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.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious anti-woman manifesto
Review: There is so much truth being spoken by Dave Sim in this Reads section of the 300 issue Cerebus epic that it is worth wading your way through the boring parts. Sim brings the epic battle against the Feminists to a close with a manifesto where he depicts men as the light and women as the void that swallows up the light. As a philosophy, there are some contridictions, but as a rant it is quite interesting. With this issue, Sim lost over half of his large readership. In this modern age of political correctness, that artistic courage should be applauded whether or not you agree with the opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious anti-woman manifesto
Review: There is so much truth being spoken by Dave Sim in this Reads section of the 300 issue Cerebus epic that it is worth wading your way through the boring parts. Sim brings the epic battle against the Feminists to a close with a manifesto where he depicts men as the light and women as the void that swallows up the light. As a philosophy, there are some contridictions, but as a rant it is quite interesting. With this issue, Sim lost over half of his large readership. In this modern age of political correctness, that artistic courage should be applauded whether or not you agree with the opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: This one didn't quite work for me
Review: These later collected volumes are not for the uninitiated. Collecting as they do issues from the late 100s (of a proposed 300 issue run), they require a knowledge of a large majority of the previously published issues of volumes. Cerebus itself is not necessarily enjoyable by those without some familiarity with its peer comics, fantasy novels by Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, the Marx brothers' films, and the writings and lives of Oscar Wilde, Mick Jagger, and Keith Richards, to enumerate only some of its influences. Reads is one of the more unusual of the published volumes. Containing almost as many pages of pure text as traditional picture/text combination, it challenges the assumption of what a comic is. The story itself is highly irregular as well. Although it continues the ascension (where the previous volume left off), the text portion is a thinly veiled satire about a "reads" author and his publishers. I say thinly because even I could recognize the references to Kitchen Sink, Dark Horse and Vertigo, their publishers and editors, and I was not following comicdom in most of the 1990s. The satire works itself into a chaotic manifesto on the nature of art, the distinction (as Sim sees it) between male and female, and the moral rights of creation. Heavy stuff for a "funny book," especially one initially a Conan parody with an aardvark as the barbarian. I don't think Reads is quite as effective as Sim thinks it is, but it scores major points for chutzpah. New to Cerebus? Don't start here. Find the first eponymous phone book and try that. It gets both better and worse after that, but this is truly one of those cases where you have to take the good with the bad.
Rating: 
Summary: A Babbling, Incoherent Semi-Entertaining Mess
Review: This is a pretty good graphic novel. With great art. The parts of the story that are about the main character Cerebus are fun. But the book is ruined by a long, woman bashing rant smack dab in the middle of it. And as the comic book Cerebus was progressed the character of Cerebus has been featured less and less in it! Bad mistake! Stick with your most interesting and main character! Author Dave Sim is ranting against our feminized society and what leeches and horrible creatures women are. Dave, they aren't that bad. It's just an out of place, preachy, dull rant from a talented artist who's bitter that he can't get laid more easily. He rants a lot against feminism in his writings too. This is a problem that has plagued that later issues of Cerebus. I mean, is there a subject more irrevlevant than feminism? It's dead. Much like other failed political movements like communism and Marxism. You have a few hangers-on to these movements, but for the most part these subjects are outdated and over and done with. Reads reads like one of those preachy feminists writings Dave's rallying against! Dave Sim used to describe himself as a feminist. To tell the truth, his comic book Cerebus was a lot more entertaining and a lot less preachy and self indulgent when he was "an Alan Alda type" as he once described himself. Dave really wasn't a feminist though. He was just not wallowing in his masturbatory literary fantasies and spewing them onto the pages of his comics, like he did with Reads. There's a fine line between genius and self indulgence. Still, Cerebus is a million times better than 90% of the comics out there.
Rating:
Summary: got a paper-knife?
Review: volume 9 of the "cerebus phonebook collection" - so don't even think about it unless the eight first are already standing on a shelf...
in the intro dave sim suggest that a paperknife might be needed - and he is partially right. half (or is it more?) of this volume is text/musings/retoric for mr sim (using two persona to do it). So, quite a break from the norm, and at times rather distracting from the (actual) 'toon storyline. A shame really, since there are some amusing points in his yapping, but for most of the time i found myself half-skimming it to get back to our furry hero.
almost reminds me of the "moral reflections" in the Drizzt book by RA Salvatore - they add voice and character/background, but can/should be skipped first time round (or if you find bashing to be offensive... ...but then why are you still reading Cerebus ?!?!)
overall this volume moves the story into gear, has some great sequences and a bit of extra fluff for those long lazy days of winter. A slightly weak 4 stars for now.
Rating:
Summary: Praise and a Cautionary Note
Review: Yes, I do give this book a ten. Yes, I think it's the best thing Dave has done since blah, blah, blah. Yet this is a work that in itself might need some "preparation" on the part of the reader in order to enjoy it more fully. If one is familiar with the subject of "Reads" as discussed in previous issues of "Cerebus", you may wish to know that this book is, in a way, itself a "Read". There are many "controversial" and "unpopular and shocking" views expressed therein and in a way it tends to become the very thing that it purports to parody. This is, of course, just a singular view of a fanatic of Daves, not Dave himself. He may completely disagree. However, if you have an open mind you will find much enjoyment in this continuing story. (If you think this is BS Dave, email me.)
Rating:
Summary: Praise and a Cautionary Note
Review: Yes, I do give this book a ten. Yes, I think it's the best thing Dave has done since blah, blah, blah. Yet this is a work that in itself might need some "preparation" on the part of the reader in order to enjoy it more fully. If one is familiar with the subject of "Reads" as discussed in previous issues of "Cerebus", you may wish to know that this book is, in a way, itself a "Read". There are many "controversial" and "unpopular and shocking" views expressed therein and in a way it tends to become the very thing that it purports to parody. This is, of course, just a singular view of a fanatic of Daves, not Dave himself. He may completely disagree. However, if you have an open mind you will find much enjoyment in this continuing story. (If you think this is BS Dave, email me.)
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