So a day or so ago I get an email from Brian, the owner of the blog “Cerebus the Original Aartvark“, which discusses everything Cerebus original art related, and he also has a Comic Art website that features a huge amount of Cerebus original art and other goodies. In this email he asks if I’d like to meet him in Boston as he’d be visiting. He says he’ll be bringing a bundle of Cerebus original art for me to scan in for the Cerebus Archive.

He didn’t have to ask twice – not only to I get to see some behind the scenes stuff, but meeting such a notable Cerebus fan is always a good time. We made arrangements to meet at the one comic shop in Boston I love: Comicopia. So after some comics shopping and a tasty breakfast at a little French bistro nearby, we took pictures:

Yes, a Boston Bruins hat and that is the cover to Cerebus #2 on my shirt. . .but I digress. I wish Brian had gone to the SPACE events that the Yahoo!Group held every year in Columbus – he made have an unnatural enjoyment of organic chemistry (demon possessed!), but it was a pleasure hanging out with him for the hour or two that we had together.

He had handed over the bundle of Cerebus art in Comicopia, but being how I am, I immediately tucked it away in my bag lest some harm befall it. So when I got home did I immediately rush and open it? Nope. It was 53° F out according to the themometer in my car. So I went for a motorcycle ride. After I got back from a crisp winter ride, then I opened it:

That is it in the mylar sleeve (sitting on my semi-new scanner). “Special Cerebus Flaming Carrot Adventure In Two Vols”.  What is contained therein are two stapled packets of tracing paper preliminary sketches. And a copy of a manuscript (I skimmed the front page, haven’t read it yet). I’m scanning in tracing paper prelims as I type this. Most of them appear to be panel by panel outlines of issue #104 of Cerebus – the Flaming Carrot guest star issue.