Customer Reviews

Guys (Cerebus, Book 11)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's not the best of the Cerebus books, but - maybe except for Reads - any of them deserves five stars.

At first one starts to wonder if Cerebus is ever going to be sober in this book. Dave Sim & Gerhard have distinguished themselves, among other things, as people able to depict drunkenness and headaches in a quite extraordinarily realistic way, as displayed in this book as well. There are also a number of interesting deliriums (another of the creators' strong sides). Eventually Cerebus does get sober, and the storyline starts concerning itself with deeper issues, such as loneliness, and friendship and how it can be ruined by falling in love (with someone else). And it all ends with an epilogue so unexpected and thought-provoking that you'll do anything to read the next book.

The perhaps most important reason why the Cerebus books are so good, and like nothing else in this world, is that the creators allow themselves to take their time. An average book in the series is about 300-500 pages, and this obviously allows for (successful) experimenting with the art of telling a story in comics. This involves, for instance, filmish effects (like zooming in or out on a target) and symbolistic depictions of a character's inner life. Something that maybe hasn't been given enough credit is Dave Sim's almost superhuman genius in creating word balloons that are immensely able to express sentiments. Another forgotten hero is Gerhard, whose backgrounds are always ... perfect.

Finally, I can only feel sorry for Cerebus, that he has to meet such a terrible person like Joanne.

In this collection of Cerebus, Dave Sim looks at life in a pub as the male patrons interact. Lots of guest stars from previous Cerebus books appear: Mick & Keef, Bear, and others. This book will make you think about platonic friendships between males and their relationships with women. Shows some insight into the Cirinist regime that has been set up and how Cerebus deals with it. Mrs Thatcher also returns. Many laughs in this one!

Cerebus began with issue one, but that was before i was born. Therefore, my initiation into comics came later as did my interest outside the superhero genre. Well, as it happens, Guys was the first full book/chapter/volume of Cerebus that i ever read; that is, i read this as it came out monthly. Previously i had bought and read the first volume in which Cerebus is actually just a Conan parody, but Guys was my first taste of real Sim and the magnificent background art of Gerhard.

Entering this volume without having the complete prior story was confusing, but a willingness and steady pace allowed me to situate myself and get comfortable quickly. Plus, i luckily had a steady income that allowed for the consumption (so to speak) of the prior volumes. Though i should say that i was able to read all of the prior volumes in the time it took for the 20 or so issues of this volume to reach my hands.

A great high point of Guys is Marty's character. Marty Feldman as he was in Young Frankenstein -- i.e. bloody hilarious. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also provide some laughs. Also worth mentioning is Sim's inclusion of other comics professionals most notably Rick Veitch and Don Thompson. All the cameos Sim includes serve a purpose, though it is somtimes purely comedic.

All in all, Sim gives a very sublime tone throughout this volume, which may or may not be helpful to some readers after the mass of text and ideas that is Mothers and Daughters. I found the relaxing pace quite welcome, though. The only thing truly lacking in the collected volumes are 1) the nice covers 2) the back up features like letters and other correspondences Sim has with several comics professionals (one of my favorites is his several part discussion about the end of Gaiman's Sandman series, which occurred during this volume's serialization).

Although Sim's misogynistic agenda was pretty clear by the time "Guys" hit the shelf, this volume remains, to my mind, one of the best books in the series. After the rambling, pretentious, scattershot, tedious nonsense that weighed down Mothers & Daughters (composed of Flight, Women, Reads, & Minds) -- Guys revitalized my interest in the book as a whole. Guys stands up pretty well as a self-contained work, and the art is some of the best. The writing is top-notch, and the parodies of the gender roles and attitudes are extremely effective. Given that the entire book takes place in a tavern, with the characters drunk half the time, it encapsulates what you'd expect from a volume called "Guys" pretty well.

One of the funniest, best-written, and most interesting books in the Cerebus series.

Dave Sim and Gerhart puts out the 11th book of the Cerebus series, and it is great as usuall. Funny, graphic, and addictive as allways. May the 300 ish mark be just a fluke and may it go on and on and on.

For the first 3/4 of the book, Cerebus tries to stick to his plan from the last book of becoming everybody's friend. The problem is, he's trying this in a bar, and he's not always pleasant when he's drunk. Eventually, all his friends desert him, with the excuse that they're all running away from Bear's girlfriend, which doesn't make sense as Bear and his girlfriend also leave.

Cerebus then becomes the bartender of the empty bar. Not long after, Joanne arrives. They have a brief affair. I'll leave the cause of their break up as a surprise. Why does everyone hate Joanne, anyway?

With this continuing story, to really get it, you need to read every volume. Except for Melmoth.

This claustrophobic collection takes place almost entirely within a bar. This isn't about action (though theres is some, a little). It's about Cerebus's recovery after some crushing defeats spelled out in earlier stories, and about his boozy climb towards that recovery.

Despite the grim setting, Sim and Gerhard manage to throw in plenty of amusement. Cerebus not only talks to himself, he argues with himself (in an undetermined number of voices), and comes close to losing the argument. A number of characters wander in and out. Some come from earlier episodes, some from popular culture (especially the music industry), and some from other comics that were popular and current in the late 1980s and early `90s.

This collection covers a dismal episode in Sim's personal life, and much of that darkness comes through. Cerebus is a series best read in the order it was written - later issues of the monthly magazine (like the ones collected here) often rely on context created in earlier issues. But, if you're a fan of this offbeat indy, seeing it collected will be a happy experiece.

-- wiredweird

Aftre reading this and the prioir and next section of the series I felt that at this point i nhis 300 issue story Simd had lost any sense of what he was doing with the tale. Essentially there is almost 50 issues where the plot and characters hardly develop at all. Lots of skill in the drawing and dialogue but essentially no content- sad because the series was quite good for a long period of time prior to Mothers and daughters.
And this does represetn a huge amount of work sadly wasted.

Once again, Dave Sim and Gerard return with another mind-blowing chapter of the self published book cerebus. Details Cerebus' struggle with his inner emotions and instincts.