MARGARET LISS:
A few years ago I scanned all of Dave Sim's notebooks. He had filled 36 notebooks during the years he created the monthly Cerebus series, covering issues #20 to 300, plus the other side items -- like the Epic stories, posters and prints, convention speeches etc. A total of 3,281 notebook pages detailing his creative process. I never really got the time to study the notebooks when I had them. Just did a quick look, scanned them in and sent them back to Dave as soon as possible. So this regular column is a chance for me to look through those scans and highlight some of the more interesting pages.
We've looked at Albatross Five only once before, in Albatross Five. It encompasses Cerebus #45 to 49 and had 79 out of 80 pages scanned. With the upcoming election in the United States, I figured we'd look at Cerebus as Prime Minister.
On page one of the notebook, we see it is Cerebus' big day. "Cerebus' New Republic" appears to be an unused as does the thumbnails for page one of issue #45.
 |
| Albatross 5, page 1 |
 |
| Albatross 5, page 8 |
Wait, dope? Are they just talking legalizing marijuana like the five states which have it on the ballot this election?
Under the notes for issue 46 we have "Cerebus finds out about cocaine and how much money you get for it, so he arranges an enormous dope deal involving a quarter ton of cocaine; sets it up and then a message comes through that Cardinal Sparrow wishes to meet with him. . .Looks like a compromise in the works. . .Meet him in Charity Hall. . .Ready to go downstairs. . .Dirty Fleagle comes in and tells him that his shipment has arrived. . .in two hundred and eighty bushel baskets."
Yeah, I don't remember that storyline taking place.