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Heartwarming / Cerebus the Aardvark

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    Cerebus and Jaka 
  • It's only in a drug-induced state, but Cerebus professing his love and devotion for Jaka in issue #6 is one of the most gushing expressions of emotion from the principally cold and emotionless titular character in the whole series, even if it isn't sincere.
  • About halfway through Church and State, Cerebus confronting Jaka is easily one of the greatest combinations of heartwarming and sad in the entire series.
    • Granted, it starts incredibly venomous, with Cerebus lashing at Jaka for getting married to another man. And when Jaka points out that Cerebus did the same thing with Red Sophia, Cerebus gets even angrier.
    • Still wanting Jaka, he then threatens to dissolve Jaka's marriage, reminding her that she said she would "wait forever for Cerebus." Jaka begs him not to, reminding him that she said only that she would "wait for you to remember!".
    • Jaka has a monologue about her first meeting with Cerebus (described above), in which she recollects how "Cerebus would kill you a yak for your supper." (A sort of Arc Words to the decay of their relationship.) Following this, Cerebus declares that he still wants to share his life with Jaka. So when Jaka explains how power has made Cerebus completely different than the man she fell in love with (much like her uncle Julius), Cerebus rips off his papal robes, grabs his sword and old clothes, and offers to give up all of his new power and wealth for a quiet life with Jaka in a cabin in the woods.
    • But as it turns out, Jaka does love her new husband and furthermore, is expecting a baby with him. Cerebus is devastated. Jaka laments of the money problems the baby will make for her, afraid that having a baby will make her ugly, and thus unable to dance in the tavern for a living.
    • Cerebus takes Jaka's hand, tears in his eyes, and tells her that she will never be ugly. They embrace, and Cerebus tells Jaka to wait for a moment. This is obviously difficult for her to do, given her past experience with Cerebus leaving her, but when he returns, it is with a bag of gold for her and the baby.
    • She refuses, saying that she can always rely on her Uncle Julius for money, but that really, she can manage on her own.
    • As Cerebus looks on at her retreating form, he utters "Shit."
  • In Jaka's Story, Cerebus apologizing to Jaka for all of his misdeeds to her. For someone as selfish as Cerebus, this moment is impossible not to note here.
  • Jaka and Cerebus finally walking away together, hand in hand, in the ending of Rick's Story. It's probably one of the few unambiguously happy moments in the comic.
  • Cerebus saying goodbye to the Regency Elf at the end of High Society. It's the only time we see Cerebus hug someone who isn't a love interest.
  • Also in the same scene above, Cerebus reflecting on how he had thought he could "make a difference" ruling Iest.
    • At first this seems totally mundane. But taking into account the context of Cerebus as a ruthless, expansionist dictator at this time, it actually comes across as strikingly unexpected. Some thought this sudden idealism was a totally unfitting ending to a work that was essentially a bitter satire of politics. However, Dave Sim later wrote in response to these complaints that he himself thought that Cerebus would continue to say "...conquer the whole continent," or something along those lines, but thought it would come off as ridiculous.
    • Despite this, what really makes this moment Heartwarming is how it comments on the true hope deep in the heart every "would-be-Alexander" (In Sim's own words) to be an instigator of change.
  • Astoria, having listened to Suenteus Po's speech about how what she really wants is freedom and that she's wasting her life instead chasing power... calmly concludes that he is right, and decides to give up politics, retire to the country and seek inner peace. This is in direct contrast to Cirin and Cerebus, who were given similar insights into their true motivations but who start fighting each other the moment they're alone.

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