The Godfather Of Indie Comics

Margaret Liss' Kickstarter Reward (2012)
Art by Dave Sim

CARMA CHAN:
(from The Examiner, 25 July 2012)

The mark of a pure geek is a comic book fan who has read all 6,000 pages of Cerebus. Anyone who has to ask, "Don't you mean Cerberus?" does not qualify as a true fan of comics. The comic book world is devout, and nothing says 'connoisseur' better than knowledge of Cerebus The Aardvark and his creator, godfather of indies. Dave Sim earned his reverent place among mavericks not merely by creating the longest running series, but because he said he would create 300 issues and he did what he said - and he did it on time. He faced personal losses, health issues, industry quakes, and financial challenges and met 300 deadlines without excuse. His integrity is one reason he is revered.

After finishing his goal, he moved on and created the gripping and historical Judenhass series. Sim offered educators a special package for using this comic book for lessons about the Holocaust. Students' feedback demonstrated it had extraordinary impact.

Following that project, Sim started a new series about the art of illustration, comic book culture, and his enjoyment of drawing women. The covers of Glamourpuss comics feature provocative illustrations, usually a humorously sexy, high-fashion model in a broken pose with her tongue hanging out. It makes one think she is over-wrought and sick of the same old sex-sells cliché shots. He appears to have a sympathetic bone in his body for feminine beauty's exploited and downtrodden condition. One is not quite certain where the illustrator is coming from with these covers, and it does not matter because the godfather of indies continues to do what he does better than any independent comic book creator. Whether by Cerebus the Barbarian Aardvark, Prime Minister Cerebus, Pope Cerebus, Jaka Lover Cerebus, or Hell-bound Cerebus; exposing the roots of Holocaust or conveying his appreciation for feminine beauty, Sim's perseverance has paid off. He has grown into mastery as an illustrator and matured as a storyteller with a unique voice about the modern world.