Swords Against Cerebus is the only podcast -- perhaps the only podcast brave enough -- to cover all 300 issues of the infamous Canadian comic book Cerebus . There were no other volunteers.
Reading the feed…
And with the hiss of the cockroach, it’s Swords Against Cerebus once again, covering issues 30 (“Debts”) and 31 (“Catching Cootie”)! Maybe you already guessed, but our least favorite character is back! Also, we finally read “What Happened Between Issues Twenty and Twenty-one!” And I can promise you this episode will answer these burning questions: - Is that a titty window in the cover of #30? - What historical reference did we totally miss in #27? - Was anything actually explained by that short story? - Is Palnu socialist? And since you know I love to tease about the letters…one terrifying let
You hear a knock on your door. “Room service,” comes a voice from outside. You open the door and a bellhop glides in with a cart. On the cart is a silver cloche. The bellhop lifts the lid, and out comes a tiny podcast. It’s episode 16 of Swords Against Cerebus, covering issues 28 (“Mind Game II”) and 29 (“Repercussions”)! We have some very special treats for you this episode, including but not limited to: - The first female character since “This Woman, This Thing!” - Abundant therians! - And an incredible letter from Carl Barks.
Dear friends, You are cordially invited to season 2 of Swords Against Cerebus, starting today. Expect fancy hotels, fancy lads, and fancy schemes. And lots and lots of furries. Sincerely, Swords Against Cerebus. High Society is upon us, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover! So bring your nicest jacket, and prepare for: - Phonetic accents…again. - The Regency Hotel (sans Elf…for now)! - Somehow, an explanation of the rules of Diamondback! …and one very, very special letter.
STOP THE COUNT! Before High Society really gets going, we thought it would be a good idea to go back and take a look at the short stories and one-offs we’ve missed up to this point. Along the way, we also hit work fetishes, Leopold the Gambling Priest, the Regency Elf, the real Regency Elf, the poster’s spirit, the objective attractiveness of The Spirit, and more. This episode covers the following short stories: “Passage” “The Challenge” “Demonhorn” “Cerebus Versus The Spirit” “The Name of the Game is Diamondback” “A Night on the Town” “Elfguest” “Cerebus Dreams”
They grow up so fast, don’t they? It’s finally here, folks — episode 13 of Swords Against Cerebus, putting a cap on the comic’s first “arc” with issue 25 (“This Woman, This Thing”)! What a weird place to start High Society from. Here’s just a few of the names appearing before you this episode: Albrecht Durer! Mind Goblin! Beau Brummel! Sump Thing! And to reflect before we embark on the next step of this journey, we give out some awards.
Come in, traveler. Rest your weary head. Let us care for you, but leave well alone the cellar…where we’re cooking up the twelfth episode of Swords Against Cerebus, covering issues 23 and 24 (“The Beguiling, parts 1 and 2”)! This week’s discussion questions: Did Dave Sim kill John Lennon? Can you trust any women? Does anyone not want to fuck Cerebus? P.S.: It’s Ed’s fault this one is late. If you feel obliged to send them some encouragement, fire a few shots off your balcony in a random direction.
Who are those fashionable podcasters in the Mega Man boots? Why, it must be the hosts of Swords Against Cerebus, bringing another episode to you! This one’s episode number 11, covering issues 21 (“Captain Cockroach”) and 22 (“The Death of Elrod”)! Maybe it says something that we rolled snake eyes on this pair of stinkers. Well, at least we had fun with ‘em! This episode features such incredible things as: A classic Dave Sim drug story! Elrod bitching, again! A really stupid plan! Please enjoy responsibly.
Iceberg, right ahead! It’s episode 10 of Swords Against Cerebus, covering issues 19 (“She-Devil in the Shadows”) and 20 (“Mind Game”)! We were tricked — fooled, that is — by the last 18 issues, so sure we wouldn’t have to think about Cirinists and Suenteses for at least another five issues (if not twenty) that these issues knocked us on our fucking asses! For old time’s sake, let’s do some bullets: The return of Henrot! Rampant Islamophobia! Elvis! Easily the worst misogyny in the comic yet! Usually I’m one to tease all the good bits in the episode summary, but you’re going to have to hear thi
Chaos reigns! It's the ninth episode of Swords Against Cerebus, covering issues 17 (“Champion”) and 18 (“Fluroc”)! Hope you didn't like the characters we've spent three and a half issues with, because we're going to hang out with some other guys now. One of them is Grimes! After that: youth group, vintage furries, a very accessible reference to a Mastodon post, and the mastodon in the room: Dave's extremely ill-advised letters column!
From the pits under Palnu, it’s another Swords Against Cerebus, discussing issues 15 (“A Day in the Pits”) and 16 (“A Night at the Masque”)! Hey, they’ll let any old episode title fly down here. It’s the rest of the Palnu trilogy, featuring a lot of weird returns! Dave Sim’s Reagan obsession — E’lass and Turg — Jaka (briefly) — and libertarianism! Talking points: Is communism bad? (No.) Is Palnu communist? (No.) Is Cerebus asexual representation? (Uh.)
Hello there. You must be our listeners. You see, we’re currently recovering from amnesia caused by prolonged exposure to the mind-altering vortex of issues 13 (“Black Magiking”) and 14 (“The Walls of Palnu”), as well as the short story “Magiking” and the “Silverspoon” strips. Look, buddy, it’s transient; shifting like water. So far, this is the only time a story has made us do a “lightning round!” We hate the Thrunk! Also, these Prince Valiant parody strips are predictably racist! Other key words for the day: Groucho Marx, multiple systems (again), God’s Hedgehog Messenger, and the Kool-aid Ma
We are the night! We are episode 6 of Swords Against Cerebus! This one covers issues 11 ("The Merchant & the Cockroach") and 12 ("Beduin by Night"). In the dark, mean streets of Kitchener, Ontario, one man has an idea: what if Batman but “craaaazy?” Just in case you thought these issues were starting to get any good, we unpack a big helping of ableism, along with the return of Elrod’s return, and Dave Sim’s account of himself.
If you’re hearing this, it means you have clearance to hear episode five of Swords Against Cerebus, covering issues 9 (“Swords Against Imesh”) and 10 (“Merchant of Unshib”). Important take-aways include: ...The economic situation of Estarcion (it’s a mess) ...The invention of buz (it’s a mistake) ...The remarkable sexlessness of Cerebus’ misogyny (it’s, well, bad) Oh, and Cerebus gets his back blasted by balls.
The door is guarded by two podcast hosts. One is always punctual and the other one is Ed. Luckily, there's still time for Swords Against Cerebus episode 4, covering issues 7 (“Black Sun Rising”) and 8 (“Day of the Earth-Pig!”). Congratulations to the newlyweds, about whom we definitely did not learn additional, deeply uncomfortable, details! Welcome back to Elrod! Someone wears a bunny suit in this one (no, not the kind you're thinking of). We're getting the toys out today, but not the fun ones.
Do you smell that? No, it’s not a wet aardvark — it’s Swords Against Cerebus episode 3, covering issues 5 (“The Idol”) and 6 (“The Secret”)! While your hosts felt these issues were a breath of fresh air after issues 3 and 4, we’re also expert haters, so fear not — there’s plenty of shocking twists and turns in this episode. We’re setting our sights on Phil Seuling, the ending of issue 6, and (don’t say you didn’t see it coming) Dave Sim, again! You don’t actually need to write down every single embarrassing thought you’ve ever had! Anyway, some important characters are introduced, or whatever.
I’m calling a shot here. This one is going to be the definite article. Covering issues 3 (“Song of Red Sophia”) and 4 (“Death’s Dark Tread“), it’s episode 2 of Swords Against Cerebus. Just in case you thought we were going to have a good time reading this, it’s a back-to-back bad issue bonanza. Red Sophia is a misogynist caricature! Elrod’s no fun! Frank Thorne’s roleplaying in the letters! No one’s getting out of this one looking good. Except for us.
The inaugural episode of the only podcast covering every issue of Cerebus from start to finish, covering issue 1 (“Cerebus the Aardvark”) and 2 (“Captive in Boreala”). LEARN: Does “Cerebus Syndrome” actually manifest in the eponymous comic? Which book of the Bible will we eventually be forced to discuss? Is Bell Canada a white hat covert operative? SEE: Cerebus’s secret Star Wars origin! The best sentence ever written! The final word on the eternal soul!
