Guys: Book Eleven [Paperback]

At first one starts to wonder if Cerebus is ever going to be sober in this book. Dave Sim & Gerhard have distinguished themselves, among other things, as people able to depict drunkenness and headaches in a quite extraordinarily realistic way, as displayed in this book as well. There are also a number of interesting deliriums (another of the creators' strong sides). Eventually Cerebus does get sober, and the storyline starts concerning itself with deeper issues, such as loneliness, and friendship and how it can be ruined by falling in love (with someone else). And it all ends with an epilogue so unexpected and thought-provoking that you'll do anything to read the next book.

The perhaps most important reason why the Cerebus books are so good, and like nothing else in this world, is that the creators allow themselves to take their time. An average book in the series is about 300-500 pages, and this obviously allows for (successful) experimenting with the art of telling a story in comics. This involves, for instance, filmish effects (like zooming in or out on a target) and symbolistic depictions of a character's inner life. Something that maybe hasn't been given enough credit is Dave Sim's almost superhuman genius in creating word balloons that are immensely able to express sentiments. Another forgotten hero is Gerhard, whose backgrounds are always ... perfect.

Finally, I can only feel sorry for Cerebus, that he has to meet such a terrible person like Joanne.

Entering this volume without having the complete prior story was confusing, but a willingness and steady pace allowed me to situate myself and get comfortable quickly. Plus, i luckily had a steady income that allowed for the consumption (so to speak) of the prior volumes. Though i should say that i was able to read all of the prior volumes in the time it took for the 20 or so issues of this volume to reach my hands.

A great high point of Guys is Marty's character. Marty Feldman as he was in Young Frankenstein -- i.e. bloody hilarious. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also provide some laughs. Also worth mentioning is Sim's inclusion of other comics professionals most notably Rick Veitch and Don Thompson. All the cameos Sim includes serve a purpose, though it is somtimes purely comedic.

All in all, Sim gives a very sublime tone throughout this volume, which may or may not be helpful to some readers after the mass of text and ideas that is Mothers and Daughters. I found the relaxing pace quite welcome, though. The only thing truly lacking in the collected volumes are 1) the nice covers 2) the back up features like letters and other correspondences Sim has with several comics professionals (one of my favorites is his several part discussion about the end of Gaiman's Sandman series, which occurred during this volume's serialization).