Guys is the seventh novel in Canadian

People of Canada

Canadians are the people who are identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be genetic, residential, legal, historical, cultural or ethnic...

 cartoonist

Cartoonist

A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...

 Dave Sim

Dave Sim

David Victor Sim is an award-winning Canadian comic book writer and artist.A pioneer of self-published comics and creators' rights, Sim is best known as the creator of Cerebus the Aardvark, a comic book published from 1977 to 2004, which chronicles its main character in a 6,000-page self-contained...

's Cerebus

Cerebus the Aardvark

Cerebus the Aardvark, or simply Cerebus , is an independent comic book, written and illustrated by Canadian artist Dave Sim, with backgrounds by fellow Canadian Gerhard. Cerebus ran for 300 issues from December 1977 to 2004, and was over 6000 pages long, the longest-running original...

comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 series. It is made up of issues #201-219 of Cerebus and was collected as Guys in one volume in September 1997.

The book marks a return to a lighter and more humorous style, and takes place in a males-only bar.

Synopsis

After being shown the truth about the universe and himself, Cerebus is given the opportunity to choose to be anywhere he wants. He chooses a bar. The tavern he is placed in is located by the Wall of T'si, with a host of Cerebus regulars, including Bear, Boobah and Mick & Keef; visits from the Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...

 caricature from Jaka's Story

Jaka's Story (comics)

Jaka's Story is the fourth novel in Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim's Cerebus comic book series.There is danger in the air, as the fascist matriarchal Cirinists have conquered the city of Iest. Cerebus hides from them halfway between the Upper and Lower cities in the mountainside home of Jaka, the...

; and new characters, such as bartenders Richard George and Harrison Starkey (based on members of the Beatles), and caricatures of Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer

Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...

 and Igor from Marty Feldman

Marty Feldman

Martin Alan "Marty" Feldman was an English comedy writer, comedian and actor who starred in a series of British television comedy shows, including At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, which won two BAFTA awards and was the first Saturn Award winner for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Young...

's Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...

.

Much of the story revolves around Cerebus' relation to Bear, who is seen as having achieved a certain level of manhood and contentment. Cerebus, in contrast, is selfish, childish and controlling. Cerebus is unable to connect with others, and gradually alienates those around him with his drunken, selfish behaviour.

Publication

Sim says that the actual Cerebus story finished with issue #200, and that following would be 100 issues of dénouement. The first novel of the dénouement, Rick's Story was serialized in Cerebus #201219.

Sources

• Cerebus Fangirl
• Cerebus Wiki, set up by Cerebus Fangirl

Further reading

Guys page at Cerebus Wiki