Mothers and Daughters (comics)

Cerebus, who had twice been Prime Minister of the city-state of Iest (first in High Society) and then all-powerful Pope, had fallen from grace at the end of Church & State. The fascist, matriarchal Cirinists invaded Iest, and Cerebus went into hiding, first with Jaka (the love of his life) and her husband.

After Jaka is captured by the Cirinists for illegal exotic dancing, Cerebus believes she has been put to death. He takes Jaka's doll, Missy, with him and finds a café at which to spend the rest of his life, paying for it with a rare gold coin, whose value has become superinflated as the Cirinists have collected all the gold in the city.

Cerebus comes out of the near-catatonic state in which he had spent the duration of Melmoth when he hears of Jaka's ill-treatment at the hands of the Cirinists. He becomes enraged and starts attacking Cirinists with his sword, clutching Missy to himself.

Sim considers Mothers & Daughters to be one novel, but divided it into four books, as indicated in the indicia of each issue. The four books were collected into paperback "phonebook" volumes separately.

Cerebus #186 was published in September 1994. The issue is the final portion of the Reads collection in the Mothers & Daughters story. It went on to become one of the most notoriously controversial books in comics history.

Sim speaks directly to the reader through a fictional version of himself, Viktor Davis. Sim had long been critical of modern feminism. The text from this particular issue speaks directly about real-world events (rather than the Cerebus story-line) and involvement of men versus women. 'Viktor' offers that many modern problems are worsening by the influence of women, specifically their alleged tendency to take important decisions based on emotions rather than intellectual reasoning. He describes gender roles and male-female relationships with visceral metaphor to the effect that the "Female Void devours the Male Light," and suggests that most men in long-term relationships with women are treated little better than "housepets".[2]

According to Sim, Cerebus issue #186 was "one of the few Cerebus back issues to sell out virtually overnight",[3] and word of its content made headlines in the comics community. The reaction was generally a combination of shock and outrage, followed by sharp decline in readership.[4] Once known as a pioneer for independent comics,[5][6] word of his essay brought Dave Sim a reputation as a misogynist.

Cerebus

After spending two novels in a secondary role, and spending an entire novel in a near-catatonic state, Cerebus leaps into action and takes centre stage once again. He finally meets the mysterious third aardvark, who turns out to be Suentius Po. It is also revealed that Cerebus is a hermaphrodite.

Cirin

Leader of the matriarchal Cirinists who have conquered the city of Iest—also, along with Cerebus, one of only three aardvarks known to exist in Estarcion. She is working to bring about another Ascension, and having a giant gold sphere made in preparation. Cerebus and Cirin have a dramatic sword fight during the course of Reads. It is later revealed that she is not the real Cirin however—her real name is Serna, and she has usurped power from the real Cirin, who is now an old, human woman.

Suenteus Po

After appearing only as a voice in Cerebus' head for most of the series, it is finally revealed that he is the third Aardvark.

Astoria

Cirin's greatest matriarchal rival

The Roach

Once again taking on parodic roles, first as the "Punisheroach" (after the Marvel character, The Punisher), and then as "Swoon" (after Neil Gaiman's take on the Vertigo character, Dream, from The Sandman).

Elrod

The Roach's sidekick again, Elrod takes on the persona of "Snuff" (a transvestite parody of the Sandman character, Death).

Originally serialized in Cerebus #151-200, Mothers & Daughters was conceived as one novel, but was collected into four paperback "phonebook" volumes. As in Jaka's Story and Melmoth previously, and as in all the Cerebus stories to follow, the issues displayed the current issue number of the Cerebus comic, as well as the current number of the Mothers & Daughters storyline, so that issue #155 of Cerebus was also indicated to be installment #5 of Mothers & Daughters. The four books of Mothers & Daughters, however, were not indicated by name or installment number on the cover. All first printings were limited editions signed (by both Dave Sim and Gerhard) and numbered on the inside title page; Flight numbered out of 5000, Women and Reads numbered out of 3500, and Minds numbered out of 2100.

The Cerebus "phonebook" volumes had text-free spines until the publication of Flight. Afterwards, all volumes (and reprintings of the earlier volumes) had text on their spines, including the title and volume number.[7]

• Alternative comics
• Graphic novel

• Flight Women Reads Minds pages at Cerebus Wiki