Issue 36
From CerebusWiki
| March 1982: The Night Before | |
| |
| Issue 36 | |
| Writer & Artist | Dave Sim |
| Publisher | Deni Loubert |
| Circulation | Unknown |
| High Society | |
| Previous | Next |
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Contents |
Issue Summary
Jaka has come to visit Cerebus. Cerebus has only vague memories of his first encounter with Jaka, as he mistakes where he saw her saying "Beduin" when he originally saw her in a tavern in Iest. However, he does know he was in love with her. Jaka admits she's broke as she spent all of her money buying a present for Cerebus from a salvage merchant.
Jaka refuses to take Cerebus' money, saying she can take care of herself as she has done since she was twelve. When Cerebus says she can stay with Cerebus and Astoria in their seven rooms, Jaka refuses saying she only came to see him.
As she leaves Jaka says the salvage merchant claimed that Cerebus present "...was like no metal he had ever seen before." Jaka leaves and Cerebus unwraps his present: it is his sword that he lost in issue 12).
Characters
- Cerebus (last seen in issue 35; next appearance in issue 37)
- Jaka (last seen in issue 6; next appearance in issue 48)
Locations
Artist Notes
"The title was taken from the Beatles song which was Deni's and my favourite when we met. Deni had a fuzzy sweater just like the one in the story that she wore for about a year until she realized she had it backwards; it was supposed to be low-back, high-neck. I thought that was so cute."
Annotations
- 500 of the thousand crowns were extracted by Astoria in Issue 34.
- Jaka mentions that "everyone" knows that Cerebus and Astoria are living together. Most likely the general knowledge is that they are probably sleeping together, although we know that they most likely aren't (although Astoria certainly isn't beyond sleeping with someone to gain power over them).
- The "infer/imply" rejoinder was used by Astoria on Cerebus in Issue 33.
- Killing a yak for Jaka's supper, as well as the tavern in "Beduin", is a reference to Cerebus' and Jaka's first meeting in Issue 6.
- The item is Cerebus' sword, which he lost in Issue 12 as it sunk to the bottom of the river along with many gold coins that were the Cockroach's treasure hoard. The salvage merchant's claim that it was made of no metal he has seen before might be true.
- It's been argued that the sword represents Cerebus' manhood, and therefore is the first step towards casting off his emasculation by Astoria. It certainly does point out how far Cerebus is from his origin as a "barbarian".
Back up material
"Welcome to Heaven, Dr. Franklin," pt. 3 (Messner-Loebs)
