Cerebus: Going Home (Cerebus, Volume 13) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Dave Sim (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 386 pages
• Publisher: Aardvark-Vanheim (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0919359191
• ISBN-13: 978-0919359192
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like most of the last third of Cerebus, there's a lot of good and a little bad, February 10, 2007

By 

Stephen Ebrey (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cerebus: Going Home (Cerebus, Volume 13) (Paperback)

There's a misconception that the last third of Cerebus is not as good as the first two thirds, which simply doesn't make sense. The fact is that Cerebus has always varied wildly in quality, and the last third has as many brilliant parts as the earlier stuff. Going Home isn't as good as Guys, but there's a lot more quality here than crap.

The first half of this book is about Cerebus and Jaka walking towards his hometown, and it's brilliant. The artwork features some absolutely stunning landscapes in addition to the usual bars (drinking establishments must take up a couple thousand pages of Cerebus). There's a lot of fighting between the couple, but there are also legitimately romantic scenes, and a hilarious encounter with a Lord Julius like-a-look.

The second half of Going Home is another Jaka's Story style story, where an author (based on F. Scott Fitzgerald) is both a character and the fake author of prose pages. Dave Sim's imitation of Fitzgerald is at least as good as his faux Wilde, though the prose here doesn't tell a parallel story; instead, the prose offers an alternate version of the comic that makes his character look better. It's a funny technique, but not as profound as Jaka's Story, where the two stories were both emotional rollercoasters. The biggest problem with this book is a segment where the Fitzgerald character gets drunk and explains his philosophy of life and religion. It sounds as though Sim has placed himself in the character rather than Fitzgerald. If Sim wants to use a character as a mouthpiece, he should just insert himself in the comic... like he's done three times already!

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep Going, November 21, 2010

By 

Cilantron (CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cerebus: Going Home (Cerebus, Volume 13) (Paperback)

Add an extra star if you're into F. Scott Fitzgerald and you like what Sim has done with him, or subtract a star if you don't. This volume follows a nice, linear storyline as Jaka and Cerebus journey "towards" Cerebus' home town of Sand Hills Creek. (Creak...creak...creak...That's my idea of foreshadowing.) Gerhard's backgrounds are beautiful, as usual. This volume maintains the high quality of art and storytelling we've come to expect from Sim and Gerhard. Why only four stars? Well, call it a high four stars, almost five. I'm unapologetically stingy with my 5 star ratings. Once again, you might be able to quit reading now and imagine that Jaka and Cerebus wil live happily ever after, but there are of course far too many hints that this will not be the case.

The book ends with a huge pile of notes, mostly about Fitzgerald and only very tangentially related to Cerebus, that, depending on your temperament and level of interest in Fitzgerald, you may wish to read, skim, or skip entirely. If you do skip them, I'd say the most important plot point which is not immediately obvious from the actual comic is ***spoiler*** "F. Stop" would not jeopardize his career over an affair with Jaka.

4.0 out of 5 stars Quiet times in the Cerebus saga, December 7, 2008

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cerebus: Going Home (Cerebus, Volume 13) (Paperback)

This collection pulls Cerebus and his beloved Jaka along a lengthy trip. This isn't an action-packed sequence. Instead, it centers on the personalities of Jaka and Cerebus, and especially on the personality of their relationship. Like so many, it has dark corners and ambiguities, as well as the solid core that holds them together - for now, at least.

Along the way, they meet the kinds of characters that Cerebus fans have come to expect. Groucho-esque Lord Julius appears early on, but others appear. One might be modeled on Alan Moore, another on F. Scott Fitzgerald - but the characters are easy to enjoy even without the cultural backdrop that formed them. Then, all of this takes place in a land governed by a crushing matriarchy, sort of "political correctness" gone wild. Males seem barely tolerated as a distasteful but necessary adjunct to the begetting of more women.

Newcomers to the Cerebus story really should start at the beginning. This book jumps right in, assuming a long familiarity with the people and places, giving the first-time reader little in the way of orientation. This could even become tedious if you're not already a fan of the series. But, if you've been with Cerebus this long, you'll appreciate Sim's dry satire as much as ever.

-- wiredweird