In an effort to catch up with previous work I am posting an update and collective review of materials from Dave Sim. The last entry was on April 6 of 2009 for glamourpuss #6. A lot of material to cover then.
There have been 17 new issues of glamourpuss (#'s 7-23) and 17 issues of Cerebus Archive, plus one new issue of Following Cerebus (#12). I could include Cerebus TV, but I have to admit only seeing bits and pieces of it while hoping for an eventual DVD release.
Let's start with glamourpuss. Over the course of reading this series, the narrative about photo-realism and the like has evolved. There is a story being told. I find the ongoing breakdown of the rivalries and personalities of the past to be interesting. The professional culture of the time and the egos involved is a soap opera of the interesting kind. However, the ad parodies and the like all essentially are the same joke.
Looking at Cerebus Archive, the changes in the comic industry in the 1970s that led to the direct market and creator owned projects is being told through the lens of Dave's career. There is a lot here as Dave goes over his early career. Not sure how long this will run, but it is interesting to read stuff I would never possibly have read without this series. From an art stand point I find the growth of him as an artist, especially the inking, to be interesting to note and look at as I read his more current works too.
Following Cerebus #12 looks at more than one Dave. As a long time fan of DFW his death was unsettling and clearly tragic for both human and creative reasons. I read the issue at about the same point I finally got around to reading The Pale King.
