Cerebus #8: Conniptin fits

As issue #8 opens Cerebus struggles against delusions caused by an infected wound. He is soon found by a band of Conniptin soldiers led by the King’s son. Even though the actual warriors protest Cerebus’ worth as a fighter, “His Lordship” just wants to use Cerebus’ fur to make a bathrobe for himself. Some of the Conniptin soldiers, weary of being led by a “foppish vegetable” devise a plan to wrest power from him, quickly “enlisting” the still hallucinating Cerebus to their cause.

Unable to simply kill His Lordship, the Captain Turl and the Conniptin Commander/Doctor manipulate the still delirious Cerebus into slaughtering a band of Hsifan raiders. It is worth noting that the feverish Cerebus sees the Hsifans as either Elrod or Red Sophia and he dispatches them without any hesitation. This slaughter, embellished a little by Turl and the Commander, impresses the soldiers enough to make Cerebus their leader.

While at first blush the Conniptin soldiers appear more competent than their Lord, Cerebus quickly comes to realize that they are just as deluded, albeit in a different manner. Though they have “been driven north for two centuries by the Hsifan”, the Conniptin warriors are absolutely convinced of their superiority and only lack the leadership necessary to conquer all.

Once recovered, Cerebus initially accepts the offer of leadership — being told that the Conniptins have the nasty habit of disemboweling those that refuse leadership. He later struggles with his decision, realizing the Commander simply wants to use Cerebus as a puppet. And, of course, the idea of leading such deluded men doesn’t appeal to him at all. Cerebus sneaks out under the cover of darkness in an attempt to escape. He barely has begun, though, when he again reconsiders his options. Though loathe to act as anyone’s lackey, he also realizes that the Conniptins had pledged themselves to him, not the Commander. Finally, the prospect of a warm bed, wine, and food are enough to sway the aardvark. Or at least enough to cause him to delay a decision.

In his comments on issue #1, Kentigern says that in future issues, Cerebus will often have trouble telling the difference between reality and illusion — as opposed to the ease with which he penetrated the illusion of the “Flame Jewel” from that issue. While Cerebus is dealing with fever-induced delirium rather than illusion in this issue, he definitely cannot tell what is real and what is not and is very easily manipulated by the Conniptins to do their bidding. I will definitely keep an eye out for this in future issues.