneous finds her, and to avoid her she wishes to go "anyplace on this Earth before humans recorded time." We then see some barbarians who know it is Tuesday, but don't know the year because as one of them says "I don't think we record that yet." An asterisk leads us to a footnote that says "yes we do -- it's 1406 - Tarim". The barbarians have woken up Cerebus who requests not to be awoken until sundown.

Then Renet and the Turtles jump into Cerebus' time, and Cerebus takes them for a witch and demons. Cerebus then challenges the turtles to a fight, but Renet stops them and explains what is going on. The group is then attacked, and someone takes the scepter from Renet in the battle. The group then gets some mercenaries and battles the group that took the scepter. Lord Simultaneous shows up just as the battle is drawing to a close, and he gets back his scepter, frees the group and sends everyone back to their proper time and place.

## Additional

In addition to the new covers, the *Ashcan* includes several new drawings of Cerebus as "Matisse, the Unknown Turtle".

## Notes

For notes, see *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8*

## Cover Gallery

Print runs as indicated.

Collector Cover<br
150 copiesGreen Foil Cover
120 copiesGold Cover
80 copiesPlatinum "Cerebus Team" Cover
40 copies
Additional 5 "Rejected" copies
Pope Harmony IV

**Pope Harmony IV** was the leader of the Eastern Church of Tarim.

## History

Pope Harmony IV came to power following the execution of Pope Harmony III. He called Cerebus to the Central Tower for a "brief meeting", where he stated that he believed Cirin to be correct and that she would triumph in her struggle against Adam Weisshaupt. Shortly after imparting this to Cerebus, he was assassinated on the orders of the Lion of Serrea.
Phonebook

The **Phonebooks** are the sixteen *Cerebus* trade paperbacks that collect the individual issues of *Cerebus*. While the vast majority of issues are included, as well as some additional material, there are several issues not included for various reasons.

## Dave Sim on the Phonebooks

* "After that I'm hoping to arrange for the first twenty-five issues to be published as a collection ("Cerebus the Barbarian") followed sometime later by the publication of the 500 page "High Society" under one cover as a graphic novel... I have arrived at this decision for a number of reasons (a) the difficulty involved in keeping each volume of Cerebus in print at all times, (b) the convenience of being able to introduce new fans to Cerebus with two large volumes and (at most) two dozen back issues, (c) a manageable format for someday having all 300 issues available (a twelve volume set of 500 page hardcovers), (d) the opportunity to expand Cerebus' exposure by making in available in bookstores."

## Foreign Translations

### *High Society*

* Spanish by Pontent Mon. (April 2010).
* French by Vertige Graphic (August 2010).
* Italian by Black Velvet (November 2010).

### *Church & State I*

* Spanish by Pontent Mon. (July 2011).
* Italian by Black Velvet Edrice. (November 2011).
* French by Vertige Graphic. (November 2011).

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 49, "Aardvark Comment"
Prince Mick

**Prince Mick** was a Prince of the T'capmin Kingdoms, along with his brother, Prince Keef.

## History

He told Cerebus that his father, the King, wouldn't pay his and his brother's bail unless they agreed to marry, so they returned to the T'capmin Kingdoms.

When Mrs. Thatcher visited the Wallis Pub by the Wall of T'si, Mick claimed his name was "Mr. Phillip Michaels".

## Quotes

* "I 'aven't slep' through anuvver autumn, 'ave I? I 'ate it when tha' 'appens..."
* "Keef! You 'aven' bin strite since fou'teen-ow-noine."

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 85* and *Cerebus No. 86*
* *Cerebus No. 94*
* *Cerebus No. 142*
* *Cerebus No. 201*
* *Cerebus No. 208* and *Cerebus No. 209*
* *Cerebus No. 213*
* *Cerebus No. 300* - cameo

## Basis

He is a parody of singer Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, much as Prince Keef is a parody of guitarist Keith Richards.

## Dave Sim on Mick and Keef

* "I'm a big Rolling Stones fan. Reading the book "The Rolling Stones: In Their Own Words", I was struck by the pampered laissez-faire demeanor central to many of their opinions and comments; particularly Mick and 'Keef'. I decided that they would be perfect as jaded royal types - types from the T'capmin Kingdoms. Someday, I'll get Cerebus up there for a visit or the Glimmer Twins will arrive in Iest for a Slumming Party or something. Stay tuned."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 142*, page 13
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 201*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 85*
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 86*
5. ↑ *Cerebus the Newsletter, No. 11*, 1984
Unnamed Wizard

An **Unnamed Wizard** had taken possession of the Flame Jewel, protecting himself and the jewel with a series of illusions througout his tower and lands. When Cerebus and a group of thieves attempted to steal the jewel, Cerebus successfuly slew the magician after recognizing that all of the protections were illusions, as well as the jewel itself.
Mrs. Reno

**Mrs. Reno** was a woman who entered the Action Figures Pub prior to the arrival of Jaka Tavers and Cerebus. She told proprietor Greg Hyland how he was to act in her presence and intimidated the only patron into leaving.

## Basis

She is a parody of former United States Attorney General Janet Reno.

1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 232*
Panrovy

**Panrovy** was one of the Southern City-States of Estarcion. It lay just south of the Kota Mountains, east of Eshnosopur and west of Palnu.

## History

* Cerebus at one point deduced that Red Sophia was taught the "standard Panrovian duel assault" by one of the "liquor sodden barons in exile" and made a reference to a "band of Panrovian dueling instructors".
* When Cerebus leapt out of the Throne Room, he broke a "thick pane of Panrovian Dynasty glass",

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 3*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 102*
Mrs. Gurzky

**Mrs. Gurzky** was the wife of Mr. Gurzky, an Isshurian farmer. She lived with him at Gurzky Farm.

## History

Mrs. Gurzky verbally chastised her husband at every opportunity for his shortcomings as a simple peasant. During the period when Cerebus was employed as a sheep herder by Mr. Gurzky, Cerebus would spy on her while she bathed at night.
Pud Withers

**Pud Withers** was a tavern owner in Iest.

## History

His mother, Speranza Withers, at one point gave him a journal, which would later be read by Mrs. Thatcher.

Withers hired Jaka Tavers to dance at his tavern. He also rented a small apartment to her and her husband, Rick Nash.

When Cirinists discovered he had hired a dancer, they killed him.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 115* through *Cerebus No. 127*
* *Cerebus No. 129* and *Cerebus No. 130*

## Dave Sim on Pud Withers

* **SPURGEON:** One thing I want to follow up on: I look at the character of Pud Withers in Jaka's Story and I see him as a commentary on fanboy mentality.

**SIM:** Oh, yeah.
**SPURGEON:** But that seems more seamlessly placed within that work than, say, Moon Roach in High Society.
**SIM:** Well, yeah. There was a level of maturity that Cerebus as a character had achieved in the course of Church and State that I wanted to portray in that story. Not very much of what the Judge told him had stuck, but enough hat that he really wasn't back to Square One. That's the surface impression that he has because he's mostly "conscious-minded," There's very little "unconscious mind" to Cerebus. So he comes back and maturity is possibly around the corner. Let's present him with a situation that requires maturity and see if maturity is possible. Consequently there is no Roach in Jaka's Story. You're exactly right: Pud Withers was the comic book presence in that story. Cerebus has moved -- however temporarily -- from having a superhero serve as an allegory of his state of mind, the state of his existence, to having a superhero fanboy type serve as the appropriate allegory of his state of mind, state of existence. The next allegory is normalroach, signifying an intermediary step between the "real" world Pud Withers and the next Roach incarnation, Punisherroach -- my way of indicating that Cerebus has slipped back from the potential of maturity to a situation where maturity is very much removed from him.
## References

 1. ↑ Interview from *The Comics Journal No. 184* and *No. 192*
Oscar

**Oscar** was a writer of books called Reads. Among his works was *Daughter of Palnu*. He was eventually imprisoned by the Cirinists.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 120* through *Cerebus No. 129*
* *Cerebus No. 160* - cameo
* *Cerebus No. 300* - cameo

## Basis

This character is the first manifestation of Oscar Wilde, the other being Sebastian Melmoth.

## Dave Sim on Oscar

* **Question:** Was Oscar in Melmoth the same character who was in Jaka's Story? People have said you've answered this question differently at different tour stops.

**Dave:** That was left intentionally ambiguous. If you go by the length of Jaka's hair between issues 75 and 114, Cerebus was on the moon for a longer time than it appeared, or was wandering around dazed for two years. The Oscar character in Melmoth refers to the author of *Jaka's Story* as a separate person. This was one of the instances where I was ambiguous with a capital "A"; manufacturing two separate, irresolvable interpretations. Nothing frustrates me more than the twentieth century adherence to the notion that you can find out what "actually happened" and that it is necessary for fiction to set out a linear, quantitative and absolute reality for the readers consumption and assurance. I think EVERYTHING is like the Kennedy assassination(s); riddled with inconsistencies, false trails overlapping stories and considerations; distortions wrapped inside fabrications and coated with lies. The sooner we get over the idea that reality isn't like this, the sooner we'll be able to put together a world that fits our circumstances as they are; not as they never were and will never be. I'm not holding my breath.
Swords of Cerebus Volume One

***Swords of Cerebus Volume One*** is a trade paperback collection of stories about Cerebus from *Cerebus No. 1* through *Cerebus No. 4*, plus a new story. It was the first in a series of collections that predated the creation of the phonebook format. Each story has a new introduction by Dave Sim.

## Stories

### "Cerebus the Aardvark"

from *Cerebus No. 1*

Cerebus faces off against a wizard in an attempt to obtain the Flame Jewel.

### "Captive in Boreala"

from *Cerebus No. 2*

Cerebus is captured by Borealans and the demon Khem.

### "Song of Red Sophia"

from *Cerebus No. 3*

Cerebus meets the beautiful, but mercurial Red Sophia.

### "Death's Dark Tread"

from *Cerebus No. 4*

In Serrea, Cerebus meets the enigmatic Elrod and faces off against "Death".

### "The Name of the Game Is Diamondback"

new story - layouts by Marshall Rogers

Cerebus plays Diamondback and brawls in Lower Felda.

## Notes

* A new cover was used for the second and higher printings.
Theresa

**Theresa** was a political operative in Iest.

## History

Theresa attended Madame DuFort's School for Gifted Debutantes at the time it was visited by Cerebus.

She went on to work as an assistant to Astoria, though she later formed an alliance with Adam Weisshaupt.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 23* and *Cerebus No. 24*
* *Cerebus No. 41*
* *Cerebus No. 49*
* *Cerebus No. 60*
* *Cerebus No. 62*
* *Cerebus No. 66*

## Basis

She is named after Deni Loubert's sister Karen's middle name.

## Dave Sim on Theresa

* **Q.** Theresa is Astoria's offspring, right?

**Dave**: Wrong. She's her former protege.
## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 23*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 41*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 60*
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 75*, "Aardvark Comment"
Renegade Press

**Renegade Press** was an American comic book publisher founded in 1984 by Deni Loubert following her split from Dave Sim and their company, Aardvark-Vanaheim.

## History

Loubert had served as publisher for Aardvark-Vanaheim from its inception in 1977. She and Sim had married in 1978 and divorced in 1984. At that time, she formed Renegade to take over publishing of all remaining non-Cerebus titles then published by Aardvark-Vanaheim, following a short period of co-publishing for most titles.

As part of the separation agreement, Dave Sim/Aardvark-Vanaheim took on most of A-V's debts while splitting the on-hand cash with Renegade. A-V published *The First Fifth*, a portfolio of illustrations covering the first sixty issues of *Cerebus*, to help pay down that debt.

Renegade would go on to publish many other additional titles before ceasing operation in 1989.

## Titles taken over from A-V

* *Flaming Carrot Comics* by Bob Burden: No. 5 & 6 jointly published; moved to Renegade with No. 7; moved to Dark Horse Comics with No. 18
* *normalman* by Jim Valentino: No. 8 jointly published; moved to Renegade with No. 9
* *Neil the Horse* by Arn Saba: moved to Renegade with No. 11
* *Ms. Tree* by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty: No. 16 - No. 18 jointly published; moved to Renegade with No. 19
	+ *The Files of Ms. Tree* (1984): moved to Renegade Press with Volume Two

1. ↑ A Moment of Cerebus - "The Alternative Comics Cadaver Derby"
Swords of Cerebus Volume Three

***Swords of Cerebus Volume Three*** is a trade paperback collection of stories about Cerebus from *Cerebus No. 9* through *Cerebus No. 12*, plus a new story. Each story has a new introduction by Dave Sim.

## Stories

### "Swords Against Imesh"

from *Cerebus No. 9*

Cerebus and the Conniptin army approach Imesh, only to find the city abandoned.

### "Merchant of Unshib!"

from *Cerebus No. 10*

Cerebus finds himself once again travelling with Red Sophia, this time on the trail of a Black Blossom Lotus.

### "The Merchant & the Cockroach"

from *Cerebus No. 11*

Attempting to sell the Black Blossom Lotus in Beduin, Cerebus becomes entangled with "The Cockroach".

### "Beduin by Night"

from *Cerebus No. 12*

Returning to Beduin, Cerebus again faces off against the Cockroach.

### "What Happened Between Issues Twenty & Twenty-One"

new story - inks by Gene Day

Drugged and taken to Beduin, various plans are in motion around the unconscious Cerebus.
Vicar Graeme

**Vicar Graeme** was a preacher in Sand Hills Creek.

## History

A known drunkard and adulterer, his sermons concerning a vengeful Tarim left a major impression on the young Cerebus, to the point of causing him to urinate in church.

When he was somewhat older, Cerebus denounced the Vicar for his sins publicly, which lead to his father sending him to live with Magus Doran in Imesh.

After Cerebus became the Pope of the Eastern Church, he based his "sermon on the chimney", where he demanded the people of Iest bring him all of their gold, on the sermons of Graeme.
Three Wise Fellows

The **Three Wise Fellows** were adherents of "the prophet Ricke" who view Cerebus as a holy figure, awaiting him to speak the "Word of Truth".

## History

The Three Wise Fellows originally included brothers Shem and Moshie (a.k.a. Mosher) and their partner, Loshie (a.k.a. Losher). When Shem left the group, he was replaced by his and Mosher's younger brother Koshie (a.k.a. Kosher). After Koshie had a career-ending stroke, Shem returned to the group. When Shem passed away, he was replaced by Joe Schlimmer. When Schlimmer chose to leave, he was replaced by Koshie Joe. Loshie eventually suffered a series of strokes and passed away. While Moshie looked for a replacement, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. An enormous celebration of the "last original Wise Fellow" was held, after which Moshie died. The Three Wise Fellows, having had most of their duties passed off by then onto Substitute Wise Fellows, officially came to an end.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 268* through *Cerebus No. 279*

## Basis

The Three Wise Fellows are a parody of The Three Stooges: Mosher (aka Moshie) is based on Moe Howard, Losher (aka Loshie) on Larry Fine, Kosher (aka Koshie) on Curly Howard, Shem on Shemp Howard, Joe Schlimmer on Joe Besser and Koshie Joe on Joe "Curly Joe" DeRita.