Cerebus #5: You want followers with that?

Here we begin, perhaps, to get a glimpse into Cerebus’ past when Cerebus encounters a band of Pigts. From the moment they see him, the Pigts treat Cerebus with a deference that surprises him, but also leaves him wary. Though concerned, Cerebus accompanies them back to their underground warrens to meet their leader Bran Mak Mufin. (Another Pigt is named Fret Mac Mury.) Bran is just as eager to please Cerebus as the other Pigts, though this gives Cerebus no relief from his doubts. The Pigts do not appear to be particularly bright, something else that leaves Cerebus rather suspicious.

Secretly following the Pigts later that night, Cerebus finds them worshipping a fifteen-foot tall idol of an aardvark as Bran proclaims Cerebus the prophesied return of their god-king. Cerebus is sorely tempted by the idea of accepting the mantle of god-king and leading the Pigts on a conquest of the surrounding lands — easy prey, he realizes, for an army of religious fanatics. Though tempted, Cerebus rejects the idea and destroys the idol before making his way back to the surface, away from the Pigts.

I found two interesting things in the sequence. While contemplating the idol, it appears that Cerebus, himself, does not know where he comes from. “Mayhap there is a kinship!” he thinks. “Mayhap Cerebus is just one of the Pigt race..mayhap he is only one of…only a…” Does he not know his own history? Where he comes from? According to Pigt lore, they have been worshipping the idol “for a thousand years.”

The other interesting thing is that as he’s destroying the idol, Cerebus resolves, “Cerebus will not be a Pigt. He will acknowledge no kinship with the soft grey travesty before him…Cerebus is unique. He is the earth-pig born!” This “uniqueness” will become quite important later as the storyline gets deeper. No hints for now though.

Bran Mak Mufin is another parody character — something I didn’t know when I first read this — this time of Robert E. Howard’s Bran Mak Morn, last king of the Picts. Bran will appear again and become an important part of High Society and/or Church & State. Though I do seem to recall him dressed in much finer clothing than a loin cloth and looking a good bit different, but I’m not entirely sure. Hey, I can’t remember every single detail of a comicbook I read ten or more years ago. Actually, it’s probably closer to fifteen years at this point. Wow.

The other big joke from this issue is that Cerebus’ fur smells just terrible when wet, so bad that even Cerebus can’t stand it. This joke will appear more than once in future issues.