The long awaited (I hope) ninth installment of the Dave Sim
Usenet Interview. Dave has been suffering from a severe
case of jet lag and has a monthly book to get out. Thanks
yet again to him for taking the time out to answer our
questions.
For those of you new to this, welcome.
We've been doing this since March of '92, and some
interesting "conversation" has resulted. Folks from all over
the world have read this and asked Dave questions, often
following up from Dave's response to another person's. If
you've any questions for Dave, send them to me at
[jim ottaviani] at [um.cc.umich.edu]
(or [bv 446] at [cleveland.freenet.edu], though the umich address
above is much better for me) and I'll
forward them to Dave -- unless they're repeats of previous
questions, in which case you'll want to read the end of this
post to find out how to get those answers...
***
Though this wasn't really a question but a comment (to a comment on a
comment on Interview VIII+) I laughed out loud when I read it and took
the liberty of sending it to Dave. He liked it too...
>So that means that in issue 300, when Cerebus dies, Cerebus will die in
>Cerebus' presence, thus meaning that Cerebus will resurrected. Now we
>know what Dave Sim plans to do when he's done with issue 300:
>CEREBUS II:
>The Aardvark Reborn. :-)
>
>--
> Karen Williams
> [b--n--n] at [cerebus.ras.amdahl.com]
Dave Sim -- The effect doesn't work on Cerebus for the same reason that
Doug Gilmour can't get an assist on his own goal. Nice try, though.
Hope that was ok, Karen. On to the "real" questions:
***
Dani Zwieg ([d--i] at [netcom.com]) -- Dave, when you first founded your
company, did you have to conduct a careful search to sure you
werent in conflict with all the other companies named Aardvark-
Vanaheim?
Dave -- Actually, when we started the company, there was no need for a
name search. Incorporating requires a name search however. There weren't
too many that were even close, as I recall.
mfterman ([m f terman] at [phoenix.Princeton.EDU]) -- What sort of
question would you like to get from your readership that you havent
got yet?
Dave -- I've been waiting since Jaka's Story for someone to ask if
Gerhard and I are gay.
mfterman -- What would be the answer to said question?
Dave -- The answer to the question would be definitely not. Friends of
mine in California told me that cat yronwode had been circulating that
rumour. She is an absolute fiend for gossip. I remember sitting in a
room at a convention where she was "holding court". It was eerie the way
that people started volunteering the most sordid and unsubstantiated
tid-bits once the affair got rolling. Being a direct sort of person, I
have asked the individuals being discussed if there was any truth to
what was said. Their reaction was, universally, uncomprehending
disbelief. I've always felt that the personal lives of people in comics
are outside the boundaries of discussion. I'll discuss my personal life
in a forum of this kind to the extent that I want to and no further.
Personal details about others you couldn't get out of me with a tractor
pull.
Alexx ([A--e--x] at [world.std.com]) -- On earth, Popes take on new "holy"
names when they ascend to the papacy. It would seem that Estarcion
follows the same practice, as why else would they have three (at
least) "Harmony"s in a row. Did Cerebus take on a different name
that was never mentioned, or is this just another part of tradition
that he ignored?
Dave -- Just another tradition that he ignored; including moving his
Church to a hotel and addressing his followers in person. A real "pope
of the people."
Jeff Odum ([j--f--o] at [zappa.nic.ddn.mil]) -- I saw you in September in
Virginia (I was the guy who wanted a sketch of Cerebus kicking
George Bush's ass). Thanks for coming out to meet the unwashed
masses. I was amazed at how friendly you were and how much time
you spent with each person after you've been on tour for so long. It
was a pleasure to meet you and Gerhard. Thank you again.
Anyway, onto my questions, nothing too cerebral (no pun
intended)...Does it worry you that you don't have any of the overall
plot written down anywhere? I mean, what if you get hit in the head
or something?
Dave -- Very nice meeting you as well.
No, it doesn't worry me in the least. On the one hand, I have twenty
some-odd thousand people willing me to stay alive. It also provides an
exit clause for the upper chessboards. If I really start to become a
complete pain in the ass, one large bus with failed brakes should do the
trick. Structurally, by showing creators that they don't NECESSARILY
need businessmen to disseminate their work and earn a living and having
people with the popularity of Kevin and Peter, Todd McFarlane and others
accomplish this on a much larger and more noticeable scale, I'm pretty
extraneous at this point. The viewpoint has been institutionalized and
now the world need only enjoy/suffer the consequences to come. Knowing
what I intend to say through Cerebus, I couldn't fault
anyone...er...Anyone with the ability to make brakes fail for doing so.
Whatever I have finished to that point will see print. You might want to
make careful note of the last panel they let me get away with.
Jeff -- Has anyone ever approached you with the idea of a Cerebus
game? Not a board game, but a D&D type role playing one. Maybe
computer-based. Or even a basic hack & slash arcade type thing. I
just think GAUNTLET (an old ATARI arcade game) with Cerebus,
Bear, Elf, and Necross roaming around hacking monsters and
collecting treasure would be a guilty pleasure for a lot of your fans.
Let me know if you have any interest. Just a thought...
Dave -- An unfortunate by-product of having one person in control; I
don't really like role-playing games, so I always deny permission to
anyone sniffing around after the rights. I thought of doing an
election/legislature game where you had to elect a certain number of
members and then pass legislation, stuffing your own bank account and
others the whole time and selling the city-state of Iest down the river
in the process, but the time it would take makes it a very remote
possibility. I suppose if someone came up with a game that I could play
and enjoy, I might change my mind. More like Monopoly with politics than
some brainless thing like Nintendo.
Jeff -- I personally prefer rereading the issues in the phone books,
just because I hate having to stop and re-bag the just finished issue
and un-bag the new one etc. I don't miss the letters much, since I'm
reading for the story; if I want discussion, I'll dig up the individual
issues. What I do really miss, though, are the covers. Would you
consider including B&W prints of the covers in any future reprint
volumes (either in their proper places between issues, or collected in
the back like an appendix)? I don't think it could add too much to the
overall page count, and would it would make the great cover art
available to fans who can't buy all the back issues (like me).
Dave -- The page counts on the reprint books are at the breaking point
as is. I might have to reckon with making the covers available in some
way since there are so many requests for it, but it is certainly nowhere
near the top of my mental agenda. Always open to suggestions, though.
Jeff -- What books have you enjoyed writing/drawing the most?
Are there any that you are especially looking forward to?
Dave -- Like most writers, I don't enjoy writing; I enjoy having
written. Drawing and writing, I enjoyed Jaka's Story, particularly the
Oscar/Lord Julius confrontation. I can tell that Snuff and Swoon are
going to be a great deal of fun. Book Four of Mothers & Daughters is
going to be the biggest double challenge since Walking on the Moon (for
a lot of the same reasons). I can't wait to see how and if I can bring
it off to my satisfaction.
Hector Lee ([h k lee] at [magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu]) -- You seem to have
had a large amount of painful relationships. Where do you meet
these women? And are there particular songs associated with each
one?
Dave -- All of my relationships have been painful, but there really
haven't been that many of them considering I'm approaching forty years
of age. Love happens when you least expect it, so I've trained myself to
expect to fall in love every minute of every day. Occasionally, I'll
forget and just start thinking how much I enjoy my life; hanging out
with Mike and Eric and the guys at Peter's Place and Stages, grabbing a
quick sandwich, drinking like a fish a couple of nights a week; living
and dying with the Blue Jays six months of the year and the Maple Leafs
the other six months; talking for hours on the phone with Bissette,
Marder, McFarlane and above all writing and drawing Cerebus. Then BAM!
Oh no I forgot to expect to fall in love. Reading the new biography of
Keith Richards I was amazed reading the description of his wife.
Fortunately, she's probably the only one in the world who is like that.
In my experience women want to be competitors, buddies, room-mates, Ma-
dame Sim (in the grand tradition), Queen Bee, impediment, adversary,
provocateur...and combinations thereof. Since I've got a housekeeper, a
secretary and I eat in restaurants all the time, the most they have to
offer me is sex and support; neither of which are in the top ten of
priorities for the Nineties Woman. They don't want to be with me, they
want to be with the me they want to change me into. Feminism has been a
great blessing in that way, really, it has made women completely un-
tempting. Plus it doesn't cost anything to stare at a short skirt or an
amazing pair of eyes. I'm also old enough to realize that a sex partner
will come along eventually. The longer you have to wait, the more you
enjoy it.
***
Upcoming tour dates:
November 1
Portland, The Marriott -- 1401 S.W. Front Street
(Future Dreams -- East Burnside on October 31)
November 15
New York, Ramada Hotel -- 33rd & 7th
(Jim Hanley's Universe -- W. 32nd Street on November 13,
Jim Hanley's Universe -- Staten Island on November 14)
November 22
Cleveland, Ramada Inn -- 24801 Rockside Road in Bedford
Heights
(Super City Comics on November 21)
December 13
Houston, Sheraton Grand -- Westheimer Exit at I-610
(Paper Heroes -- Killeen on December 11, Bedrock City on
December 12)
***
I sent a check for $100.93 to the Comic Book Legal Defense
Fund last month -- The "profit" from the Usenet Interview
mini-comics so far. Thanks to all of you who have ordered.
For those of you who haven't ordered yet, I have about 20
of them left. Here's the original posting. The Diamondback
decks are of course LONG gone -- the first six orders were
for either 5 or 10 copies!
Thanks again for your interest, and help me sell these things
and send another large check to CBLDF before the end of the
Tour.
>> The mini-comic is finished, and is advertised for sale in
>> rec.arts.comics.marketplace. I won't tell you much about
>> it here since I dare not risk the flaming. What I will say
>> is it turned out well, we sold a lot at Dave's Detroit
>> appearance, the first four orders of 5 (or more) will get
>> a free Diamondback deck, all proceeds go to the Comic Book
>> Legal Defense Fund, and Dave said nice things about it.
>> Thanks again, Dave.
>>
>> Agh!
>> The flames are starting to lick at my heels. Better stop
>> for now. See you over in rec.arts.comics.marketplace.
>
>So, the Usenet interview of Dave Sim, held from March to June
>of this year on rec.arts.comics, is now available in print
>form. It costs only one thin dollar, and includes the
>amazing origin letter and some fairly nifty artwork, if I
>do say so myself. To get your copies -- perfect for friends,
>neighbors, and having Dave sign at tour stops -- send a check
>for $1.62 (you can send cash but I may never get it and
>then you AND I will be mad) to
>
> Jim Ottaviani
> 1100 H.H. Dow Bldg.
Engineering Library
> University of Michigan
> Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136
>
>(The extra 62 cents is for postage and an envelope.)
>If you live outside the U.S., please send me some
>extra money for stamps. I'll put anything above the
>mailing cost into the CBLDF fund.
Sorry to post the .marketplace message here, but I got at
least 20 responses from folks who don't receive that
newsgroup, and got tired of sending my address to them.
I also apologize for the huckstering -- I feel kind of like an
announcer on some desperate NPR station with two days
left in the fund drive.
I look forward to your new questions and orders.
seeya
jimO
--