Thursday 16 October 2014

Bleeding Cool: "When Dave Sim Lettered My Name 17 Times"

RICH JOHNSTON:
(from Bleeding Cool, posted on 16 October 2014)
...Cerebus Archive Volume One. The first ten pages of original art in Dave Sim’s personal collection, recreated in card form as close to the original boards as possible. All signed. Also with a personal sketch and inscription on the front. Let’s take a closer look.

Well that was me pretty much blown away. It’s true, we had been pushing and promoting the Cerebus Archive funding scheme through Kickstarter, but the reality of what we’d get for our $80 was still overwhelming. (There are nine days to go on Cerebus Archive Number Two by the way.)

So yes, there was the recreated art, from the first twenty-odd issues, the only remaining art from that period still in Sim’s possession. And even in that short time, you can see the progression. And Sim is on hand to point it out… With a two page article printed at the same size analysing each page, pointing out all his flaws, his hopes and his dreams. It’s wonderful...

Anything more? Yes actually. Leftover pages from the 13th printing of High Society one, it seems, the first unbound pages of that most amazing volume, still the easiest one to say to someone “hey, do you like Groucho Marx and/or The Thick Of It? Then read this.”

Is that all? Please. What blew me away even more were these. Stickers for your Cerebus volumes asserting your ownership printed, and then your name individually hand lettered on each one in full Dave Sim glory, varying the lettering on each iteration.

As well as a masterful storyteller in comic book form, Dave Sim is also the best letterer in the history of the comic book form. And he just lettered by name 16 times.

So, yes, after recovering I eventually got to the rest of the post. Eventually.

Thank you Dave.

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