This issue starts out with Cerebus, having escaped from Beduin, being captured by some rural farmers and taken for judgement by their priest. Deciding that he is a creation of the evil sorcerer Necross the Mad, the priest orders one of the farmers to take Cerebus to Necross’ castle to turn “his magic against him.” The priest tells one of his followers, Despuess, that because Cerebus is “grey and furry” and the mold on their crops is “grey and furry” and because Necross caused their crops to turn “grey and furry”, Cerebus must be a creature of Necross. With logic like that, what could possibly go wrong?

Was there really any doubt? Once inside Necross’ castle thing do go rather badly for Despuess — the only thing left of him are smoldering bits on the floor. While the priest flees to find reinforcements, Cerebus has a nice little chat with Necross, who it turns out is rather mad. Though he does deny causing the farmers’ problems. Seems he is too busy trying to figure out how to destroy the universe. He also shows Cerebus Thrunk, his greatest creation. Thrunk is a 16-foot-tall stone statue that looks an awful lot like another guy made of stone that we all know….

The priest returns with more farmers and quickly kills Necross with an arrow to the chest. “An arrow?! He always used incantations before!” Necross mutters as he’s dying. “What a time to start operating on a physical plane!” A little tribute to Wizards, perhaps? As the farmers begin to storm the Castle, Thrunk comes to life, inhabited by the spirit of Necross. Much stomping of farmers occurs until only the priest remains. The priest brandishes a sacred amulet only to have it brushed aside by Thrunk. In a nice twist to Cerebus’ usual endings, the golden amulet literally lands right on top of Cerebus. And then, you guessed it, the priest gets stomped. As Cerebus walks off into the distance, Thrunk realizes that he is standing on the only reinforced floor in the tower and is trapped.

This is, I think, the most thoroughly humorous issue so far. One of the things I really enjoyed was that the comedy is not just the parody of the Cockroach or Elrod. It comes from the interactions of the characters and their reactions to the situations they find themselves in. Don’t get me wrong, I have most definitely enjoyed Elrod and the Cockroach — both are brilliant characters — I’m just saying that I also appreciate this more…natural, character-driven comedy.

From Necross’ mad rantings, to the farmers’ quickly shifting alliances and their arguing over trivial matters while they’re getting stomped, to the illogical dictates of the priest, there are plenty of laughs throughout this issue. While people being crushed to death is not generally considered to be all that funny, the stomping of the farmers is definitely done for laughs and I think it works because we don’t actually see it. We only hear it from Cerebus’ point of view as he’s climbing out of the castle and contemplating the madness of everyone in Lower Felda.

One of my favorite bits is when, after being accused of “consorting with dark demons,” Cerebus is asked how he pleads and he answers, “Cerebus demands that you release him or he call upon his dark masters to turn you into a flock of pious pink toads…” One of Cerebus’ accusers turns to the other and says, “that’s not a half-bad defence.” Maybe more people accused of witchcraft should take that approach.

And in a nice little zing against the priest and the small-minded farmers, one of the crimes Cerebus is accused of is “not looking like one of us…”

I said in my last review that I was looking forward to seeing the Cockroach again. I just didn’t realize it would be the next issue.

Cerebus heads back to the merchant’s house to retrieve the gold that might still be there. The gold is gone, but Cerebus does find a tunnel leading off from the hiding place. Following it, he quickly finds himself in the Cockroach’s prison cell, with the Cockroach sitting on a pile of gold. In an effort to placate the Cockroach’s anger at him, Cerebus tells the Cockroach that his parents had been killed. Cerebus tells him: “Mom and dad were circus performers, acrobats. The red claw cult cut through their trapeze ropes…the ropes snapped in mid-air and they fell…then one of the red claw climbed up to the safety net and beat them to death with a club.” Sound familiar? Well most of it anyway….

Cerebus convinces the Cockroach that they need to move the gold, saying “Elrod of Melvinbone plans to come and steal your gold tomorrow.” (Can you see what’s coming?) As they’re moving the gold to the boat, the Cockroach says at one point, “Thank you, old chum!” I swear I heard that line in Adam West’s voice. When the Cockroach decides that the job is too dangerous for the “short, grey wonder”, Cerebus gives chase and there is much running and shouting. Then, of course, Elrod shows up.

The Cockroach attacks, or at least attempts to attack, Elrod for trying to steal his gold. The normally clueless Elrod is even more lost here. There follows much comedy with the Cockroach and Elrod. These two are a perfect fit for each other and will, in fact, spend much time together in future issues. Eventually the guards show up and everyone gets knocked out except for Elrod and Cerebus. As Cerebus is rowing away with the gold, Elrod just has to add, “Some day, I say, some day, son, we’re going to have a long talk…and you can explain what in the heck just happened here….”

Just as Cerebus seems triumphant, just as he exalts in escaping with a boatful of gold, the boat splinters and all of the gold falls to the bottom of the river. Cerebus is surprisingly more resigned to his loss than bitter. He focuses more on getting out of the city than dwelling on it. Though Dave Sim can’t resist adding a little extra pathos for Cerebus at the end. As he’s floating off down the river, the narration adds: “All things considered, muses the earth-pig, it’s been one hell of a lousy twenty-seventh birthday….”

Looking back on the issues so far, we do seem to have a recurring theme of Cerebus rarely getting what he’s after in the end. He’s only truly triumphed in two of the twelve issues so far. In issue #4, he collects the sack of gold Henrot promised him for making Feras suffer and he does get the Black Blossom Lotus in issue #10. Interesting that they’re both Red Sophia stories. I wonder if that means anything or if it’s just a coincidence. I’ll have to think about that one a little. In all the other issues so far, Cerebus has only gotten a small fraction of what he is after or nothing at all. And while I do like ironic or unhappy endings, I think it does run the risk of becoming too much of a downer for many readers.

Issue #11 begins simply enough, with Cerebus meeting with a merchant to sell the Black Blossom Lotus he stole last issue. But, of course, things don’t stay simple for long. As he is leaving the merchant’s house Cerebus hears something strange and, though he knows better, he lets his curiosity get the better of him and he goes to investigate. What he sees is the merchant standing there wearing tights, a cape, and a mask with antennae. This is our introduction to the Cockroach, Dave Sim’s other great parody character.

Cerebus follows the Cockroach through the dark streets of Beduin as he assault first one, then another passerby, claiming that each is responsible for the death of his parents. He also sees the Cockroach taking some gold from his victims. Following him back home, Cerebus realizes that the merchant doesn’t know what he does as the Cockroach and doesn’t know that there is 30 years’ worth of gold stashed in his house.

Cerebus manipulates the merchant/Cockroach to try to get the gold out of the city. But like so many of his plans to date, the aardvark achieves little success. The merchant eventually comes to his “senses” and alerts the city guards, perhaps unaware that they are also hunting the Cockroach. Cerebus barely manages to get away, but at least this time he manages to hold on to a couple of pouches of gold for his troubles.

Dave will use the Cockroach to great effect in future issues to parody superheroes and comics in general. And not just Batman, as he does in this issue. Some that spring into memory are WolverRoach, PunisherRoach, Swoon, and I think I remember him in a giant spider costume as well. Oh, and I think he parodies The Tick at some point. There are probably others I’m not remembering and I’m guessing there are even more in the issues I hadn’t gotten to before I stopped reading.

We don’t learn a whole lot about the Cockroach in this issue other than the fact that he’s apparently being doing this for 30 years. We don’t even find out his name in this issue. I think we later learn that it’s Artemis. Is that right?

One significant thing we learn about Cerebus is that he just can’t help himself when his curiosity is aroused. When he first hears the strange noises in the merchant’s house he tells himself, “Cerebus is just going to walk away. What is going on is of no concern to Cerebus...Cerebus is going into the first tavern he comes to and...” And yet he can’t resist peeking in.

Even as he recognizes the foolishness of his actions — “There’s only one thing more idiotic than running around in a mask after dark in a snowstorm...and that’s following someone in a mask after dark...one flight up on an ice-covered ledge...” — Cerebus still continues to follow the Cockroach. He “doesn’t get it” when the Cockroach continues to act so crazily and has to keep following him. This eventually does lead to the discovery of the stash of gold, but Cerebus doesn’t know this at the time. The Cockroach’s behavior doesn’t make sense and Cerebus can’t let that go.

Such behavior is somewhat surprising from someone who is so self-centered and so concerned with his own skin — Cerebus dumps some of his gold in an attempt to slow down the pursuing soldiers, thinking, “there is no sacrifice too great for keeping one’s fur intact...” And yet he keeps letting his curiosity get the better of him. And I’m fairly confident that he’ll continue to let it get the better of him.

Like the first Elrod issue, this was a fun and quick read and I was surprised when I reached the ending. And, like Elrod, it’s good to know that the Cockroach will be back.

After the more serious tone of the last couple of issues, #10 is mostly humor of the Red Sophia variety. The plot concerns her attempts to steal the Black Blossom Lotus, a powerful magic item, from a travelling merchant. Sophia eventually manipulates Cerebus and two other men into helping her. Well, I guess it’s fairer to say that she manipulates the two men. Cerebus decides to join her of his own volition — in fact, he would prefer to steal the Lotus without Sophia — and he is more caught up by her treatment of the two men than by any of her attempts to control him.

Cerebus is eventually able to separate himself from the three of them. He then lures the other guards away from the caravan and simply strolls up to the merchant, easily taking the Lotus at the point of his sword.

Dave Sim again mines much humor playing incompetent characters against competent ones. And it’s a rich vein to mine: the ease with which Meirgen is controlled by Sophia, his laughable attempts to assert himself against Throgo, the Tcapmin guard who’s joined them. (Cerebus does try to stop him, though I’m not really sure why. Meirgen is really of no use to them, except for the fact that the Lotus used to belong to his father.) This is a comedic theme that Dave will visit on many occasions, usually successfully.

One thing I appreciated about this issue, aside from the humor, was this is the first one where Cerebus really shows respect for another character. He is genuinely impressed by the “twenty-year” men of the Tcapmin guards defending the caravan (the twenty years refers to their service defending their homeland.) And he recognizes Throgo as a worthy opponent. The Tcapmin, in turn, recognizes the competence and general common sense of the aardvark — as opposed to Meirgen, who he refers to as “the wimp.”

I also liked seeing Cerebus use his wits to win the Lotus instead of the sword. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy seeing him in action. But it’s nice to see more evidence that he’s more than just a barbarian with a sword.

I’m really not sure how I feel about the ending to this one. The ending is either terribly ironic or just plain terrible. What bothered me most about it was that it was just too deus-ex-machina for my tastes. If the main character has to suffer an awful loss, I prefer it come about as a result of the character’s actions rather than apparent authorial fiat.

This issue opens with Cerebus leading his Conniptin troops toward the city of Imesh, where Cerebus had spent much of his youth. Finding the entrance sealed and growing sick of the Conniptins’ unbridled, and unwarranted, enthusiasm, Cerebus scales the city walls by himself. The Conniptins, meanwhile, wander off in search of food and water. This will be important later and part of my displeasure at the ending. Cerebus tops the wall to find a much-changed city. The central area has been cleared of buildings and a massive stone altar is being built in their place.

The city has been taken over by K’Cor, a madman who drugged and enslaved the populace and ordered the building of the altar to defend the “Earth against the secret invasion of the Venusians.” This is, I believe, the first true indication that Cerebus’ world is our world. There will be more evidence of this in future issues, including one of my favorite sequences in all of Cerebus. The more I read and think about Cerebus the more I remember and the more “favorite” moments I think of.

K’Cor challenges Cerebus, promising him that if he meets all challenges and defeats his champion, Cerebus can have K’Cor’s slaves. If Cerebus is defeated, his Conniptin warriors will become slaves of K’Cor. Cerebus is eventually able to overcome these challenges and just as he thinks he’s defeated the champion, he finds that he has to battle K’Cor as well.

Though Cerebus is exhausted — and still suffering from the wound he received in issue #7 — he begins to fight the king. As his strength wanes and defeat seems imminent, “an immense rage boils up inside of Cerebus.” As Cerebus gains the upper hand, he begins to dream of leading his army of Conniptin “cheerleaders” and Imeshian slaves to victory and of a new “golden age of warriors” with Cerebus as their leader. He envisions a new world with “endless pillaging, drinking, and fighting in the name of Cerebus the King.” But just as his victory is at hand, K’Cor suddenly drops his sword and starts to walk off. He simply announces, almost as an aside, that he’d poisoned the wells in the area and that Cerebus’ men are all dead.

And that’s what bugs me most about the ending. Cerebus is defeated even though he did nothing to lead to his defeat. His army is gone through no fault of his own, not even facing defeat at the hands of the enemy. Just by an “oh, by the way” comment from a lunatic that comes out of nowhere — no foreshadowing, no preparation anywhere in the story. Cerebus’ actions don’t even qualify as “negligent homicide,” as they say on Law & Order. All of sudden K’Cor says something and the Conniptins are simply gone. While I appreciate the irony of Cerebus losing the army after coming to desire them, I just wish he had lost them through some action of his own.

As ambivalent as I am about the ending, I do appreciate the forlorn dejection of the last panel. Cerebus’ “rage and frustration erupts in a protracted, piercing cry...echoing and re-echoing in upon itself...stabbing out into the city where powdery snow swirls between the buildings...but the Imeshites, engrossed in their daily chores, hear nothing.” That’s just good writing. A wonderfully melancholic ending.

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.

This time there really is a guy in a “bunny suit” and Elrod can’t tell the difference between him and Cerebus.

Wait, did I mention why Cerebus was drugged in the last issue? I didn’t? Well, it was because this dying guy told Cerebus where this huge treasure was hidden and E’lass drugged Cerebus to get the info out of him. Yeah, that worked out well....

Cerebus heads off to the Temple of the Black Sun in search of the hidden treasure and runs into Elrod, who thinks the “Festival of the Black Sun” is a giant party. Always on top of things is ol’ Elrod. Cerebus forces Elrod to come with him for fear that if the priest discover the albino it will lead to them discovering Cerebus as well. Naturally, as Cerebus is searching for the hidden treasure, Elrod wanders off to find some treasure of his own — having completely missed the point of what Cerebus is looking for in the first place. Meanwhile a rather short priest named Mit creates a costume that looks a lot like Cerebus. There follows much humor of the mistaken-identity variety. With lots of running and punching and general confusion.

As Cerebus is trying to escape with the treasure he is wounded and knocked unconscious by a “spider-beast”. When the temple is eventually destroyed, Cerebus is thrown clear and, other than Elrod and Mit, is the only survivor. (How Elrod manages to escape from these predicaments is one of the great mysteries of Cerebus.) As Cerebus wanders away from the ruins of the temple bemoaning his fate and lost fortune, he does not realize that the chest of diamonds has landed not far behind him. I really liked the way Dave drew that last panel with the chest in the foreground and the figure of Cerebus growing smaller in the distance. Neat stuff.

This issue gives us two more hints, vague hints, to Cerebus’ nature. Back in issue #2, the succubus inhabiting the supposed Eye of Terim hunts for Cerebus’ soul and is unable to locate it. The spider-beast that captures Cerebus in this issue also hunts for his soul and is unable to locate it. Neither is able to find Cerebus’ soul, leading to their doom. Does Cerebus not have a soul? Even at this point in the story I’d have to say that we have enough evidence that the answer is no. He might be greedy, amoral, violent, self-centered, and any number of qualities that are generally frowned upon in polite society, but I see nothing to indicate that he doesn’t actually have a soul. So then is Cerebus’ soul so deeply hidden that these creatures simply couldn’t find it? Or is his soul just so different from those of men? I don’t really have a guess at this point.

We also get a little more evidence that in the dim past of this world there was some sort of aardvark or aardvark-like deity — or at least something that acted enough like a deity to convince people that it was one. There was the 15-foot-tall aardvark idol that the Pigts worshipped in issue #5. And in this issue, the diminutive priest Mit searches the Tomes of the Black Sun and finds an “obscure deity” to impersonate in his quest for more power. Hey, I never said it was a good plan.... The costume he creates looks, of course, like Cerebus. So much so that it fools Elrod. Though I don’t think it takes much to fool the ol’ albino. Mit creates the costume to match “all known descriptions of the deity” and believes that it looks enough like an aardvark to fool his fellow priests.

While I doubt that Dave Sim has everything already planned out by issue #7 — and certainly not 25 years’ worth of storytelling — I do think he’s already laying out clues for what’s to come. As Elrod might put it: foretellin’, I say, fortellin’.