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G. Dave Sim

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Cerebus, Volume 1 Paperback – January 1, 1987

by Dave Sim (Author)

4.7 110 ratings

Part of: Cerebus

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Book by Sim, Dave

Part of Series

Cerebus
Print length

534 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Aardvark-Vanheim
Publication date

January 1, 1987
Dimensions

7.5 x 1.25 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

0919359086
ISBN-13

978-0919359086
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Welcome to Estarcion, the wildly absurd and funny world of Cerebus the Aardvark. This initial volume collects the first two years of stories from Dave Sim's 300-issue magnum opus (still in progress after 20 years). Don't be discouraged by the initially crude artwork or the silliness of the stories. It gets better--even noticeably within this volume. This first installment is the most valuable in preparing for the larger stories ahead.

When we first meet Cerebus--a small, gray, and chronically ill-tempered aardvark--he is making his living as a barbarian. In 1977, when the Cerebus comic book series began, Sim initially conceived of it as a parody of such popular series as Conan, Red Sonja, and Elric but quickly mined that material and transformed the scope of the series into much more. Even by the end of this volume, the Cerebus story begins to transform beyond "funny animal" humor into something much more complex and interesting.

High points in Cerebus include the introduction of Lord Julius, the dictator of Palnu, who looks, acts, and talks just like a certain cigar-smoking, mustachioed comedian; Jaka, Cerebus's one true love; Elrod the Albino, an innept swordsman; and the Cockroach, the-mother-of-all-superhero-parodies and "inspiration" for the much-later TV and comic character--the Tick. All of these characters appear later on in the series as part of a constantly present ensemble of supporting figures.

Even if Cerebus doesn't knock your socks off, give its successor, High Society a try, as this is where the plot really gets going.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Aardvark-Vanheim (January 1, 1987)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 534 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0919359086
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0919359086
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.25 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,124,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,888 in Fantasy Graphic Novels (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 110 ratings

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110 global ratings

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Customers find the book amazing, unique, and reads great. They also appreciate the good humor and artwork. Readers describe the content as original and unique.

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7 customers mention "Overall quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book amazing, worth the buy, and a well thought out adventure.

""Cerebus" (Cerebus, Volume 1) is an amazing tome...." Read more

"...the story evolves into a very strong, very interesting, very well thought out adventure that should not be missed!..." Read more

"...and deserves the praise it gets, but this first volume is worth your time, too, and as a plus, will enrich your experience with High Society if..." Read more

"...It's worth the buy just to see how long Cerebus' nose was in the beginning..." Read more

3 customers mention "Content"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the content very original, unique, interesting, and well thought out. They also say it's enjoyable to read, fascinating in its evolutionary brilliance, and brings back many memories.

"...that this Volume 1 is easily enjoyable to read, and fascinating in its evolutionary brilliance...." Read more

"...is fun and amusing, and the story evolves into a very strong, very interesting, very well thought out adventure that should not be missed!..." Read more

"...So glad I bought this volume collection. It looks great, reads great, and does bring back many memories!" Read more

3 customers mention "Reading experience"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great read, with art and writing that improve dramatically as they read along.

"...The art and writing improve dramatically as you read along, more than any continuous (i.e. non-"Best of" or non-"Greatest Hits" style) trade..." Read more

"...So glad I bought this volume collection. It looks great, reads great, and does bring back many memories!" Read more

"Sarcastic, funny, intelligent. ......all around a great read!" Read more

3 customers mention "Writing style"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style good, with good humor, sarcasm, and action. They also say it's a good mixture of humor, action, and intelligence.

"...adventures of a somewhat cranky aardvark, they have good humor and artwork as well...." Read more

"...there's a good mixture of humor, sarcasim and action. if you were like me and were curious about this comic, spend the $20, you won't regret it." Read more

"Sarcastic, funny, intelligent. ......all around a great read!" Read more

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TommyPJ

Cerebus Volume 1 is fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012

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"Cerebus" (Cerebus, Volume 1) is an amazing tome. This first volume starts out as a very amateurish parody of Conan the Barbarian and then gradually, and then quickly evolves into some daring (for its time) stuff. There are 25 issues in this volume, and by the time you get to issue #20 "Mind Games", there is little that resembles the simplicity of issue #1. The art and writing improve dramatically as you read along, more than any continuous (i.e. non-"Best of" or non-"Greatest Hits" style) trade paperback I've read before. I guess one analogy would be reading this must have been like watching Michael Jordan play basketball in high school: you'd know he had serious potential, but you don't have a clue just how good he's going to get. I'm only vaguely aware of the controversies that surround Dave Sim that pop up later on in his run of Cerebus, and will only cross those bridges when I have to (i.e. when I'm actually reading those issues). But I can say with certainty that this Volume 1 is easily enjoyable to read, and fascinating in its evolutionary brilliance.

I just ordered Volume 2, and am looking forward to reading "High Society".

8 people found this helpful

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Lawrance Bernabo

Cerebus the Barbarian, uh, the Aardvark, Issues #1-25

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2004

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Now that I have read the 300th and final issue of "Cerebus the Aardvark," it seems appropriate to go back and read the beginning again, knowing what the earth-pig's final fate (and word) will be. "Cerebus, Volume 1" reprints the first 25 issues in which Dave Sim figures out what he is doing with his cute and furry aardvark. The starting point, as Sim himself admitted in teh beginning, was to "Look as much like Barry Smith as possible," a point which is never more obvious than in issue #2 "Captive in Boreala," which the opening pages are basically Sim's version of Smith's "Frost Giant's Daughter." But by the end of these 25 issues "Cerebus" has been remarkably transformed, and by this I mean more than the fact that somewhere doing those two years of comics that Cerebus starts to look like Cerebus (it takes until issue #4 to actually start wearing clothing).
In retrospect what is fascinating here is to reconsider these stories and see how a funny-animal comic book, that begins with Cerebus bouncing on top of a horse as he a city to engage in some Conan the Barbarian like thievery. After all, Cerebus is wearing Conan's helmet and has a necklace with large round things on it just link Conan in the beginning. But then in #3 "Song of Red Sophia" and #4 "Death's Dark Tread" two important things happen. The first is that Sim undertakes some parodies of some supporting characters from the Conan comic book: Robert E. Howard's Red Sonja becomes Red Sophia and Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melibone becomes Elrod the Albino who has a tall pointy hat and speaks exactly like Foghorn Leghorn. The second is that these two twisted characters become the first recurring characters in the "Cerebus" world, and from them Sim branched out in other directions for his targets.
Sim did go back and have some fun with turning another of Howard's original characters into Bran Mak Mufin (#5), but ultimately what took "Cerebus" to the next level were three characters. The first was the original character of Jaka the dancing girl (#6), who was clearly intended as a one-shot character. But the pathos of her parting with Cerebus, who has forgotten her once he sobers up, suggested for the first time there could be some pathos in these tales. The second was the ultimate parody character, the Cockroach (#11), who would pop up from time to time in the series and embody whoever was the hot comic book character of the moment. Okay, that makes sense for the Wolveroach but not the Moon Roach, but you get the idea. The third character was Cerebus' greatest foil, Lord Julius, who was first introduced in "Silverspoon" in the "Buyer's Guide for Comic Fandom" (Lord Julius is the father of a spoiled Prince Valiant type son) and then took center stage in the Palnu Trilogy: "The Walls of Palnu" (#14), "A Day in the Pits" (#15), and "A Night at the Masque" (#16), at the end of which we learn that Jaka is Lord Julius's neice. However, what is important here is that Lord Julius looks and talks like Groucho Marx, a coincidence that is explained by the fact Groucho's real name was Julius.
Lord Julius is important because he made it easy for Sim to do stories about politics and to do so with a character whose major strength is his imperturbability and his refusal to be cornered on any point of contention. Add to this the fact that he is running the whole show in Palnu and it is impossible not to take great joy in every scene in which he appears. Every other "real" person who appeared in the 300 issues of "Cerebus," from Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, got through the front door because Lord Julius ripped it off the hinges and threw it on the floor.
The Palnu Trilogy is also Sim's first 71-page Cerebus story, which is what sets the stage for the "books," the first of which is presented in the second volume in this collection "High Society." This is clearly the point at which Sim starts thinking of having a big picture and eventually getting to the point where he can announce he knows how the whole thing is going to end. For the record I consider "High Society" to be the high water mark of Cerebus and the justification for giving this first volume five stars as well is because the historical value of watching how Sim turns his funny animal comic book into a first rate socio-political satire becomes a key part of the equation.
I definitely think that there was a point where "Cerebus," in the current vernacular, "jumped the shark," but before that point (which I hope to pinpoint as I reread all 300 issues) there was a period of time when this comic book was as the one I most looked forward to reading each month. Going back and starting over from the beginning certainly reminds me what that was the case.

47 people found this helpful

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K.A.

The Aardvark is still Awesome!

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

I just got volumes one and two of the Cerebus Graphic Novels. Reading these stories again after more than 20 years is great. The beginning is very tongue in cheek but it quickly starts to become something very original and very unique. For anybody that has not read Cerebus, I highly recommend getting these two books and reading them both. I am guessing that by the end of the second book, you will be aching to go get number 3! Dave Sim should be commended for sticking with this storyline for 20 years straight. It is one of the greatest achievments in comics and I have to say that once again Cerebus is on the top of my all time favorite characters list! If you have never read any of his exploits you have missed out. The very early stuff is fun and amusing, and the story evolves into a very strong, very interesting, very well thought out adventure that should not be missed! For a short sullen sword swinging barbaric aardvark, Cerebus is one of the greatest comic characters of all time and VERY worth the time! Five stars all the way!

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Condition

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2023

Verified Purchase

Arrived in excellent condition.

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Angry Wombat

Entertaining Adventures!

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2010

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I decided to try Cerebus after hearing that one of my favorite comics (Bone) was influenced by it. I made a good choice! These are the interesting adventures of a somewhat cranky aardvark, they have good humor and artwork as well. I tend to be picky about my comics, if you like Usagi Yojimbo, Bone, Sandman (Niel Gaimen), or Mouseguard (my favorites) you might like this!

2 people found this helpful

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This guy Mike

I urge you not to skip volume one

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

A lot of people say to skip this volume and go straight to High Society. DON'T DO THAT. This volume is a lot of fun, and introduces a lot of characters, concepts, and places that will pop up in later volumes.
The art does start out rough, but has its charm if you like b&w indie comics, and Sim improves impressively quickly! The writing does seem a bit aimless in this volume, but in its very early days Cerebus was more of a straight-ahead gag comic parodying Conan, sort of like Groo the Wanderer. When Cerebus shows up in Palnu you can see an arc begin to slowly take form, which builds into High Society. High Society is better overall, and deserves the praise it gets, but this first volume is worth your time, too, and as a plus, will enrich your experience with High Society if you decide to continue your Cerebus journey. I'm only two volumes in, myself, so I can't speak for the entire Cerebus storyline, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

4 people found this helpful

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Kennedy LeFave

It's a GIANT book

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

Part-way through, I don't remember much of these stories. So glad I bought this volume collection. It looks great, reads great, and does bring back many memories!

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021

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Good Christmas present

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Amazon Customer

Years of The Earth-Pig! Yay for Cerebus!

Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Classice late '70s indie comic. Great writing and art.

Mr. David C. R. Mansell

A good start, the artwork progresses quickly.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2015

Verified Purchase

Of the 3 ( including this and following two books) i have read this is certainly Cerebus at his most aggressive and apathetic.
Wonderfully quick moving plots that still wield content.
Good amounts of humour govern much dialogue.
Many consistent characters are met here for the first time.
An excellent taster of Cerebus to begin the book series.
Buy it.

One person found this helpful

Jano

Obra imprescindible si te gustan los cómics

Reviewed in Spain on June 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

Se aprecia el propio aprendizaje narrativo del autor desde la primera historia hasta ser uno totalmente maduro al final del tomo...eso sí, la diversión y la mala leche son continuas desde el momento cero.

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schlimmerdurst

Die Geburt eines Erdferkels

Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2011

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Cerebus, das Erdferkel, hat kein leichtes Leben: Als "earth-pig born" kommt er aus der Wildnis in zivilisierte Gebiete, und muss sich dort durchschlagen. Allerdings hat die zivilisierte Gesellschaft so einige Eigenheiten, mit denen so ein klardenkender, humorloser Barbar wie er nicht wirklich klarkommt, und daher von einer Posse in die nächste stolpert...

Was als, ehrlich gesprochen, sehr dürftige Karikatur auf Conan den Barbar begann, entwickelt sich rasch, sogar innerhalb dieses Sammelbands, zu einer giftigen Satire auf alle möglichen gesellschaftlichen Zustände. Mit viel Zynismus werden hier Bürokratie und Obrigkeitsgehorsam, aber auch Superhelden und andere literarische Klischees kommentiert, dass man nicht weiß, ob man lachen oder weinen soll. Der Captain-America-Verschnitt Cockroach, der Albino Elrod, Professor Charles X. Claremont und sein Woman-Thing und, ganz zuoberst, der unglaublich gut gelungene Lord Julius sind allesamt wirklich böse Seitenhiebe auf dem Leser liebgewonnene Gestalten. Der einzige, der noch halbwegs normal scheint in dieser Welt der Durchgeknallten ist der Held Cerebus selbst, und dient damit als Projektionsfläche für die ganzen Verrücktheiten und mit erstaunlicher Klarsicht dargestellten Wahnwitzigkeiten des echten Lebens.

Zusammen mit der inhaltlichen Qualität entwickelt sich auch der Zeichenstil Sims mit überraschenden Sprüngen weiter: Sind die ersten paar Ausgaben noch eher amateurhaft und wenig begeisternd, nimmt der Comic auch dahingehend Fahrt auf, und am Ende des Bands hat man einen detaillierten, aber gleichzetig angenehm reduktionistischen Schwarzweißcomic in den Händen, der in jeder Beziehung zu überzeugen weiß.

Gesammelt sind hier die ersten 25 Ausgaben.

Ich bin schon ungemein gespannt auf die Fortsetzungsbände.

2 people found this helpful

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Jason Bidmead

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2014

Verified Purchase

Great