Issue 34

From CerebusWiki

January 1982: Three Days Before

Issue 34
Writer & Artist	Dave Sim
Publisher	Deni Loubert
Circulation	Unknown
High Society
Previous	Next

1 Issue Summary
2 Characters
3 Locations
4 Artist Notes
5 Annotations
6 Quotes
7 Backup material

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Issue Summary

Astoria has left Cerebus alone for a day and told him to "try not to get into trouble." Elrod, a magnet for trouble, appears--Cerebus knocks him out and tells a cab driver to book passage for him on a boat. Bran Mac Mufin (leader of the Pigts, last seen in the Red Marches) appears, quoting a prophecy about an earth-pig who "will lay waste to the rich and powerful."

Cerebus locks himself in his suite. A wet Elrod reappears. Before Cerebus can throw him out of the window, the Moon Roach pops in to warn Cerebus, "I'm going to kill anyone who even tries to help you." Cerebus feels doomed. Elrod tells him that he has revitalized the city-state, refocused the Church, and nearly destroyed the Inquisition, so he has plenty of friends.

Astoria returns and is amazed that Cerebus knows Elrod, "the most charismatic swordsman in Estarcion." Then she learns that he forgot to cancel her appointments for the day. Hours later, she tells him that they need money and that, thanks to his lapse, they can't borrow any. She asks him for 500 crowns (she gave him 1,000 in issue 32). After he leaves, she puts it in a safe that has much more than 500 crowns in it.

Elrod returns to give Astoria an invitation to Petuniacon. She learns that Lord Julius has nominated Elrod to replace Cerebus as the ranking diplomatic representative of Palnu.

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Characters

Cerebus (last seen in issue 33; next appearance in issue 35)
Astoria (last seen in issue 33; next appearance in issue 35)
Bran Mac Mufin (last seen in issue 5; next appearance in issue 35)
Elrod (last seen in issue 33; next appearance in issue 38)
Moon Roach (last seen in issue 33; next appearance in issue 39)
cab driver

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Locations

Iest

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Artist Notes

If Dave has something to say on the issue, add it here

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Annotations

Among other elements on the cover are the five 100-crown notes that Cerebus has to return to Astoria this issue.
(page 1) Elrod says, "Ah figured y'all needed someone who wouldn't 'tee-hee' about y' 'wee-wee'." He is referring to the Elf's graffiti on the city's front gate, which says "Cerebus wee-wees in the sink."
(page 2) The cab driver appears to be the same one who took Cerebus to the Ram's Lords Tavern in Issue 26. At any rate, he recognizes Cerebus and assumes that's where he wants to go.
(page 3) Mufin's prophecies will never come to pass. The reader doesn't learn this fact until issue 196, so any potential for tragedy is lost.
(page 4) Cerebus believes that Astoria is sending all these visitors to try to "test" him. No, he's just paranoid.
(page 7) Bunky the Albino was Captain Cockroach's sidekick in Issue 22. For some reason the Moon Roach thinks Elrod is "a life-size replica."
(page 9) A "semi-automatic cross-bow" appears to be an Elrod-coined anachronism, although the term does appear again in Issue 155.
(page 18) If it isn't obvious, Astoria's large cash reserves in the safe make it clear that she doesn't actually need Cerebus' money. Instead, she does it as a punishment for Cerebus (and also to show the readers that she's pulling the strings).
(page 20) Note that although the issue is titled "three days before," it's not mentioned what is actually happening in three days until the last page of the issue. Even then the reader can't be certain that Petuniacon is the referent.
(page 20) It is a bit odd that the last page uses a semicolon instead of a colon. It says, "next; two days before."
Lord Julius has finally decided to do something about Cerebus's (or rather Astoria's) activities in Palnu's name. Apparently, the post of ranking diplomatic representative isn't appointed but nominated (in Palnu the government moves in mysterious ways). In the next issue we'll see more on how the actual selection works.
"Petuniacon" is presumably the same as the Festival of Petunias that was held in Palnu in Issue 16. The name is formed similarly to many science-fiction and comic-book conventions, of which the event itself is a parody.