Jaka's Story (comics)
Encyclopedia
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 woman he's in love with, and her husband, Rick. Jaka works illegally as an exotic dancer in a tavern with no clients while Pud, the tavern owner, secretly lusts for her, revealed using interior monologue. A caricature of Oscar Wilde
is their neighbour and friend of Rick, much to the chagrin of Jaka and Pud, who dislike him. Cerebus himself stays largely in the background, and is almost entirely absent from the second half of the book, as the story focuses mainly on development of the characters Jaka, Rick, Pud and Oscar.
The book flashes back and forth between Jaka's lonely, aristocratic childhood up to her twelfth birthday, and the "present" time of the main Cerebus storyline. The "present" sections are told in comics form while the "past" portions are told in flowery prose
sections, which the reader finds out later are written by Oscar (and are in Sim's imitation of Wilde's writing style), unknown to Jaka and based on what Oscar has heard from Rick.
While one part of the larger Cerebus story, this novel is considered complete in itself and a good introduction to the Cerebus storyline. It was collected as the fifth paperback "phonebook" collection in the series in October 1990.
The overblown prose of the text passages, the reader discovers later, were written by Jaka and Rick's artistic neighbour Oscar (a caricature of Oscar Wilde
). It tells the tale of Jaka's childhood and aristocratic origins as she is brought up in her uncle Lord Julius' household with an overbearing Nurse, as interpreted by Oscar from stories he has heard from Rick. Nurse's face is never seenoften it is replaced with the face of Jaka's doll, Missy).
The story is told with a limited number of people and locations, creating a confined, claustrophobic feeling. Much of the novel is spent developing the characters, and Cerebus himself takes a back-seat rôle.
Jaka goes about her morning, waking her husband Rick and preparing the bath and his breakfast, and irritatedly prodding him to go find work in the Lower City.
Parallel to this, in the prose sections, we see Jaka as a lonely child, also going about her morning, being watched over by her imposing Nurse. Her only friend was her doll, Missy. Together, they are taken to visit a park in which she plays on a wooden horse called Thunder, but which in her imagination is called Magic. The reader finds out that Missy is still with Jaka in the "present", sitting on her shelf, watching over her, as if protecting her.
Cerebus, on his way down towards the Lower City, comes across a tavern run by Pud Withers. Cerebus tries to order an ale, but Pud panics when Cerebus tries to pay with a gold coincertain indenture laws have sent the price of gold "through the roof". Jaka walks in and, seeing that Cerebus is still alive, she embraces him and invites him to stay at her home. Cerebus learns that Jaka has had a miscarriage
, and meets Rick. After staying for some time, Cerebus announces to Jaka that he will not leave without her. Rick overhears the conversation between Jaka and Cerebus and realizes that their guest had formerly been the Pope. Cerebus stays, witnessing Jaka and Rick's fights and make-up love-makings through the walls.
Jaka works for Pud as a dancer in the evenings, though she feels "useless" that she has drawn no customers. She also seem unaware of Pud's lusting for herhe plays out fantasy conversations with her in his mindor the fact that he's ruining himself financially over her.
During the text sections, we follow Jaka's lonely childhood, as she hits her head on Magic and is left bedridden; and as she finds a hidden room in the house.
Oscar, Jaka and Rick's next-door neighbour (and a caricature of Oscar Wilde
) returns from the Upper City. Rick is enamoured of Oscar, who is vain, rude and arrogant. Rick tells Oscar that he wants to have a son, and that he will give his son a foal when he turns 10. He'll have his son lift it over his head every day until he turns 13, at which point he'll be able to lift a full-grown horse, and not be skinny and weak like Rick himself. Rick accidentally lets Oscar know of their houseguest, before quickly remembering that Cerebus had been the Pope and was in hiding. He covers up by calling Cerebus "Fred" and claiming he's Jaka's brother.
Jaka and Pud both dislike Oscar. Pud makes no effort to disguise his dislike; however, as landlord, must allow him to stay, as his dead mother had given Oscar a 90-year lease on his house.
Jaka returns home excitedly one night after having her first customer at Pud's tavern, an old veteran. The news is stifled by Rick and "Fred", who are in the middle of a game, and Jaka goes to her room in tears. Rick follows, and the two fight, partly over Rick's insistence that he will go to the Lower City to fetch paint for Oscar. "Fred" overhears, and in the morning leaves a note saying that he will go to the Lower City for the paint.
Oscar lets Rick know that he has completed a bookthe very book that the reader has been reading between the comics. Oscar lets Jaka know through Rick, and has himself invited to see Jaka dance. Jaka curiosity is piqued and she consents. She dances for Oscar, Rick, Pud and the veteran. Oscar then excuses himself to get the manuscript of the book, and while he is gone, Rick let's her know that it is about her childhood. Jaka is mortifiedshe can't believe Rick would tell such private things to Oscar.
Before Oscar can return, the tavern is discovered and invaded by Cirinists. Exotic dancing is illegal in Cirinist-run Iest, and Jaka is arrested. Pud and the veteran are killed. Oscar returns, but assures the Cirinsts that he was not a patron. They arrest him, instead, for writing a book without having an "artistic license", and sentence him to two years hard labour.
Jaka is imprisoned by the Cirinists for the felony of being an exotic dancer. In the prison, she finds out that her neighbour in the next cell is Nurse, who is to be executed for lacking the proper immigration papers. Jaka is treated harshly by the prison guard, and is led to believe that Rick is dead.
We are introduced to Mrs. Thatcher, a caricature of former British prime minister
Margaret Thatcher
, a matriarch
who tries to show Jaka what exotic dancing "really was", as opposed to what Jaka believed it to be. She is allowed to return to Palnu on the condition that she sign an admission of wrong-doing. Under pressure, she signs, whereupon she is told that Rick is still alive and they are to be reunited. When they are brought together, however, Mrs. Thatcher reveals to Rick that the Cirinists knew that Jaka had had an abortion
, not a miscarriage. Rick explodes and strikes Jaka. The two are allowed to separate, with Rick being returned to his mother, but not before having his thumb broken for "striking a woman".
At the end, "Fred" returns with the paint, only to find the houses burnt out and the inhabitants gone.
Jaka spends her time in the suite in Palnu where she had spent her last year before running away. The servants gossip, while Jaka, who barely eats or drinks, stares vacantly out a window.
. Later, it is revealed that she had actually had an illegal abortion
.
In a 1994 interview (around the time the anti-feminist Cerebus #186 was published), Sim claimed he wrote Jaka as a nuanced, sympathetic character only as a "writing exercise", the point of which was to build her up in the readers' minds and then tear her down at the end of the story, although in the past Sim had written that Jaka was someone he would actually like to hang out with.
Nurse:Jaka's governess in the prose sections of the book; stern and overbearing. Her real name is Ada Talbot.
Rick Nash:Jaka's unemployed husband; slack, immature but likeable. He desperately wants a son. He also enjoys hanging around with Oscar and helping him out, though Jaka considers Oscar a bad influence.
In the introduction to the Jaka's Story phonebook, Sim dispels the idea that Rick was based on himself. He goes on to say that Rick is most likely the only instance of a truly good character he has ever created.
Pud Withers:Store- and tavern-owner; Jaka and Rick's landlord; Jaka's employer at the tavern. He secretly pines after Jaka, but is too shy wo do anything about it. The reader is privy through inner monologue to the fantasy conversations he imagines having with Jaka.
Cerebus:Jaka and Rick's house guest, hiding from the Cirinists under the assumed name
of "Fred"
Oscar:Caricature of Oscar Wilde
; Jaka and Rick's next-door neighbour. A writer who is vain and arrogant aristophile. He was granted a 90-year lease on the house he lives in by Pud's dead mother. Pud himself, however, despises Oscar.
Mrs. Thatcher:A matriarch
based on Margaret Thatcher
, she tries to get Jaka to sign an admission of guilt for her exotic dancing, and tries, forcefully, to convince her why such dancing is wrong.
The pages of the "present" portions of the book were done in six panel grids, two tiers of three panels. This was done with little variation, although sometimes the shape of the panels was distorted, reflecting tensions occurring within the panels.
thumb
The characters were more realistic and less exhibited less caricatured exaggeration than in earlier Cerebus stories. The backgrounds were particularly realistic. As this was the first Cerebus "novel" that Gerhard participated in from the beginning, he had the luxury of being able to plan out the rooms of the houses ahead of time. They were based on Sim's memory, as described to Gerhard, of the apartment Sim and his then-wife Deni
had first shared. Gerhard spent about a month completing floor plans and 3D views of the buildings in the story before any pages were actually drawn, and Sim wrote the scenes of the story around these plans.
Of particular interest is Sim's award-winning, expressive use of lettering
and speech balloon
s, especially the exaggerated rhythms and intonation used for Mrs. Thatcher's dialogue.
"phone book" collection in October 1990. Sim had briefly toyed with the idea of publishing expensive, high-quality, oversized editions of Jaka's Story
, but soon decided against it for being too greedy.
When serialized in Cerebus, Jaka's Story was the first Cerebus novel to prominently display the novel name (Jaka's Story) on the cover, and printed both the current issue of the series and the current issue of the novelso, for example, the January 1989 issue was numbered both Cerebus #119 and Jaka's Story #6.
Sim says he was influenced by Love and Rockets
to do a "more human" story.
The novel was sandwiched between two issues (the #112/113 double issue and #137) that have not been collected in the series of "phone book" collections. Issues #137 and 138 were subtitled "Jaka's Story: Epilogue" 1 and 2 and their covers. The second half of issue #138 was included in the Jaka's Story collection as the epilogue
, but the story that made up the rest of the two issues ("Like-a-Looks", see below) was not included in the Jaka's Story collection.
s Lord Julius would hire to stand in his place when he needed a break. The story has never been included in any "phonebook" collection. It has, however, been included in Cerebus Number Zero, which collects all the stories from the regular Cerebus series that didn't appear in the phonebooks.
is the best introduction). In 1990, it won the "Story" award at the Squiddies
and was nominated for a Harvey Award
for "Best Single Issue or Story". It was included in Stephen Weiner's book The 101 Best Graphic Novels in 2001.
perfectly with Lord Julius, his Oscar Wilde
imitation was not as convincing.
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.
There is danger in the air, as the fascist matriarchal
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
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 woman he's in love with, and her husband, Rick. Jaka works illegally as an exotic dancer in a tavern with no clients while Pud, the tavern owner, secretly lusts for her, revealed using interior monologue. A caricature of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
is their neighbour and friend of Rick, much to the chagrin of Jaka and Pud, who dislike him. Cerebus himself stays largely in the background, and is almost entirely absent from the second half of the book, as the story focuses mainly on development of the characters Jaka, Rick, Pud and Oscar.
The book flashes back and forth between Jaka's lonely, aristocratic childhood up to her twelfth birthday, and the "present" time of the main Cerebus storyline. The "present" sections are told in comics form while the "past" portions are told in flowery prose
Purple prose
Purple prose is a term of literary criticism used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself. Purple prose is sensually evocative beyond the requirements of its context...
sections, which the reader finds out later are written by Oscar (and are in Sim's imitation of Wilde's writing style), unknown to Jaka and based on what Oscar has heard from Rick.
While one part of the larger Cerebus story, this novel is considered complete in itself and a good introduction to the Cerebus storyline. It was collected as the fifth paperback "phonebook" collection in the series in October 1990.
Overview
The story alternates between "the present" in regular comics pages (mostly done in a six-panel grid) and "the past" in illustrated text passages. Cerebus' character remains mostly in the background, and doesn't even appear in most of the second half of the book.The overblown prose of the text passages, the reader discovers later, were written by Jaka and Rick's artistic neighbour Oscar (a caricature of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
). It tells the tale of Jaka's childhood and aristocratic origins as she is brought up in her uncle Lord Julius' household with an overbearing Nurse, as interpreted by Oscar from stories he has heard from Rick. Nurse's face is never seenoften it is replaced with the face of Jaka's doll, Missy).
The story is told with a limited number of people and locations, creating a confined, claustrophobic feeling. Much of the novel is spent developing the characters, and Cerebus himself takes a back-seat rôle.
Prologue
(Cerebus #114; Jaka's Story pages 1131)Jaka goes about her morning, waking her husband Rick and preparing the bath and his breakfast, and irritatedly prodding him to go find work in the Lower City.
Parallel to this, in the prose sections, we see Jaka as a lonely child, also going about her morning, being watched over by her imposing Nurse. Her only friend was her doll, Missy. Together, they are taken to visit a park in which she plays on a wooden horse called Thunder, but which in her imagination is called Magic. The reader finds out that Missy is still with Jaka in the "present", sitting on her shelf, watching over her, as if protecting her.
Book One: Pogrom's Progress
(Cerebus #115119; Jaka's Story pages 32132)Cerebus, on his way down towards the Lower City, comes across a tavern run by Pud Withers. Cerebus tries to order an ale, but Pud panics when Cerebus tries to pay with a gold coincertain indenture laws have sent the price of gold "through the roof". Jaka walks in and, seeing that Cerebus is still alive, she embraces him and invites him to stay at her home. Cerebus learns that Jaka has had a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
, and meets Rick. After staying for some time, Cerebus announces to Jaka that he will not leave without her. Rick overhears the conversation between Jaka and Cerebus and realizes that their guest had formerly been the Pope. Cerebus stays, witnessing Jaka and Rick's fights and make-up love-makings through the walls.
Jaka works for Pud as a dancer in the evenings, though she feels "useless" that she has drawn no customers. She also seem unaware of Pud's lusting for herhe plays out fantasy conversations with her in his mindor the fact that he's ruining himself financially over her.
During the text sections, we follow Jaka's lonely childhood, as she hits her head on Magic and is left bedridden; and as she finds a hidden room in the house.
Book Two: The Poet
(Cerebus #120130; Jaka's Story pages 133352)Oscar, Jaka and Rick's next-door neighbour (and a caricature of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
) returns from the Upper City. Rick is enamoured of Oscar, who is vain, rude and arrogant. Rick tells Oscar that he wants to have a son, and that he will give his son a foal when he turns 10. He'll have his son lift it over his head every day until he turns 13, at which point he'll be able to lift a full-grown horse, and not be skinny and weak like Rick himself. Rick accidentally lets Oscar know of their houseguest, before quickly remembering that Cerebus had been the Pope and was in hiding. He covers up by calling Cerebus "Fred" and claiming he's Jaka's brother.
Jaka and Pud both dislike Oscar. Pud makes no effort to disguise his dislike; however, as landlord, must allow him to stay, as his dead mother had given Oscar a 90-year lease on his house.
Jaka returns home excitedly one night after having her first customer at Pud's tavern, an old veteran. The news is stifled by Rick and "Fred", who are in the middle of a game, and Jaka goes to her room in tears. Rick follows, and the two fight, partly over Rick's insistence that he will go to the Lower City to fetch paint for Oscar. "Fred" overhears, and in the morning leaves a note saying that he will go to the Lower City for the paint.
Oscar lets Rick know that he has completed a bookthe very book that the reader has been reading between the comics. Oscar lets Jaka know through Rick, and has himself invited to see Jaka dance. Jaka curiosity is piqued and she consents. She dances for Oscar, Rick, Pud and the veteran. Oscar then excuses himself to get the manuscript of the book, and while he is gone, Rick let's her know that it is about her childhood. Jaka is mortifiedshe can't believe Rick would tell such private things to Oscar.
Before Oscar can return, the tavern is discovered and invaded by Cirinists. Exotic dancing is illegal in Cirinist-run Iest, and Jaka is arrested. Pud and the veteran are killed. Oscar returns, but assures the Cirinsts that he was not a patron. They arrest him, instead, for writing a book without having an "artistic license", and sentence him to two years hard labour.
Book Three: Mystery Achievement
(Cerebus #131136; Jaka's Story pages 353472)Jaka is imprisoned by the Cirinists for the felony of being an exotic dancer. In the prison, she finds out that her neighbour in the next cell is Nurse, who is to be executed for lacking the proper immigration papers. Jaka is treated harshly by the prison guard, and is led to believe that Rick is dead.
We are introduced to Mrs. Thatcher, a caricature of former British prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, a matriarch
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
who tries to show Jaka what exotic dancing "really was", as opposed to what Jaka believed it to be. She is allowed to return to Palnu on the condition that she sign an admission of wrong-doing. Under pressure, she signs, whereupon she is told that Rick is still alive and they are to be reunited. When they are brought together, however, Mrs. Thatcher reveals to Rick that the Cirinists knew that Jaka had had an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, not a miscarriage. Rick explodes and strikes Jaka. The two are allowed to separate, with Rick being returned to his mother, but not before having his thumb broken for "striking a woman".
At the end, "Fred" returns with the paint, only to find the houses burnt out and the inhabitants gone.
Epilogue
(from second half of Cerebus #138; Jaka's Story pages 473486)Jaka spends her time in the suite in Palnu where she had spent her last year before running away. The servants gossip, while Jaka, who barely eats or drinks, stares vacantly out a window.
Characters
Jaka Nash (née Tavers):Married to Rick and pregnant by him, Jaka is now dancing at Pud's tavern in exchange for just enough money to cover rent and groceries, which are provided by Pud. While she had been pregnant the last time she and Cerebus met, she tells Cerebus she has had a miscarriageMiscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. Later, it is revealed that she had actually had an illegal abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
.
In a 1994 interview (around the time the anti-feminist Cerebus #186 was published), Sim claimed he wrote Jaka as a nuanced, sympathetic character only as a "writing exercise", the point of which was to build her up in the readers' minds and then tear her down at the end of the story, although in the past Sim had written that Jaka was someone he would actually like to hang out with.
Nurse:Jaka's governess in the prose sections of the book; stern and overbearing. Her real name is Ada Talbot.
Rick Nash:Jaka's unemployed husband; slack, immature but likeable. He desperately wants a son. He also enjoys hanging around with Oscar and helping him out, though Jaka considers Oscar a bad influence.
In the introduction to the Jaka's Story phonebook, Sim dispels the idea that Rick was based on himself. He goes on to say that Rick is most likely the only instance of a truly good character he has ever created.
Pud Withers:Store- and tavern-owner; Jaka and Rick's landlord; Jaka's employer at the tavern. He secretly pines after Jaka, but is too shy wo do anything about it. The reader is privy through inner monologue to the fantasy conversations he imagines having with Jaka.
Cerebus:Jaka and Rick's house guest, hiding from the Cirinists under the assumed name
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of "Fred"
Oscar:Caricature of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
; Jaka and Rick's next-door neighbour. A writer who is vain and arrogant aristophile. He was granted a 90-year lease on the house he lives in by Pud's dead mother. Pud himself, however, despises Oscar.
Mrs. Thatcher:A matriarch
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
based on Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, she tries to get Jaka to sign an admission of guilt for her exotic dancing, and tries, forcefully, to convince her why such dancing is wrong.
Style
thumbThe pages of the "present" portions of the book were done in six panel grids, two tiers of three panels. This was done with little variation, although sometimes the shape of the panels was distorted, reflecting tensions occurring within the panels.
thumb
The characters were more realistic and less exhibited less caricatured exaggeration than in earlier Cerebus stories. The backgrounds were particularly realistic. As this was the first Cerebus "novel" that Gerhard participated in from the beginning, he had the luxury of being able to plan out the rooms of the houses ahead of time. They were based on Sim's memory, as described to Gerhard, of the apartment Sim and his then-wife Deni
Deni Loubert
Deni Loubert is a French Canadian comics publisher, co-founder of Aardvark-Vanaheim and founder of Renegade Press. She is the ex-wife of Dave Sim, with whom she founded Aardvark-Vanaheim and published Cerebus from issues #1 to #77 .Loubert and Sim met in 1976) and married in 1979...
had first shared. Gerhard spent about a month completing floor plans and 3D views of the buildings in the story before any pages were actually drawn, and Sim wrote the scenes of the story around these plans.
Of particular interest is Sim's award-winning, expressive use of lettering
Letterer
A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and...
and speech balloon
Speech balloon
Speech balloons are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comic strips and cartoons to allow words to be understood as representing the speech or thoughts of a given character in the comic...
s, especially the exaggerated rhythms and intonation used for Mrs. Thatcher's dialogue.
Publication
Originally published in issues #114-136 of Sim's monthly Cerebus series from August 1988 to July 1990, Jaka's Story was published as a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
"phone book" collection in October 1990. Sim had briefly toyed with the idea of publishing expensive, high-quality, oversized editions of 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...
, but soon decided against it for being too greedy.
When serialized in Cerebus, Jaka's Story was the first Cerebus novel to prominently display the novel name (Jaka's Story) on the cover, and printed both the current issue of the series and the current issue of the novelso, for example, the January 1989 issue was numbered both Cerebus #119 and Jaka's Story #6.
Sim says he was influenced by Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets (comics)
Love and Rockets is a black and white comic book series by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez, sometimes cited jointly as Los Bros Hernandez. Their brother Mario Hernandez is an occasional contributor...
to do a "more human" story.
The novel was sandwiched between two issues (the #112/113 double issue and #137) that have not been collected in the series of "phone book" collections. Issues #137 and 138 were subtitled "Jaka's Story: Epilogue" 1 and 2 and their covers. The second half of issue #138 was included in the Jaka's Story collection as the epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
, but the story that made up the rest of the two issues ("Like-a-Looks", see below) was not included in the Jaka's Story collection.
Like-a-Looks
In issue #137 and the first half of #138 ran the story "Like-a-Looks"a light-hearted, comedic story about the numerous dopplegangerDoppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
s Lord Julius would hire to stand in his place when he needed a break. The story has never been included in any "phonebook" collection. It has, however, been included in Cerebus Number Zero, which collects all the stories from the regular Cerebus series that didn't appear in the phonebooks.
Recognition
Jaka's Story has been said to be Sim's peak work and the best introduction to Cerebus (although others says High SocietyHigh Society (comics)
High Society is the second collected volume, and first volume-length story, of Canadian cartoonist Dave Sim's Cerebus comic book series. It focuses mainly on politics, including Cerebus campaign for the office of Prime Minister, in the fictional city-state of Iest in Sim's world of Estarcion...
is the best introduction). In 1990, it won the "Story" award at the Squiddies
Squiddy Awards
The Squiddy Awards, also known as The Squiddies, were the annual awards given by the participants in the Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.comics through 2004. The awards are named after the humorous typo "Suicide Squid"...
and was nominated for a Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
for "Best Single Issue or Story". It was included in Stephen Weiner's book The 101 Best Graphic Novels in 2001.
Criticism
It has been said that, while Sim was able to nail Groucho MarxGroucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
perfectly with Lord Julius, his Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
imitation was not as convincing.
Sources
- Sim, DaveDave SimDavid 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...
& Gerhard. Cerebus #126. Aardvark-VanaheimAardvark-VanaheimAardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. It is best known for publishing Sim's Cerebus....
, September 1989. - Sim, Dave & Gerhard. Cerebus #129. Aardvark-VanaheimAardvark-VanaheimAardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. It is best known for publishing Sim's Cerebus....
, December 1989. - Sim, Dave & Gerhard. Jaka's Story. Aardvark-VanaheimAardvark-VanaheimAardvark-Vanaheim is a Canadian independent comic book publisher founded in 1977 by Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. It is best known for publishing Sim's Cerebus....
, October 1990. ISBN 0-919359-12-4 - Weiner, Stephen. The 101 Best Graphic Novels. NBM, 2001. ISBN 978-1-561-63283-1
- Wolk, Douglas. "Dave Sim: Aardvark Politick". Reading comics: how graphic novels work and what they mean. Da Capo Press, 2007, pages 289-303. ISBN 978-0-306-81509-6
- Robinson, Sean Michael. "The Craft Behind Cerebus: An Interview with Gerhard", part 1-1 1-2 1-3 2-1 2-2 2-3 3-1 3-2 3-3. The Comics JournalThe Comics JournalThe Comics Journal, often abbreviated TCJ, is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels...
, 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2011-04-21. - Cerebus Fangirl
- Cerebus Wiki, set up by Cerebus Fangirl
External links
- Jaka's Story page at Cerebus Wiki
- Thunder . . .Magic the Wonder Horseyinformation (including location) on the "real" Magic the wonder horsie
- (Audio) Jaka's Story episode of Comic Geek Speak