DVD Review: Cerebus High Society

by Mike Favila, Editor

When I first heard that IDW was putting out the Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience, I didn’t really understand it. On a very basic level, the project looked like a sort of motion comic version of Dave Sim’s classic arc. I spent a lot of my high school years picking the old phone books up and devouring them, so I was interested in picking this up, but I wasn’t sure what to expect.

While the first run of issues on Cerebus were a fun parody of the old Conan archetype, High Society is really where the storytelling develops. Everybody talks about how important Cerebus as a work of art is. While the longevity of Sim’s independent run is part of why the legend exists, it’s easy to forget that Cerebus is just an excellent read. Even without being told, you know this is art.

As soon as I start up the Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience, I’m immediately struck by Dave Sim’s rendition of Cerebus. While this was not exactly the voice that I imagined, it soon grew on me. Maybe it was a matter of convenience, but it was very interesting that Dave Sim decided to do all the voices. I was a little worried that Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience was going to be a really lame motion comic, but it definitely gave a new angle to material I was already familiar with. Eventually, the listening experience felt more like reading with narration, which worked a lot better for me.

If you’ve been following the Cerebus Kickstarter, then you may know a little bit about this DVD set. Dave Sim has been slowly rearchiving and preserving the early books for proper presentation and digital storage for the future.  Sim stated that oftentimes a lot of the original art had been sold off.  This project was necessary if the books were to be ever printed in a more high resolution format, and that now would be a good time to preserve and collate the material.

As for the content itself, the video isn’t always easy to read at times, but eventually I got used to just watching the art instead of trying to read along in pace. I thought it was cool that Sim did not start over or re-record whenever he maked a mistake during the reading. The editorial and reader comments complete the whole package. The editorials are read by the original publisher Denny,  Dave Sims’ girlfriend at the time.  Her readings were a nice break from the narration.  I could have probably done without the comments and the letters page but kudos for the complete package.  Overall, it provides a complete glimpse into what plotlines and details were interesting to Cerebus‘ readers at the time of publishing.  The packaging for Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience is gorgeous, and comes in a gatefold folder, with 4 sturdy panels containing the 8 discs. With an MSRP of $40, the set is a pretty affordable package and totally worth it for any diehard.

Obviously, Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience is geared towards true fans.  That being said, High Society is one of the more well-known arcs in Cerebus, so if anything would cross over, this would be the storyline to interpret first. I personally would have still preferred that the DVDs started at the beginning, but that wasn’t really the intent of this project. In the end, Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience is a worthwhile experiment, and provides good company to the source material.

Rating:

ComicsOnline gives Cerebus: High Society Audio/Digital Experience 3.5 out of 5 swords in your chest!

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