Cerebus No. 37

## *Cerebus the Aardvark No. 37*

***Cerebus the Aardvark No. 37*** is an issue of *Cerebus* published by Aardvark-Vanaheim.

## Stories

### "It's Showtime!"

Lord Julius' Petuniacon is here. Elrod and Cerebus are signing autographs and drawing sketches in different rooms for the government representatives. Bran Mac Mufin suggests Cerebus run for Prime Minister, a suggestion Astoria goes off to investigate. At one point, a representative asks Cerebus what it's like to be living with Lord Julius' ex-wife, Astoria.

### "Welcome to Hell, Dr. Franklin!"

by William Messner-Loebs
Benjamin Franklin finds himself in a version of Hell, facing off against a god-like figure named Marcus.

## Additional

* "A Note from the Publisher" by Deni Loubert
* "Aardvark Comment"
* Illustration of Cerebus and Shang-Chi by Dave Sim and Gene Day

## Characters

* Artist *(last seen in* Cerebus No. 25*; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 82 *as part of Fred, Ethel and the Little Fellow with the Hair)*
* Astoria *(last seen in* Cerebus No. 35*; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 38*)*
* Bran Mac Mufin *(last seen in* Cerebus No. 35*; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 40*)*
* Cerebus *(last seen in* Cerebus No. 36*; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 38*)*
* harmon Blakely *(first appearance; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 39*)*
* Eugene S. Filgate *(first appearance; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 38*)*

## Story Notes

* As Cerebus never finishes his letter to Jaka, it's unclear if it is an apology or a request.
* Cerebus reunites his sword with his medallions. Unfortunately, the third item of the trinity of artifacts, the helmet, is long gone.
* Petuniacon is a parody of a comic book convention, including the concept of drawing sketches for attendees, not a typical activity for political figures.
* We learn here, in an aside, that Astoria is the Duchess of Parmoc.
* Bran Mac Mufin's mentioning of "wives and concubines" is interesting, as Cerebus' actual sexual exploits are rather sparse at this point. Still, as established last issue, "everybody" knows that Cerebus and Astoria are living together.
* With the legislature currently at 113 members, 57 are needed for a majority. Astoria has already gotten support for Cerebus from at least 63 of them, and realizes that Cerebus **could** conceivably become Prime Minister.
* Astoria swears (though not aloud) by "Terim's blood" - a hint to the readers about her religious leanings.
* At the bottom of one page, many questions are being asked, and Cerebus' corresponding answers are at the top of the next page.
* Of note is that Cerebus did not tell the Grand Inquisitor to jump off a bridge; in fact, he probably doesn't know that the Grand Inquisitor was one of the inquisitors he saw the Roach kill in Issue 31.
* Elrod's and Cerebus' "escape from Serrea" appears to be just another tall tale from Elrod.
* Cerebus learns that Astoria is Lord Julius' ex-wife, enough of a surprise to make him snap his quill. However, it appears to be common knowledge, at least according to *Cerebus No. 40*.

## Publication Notes

* Reprinted in *Cerebus: High Society No. 12*
* "It's Showtime!" reprinted in the *High Society* phonebook

## Dave Sim on *Cerebus No. 37*

* "Bit of autobiography with being put in an empty room at a convention. \*Very\* hard to feel famous in an empty room. At frist I had Cerebus up on a stage. A plain lectern/desk in the middle of an acre of carpet was funnier. Also had to design a Palnan flag for him to sit in front of."