recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Marvel Comics

**Marvel Comics** is an American comic book publisher. They published *Epic Illustrated*, which featured several stories of Estarcion by Dave Sim and Gerhard.

Around 1980, after providing a one-page story for the eighth issue of the black-and-white *Howard the Duck* magazine, Sim was offered the opportunity to write the feature. Sim turned them down "in about five seconds". Sim later provided pinups of Shang-Chi, Howard, Moon Knight, Cyclops and Iron Man for *Marvel Fanfare No. 25*.

A few years later, Sim and Chris Claremont hatched a Cerebus/X-Men crossover story, "The Untold Crisis", but apart from a promotional image, nothing came of it.

## Cerebus stories

* "Arnold the Isshurian", *Epic Illustrated No. 16*
* "His First Fifth", *Epic Illustrated No. 26*
* "A Friendly Reminder", *Epic Illustrated No. 28*
* "Selling Insurance" & "The Girl Next Door", *Epic Illustrated No. 30*
* "Ages of Cerebus", *Epic Illustrated No. 32*
* "The Untold Crisis", unpublished

## Other

* "Frontispiece", *Howard the Duck No. 8*
* "Original Sim", *Marvel Fanfare No. 25*

## References

 1. ↑ *A Moment of Cerebus*, "Howard the Duck"
Cerebus No. 289-290

***Cerebus No. 289/290*** is a double issue of *Cerebus* published by Aardvark-Vanaheim.

## Stories

### "Chasing YHWH VIII: The Final Twinkle"

Chapter the First through Chapter the Fourth. Cerebus dreams of the creation story. This creation story deals with God and YoohWhoo. It is also tied into quantum physics, Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and other hard sciences, including embryology.

### "Chasing YHWH IX: The Ultimate Roman Numeral"

Chapter the Fifth through Chapter the Eighth. Cerebus' dreams continue.

## Characters

* Cerebus *(last seen in* Cerebus No. 288*; next appearance in* Cerebus No. 291*)*

## Story Notes

* Sim considers this story to be a Grand Unified Theory of the interrelation of all particles, which Einstein tried and failed to produce.

## Publication Notes

* *Cerebus No. 289* and *No. 290* are a double sized issue together. The cover for *No. 289* is on the front and the cover for *No. 290* is on the back.
* "Chasing YHWH VIII" & "Chasing YHWH IX" are reprinted in *The Last Day*.

## Dave Sim on *Cerebus No. 289/290*

* "I’m glad you appreciated the double issue, 289/290, and in exactly the way that I intended it. I used the Ham typeface for my hint to Cerebus to hide the manuscript largely because it seems to be the least intrusive besides comic-book lettering. I probably should have chosen something else to differentiate it from Ham, but “the best laid plans.. .“ I’m not sure there was a typeface that would fit the bill. As to why I would give the manuscript to Cerebus in the first place, this is my best guess at omniscience which is going to be cursory at best). I think God “works around” our little blunders. Arguably, Jesus only became necessary because Judas Maccabee signed a treaty with the Romans {l Maccabees 8:17-32 documents the treaty. Judas dies in 9:18, 1 suspect, as a direct consequence}. My best guess is that, if he hadn’t, he would’ve become the Meschiach. Because he did, he needed to be killed immediately and the back-up plan of Jesus needed to be set in motion as a corrective x number of years later (Jesus who was, significantly, betrayed by a Judas). So, I tried to reflect that kind of thing in Cerebus. He screwed up. Royally. So the only thing to do was to keep him alive until he was 300, give him the revelation, have him hide it and then have it turn up 2,000 years later. That’s] just how poisonous the choice of New Joanne was. It had to completely hatch but and encircle Cerebus’ world before the discovery of the ancient manuscript could have a solid chance of doing some good. And, yes, this does reflect what I think is the destiny of the Cerebus storyline itself. At Ground Zero, March 2004, it was universally pored and will continue to be ignored. The question is, can I hang on and can those ho get custody of it hang on long enough to outlast Marxist-feminism?"

## References

 1. ↑ *Collected Letters Volume 2*, page 91
T'capmin Kingdoms

The **T'capmin Kingdoms** include N'Gamin, Smina, Unshib, Fort Columbia and Ress. Its southern boundary is the Wall of T'si.

Special decorations are given to men who man the Wall of T'si for twenty years against the invasions of Khaidoge the Ungovernable.

Cerebus once promised to take Jaka Tavers to the T'capmin Kingdoms.
Alfred

*For the friend of Sebastian Melmoth, see Alfred Douglas.*
**Alfred** was the son of Suenteus Po.

## History

Upon his father's death, he assumed the name Suenteus Po and led the army that conquered Iest. What followed was a brief Golden Age, which ended due to internal friction, incompetence, and natural disasters.

In his final years, Alfred embraced mysticism, and founded the Illusionists. He granted his name to his followers, and it has been used by many (if not most) Illusionists ever since.

His son was Suenteus Po III.

## Quotes about Alfred

* "My son Alfred was not an ignorant man, nor an evil man; but his motivation in taking both my place and my name were of a basic and mundane sort. Conquest was, to him, as it is to most Great Conquerors; a balm for his vanity, a jewel in his imagined crown."
* "By the time of his death at the age of forty-one, fully one third of the population of the Lower City was named Suenteus Po and believed themselves to function within a single, divine consciousness." - Suenteus Po

1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 159*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 159*
Khem

**Khem** was a demon/succubus in Tansubal who was allegedly the guardian of the Eye of Terim.

## History

Khem fed on souls and used the bodies thus captured as warriors. Its victims would spend their time carving representations of Khem into the soft rock of an underground maze cavern.

It was said to have a "crimson claw". It is unclear if there was any connection to the Red Claw terrorists who seem to play a part in the Roach's various origins.

While Cerebus was traveling with Borealan mercenaries, they were ambushed by an army of Khem's soul-drained warriors. Cerebus then fell into the subterranean dwelling, and discovered the supposed Eye of Terim, which was actually a trap Khem used to steal people's souls. Due to its inability to locate Cerebus' soul, he was able to escape Khem's clutches and, in so doing, free all of the captive souls, reducing the enslaved warriors to skeletons.

At least two years later, at the time of the "Great Change", Khem suddenly realized the purposelessness of its existence (now that its spell has been broken) and self-destructs.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 2*
* *Cerebus No. 151*

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 2*, page 14
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 151*, page 7
Add One Mummified Bat

**"Add One Mummified Bat"** is a short story by Dave Sim told across twelve portfolio plates. It was published as a part of *The Animated Cerebus*.

## Summary

Magus Doran is conjuring up a spirit while Cerebus looks on. While reaching for a mummified bat to add to the cauldron, Magus inadvertently grabs Cerebus instead and tosses him in. The mouth of the spirit opens up and spits Cerebus out. The spirit then looks at the wizard and breathes fire on him. Cerebus tiptoes away as the wizard stands there with soot on his face.

## Characters

* Cerebus *(last seen in "Squinteye the Sailor"; next appearance in "The Defense of Fort Columbia")*
* Magus Doran *(only appearance)*

## Dave Sim on "A Well-Equipped Bar"

* "It was Deni who suggested the idea for this one. Deni always suggests ideas when I'm chewing the drapes and the carpet and threatening to go out and drink myself into oblivion. Sometimes it works. 'Why don't you do one about the time he was a magician's apprentice? Everyone wants to know about that.' She was right, so I told her it was impossible and that I had already thought of that and why didn't she go somewhere and publish something.

"Fortunately I had a mouthful of broadloom so it didn't come out clearly enough for her to take offense.
"I thought about it tapping my pencil on the dining room table, picking broadloom fibres out of my teeth. I always pictured Magus Doran's studio as one that Gene Day had drawn years ago for an animation sample. The picture was dominated by a bubbling cauldron, while the over-layed cells were of a magician gesturing over his head with his arms. Gene never took it any further and I always wondered what would have come out of that cauldron. I decided it would be a gaseous spirit like the one in 'The Wizard of Id'.
"This story features the youngest Cerebus I had drawn to date. Looks nice in a turtleneck, don't you think?"
* "Magus Doran appears for the first and only time in "Add One Mummified Bat" after having been referred to repeatedly."

## References

 1. ↑ *The Animated Cerebus*
2. ↑ Cerebus Archive Report #3.5 (S.P.A.C.E. Edition)
Free Cerebus

***Free Cerebus*** is a special issue of *Cerebus* released in 1992.

## Contents

The comic retells the story of *Cerebus* from "High Society" through "Jaka's Story". Although Cerebus' early adventures are mentioned, no artwork is used from the first twenty-five issues. Each excerpt includes descriptions by Dave Sim explaining some of the context.

## Additional

* Aardvarkian Age map of Estarcion designed by Michael Loubert
* Advertisements:
	+ *Cerebus* phonebooks
	+ *Cerebus: Church & State* bi-weekly reprint series
	+ Cerebus US Tour '92

## Characters

* Cerebus
* Jaka Tavers
* Lord Julius Tavers
* Archbishop Powers
* Regency Elf
* Holland M. Hadden
* The Cockroach
* Astoria
* Spokesman for the Iestan Guild of Government Employees
* Duke Leonardi
* Adam Weisshaupt
* Red Sophia
* Mrs. Henrot-Gutch
* Necross / Thrunk
* Rick Nash
* Pud Withers
* Oscar
* Mrs. Thatcher
* Prince Keef
* Prince Mick
Action Figures Pub

The **Action Figures Pub** was a pub owned and operation by Greg Hyland. Hyland would give each male customer an action figure (don't call them dolls) to help them express their emotions. He stated that women didn't need them, as they already knew how to express their feelings.

## History

Cerebus and Jaka Tavers visited the pub on their way to Sand Hills Creek.

Later, Cerebus attempted to play a practical joke on Hyland by dressing up as a ghost and scaring him, but the pub was then being run by William Moulton Marston Tusshi, Hyland having headed north to open three more Action Figure Pubs. One such pub was the Scab and Maggot.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 232*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 238*
Spheres of the Gods

The **Spheres of the Gods** were legendary objects of great power. The Eye of Terim was said to be a Sphere of the Gods. The wizard Henrot was believed to draw his power from two of the Spheres. "Death" was aware of them, proclaiming at one point, "By the Five Spheres!" Dave stated that the planet Uranus was the "third largest of the 'Spheres of the Gods'..."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 2*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 3*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 4*
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 196*
Collected Letters 2004

***Collected Letters 2004*** is a book by Dave Sim that collects letters written by Sim between January 8, 2004 and June 5, 2004 following the conclusion of *Cerebus*. The book contains only Sim's letters, not the letter to which he was responding.

## Gerhard on *Collected Letters 2004*

* Design and art direction: Dave Sim; Photo, computer stuff and general execution: Gerhard

* That is a composite photo of the upstairs hallway with an office at each end. Mounted on the wall in the middle is the original cover art for Cerebus Jam.

At the back of the house on the main floor is a studio-apartment setup that Dave moved into a couple of years ago. So it is the A-V office and Dave's home.
## References

 1. ↑ Cerebus Yahoo!Group Message #58318
2. ↑ Cerebus Yahoo!Group Message #58376
Smina

**Smina** is a city located in the T'capmin Kingdoms. It is found south of the Shen Steppes, west of the Sea of Tanchya, and northeast of Unshib.

Smina is one of the places Cerebus once promised to take Jaka Tavers. Later, Cerebus claimed to Bear that Smina had the best two-way soldiers, due to their depth, youth, and knowledge in finding openings.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 6*
2. ↑ "The First Invention of Armour"
Swords of Cerebus Supplement to Volume Six

The ***Swords of Cerebus Supplement to Volume Six*** is a trade paperback-sized comic book that reprints "This Woman, This Thing" from *Cerebus No. 25*. It was published because the first printing of *Swords of Cerebus Volume Six* did not include that issue due to an error. It uses the same front and back cover as *Volume Six* with the logo recolored.
Moshie

**Moshie** (a.k.a. **Mosher**) was one of the Three Wise Fellows.

## History

Moshie was one of the original Three Wise Fellows, alongside Loshie and Moshie's older brother, Shem. When Shem left the group, Moshie brought in their younger brother, Koshie to replace him.

After Koshie suffered a debilitating stroke, Shem rejoined Moshie and Loshie. Moshie later wrote Koshie a letter requesting that he give Moshie full control of his likeness for merchandising purposes, which Koshie signed.

Following the death of Shem, Moshie sent a letter to Loshie claiming the sole power to choose Shem's replacement, requiring Loshie's signature. Loshie did not sign and Joe Schlimmer was chosen over Moshie's objections.

When Schlimmer left, Moshie replaced him with "Koshie Joe".

Loshie had his first stroke in the year 41 and additional strokes in 46 and 47, dying on the 26th of Wintermonth that year.

Later that year, a celebration of the "Last of the Original Wise Fellows" was held with speeches and an enormous banquet. Moshie died two days later, on the 42nd of Springmonth, 47.

## Basis

Like the other Wise Fellows, he is based on a member of The Three Stooges, Moe Howard.
Cerebus' helmet

**Cerebus' helmet** was a magical items, forged by a Pigt shaman-king from a hard, gray metal.

## History

According to Dave, the shaman-king creator of the helmet (and also a sword and a set of medallions) 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.

Cerebus obtained these items in his travels, although he eventually traded the helmet for a vest, black paint and a paintbrush. Had Cerebus been in possession of all three objects when he later met the Pigts and found their aardvark sculpture, the objects would have turned into gold and Cerebus would have had the ability to command the sculpture and conquer the land.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 195*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 196*
Dandy Don Duffbeer

**Dandy Don Duffbeer** was a publisher who produced the "graphic read" *Dandy Don Duffbeer's Bazaar Heroes*. He came upon Cerebus and Bear as they played Five-Bar Gate beside the Wall of T'si. He gave them free hats and traded Cerebus a copy of *Bazaar Heroes* (featuring "The Wanker") for two hard boiled eggs.

## Basis

Duffbeer and his publication are a parodies of cartoonist Don Simpson and his title *Bizarre Heroes*. His surname is a reference to Duff Beer from *The Simpsons*.

## Dave Sim on Dandy Don

* "Actually the Duff Beer reference was a shot at Groening over his corporate masters suing an Australian brewery for calling one of its brews "Duff Beer." I mean, the Fox Television Corpse doesn't even make beer and they're suing someone who does for using the name? Disgusting, and I think Groening has to take his share of the blame for being party to it by signing away his rights."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 208*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 212*, "Aardvark Comment"
Cerebus No. 196

***Cerebus No. 196*** is an issue of *Cerebus*.

## Story

Dave continues his story of Cerebus' equipment, showing Cerebus how, over the years, the Pigts fought for possession of the helmet, sword and medallions. Eventually, the three objects were lost, and then considered mythical. 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. Dave tells Cerebus that if he had his helmet, sword and medallions when he first met the Pigts, they would've become solid gold and he could've commanded the Pigt Idol and taken over Estarcion.

Dave continues saying that instead of going to the Red Marches, Cerebus first went to Serrea. Cerebus didn't want anyone to know he was a northern barbarian, so he sold his helmet for a bottle of black paint, a paint brush and a black vest. In an alley called Doar Close, he used the black paint and paint brush to put the merchant guild symbol on the medallions. Dave says that this action of closing the door on that path unleashed a wave of chaotic manifestations: the Chaos Gem, the Crawler, Elrod, Turg, and the Black Sun Priests, Death (although he doesn't mention this one to Cerebus).

The Black Blossom Lotus, according to Dave, was a magic talisman that almost redeemed the lost of the helmet, but due to Cerebus' inverted destiny he merely acts as magic's conduit passing the lotus from one merchant to another merchant. That merchant is another chaotic manifestation released by Cerebus: the Cockroach, who becomes an inescapable manifestation of Cerebus inadequacies and failed nature. Dave says there are aftershocks of Cerebus' fractured destiny: Necross inhabiting the giant stone Thrunk and Elrod's spirit possessing the Hsifan assassin, the Apocalypse Beast and Charles X. Claremont, the Regency Elf. . . He states that Cerebus' journey to the Seventh Sphere is merely one where he is a pawn in a larger game.

Cerebus asks Dave to make Jaka love him in that way. Cerebus passes Uranus. Dave asks if Cerebus would like to know the answers to a couple of other deep philosophical questions. Cerebus begins to pout, and we see him in a baby's high chair with a baby bonnet on. Dave stops when he realizes he isn't getting anywhere. Dave begins to show what life would be like with Jaka when they've been married for a year and five months.

## Additional

* "The Situation Room" by Dave Sim
* "Aardvark Comment"
* *Charles Vess' Ballads and Sagas* - A Cerebus Preview

## Characters

* Cerebus *(last seen in issue 195; next appearance in issue 197)*
* Dave *(last seen in issue 195; next appearance in issue 197)* Voice-Only
* Jaka *(last seen in issue 193; next appearance in issue 197)*

## Objects

* Cerebus' helmet
* Cerebus' medallions
* Cerebus' sword
* Cerebus' vest

## Story Notes

* When Dave shows Cerebus and Jaka's life together, Jaka is reading Linda Medley's *Castle Waiting*.

## Publication Notes

* The Cerebus story is reprinted in *Minds*.
Scott

**Scott** was an Iestan writer.

## History

At a party held by the Iestan Ambassador, Mary Ernestway met Scott and discussed how she ate lions in Africa. Scott was disgusted by this and upset by Mary's philosophical beliefs. He denounced Mary in print and, eventually, Ham, as well, going so far as to challenge Ham to a duel. Ham publicly dismissed the challenge as beneath him and incompatible with his need to recover from his recent burns. The night that these events were recounted to Cerebus and Jaka, Ham committed suicide.

## Dave Sim on Scott

* "I substituted Iestan Ambassador for British Ambassador. The journalist in question (having to real precedent for journalism in Estarcion, I really had to fudge this one), Edward Scott, was an expatriate New Zealander and columnist for the Havana Post. . .I found irresistible the temptation to portray Edward Scott as the spitting image of F. Stop Kennedy, his distinctive profile shaded from view as he engages Mary Ernestway in a conversation which would, in good poetic fashion, lead ultimately to the destruction of her husband, Ham. I have no idea if Edward Scott resembled F. Scott Fitzgerald even fractionally - but it would surprise me more if he didn't than if he did."

## References

{{reflist}]

1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 259*
2. ↑ *Form & Void*, pages 747 - 749, "To Ham & Ham Not"
Following Cerebus No. 11

***Following Cerebus No. 11*** is an issue of *Following Cerebus* published by Win-Mill Productions.

## Articles

* "Writers Are God's People" by Craig Miller
* "Rick Veitch Interview"
* "Dream Away"
* "Thou Good and Faithful Cerebite" by Bryan Douglas
* *Collected Letters 2* Dave Sim interview
* "About Last Issue: Barry Windsor-Smith's Endless Waves of Time" by Dave Sim
* "About This Issue's 'About Last Issue'" Dave Sim Interview
* "Cerebus Gallery"; various commissions of Cerebus and Jaka Tavers
* "Drew Hayes, 1969-2007"
* "Mind Games"
* "Dave Sim's Favorite ~~Buffy~~ Sarah Michelle Gellar Pic This Month"

## Publication Notes

* The year between this issue and its predecessor was the first time *Following Cerebus* missed its quarterly publishing schedule.
Norman Kingsley

**Norman Kingsley** was a writer who formulated theories on the nature of women.

## History

While walking near the Wall of T'si, expounding on the history of Cirin, Kingsley mentioned his belief that women could read minds. This upset the Cirinist stenographer, Celestia, who was tasked with transcribing his words. As he entered the Wallis Pub, she left to fetch back Mrs. Thatcher.

Mrs. Thatcher arrived at the bar, making conversation with Harrison Starkey before approaching Kinglsey, who engaged her in conversation on his theory. While Kingsley attempted a civil conversation with her, Mrs. Thatcher repeatedly interrupted him early on, before allowing him to make his case. He eventually overwhelms both Mrs. Thatcher and an eavesdropping Cerebus, leaving their heads throbbing.

## Basis

Kingsley is a parody of American author Norman Kingsley Mailer. He is drawn in the style of Al Hirschfeld, including his signature hidden "Ninas".
Note from the President

**"Note from the President"** is a regular editorial column by Aardvark-Vanaheim president Dave Sim that appears in *Cerebus No. 71* through *Cerebus No. 300*, as well as other publications by Aardvark-Vanaheim. It replaced the "A Note from the Publisher" column by Deni Loubert following her departure from the company.
Ress

**Ress** is one of the T'capmin Kingdoms.

Thieves once sold the Black Blossom Lotus to a jeweler there. It remained in his possession until his death, when it was sold in an estate sale. The jeweler's son, Meirgen, attempted to get it back by aligning with Red Sophia.

Cerebus' first job, at age 6, was cleaning up a pub in Ress.

Years later, Cerebus and Bear discussed the Ress army. Cerebus claimed the troops lacked strength down the middle, leaving their front line capable of getting a hole punched in it by a defensive line. Bear pointed out Ress' record in the last ten campaigns, and also referred to Commander Hawert, who Cerebus claimed was too old.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 10*
2. ↑ "His First Fifth"
3. ↑ "The First Invention of Armour"
Spawn No. 10

***Spawn No. 10*** is an issue of Todd McFarlane's comic book series *Spawn*. At the time, McFarlane decided to bring in a series of guest writers and this issue was written by Dave Sim. It features his character, Cerebus.

## Story

### "Crossing Over"

Spawn travels to a location where many characters from various other comics companies are trapped between bars and shouting "injustice (save us)" and "injustice (help us)". Men stand behind them hooded and hands tied behind their backs. Spawn tries to blast the bars to open them, but with all his strength, he can't open the cage.

So the heroes give them their power, and Spawn tries again to open the cage. He fails. Cerebus appears and the story turns from color to black and white. Cerebus explains who the characters in the cage are and the men behind them: the characters that have been sold and the men that sold them. They walk through Kitchener, passing by Market Square and Peter's Place.

Then they arrive at a house, and the story returns to color. The house is Spawn's house, and Cerebus explains that Spawn's creator didn't sell him out.

## Quotes

* "Babies all look like Winston Churchill to Cerebus. Hey. To each his own." - Cerebus

## Publishing Notes

* "Crossing Over" has been reprinted in *Spawn Origins Collection Book 1* and *Spawn Origins: Deluxe Edition Volume 1*.
* A "Remastered & Expanded" edition with new art by Dave Sim was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim and The Waverly Press in 2021.

## Dave Sim on "Crossing Over"

* "Iconic, High", "Crossing Over", "(1993/05) Spawn 10", "n/a", "Art by Todd McFarlane.", "Color. May need to be printed in a seperate volume, or perhaps in the middle as a color insert supplement.", "N/A"

AGREED – Dave Sim – could be incorporated into a colour volume more easily for obvious reasons if Image is doing the book and could be incorporated, regardless, depending on how Todd feels about it.
Pigt Idol

The **Pigt Idol** was a fifteen-foot, grey idol made of clay in the shape of an aardvark.

## History

The idol was worshipped by the Pigts for more than a thousand years in their tunnels beneath the Red Marches. It was said to be in the image of their God-King.

It was destroyed by Cerebus, who beat it into formless debris.

Three years later, the idol was suddenly and inexplicably restored during the coming of the "Great Change". Its right ear soon fell off. The restoration of the idol led the Pigts into a civil war over what action to take next.

According to Dave, if Cerebus had his helmet, medallions, and sword when he found the idol, those items would have turned to gold, and Cerebus would have been able to control the idol such that it could move, aiding Cerebus in his conquest of Estarcion.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 5*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 151*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 156*
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 196*
Pink Floyd

**Pink Floyd** was a barbarian warrior who once battled with Cerebus.

## Basis

He is named after the band Pink Floyd and the pinkish hue that he has on the cover to *Cerebus No. 1*.

He has been singled out as a good means of telling whether a copy of *Cerebus No. 1* is authentic or one of the vintage counterfeits released around 1982. An authentic Floyd will have no red bleeding into his body and the red ink is visible within the solid black of the medallion. A counterfeit will have some red bleeding into Floyd's body and there is no red ink visible within the black.

## Dave Sim on Pink Floyd

* "I know from long (long, long, long) experience that it's almost impossible to explain anything about CEREBUS to anyone besides CEREBUS fans.  Everyone else seems to have built-in CEREBUS filters. Which is why I wanted the most easily identifiable of those metrics -- Pink Floyd -- to be what we restricted ourselves to."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 1*, cover
2. ↑ "Cerebus #1 and the Fakey Fakers: How to Tell A Counterfeit From the Real McCoy", *A Moment of Cerebus*
Necross

**Necross** was an evil wizard who lived in Lower Felda.

## History

Necross, also known as "Necross the Mad" or "Necross Ha Ha Ha the Mad", was engaged in a long-standing feud with the people of Theyr, a village on the banks of the Feld River.

After the villagers captured Cerebus, thinking him a "creature of sorcery", the Tarimite priest of the village condemned him and had him taken to Necross' castle, where the aardvark squared off against the wizard. Necross revealed Thrunk, a giant stone statue that he intended to animate one day.

The villagers returned and Necross teleported Thrunk downstairs to frighten them, only for the wizard to be shot by an arrow and killed. Thrunk immediately began to move and talk, having been imbued with Necross' life force. The priest challenged the golem, but was crushed.

Necross-as-Thrunk then realized he was stuck in the only room with a reinforced floor and was, essentially, trapped.

He would re-emerge years later, claiming to be the embodiment of Tarim and briefly supplanted Cerebus as Pope of the Eastern Church. Necross/Thrunk was finally destroyed for good by Cerebus with the use of Adam Weisshaupt's canons.

### As Thrunk

* *Cerebus No. 80* through *Cerebus No. 82*
* *Cerebus No. 87* and *Cerebus No. 88*
* *Cerebus No. 196* - cameo

## In Other Media

* Necross is voiced by Michael Petranech in *The Absurd, Surreal, Metaphysical and Fractured Destiny of Cerebus the Aardvark* (2021).

## Dave Sim on Necross

* "As for Necross the (ha ha ha) Mad. He was cut from whole cloth; Exidor from 'Mork and Mindy' (did anybody at \*all\* watch the second and third seasons?) He was a very bouncy character, which I hadn't realized until I had a few pages done. Much like the Moon Roach would later, he led me to develop almost a completely different style in order to capture the kind of broad gestures and body movements of a real nutbar."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 13*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 80]]*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 88*
4. ↑ *Swords of Cerebus Volume Four*, Introduction
Sheriff Dolan

**Sheriff "Show No Mercy" Dolan** was the sheriff of Garrison Town. He had a "freelance strong-arm" working for him called "The Spirit or The Wraith or some such".

## History

Cerebus was arrested while in Garrison Town because (according to Cerebus) "some farmer had got his nose broke by slamming it repeatedly into Cerebus' foot". When Cerebus refused to pay the two-crown fine, Dolan ordered him jailed. When The Spirit attempted to do so, a fight broke out. It ended when the janitor paid the fine to avoid "a lot of extra work" cleaning up the mess.

## Basis

Sheriff Dolan is based on Commissioner Eustace Dolan from The Spirit comics, the creation of Will Eisner.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus Jam No. 1* - story "Cerebus Versus The Spirit"
Cerebus the Sketchbook No. 1

***Cerebus the Sketchbook No. 1*** is a mostly-blank comic book-sized sketchbook published by The Waverly Press in collaboration with Aardvark-Vanaheim as a part of the *Cerebus No. 1 - Remastered & Expanded* Kickstarter campaign. It is intended for collecting sketches and drawings with a focus on Cerebus. The cover is based on the background to *Cerebus No. 1*.

The book features an introduction by Dave Sim, as well as a 2020 Cerebus drawing by Sim labelled "No. 1 Sketch" on the inside back cover.

Sim has used the sketchbook as the medium for a series of original art sketch covers.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus the Aardvark No. 1* Kickstarter campaign
Rotsieve

**Rotsieve** was Victor Reid's misogynistic alter-ego.

## Quotes about Rotsieve

* "Rotsieve and Viktor were two sides of the same coin."

* "Rotsieve, in self-righteous and moral dudgeon, was capable of dictating the first dozen chapters of a definitive tract on misogyny without taking a breath: he was venomous and poetic, vicious and lyrical in his protracted monologues. No female acquaintance, public figure or blood relation escaped indictment. To Rotsieve there were no individual women; they were all expressions and permutations of a solitary and monolithic malignancy. He was bigoted, rhetorical, narrowly focused, dismissive of contrary argument (however well-reasoned), merciless, tyrannical and ..'"

## Dave Sim on Rotsieve

* **Q3a**: Within the body of Reads, we are introduced to Victor Reid, and his alter ego Rotsieve. Given the parallels in the second half of Reads, and your admission of being a diagnosed borderline schizophrenic, could it be said that the authoring of the second half of Viktor Davis' Reads (and to some degree Tangent) could be inspired by your own "Rotsieve?"

* **DAVE**: "*Rotsieve"-Victor spelled backwards-was inspired by my own experiences as a mean drunk. That fed on itself-the longer I went without getting laid, the meaner a drunk I became and the meaner a drunk I became the longer I went without getting laid. It was Valerie-back in the 80s at Peter's Place who christened me "Evad, the anti-Dave" as I recall and then later "Deiter von Evad". It was just alcohol fuelled rage pure and simple. I never hit anybody or anything but I would develop a very sharp tongue and a cruel wit which was very entertaining as long as you weren't the object of it. I tried to document that part as honestly as I could, particularly as it tended to manifest itself in my relationship with Diana Schutz which is what had been going on just prior to Reads, 1992-93. I'd place these terrifically abusive and interminable phone calls to her when I came home drunk and not remember a thing the next day.*"

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 177*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 177*
3. ↑ *Reads*, Q & A
Pieces of Turtles 8 (series)

***Pieces of Turtles 8*** is a series of behind-the-scenes comics published by Aardvark-Vanaheim featuring sketches, mock-ups and various other pieces of artwork related to the original production of *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles No. 8*. Two issues were produced, each in a Canadian and American price variant. A third issue was produced in 2023 in collaboration with The Waverly Press.

## Issues

* *Pieces of Turtles 8*
* *Pieces of Turtles 8.2*
* *Pieces of Turtles 8.3*
Sepran Empire

The **Sepran Empire** was a "loosely knit and militant empire" in Estarcion. Its capital was Serrea.

Its eastern border was generally considered to be the Sofim River, although the lands immediately beyond it (the Red Marshes) were not strongly held (or desired) by any one group.

Suenteus Po the Illusionist once described its Golden Age as "...quite nearly Vanaheim on Earth. The greatest freedom for the greatest number, government control so decentralized as to be almost non-existent."

## Basis

Seprans (and New Seprans) spoke with a "mock-Italian" accent.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 4*, page 2
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 158*, page 7
Ziggy

**Ziggy** was Bear's girlfriend and later wife. She had mood swings at the drop of a switch; one minute she was calling Bear "Pooh-Bear" and then next minute her teeth were razor sharp, her eyes turned to slits and she became quite upset.

The guys at the bar called her "Zig-Pig" as a nickname. When she showed up to get Bear, all the other guys decided to leave and head south.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 212* - cameo
* *Cerebus No. 213*
* *Cerebus No. 224* - mentioned
Sulk

**Sulk** is a metaphysical character, a manifestation of Mrs. Henrot-Gutch as a member of the Clueless within the dream realm. Her realm is "on the other side of mirrors".

## Basis

Dave Sim based her on Mrs. Henrot-Gutch because of a remark to Sim by Neil Gaiman at a convention while Sim was working on *Cerebus No. 169*.
Paul "Coffee" Annan

**Paul "Coffee" Annan** was a champion professional Five-Bar Gate player. He was married and had a son.

## History

Annan was the Five-Bar Gate champion of Northern Isshuria for decades. Every year after he turned pro, Cerebus would lose in the finals at Moosehat Gardens to Annan, except twice. The first time, Annan broke his ankle in an earlier match, so Cerebus had no problem eliminating his no-name opponent in the finals. The second time, Annan died in the middle of the match, leading to Cerebus' retirement from the sport.

## Basis

Annan's name is based on the names of former hockey player Paul Coffey and Kofi Annan, the late former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

## Dave Sim on Paul "Coffee" Annan

* "What if Paul Coffey sues *me* for using *his* name? (Dave biting his fingernails with typewriter sound effect) (a light bulb comes on over his head) "I know! I'll merge his name with Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and one of the most respected and admired figures in the civilized world (and even parts of the *United States!*)! 'Coffee' will be his nickname and I'LL MAKE HIM A BLACK GUY!! Paul Coffey won't be able to sue me or he'll look like a *racist*!"

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 267*
2. ↑ "About This Issue", *Cerebus No. 267*
Rip Cerebus

"Rip Cerebus" is a three-panel comic strip by Dave Sim and Carson Grubaugh created as an incentive for the Kickstarter campaign to finance the production of *The Strange Death of Alex Raymond*. Written by Sim, he also drew the Rip Cerebus figure, with all other art by Grubaugh.

## Story

Rip Cerebus, along with his companion, Carson (who Rip calls "Desmond") discover a clue in the bedroom of a sleeping woman, who wakes in alarm at their presence. Rip leaves the explanations to "Desmond".

## Characters

* Rip Cerebus, a parody of Rip Kirby by Alex Raymond
* Carson, a representation of artist Carson Grubaugh
* Unnamed woman

## Publication

"Rip Cerebus" was published on a small strip of paper meant to replicate the size of a newspaper comic strip at the time Raymond was working on *Rip Kirby*. It was available as an add-on to purchasers of Living the Line's edition of *The Strange Death of Alex Raymond*. Copies were signed by Sim and Grubaugh and numbered out of 100.
Mrs. Henrot-Gutch

**Mrs. Henrot-Gutch** was the mother of Red Sophia and ex-wife of the wizard Henrot.

## History

After Cerebus became married to Red Sophia, Mrs. Henrot-Gutch came to live with them in the Regency Hotel. She had a very bad temper and disliked Cerebus. She was afraid of thunder and lightning storms.

## Quotes

* "Hey! Hey you! Brat! Git outta that pear tree now! That's not a toy!"
* "A donkey on the outside is a donkey on the inside."

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 19* - mention
* *Cerebus No. 57* and *Cerebus No. 58*
* *Cerebus No. 60*
* *Cerebus No. 64* through *Cerebus No. 69*
* *Cerebus No. 73*
* *Cerebus No. 141*
* *Cerebus No. 163*
* *Cerebus No. 169*
* *Cerebus No. 193* - cameo or mention
* *Cerebus No. 300* - cameo

## Basis

She is based on the Grandma Giles character from cartoons by Carl Giles.

## Dave Sim on Mrs. Henrot-Gutch

* I was having to come up with a mother-in-law for Cerebus during his brief marriage - obviously it would have to be some counterbalancing force to this walking id, this three foot tall aardvark with the bad attitude - and I just could not get the picture of the Giles grandmother out of my mind, so, my sincerest apologies to him, but it is a wonderful character.

She hasn’t been in for the last two years; but those were some of the most enjoyable times at the drawing board, sitting down and trying to get the grandmother just right. It’s the perfect image. I just saw the poster that they have for The Giles Exhibition, and it just screams ‘Britannia’. It’s about time that the she was somewhere, six or seven feet tall, with that attitude that only she can do so well!
## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 60*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 163*, page 14
3. ↑ DAVE SIM AND GERHARD: AARDVARKS OVER THE UK
Tansubal

**Tansubal** was a city in the northern part of the Sepran Empire. It was referred to as "the northern province of Tansubal".

## History

Some time after the Cerebus' adventure with the Flame Jewel, he ended up in Tansubal, where he joined a military expedition through Boreala to fight in the Blood Wars.

After a failed attempt to steal the Eye of Terim from the demon Khem, Cerebus returned to Tansubal to meet with the wizard Henrot, in an effort to earn money to head East.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 2*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 3*
The Last Day Widescreen Remarque Auction Catalogue No. 1

***The Last Day Widescreen Remarque Auction Catalogue No. 1*** is a comic-sized catalogue of remarqued covers to the remastered edition of *The Last Day*.

## Contents

Dave Sim has copies of *The Last Day* available with an original drawing of "old Cerebus" on the cover. Several of these he did in a "widescreen" format, meaning the image spreads across the cover of the book, not just a head by the logo. The catalogue collects all of these covers with a code indicating when they would be auctioned off via the A Moment of Cerebus blog.

## Publication History

Copies of the catalogue are sent out with purchases of *The Last Day* directly from Aardvark-Vanaheim via CerebusDownloads.com and with *The Last Day* hardcover.

There have been two printings so far; the first of 100 copies and the second of 200 copies.
Mrs. Copps

**Mrs. Copps** was an Iestian Cirinist who was put in charge of Cirin's project to construct a huge gold sphere for the Ascension. She worked with Mr. Hammond on the project and butted heads with Mrs. Thatcher.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 155*
* *Cerebus No. 156* and *Cerebus No. 157* - mentions
* *Cerebus No. 158*

## Basis

She is a parody of former Canadian politician Sheila Copps.
High Society

**High Society** can refer to several different uses:

* "High Society", the main story in *Cerebus No. 26*
* "High Society" (storyline) The first extended storyline of the *Cerebus* comic, which begins in the above issue
* *High Society* (phonebook) The second phonebook in the series, which collects the above storyline
* *Cerebus: High Society*, the second of the bi-weekly reprint titles which reprinted the original issues featuring the storyline
Wall of T'si

The **Wall of T'Si** is a famous sight on the Feld River, north of Moresh, south of Unshib. It serves as the southern boundary of the T'capmin Kingdoms.

When Cerebus first met Jaka, he promised to take her there.

For a time, Cerebus stayed at a Tavern on the southern side of the wall. Later, he worked there as a bartender.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus* No. 6
2. ↑ *Guys*
3. ↑ *Rick's Story*
Following Cerebus No. 12

***Following Cerebus No. 12*** is an issue of *Following Cerebus* published by Win-Mill Productions.

## Articles

* "David Peterson Interview"
* "Thou Good and Faithful Cerebite" by Bryan Douglas
* "Three Daves: Sim, Lynch and Foster Wallace"
* "Max Southall Interview"
* "Eric Hoffman Interview"
* "Mind Games" letters page
* "About Last Issue" by Dave Sim
* "An Editorial of Sorts"

## Publication Notes

* This is the final issue of *Following Cerebus*.
* The almost four-year gap between this issue and its predecessor was the longest in the title's run.
Shep Shep

**Sheshep Ankh** aka **Shep Shep** was Cerebus and New Joanne's son.

## History

Sheshep Ankh ("Living Symbol") couldn't pronounce his name when he was a child, so got the nickname Shep-Shep. On the last day of his life, Cerebus spent most of his time waiting for Shep-Shep to be let in to see him. His son's revelations so enraged Cerebus that he lept wildly out of bed, leading to his death.

## Nature

It has been suggested that Shep Shep may have psychic powers as a result of his half-aardvark nature.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 291* and *Cerebus No. 292* - flashbacks
* *Cerebus No. 298* and *Cerebus No. 299*

## Dave on Shep Shep

* "Of course you had only see Tales of Shep-Shep When He Was a Boy at the time of writing, but it was interesting that you mention his ears. it was a problem I had worked on, off and on, since about the middle of High Society: how much Cerebus should there be in the kid. The "aardvark ancestors" sequence in [Minds]] represented the first real dry run for that, across the spectrum of primarily human to primarily aardvark. But it was interesting when it came time to drawn Shep-Shep as a boy that I tended to make the ears sharper than I wanted to -- the fact that he only has three toes on each foot indicating the Cerebus was providing the back end of the horse in this case. i had already decided that any sharpness to his ears would raise questions of whether he was an elf, (as you say) infernal (probably closer to the mark, but not something I waant to prefigure) or was related to Leonard Nimoy in some way."

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 300*
2. ↑ *Collected Letters*, page 154
Mrs. Tynsdale-Clyde

**Mrs. Tynsdale-Clyde** was a reformed Cirinist.

## History

Adam Weisshaupt selected Mrs. Tynsdale-Clyde to head up his Presidential commission, "Cirinism: the Eastern Menace". He arranged for her to meet the heads of the various members of the United Feldwar States, including then-Prime Minister of Iest, Cerebus. Cerebus had been concerned that the "britches" he was wearing to cover his tail were too tight. This was proven true when the front of his pants tore open in front of Mrs. Tynsdale-Clyde and his tail flopped out, causing her to faint.

She later related this incident to some of her friends.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 59*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 61*
Seth

**Seth** was an artist in Iest.

## History

Seth and his agent, Bill Mox, visited Cerebus during his time as "Most Holy" to create an oil painting of him. Later, he painted a portrait of Duke Leonardi, using Beth as a model.

## Appearances

* *Cerebus No. 92*
* *Cerebus No. 153* and *Cerebus No. 154*
* *Cerebus No. 157*

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 92*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 153*
Tower

The **Tower** is a structure that encompasses the Upper City of Iest is located at its top. It is composed of skulls. It grows during an Ascension. The collapse of the tower after Cerebus' second Ascension caused the destruction of Iest.

## Dave Sim on the Tower

Q2: What is the meaning of the faces on its tower and how did they get there?

DAVE: I always wondered about that myself. Again, one of those things lost to the ages. Trapped souls from some mystical war in the distant past? Sculptures? Sculptures inhabited by the souls of the dead? Picture the Ka’aba in the Grand Mosque in Mecca. We know that people have been circling the Ka’aba every Ramadan for, at the very least, two thousand years. If you believe Islamic history, they’ve been doing so since Adam first built it and since Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt it. It’s reasonably certain they’ve been doing so since Muhammad helped rebuild it in the seventh century. Now, what’s the idea behind it? Why do people circle the Ka’aba seven times? Do you think that someone said six to ten thousand years ago, “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Check this out.” Or do you think it goes much deeper and much higher up than that? My guess is the latter. That would be the same answer I would give to “the meaning of the faces on its tower”. I’m sure there is a very deep, deep meaning to it. But it goes back too far to even begin to speculate upon successfully.

The fact that I introduced the wall of faces way back in the early part of High Society has always interested me because I really didn’t have a story attached to them and no one even remarks on them until Prince Mick pages and pages later. Of course my suspicion now is always that anything that I can’t account for as coming out of my own imagination I always figure was a “plant” by God to try to “fish in YHWH,” something that I wasn’t remotely aware of in a conscious way, something that came from my being “tapped into” a reality that I was only vaguely aware of. Certainly the idea of rock having a personality which would be implied by all the faces, I imagine, would be very appealing to YHWH since that was supposed to be the Big, Shock Surprise Ending—it turns out that YHWH was Mother Earth all along! Gasp!

And the fact that this personality filled rocks which were in a cup-shaped, vaginal opening motif surrounding the Upper City like labia and then WHOOSH they would grow into this giant penis shape. Yeah, I can see how, conceptually, that would get YHWH a little runny between the legs.
Ned Greely

**Ned Greely** was a senior partner in the firm Greely, Bleaker and Spleen.

## History

When Cerebus arrived in Iest, Greely was one of the businessmen who tried to curry favor with him by giving him a check. His goal was to induce Cerebus to recommend his firm to Lord Julius Tavers for the installation of gold-plated streetlamps. At the time, Cerebus was unaware that Julius had made him a diplomatic representative to Iest on behalf of Palnu. That did not stop him from taking Greely's money, however.

Later, after Cerebus had unsuccessfully held himself for ransom, he decided to ask Greely to intercede for him with the Prime Minister. The Regency Elf noted that Greely had been bringing a young woman to the Regency Hotel, so Cerebus decided to use blackmail instead. Unfortunately, Greely was a good friend of the Prime Minister, so the blackmail fails to work.

## References

 1. ↑ *Cerebus No. 26*
2. ↑ *Cerebus No. 27*
3. ↑ *Cerebus No. 29*
4. ↑ *Cerebus No. 30*