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Church & State, Vol. 2 (Cerebus, Vol. 4)
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Price: $20.95
Price subject to change!
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9780919359116
ISBN: 0919359116
Label: Aardvark-Vanheim
Manufacturer: Aardvark-Vanheim
Number Of Pages: 630
Publication Date: 1988-07
Publisher: Aardvark-Vanheim
Studio: Aardvark-Vanheim
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Customer review of: Church & State, Vol. 2 (Cerebus, Vol. 4)
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Not up to past volumes.
Comment: Dave Sim and Gerhard's massive "Church and State" epic, itself an extension of the earlier "High Society" book, finally comes to an end in this volume. Cerebus has, in the course of the story, gone from down and out to Pope, to the gutters again, and then once again back to the Papacy. Unfortunately, I must say, I found that the conclusion to the story did not live up to its earlier parts.
Principally, I think, the issue is that Sim's storytelling takes a heavy turn for the confusing in the course of this volume. Long sections of it drag rather noticeably as Sim devotes considerable space to mundane activities or gags. Other parts, such as Cerebus' trial of Astoria, ar ejust confusingly depicted, the significance never explained or illuminated in sufficient detail. And then there is the character of the Moon Roach, Sim's device for parodying whatever was going on in superhero comics at the time, who takes on the extremely annoying incarnation of the 'Sacred Wars' Roach; this is, at present, a one-joke character, albeit with the one joke being swapped out every so often, and he just grates here.
All that said, there remains a great deal to like here. Sim is a witty, intelligent writer, and, by this point, also a very strong artist (as is Gerhard, reliably providing the backgrounds). Characters like Lord Julius (who we don't see nearly enough of here) and Cerebus himself retain their enjoyable characteristics, and Astoria, a regular figure in the comic since "High Society", finally gets some real exploration here (including the infamous rape by Cerebus after she taunts him). And the chase, when Sim eventually cuts to it, is excellent. Cerebus finds himself face to face with a Watcher-esque character, who reveals to him the history of the solar system and Earth, in particular, including in it his knowledge of the ultimate fate of life in our area of the world (the future isn't great), and his judgement of Cerebus himself. Cerebus learns of his ultimate, miserable fate, and is reminded of what he has done to deserve it. In some respects, you know, at the story's end, everything that you need to know about the series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tough going, but worth it
Comment: Some parts of this story are very hard to follow. There is a long dream sequence in the middle and it isn't clear exactly when it ends, so for a good part of the story you don't know if it's really happening or Cerebus is dreaming it. The rape scene is horrible. After that one I put it down for a few days. Sim throws some super abstract stuff in there and doesn't explain it ever. Who knows if he ever will. There are flaws apleanty. Mick and Kieth are funny for about a page and a half, then it's like come on, get on with it. Elrod shows up out of nowhere in a bug suit for no apparent reason. WTF? Anyway, after it was all over, I thought about it and decided it was pretty good in the end. The ending was awesome. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I recommend this one. I just hope that after this Sim starting getting more concrete and explicit. I like a clear story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Graphic SF Reader
Comment: Cerebus has to return to the city to participate in the trial of Astoria. Here, he meets the Judge, a Watcher type, and ends up looking back at some bad parts of his element.
When he returns from his lunar sojourn, things have fallen apart again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Aardvark Evolution
Comment: ***This review contains spoilers***
I've only recently gotten into Cerebus, and I can't get them fast enough. I thoroughly enjoyed volume 1. High Society was interesting in the development of the story and character, though I didn't really connect with it the way a lot of people did. Then I got to Church and State and was blown away. I finished part 2 in one marathon session, reading years worth of material in just hours.
It's not often I've read a comic that made me sit back and say "Wow." It's also not often to read a comic where the main character rapes someone and you STILL like him, even though he isn't supposed to be likable. Many people seemed to be turned off by the decidedly darker tone the story takes, but I found it fascinating. Cerebus was truly evolving.
The biggest change was that Cerebus was no longer some asexual celibate. The storylines were even more mature than before, with Cerebus emerging as a lustful, sexual being, capable of emotions more complex than just annoyance and anger. His relationships with all the various women in the story were all well designed and almost tragic in that everything Cerebus gets involved with always ends in the worst possible way. He blows his relationship with Michelle by listening to the wrong person. He's married to Sophia and doesn't love her, yet he is afraid to leave her. When he finally realizes his true love is Jaka, he can't have her. It's quite sad, actually.
The artwork is better than ever. Cerebus is no longer just a gray blob, but now has some muscular definition, making him seem even more real. And the backgrounds are just stunning, many of which are shown with no dialogue at all.
And then there's the ending. What a punch to the gut. The Judge's last words to Cerebus cut like a chainsaw, and the final scene of Cerebus returning to the destroyed city, walking the empty streets is just haunting. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. And while the overall story of Church and State may not be as overtly funny as what came before it, it's still funny in it's own way. Some people are turned off by Cerebus's harsh behavior, but I thought it was great. After being manipulated for so long with disastrous results in High Society and Church & State 1, he unleashes his rage like a hurricane once he becomes the pope. I thought it was just perfect.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A much Darker Cerebus
Comment: Others have commented on how , with this volume, Cerebus is no longer funny. And they're right. In this book, there is much less humor than in previous ones. How I'm differing from these others is that I don't see that as a problem. There are several sequences in this book which I truly admired. I liked how the rape scene was portrayed (Dialogue against pitch black panles), and also how it was handled: as a horrifically bad and immoral act. I also loved the Trial scene, though I'm sure others were disoriented by it. These two scenes, as well as the various conversations between Astoria and Cerebus in the jail cell made me much more sympathetic to Astoria, who before this mostly came off as a self-centered, self-righteous, passive-aggressive, manipulative and dispassionate person. It is here where we begin to understand her driving force, and in the trial scene we understand that Cerebus could be in her position. This book seems to capture the utter bottom of Cerebus's hero cycle (yes, I'm a Cambell nerd), and I thought Dave Sim explored this in an interesting wayt. Now, to see if Cerebus will rise to continue his journey, or fall once again.
As for wqhy I'm subtracting a star, two words: The Cockroach. The Secret Sacred Wars Roach is the most annoying alter ego yet, and it sweeps in two previously blameless characters (the McGrew Brothers). Sometimes I was tempted to skip his dialogue balloons completely. I also didn't understand the guy with the carrot for a head. Obviously, he's a guest star from another comic, but I have no idea which one. Since he is not explained, I was only puzzled by him.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Church and State, Volume II, is the second part of a story that exists as a whole and as part three of the Cerebus the Aardvark series. Many consider this volume to be Dave Sim and background artist Gerhard's best visual work to date. The action picks up right after the cliffhanger at the end of part one of Church and State. Cerebus attempts to regain his lost throne amidst warnings of a larger crisis. Mountain climbing, the introductions of Prince Mick and Prince Keef (exactly who you might think they are), the Super Secret Sacred Wars, and an Ascension to Vanaheim mark this second half of the Church and State opus. The major plot lines, which started 10 years earlier in Cerebus and High Society, are resolved (to some degree). The ending sets the stage for the more restful and introspective volumes--Jaka's Story and Melmoth--that follow.
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