Jaka’s Story by Dave Sim is my favorite Cerebus storyline. The multiple storylines are at once depressing, yet full of life and hope in a unforgiving climate. Previously Jaka has been a talisman of hope for Cerebus. He would see her or call for her when he was at his most desperate. And the timing was never right. So, after the events of Church and State, Cerebus saw all that he had worked for was destroyed, so he once again went to Jaka. And this is that story.

Way up in the mountains lives a wonderful son named Pud who runs his mother’s inn/bar. When his Mom dies, he stays with his simple life. Then a dancer Jaka and her husband Rick come into town and are looking for a place to live and work. Jaka is a dancer (think go-go dancer) on the run from a matriarchal society that has outlawed her dancing. Pud, against his better judgment, hires Jaka as a dancer, rents them a room and sells them groceries at a deep discount. Because lust has invaded his heart.

Rick has wonderful dreams and no plans. He wants to sleep in, hang out with his neighbor Oscar (Wilde) and dream about having a son. Jaka knows that they are lucky to be safe and is trying to support her family and career in a remote location that gets almost no traffic. Oscar is involved in writing a new story, Jaka’s story.

Into this walks ex-Pope, ex-Prime Minister Cerebus. He has nothing except for his sword and his dream of Jaka, the love of his life. Jaka is relieved to see him and willingly takes him into her home. She knows Cerebus has come to take her away, but makes sure he knows that she’s not leaving Rick. And then when it starts getting better, it all starts falling apart.

At the same time that the comic is telling the present story of Jaka’s life, the prose sections are telling of Jaka’s past. Her upbringing in her Uncle’s (Lord Julius) world and her growth from small child to gangly teen to the center of attention to losing favor with her Uncle’s new bride Astoria. The prose is written by Oscar Wilde in the book and is stylistically like an Oscar Wilde story. The surprise to Jaka of Oscar’s writing her story happens at the turning point of the book and adds to the turmoil.

This is a wonderful story that Sim created by bringing together pieces from past storylines and interesting new characters to mix in a half prose/ half comic novel which is one of the high points of the Cerebus storyline. This book is followed by the death of Oscar Wilde (Melmoth) and then Dave Sim going crazy. Jaka’s Story is Highly Recommended.