Chris K. :: CEREBUS

Sim, Dave - Cerebus, issue 153, page 4 (Dec 1991)

Artists: Dave Sim (Penciller) , Gerhard (Finisher)

707 Views - 1 Comment - 1 Like

Sim, Dave - Cerebus, issue 153, page 4 (Dec 1991) Comic Art

Artwork Details

Title:	Sim, Dave - Cerebus, issue 153, page 4 (Dec 1991)
Artist:	Dave Sim (Penciller)
Artist:	Gerhard (Finisher)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	707
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	10/25/2008
Comic Art Archive:	Cerebus Issue: 153 Page: 4 View

Description

One of the two original pieces of art in my collection that were not convention sketches. First piece framed - by my wife for my birthday.

Cerebus was created by Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim. The series ran from December 1977 - March 2004 and featured an anthropomorphic aardvark as a title character who takes a number of roles throughout the series - barbarian, prime minister and Pope among them. The series stands out for its experimentation in form and content, and for intricately detailed artwork, especially after background artist Gerhard joined in with the 65th issue in August 1984. As the series progressed, it increasingly became a platform for Sim's controversial beliefs.

While the 6000-page story is a challenge to summarize, it did begin as a parody of sword and sorcery comics. Over time, it moved into seemingly any topic Sim wished to explore - power and politics, religion and spirituality, gender issues, etc. Starting with the High Society storyline, the series became divided into self-contained ‘novels’, which form parts of the overall story. The ten ‘novels’ of the series have been collected in 16 books.

Cerebus was self-published by Sim under his Aardvark-Vanaheim, Inc. publishing banner. Sim's position as a pioneering self-publisher in comics inspired numerous writer/artists after him, most notably Jeff Smith (Bone), Terry Moore (Strangers In Paradise), and Martin Wagner (Hepcats). By the end of the 1980s, Sim became an outspoken advocate of creators' rights in comics, and used the editorial pages of Cerebus to promote self-publishing and greater artist activism. Sim was also the biggest individual supporter of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; when he guest-wrote the 10th issue of Todd McFarlane's best-selling Spawn, Sim donated his entire fee (over $100,000) to the fund.

‘Jaka's Story’ (comprised of issues #114-136 and #138, published from September 1988 – September 1990), a tragic character study dealing with gender roles and the political suppression of art, is generally cited as the series' pinnacle achievement – and is when I discovered the series. Later issues of the series became highly personal for Sim and began to alienate many long-time fans - his female readers, in particular. Issue #186 (September 1994) contained a lengthy prose section that was attacked by some readers and critics for what they perceived as overt misogyny, but which Sim described as ‘anti-feminism’.

The publication in March 2004 of issue #300 was met with a muted, rather than celebratory, response from the comics industry. Though Sim reported the print run for #300 was doubled from that of more recent issues, that would still only come to around 16,000 copies, a far cry from the series' high of 30,000 copies around issue #100.

As a final note of interest, over the course of 1985 to 1988, Sim negotiated with DC Comics about buying Cerebus. He was offered $100,000 and 10% of all licensing and merchandising, which Sim rejected. It’s interesting to speculate how different the series might have been had Sim agreed to sell the property.

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Chris K. Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	August 2008
Last Login:	January 2026
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Chris's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

Contact the Owner

Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
but, you must be logged in to use this feature.

Comments on this Artwork

You must be logged in to make comments.

ilia georgiev
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 9/2/2024

Cerebus's expressions are priceless on this page. The last panel and huge Hurahh summarize the mood. Nice page.

All
	paul skidmore 1/24/2026 7:31:00 AM
	Dean Juliette 1/24/2026 7:22:00 AM
	R Berman 1/24/2026 7:18:00 AM
	Patrick Le Cerf 1/24/2026 7:15:00 AM
	ENRIQUE ALONSO 1/24/2026 7:13:00 AM
View All


	Marzio Frei 1/24/2026 7:12:00 AM
	Andy Brown 1/24/2026 6:35:00 AM
	Travis Ellisor 1/24/2026 6:22:00 AM
	Greg McKee 1/24/2026 4:26:00 AM
	Brad Potts 1/24/2026 3:08:00 AM