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Dave Sim spent almost 20 years writing and drawing "Cerebus" before he got to the issues collected in this volume. If you haven't read the 174 issues that came before "Reads," you'll waste your time, because these issues will be almost incomprehensible without any background. If you've read the issues collected in "Jaka's Story" and "Melmoth" (previous collections of "Cerebus"), you'll remember how the main narrative is interspersed with blocks of text. If you didn't like that device, you'll want to skip "Reads," because most of it is text. As in the earlier places, it's not especially good text, either. If your goal is to have a complete set of "Cerebus," of course you'll need this volume. If you simply must know what happened between issues 174 and 187, you can get this volume for the main narrative and ignore the text: it doesn't contribute to the epic tale of Cerebus in any way. Sim himself suggests in the introduction that you can cut out those pages. If your goal is to understand Dave Sim as a creative force and as a person, this book is invaluable. Few modern graphic artists are so forthcoming about their mental processes, their foibles, even their weaknesses. He also has a lot to say about the feminist movement, which was peaking at that time, none of it good. If you want a self-contained graphic novel with adventure, laughs, and chills, so that you can while away an afternoon ... this isn't it.Read full review
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