Cerebus: High Society #23
In "Cerebus' Six Crises: Crisis No. Four Upstairs," Dave Sim delivers a raw, character-driven turning point as Cerebus faces mounting pressure from both war and rebellion. With Palnu’s army stranded and his last gambit failed, he resorts to desperate measures—threatening citizens with frontline duty unless they pay up—only to be shattered by Jaka’s confession of love and her plea for him to flee. The emotional weight of the moment lands hard, leaving Cerebus isolated and broken, retreating to his office as the city’s collapse looms. Dave Sim’s writing and art—both on the interior and cover—capture the tension and despair with unflinching honesty.
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With invaders closing on Palnu and his armies still unable to capture an enemy treasury, Cerebus is running out of options. He authorizes one more attack on a neighbor state, which fails, leaving Palnu's army with no mercenary support. So, Cerebus decides to threaten rebellious citizens with places on the front lines if they don't start coughing up money. Just when things seem they can't get any worse, Jaka tells Cerebus that she loves him, and she begs him to leave the city with her. It's more than he can handle and he slaps her. Despondent, he returns to his office to await the end.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).