Dave Sim
Cerebus the Aardvark

In the distant December 1977, an unusual comic appeared on the North American scene, destined to radically disrupt the classic canons of this expressive medium. The author, Canadian Dave Sim, following his own commandment "Thou shall break every law in the book," began independently publishing Cerebus the Aardvark, a parody of the fantasy genre in the style of Conan the Barbarian featuring an aardvark (in "aardvark" in Afrikaans, which translates to "earth pig"). The publishing house, Aardvark-Vanaheim, was founded by the author and Deni Loubert (the author's girlfriend, who would marry and divorce him during the course of the work). The work was concluded in March 2004 with issue 300. It is the longest-running North American comic book series created by a single author, with about 6,000 pages.

The series was later reprinted in sixteen collections called "phonebooks" due to their similarity to telephone directories (many pages and low-quality paper). In Italy, only issue 2 "High Society" and the third "Church and State (Vol.1)" have been translated. It might seem strange that they started with the second issue and not the first, but this is explained by the fact that the issues forming "High Society" (from 26 to 50) create a complete narrative cycle, while the early issues (later collected in "Cerebus") consist of self-contained stories or short cycles, and the artwork is still immature and lacks the grand themes and experimentation that Sim would later introduce. Nevertheless, in the initial adventures, we meet important characters in the Cerebus universe, such as The Roach (a psychotic character Sim uses to mock comic book icons: we first meet him as a fake Batman, later appearing as a caricature of Captain America, Wolverine, the Punisher, and even Dream of Sandman), Elrod the Albino (a caricature of Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock), Red Sophia, and especially Jaka, the most significant female character in the series.

Initially, we see Cerebus as a barbarian (but initiated into magic) or a ruthless mercenary (who squanders his earnings in grimy taverns while drinking), but later he becomes the prime minister of a city-state called Iest (in the volume "High Society", where there is much criticism of political mechanisms and power games), then pope (in "Church and State I & II", although he continues to drink excessively and engage in wrongdoing), until he becomes an outlaw and much more in the final stories. The entire series recounts the protagonist's (dubious) life, with his victories, defeats, questionable choices, drunken escapades, etc., but also his own life (Sim appears multiple times as a character within his own world) and presents his political and social ideas, often controversial (such as his anti-feminist stances).

Certainly, the most successful issues (considering them in "phonebook" terms) are the first up to the fifth, the famous Jaka's Story. This story is centered on Jaka and presents the present in comic form while telling the character's story as if it were a novel by Oscar Wilde. Sim blends his invented world with the real one into a unified whole, with real-world characters and artists frequently appearing (such as Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway and his wife, Thatcher or Mick Jagger and Keith Richard). Sim also emulates the style of writers by inserting long text portions (an endeavor that certainly demonstrates his writing ability, but at times makes the work heavy and slow), and there will be many reflections on the life, works, and ideas of these figures: the cultural depth of Cerebus makes it unique in the comic world, yet this is just one aspect of how the author pushes this stylistic form to its extreme limits, endowing it with its own high cultural dignity. 

But equally enjoyable is the rest of the series. The series Mother and Daughter is very interesting (which includes the issues Flight, Women, Reads, and Minds, the last being probably the most accomplished), especially due to the extensive graphic experimentation (although the issue Reads, almost entirely written and sparsely illustrated, can be somewhat tedious), Guys (in which certain aspects of male psychology are explored) and the saga Going Home, which is highly literary (highly enjoyable for those well-versed in Fitzgerald's writing and Hemingway's life).

Certainly, the humor, social criticism, critique of the comic industry and its critique of comics, reflections on a man's life and his relationship with others, along with graphic experimentation combined with high-quality drawing (from issue 65 onward, Gerhard joins Sim in drawing backgrounds) and linguistic experimentation make the work a great masterpiece, a veritable milestone for comic book enthusiasts. In Italy and Europe, it arrived quite late, as the author was terrified of a poor translation (indeed, given the immense number of linguistic styles, from regionalisms to slangs to technical, philosophical, and religious languages, it was a concern), but it has been well-known and loved in Canada and the United States. Dave Sim has influenced generations of comic book creators, such as Jeff Smith, Martin Wagner, and Terry Moore. Even the creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles admit that their work was born thanks to the influence of Cerebus.

Nevertheless, it is not a work for everyone, as it can be a challenging read, at times boring (like the last part of Latter Days), requiring a broad cultural background from the reader to fully understand its subjects. Additionally, especially towards the end, one must genuinely love the writer and the work to endure certain questionable positions he takes. In any case, I have never read a comic so mature and so ahead of its time, pure avant-garde. Highly recommended to those weary of the monotonous reality of graphic novels, seeking a comic that is a great artistic product, not mere entertainment.