Rating: 
Summary: Women, don't send Sim your hard-earned money
Review: I know, thought provoking, yadda yadda yadda...I'd been a fan of Cerebus since 1990 or so. I was excited to finally have enough money to buy the whole series...and guess what! I stopped it here. I was so disgusted that I couldn't go on. I enjoy reading differing points of view. I could deal with Sim's "woman problem" in the Cerebus stories - they were a part of it, it was a POV not my own, and that was fine and interesting. However, once he started going off into half-cocked "theory", I got angrier and angrier until I had to let it drop. The mask of the character doing the narration slid further and further off his face, until he was writing as a comics writer, who referred to other contemporary writers and artists, and could no longer be in the Cerebus world. He presented the sort of misogynist argument that, since it's not based in any reality I know, essentially screws us any way we try to argue it - say one thing, you're proving his point in his world. Say something else, you're still proving his point in his world. The more I read, the more furious I got. I can deal with the fact that not all women are nice. Not everyone is nice, male or female. There are plenty of users in this world. I can also deal with the fact that he doesn't like us - all 51% of the population - very much. I was dealing just fine with the fact that Cerebus doesn't like us very much, either. It was still a fabulous story, with great illustrations, fascinating machinations, and hilarious guest-appearances. What I can't handle is that I invested my time and my hard-earned money - still 75 cents on the dollar last I checked - to buy NOT the further adventures of Cerebus, but instead the gynophobic ramblings of a very disappointed man. I feel betrayed. I spent years invested in an intelligent comic that, once I caught up, called me and my kind leeches, monsters, uncreative beasts that live to feed off of men, and worse. It's hard enough for women to find a toehold in the comics universe, as readers as well as creators, without the supposedly "good stuff" tearing into us like this. Sim is, of course, free to write and do as he wishes. You are, of course, free to buy and read what you wish. But as a longtime fan turned ex-fan, I wish I could take both my money and my time back from him and give it to other comics creators more worth my investment.
Rating:
Summary: Women, don't send Sim your hard-earned money
Review: I know, thought provoking, yadda yadda yadda... I'd been a fan of Cerebus since 1990 or so. I was excited to finally have enough money to buy the whole series...and guess what! I stopped it here. I was so disgusted that I couldn't go on. I enjoy reading differing points of view. I could deal with Sim's "woman problem" in the Cerebus stories - they were a part of it, it was a POV not my own, and that was fine and interesting. However, once he started going off into half-cocked "theory", I got angrier and angrier until I had to let it drop. The mask of the character doing the narration slid further and further off his face, until he was writing as a comics writer, who referred to other contemporary writers and artists, and could no longer be in the Cerebus world. He presented the sort of misogynist argument that, since it's not based in any reality I know, essentially screws us any way we try to argue it - say one thing, you're proving his point in his world. Say something else, you're still proving his point in his world. The more I read, the more furious I got. I can deal with the fact that not all women are nice. Not everyone is nice, male or female. There are plenty of users in this world. I can also deal with the fact that he doesn't like us - all 51% of the population - very much. I was dealing just fine with the fact that Cerebus doesn't like us very much, either. It was still a fabulous story, with great illustrations, fascinating machinations, and hilarious guest-appearances. What I can't handle is that I invested my time and my hard-earned money - still 75 cents on the dollar last I checked - to buy NOT the further adventures of Cerebus, but instead the gynophobic ramblings of a very disappointed man. I feel betrayed. I spent years invested in an intelligent comic that, once I caught up, called me and my kind leeches, monsters, uncreative beasts that live to feed off of men, and worse. It's hard enough for women to find a toehold in the comics universe, as readers as well as creators, without the supposedly "good stuff" tearing into us like this. Sim is, of course, free to write and do as he wishes. You are, of course, free to buy and read what you wish. But as a longtime fan turned ex-fan, I wish I could take both my money and my time back from him and give it to other comics creators more worth my investment.
Rating: 
Summary: Uh ... What happened?
Review: I'm a big fan of Sim's CEREBUS. It's one of the best comics ever to be produced. However, "Reads" is a bad dream. The way it is structured: you get to read sections which are the standard comic format, and then you get to read a full text section, like a novel. The comic part is great. No problem there. It's the writing section that drives me up the wall. My theory is this: Dave Sim has some sort of inferiority complex. He's written a truly magnificient piece of work, but, in the final analysis, it's a comic book. And since comic books aren't exactly considered high art, it can bruise the ego for someone who wants to be the next Shakespeare. In any event, what Sim does in his writing is to use the most obscure vocabulary words known to man, in a writing style that reads like a Calculus textbook, only not as interesting. It's that bad. It's nearly unreadable unless you're extrememly well-versed in the dictionary. In fact, it's so bad, that if you're like me, you'll probably end up skipping the text passages and head for the comic. Don't get me wrong, this book is worth getting. But only because you want to continue with the series. My advice: Don't waste your time on the text portions. (You can thank me later.)
Rating: 
Summary: A comic book for adults
Review: If you are looking for superhero fights and tights, you are looking in the wrong place. Dave Sim takes the form of the comic book to the next level. With his prose sections, you can read them with the comic art or by themselves. They intend to provoke the reader into thinking about different gender issues. They might offend and shock you, but that is what is intended. For only then will you start a discussion about them. As for the sections that deal with Cerebus, Cirin, et al -- at first I read the collection together (prose & comics) and then alone. Reading the comic sections alone even again for the second time still leave me clinging to the edge of my seat and gasping for breath. Dave Sim does get better during time. If you enjoy his prose in this book, check out Jaka's Story and Rick's Story. Some great stuff there!
Rating:
Summary: A comic book for adults
Review: If you are looking for superhero fights and tights, you are looking in the wrong place. Dave Sim takes the form of the comic book to the next level. With his prose sections, you can read them with the comic art or by themselves. They intend to provoke the reader into thinking about different gender issues. They might offend and shock you, but that is what is intended. For only then will you start a discussion about them. As for the sections that deal with Cerebus, Cirin, et al -- at first I read the collection together (prose & comics) and then alone. Reading the comic sections alone even again for the second time still leave me clinging to the edge of my seat and gasping for breath. Dave Sim does get better during time. If you enjoy his prose in this book, check out Jaka's Story and Rick's Story. Some great stuff there!
Rating: 
Summary: way too self indulgent.
Review: If you are reading the series, then you will have to read "Reads" unless you have given up already. The continuation of the Cerebus storyline is only a part of the contents of "Reads" and is worth reading. There are several revelations in "Reads" that are pivotal to the storyline. The rest of "Reads" is a barely coherent narrative that serves as "insight" (?) into the background and mind of the author. There are several interesting points made within the text, such as a discussion of "birth vs death" (which I think came out of a converation with Kevin Smith) and the nature of stories (from a conversation with Alan Moore), but most of the text is irrelevant to anything but the world of comic books - oh, sorry...."graphic novels"...and far too self indulgent to contribute to the artistry of Cerebus. I am obliged to mention that friends of mine think "Reads" is a genius masterpiece, so you will probably either love it or hate it.........
Rating:
Summary: way too self indulgent.
Review: If you are reading the series, then you will have to read "Reads" unless you have given up already. The continuation of the Cerebus storyline is only a part of the contents of "Reads" and is worth reading. There are several revelations in "Reads" that are pivotal to the storyline. The rest of "Reads" is a barely coherent narrative that serves as "insight" (?) into the background and mind of the author. There are several interesting points made within the text, such as a discussion of "birth vs death" (which I think came out of a converation with Kevin Smith) and the nature of stories (from a conversation with Alan Moore), but most of the text is irrelevant to anything but the world of comic books - oh, sorry...."graphic novels"...and far too self indulgent to contribute to the artistry of Cerebus. I am obliged to mention that friends of mine think "Reads" is a genius masterpiece, so you will probably either love it or hate it.........
Rating:
Summary: Uh ... What happened?
Review: Is and is not great. As many tangled webs come apart in this story you have another boring story in the background. I have never made it through the whole of it. I want to read about 'Cerebus'. This is a great line as Suentes Po, Cirin, and Astoria come together and ....well if I told you I would spoil it now wouldn't I? That part of the story more than makes up for the other story, kind of sort of maybe, running beside it...
Rating:
Summary: Also not the high point
Review: Is and is not great. As many tangled webs come apart in this story you have another boring story in the background. I have never made it through the whole of it. I want to read about 'Cerebus'. This is a great line as Suentes Po, Cirin, and Astoria come together and ....well if I told you I would spoil it now wouldn't I? That part of the story more than makes up for the other story, kind of sort of maybe, running beside it...
Rating:
Summary: Finally my name in lights
Review: Okay, so having just completed reads, i have to say that this is probably the most entertaining cerebus book in the series since the end of church and state 2. The reason for this being that so many of the loose ties are brought to a head. While the series may have slowed from, say melmoth on, no, jaka's story even, the series does continue, and if you bare with dave sim for awhile, you will see so. While the majority of this book is written in text format, there is a great visual story displayed. And even despite the lenghty text involved in reading this tradepaperback/novel, there are many (and I emphasize many) keen insights and literary treasures too be found. Finally, If unimpressed with the previous few "phonebooks" I urge you to keep with the cerebus storyline, simply for the reason that it is a story, and while it may lag at parts, there is a great intellectual, insightful story here for all those willing to continue on.
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