Usagi soon to break the record!

[shaxper]

Just realized that, this year, Stan and Usagi will break the record for longest continuing publication of a creator-owned independent comic book character.

Dave Sim held the record for Cerebus at 27 years (1977-2004). Usagi turns 27 this year and is still going.

In fact, I could be wrong, but I believe this is also the record for longest stretch on an American comic book by a single author.

Granted, Sergio started Groo back in 1982, but that hasn't been in continuous publication.

So Stan, do I have my facts right and, if so, does Dark Horse plan to do anything to commemorate this?

[Maka]

Hello Shaxper,

If you are correct, that is SO COOL!

Peace, maka

[Mayhem]

It depends what the qualifiers are. And Usagi is 26 this year anyhows. In terms of his own publication (rather than as a part of another comic) then the series has been running 23 years (Usagi #1 came out in 1987).

[coolray85]

yup yup, wanted to say the same thing, albedo number two came out in 1984 and included the goblin of Adachigahara...that would do it 26 years...but the record is within reach.....
I am so curious just what great huge story archs I am going to witness with this great series....

[shaxper]

In terms of his own publication (rather than as a part of another comic) then the series has been running 23 years (Usagi #1 came out in 1987).

I was debating how to count that, myself. I haven't looked at the publication dates, but I'd always been under the impression that, amongst Albedo 2-4, the Doomsday Squad appearance, the many Critters appearances, the Usagi Summer Special, and finally the 1987 series, that Usagi had been in relatively consistent print from 1984-1987, even without his own title. I guess it depends on how you define "consistent" since he certainly wasn't in print every single month, but there were no full year sabbaticals either.

And thanks for the 26 versus 27 year correction. Wikipedia has Usagi being created in 1983 (which I mistook for the year of Albedo #2).

[shaxper]

Okay, to clarify, here's the dates of appearances.


Nov. 1984 -- Albedo 2
Apr. 1985 -- Albedo 3
Jun 1985 -- Albedo 4
Jan 1986 -- Doomsday Squad 3
Jun 1986 -- Critters 1
Aug 1986 -- Critters 3
Oct 1986 -- Usagi Summer Special
Dec 1986 -- Critters 6
Jan 1987 -- Critters 7
Mar 1987 -- Critters 10
Apr 1987 -- Critters 11
Jul 1987 -- Critters 14 / Usagi #1

So Usagi never went more than six months without seeing print in that time frame. Some ongoing series have experienced delays between issues that are longer than that.

[estee]

And it has to be said that Dave Sim had help for most of the run in the form of the incomparable Gerhard.

Usagi has been a one man show since the beginning.





Okay, Tom Luth does the colours, but my point is still valid.

Shut up!

[Steve Hubbell]

How many actual pages did Sim do for Cerebus?

[coolray85]

the amount of pages dave simm did for his cerebus series runs up to around 6000!!!!thats a lot of pages!!...we might also not forget that dave simm decided to tell the whole live story of cerebus, in the end he is an old geezer and then he dies...
in comparisson to usagi who doesn't seem to be that much older since his first appearance...(allright he has gained life experience since 1984...)

[shaxper]

How many actual pages did Sim do for Cerebus?

Sim did most or all of the pages. Gerhard did backgrounds and finishing work. The 6000 page count is roughly accurate, though a decent percentage of those were full or mostly full text (particularly in "Jakka's Story," "Melmoth," "Women," "Reads" and "Latter Days"), and some were just scenery and shadows that may have been done entirely by Gerhard (particularly in "Jakka's Story" and "Flight"). As a result, I'm relatively sure that Stan is approaching the number of pages that Sim actually did (I would approximate that Stan's around 5000 pages at this point), and, of course, Stan did his own backgrounds and finishing work.

the amount of pages dave simm did for his cerebus series runs up to around 6000!!!!thats a lot of pages!!...we might also not forget that dave simm decided to tell the whole live story of cerebus, in the end he is an old geezer and then he dies...
in comparisson to usagi who doesn't seem to be that much older since his first appearance...(allright he has gained life experience since 1984...)

At the same time, having read the entire series, I feel qualified to say that the latter books had almost no tonal nor thematic relationship to the earlier books, whereas Usagi has been relatively consistent even while introducing changes and artistically maturing throughout the series. Additionally, Cerebus wasn't a main character nor part of the central action in issues #114-150 (Jakka's Story and Melmoth).

In the end, though, we're really comparing apples to oranges. Usagi Yojimbo and Cerebus are nothing like and do not invite comparisons between each other.

[coolray85]

yeah, I actally agree with you in the point that the two series have not that much in common as they should to be compared rightiously.
wow, you have actually read the whole cerebus story arch?that makes you the first person I know who did it, I am stil standing in the beginning of the 6000 pages march....;)so far I enjoy it, although for me personally there have been times in the barbarian story part of the series that took me longer to read through because it felt somewhat long and enduring, but maybe on a second read I will be able to enjoy it better....
I also agree with you on usagi's consistency....
It is real magic that the book is what it is even if so many years may have passed it by.....

[Maka]

Hello UYDers,

Another thing that is different is that Cerebus was self-published (all those years?). I would think that brings a different challenge to distributing 300 issues.

But I never could get into Cerebus after the first two phone books. I tried. I wanted to like it but I found it boring. I kept on buying the phone books hoping that I would find inspiration to read and discover all these characters that others liked. But every time I picked up the book, I felt unmotivated. I finally stopped buying them after Reads.

Usagi is a much better match for me. I can't wait to pick up a new issue and read it. And of course the UY Dojo just enriches my wonderful Usagi experience. Thanks!

Peace, maka

[shaxper]

wow, you have actually read the whole cerebus story arch?that makes you the first person I know who did it,

Actually, I'm the only person I know who did it, too

I am stil standing in the beginning of the 6000 pages march....;)so far I enjoy it, although for me personally there have been times in the barbarian story part of the series that took me longer to read through because it felt somewhat long and enduring, but maybe on a second read I will be able to enjoy it better....

Well, you have a long road ahead of you. No, the first volume is exceptionally tedious. You are right. I really didn't enjoy it until he got to Palnu and met Lord Julius.

A quick guide to what's ahead...

High Society -- Awesome, awesome, awesome. Light years ahead of vol. 1 in every possible way.

Church & State -- Almost as good.

Church & State 2 -- surprisingly dark and unfunny. It's still a good read, but expect to fall out of love with Cerebus as a protagonist in this volume. Definitely him at his worst.

Jakka's Story -- Exceptionally difficult to get through and only marginally worth it.

Melmoth -- The biggest waste of a volume in the series. It's not even about Cerebus. It depicts the final days of Oscar Wilde. You really can skip this one and miss nothing.

Flight -- The series picks up momentum again with Cerebus at the center. Exciting throughout.

Women -- Still exciting, but exceptionally confusing. It won't fully make sense no matter how many times you re-read it, and Sim never returns to a lot of the things he hints at and suggests, here.

Reads -- The scandalously crazy volume. While Cerebus is in some of this, it largely focuses on a pulp magazine writer in the first half, and on another character (who may or may not be Sim) lecturing the reader on the dangers and evils of feminism. It's actually quite interesting and innovative if you can get past the fact that you won't necessarily agree with his conclusions.

Minds -- The last of the "true" Cerebus stories, in my opinion. The tone is very different after this, the action is far more muted, and Cerebus ceases to resemble himself as a character.

Guys / Rick's Story -- Cerebus spends entirely too long in a bar doing absolutely nothing. It's interesting at first, but these thirty issues seem to plod on forever.

Going Home -- The last volume that I truly enjoyed from beginning to end. Surprisingly upbeat, endearing, and touching for a Cerebus story.

Form & Void -- A little more uneven and definitely darker. The end positively blew my mind, though.

Latter Days -- Exceptionally amusing until you read the notes and discover that Sim was serious. This is still highly amusing at times, but it's interspersed with pages upon pages of dense text in which Sim reinterprets the bible as a self-proclaimed prophet. If you skip most of this and just read the Cerebus bits, it's not a bad read at all.

The Last Day -- Really didn't enjoy this at all. It's just plain depressing and unnecessarily cruel.


-----

If I were you, I'd skip Melmoth and stop at Minds.

[estee]

That is a pretty good analysis of Cerebus, shaxper. I'd have to agree on most of it.

Except Jaka's Story. I liked that story arc a lot.

[coolray85]

hi again!;)
well first of all thank you shaxper for the summary on cerebus volumes for me to come....wow, it is sad to hear that so much of the material couldn't touch you as readers and in case of maka hard-trying future possible readers .....
at this moment I possess cerebus and high society, which is the starting point of the partnership with gerhard as well I think....so far I've heard too that high society must be amazing...going to read it soon...
I must add that your analysis benefits my future picks on cerebus because these phone books are a little expensive, too....
with the first vol of the series I kind of felt the same way, although I found it was really gettin started for me when he had left palnu and decided to join the group attempting to overtake the city of palnu;)....

just came home from work half an hour ago and over here it is night time so Im goin to quit the dojo for tonight and wish y'all a nice night...
read you soon!
marcel