Rating: 
Summary: Yes, we have a plot!
Review: After having amusing but ultimatly directonless adventures as a wandering sword-for-hire, Cerebus finds his way to the City-State of Iest, where the six or so years of the comic will be taking place. This volume is noteable because it's officially the point where things start to get good,and where Sim begins to explore the more sophisticated directions he will be taking Cerebus in. The story of High Society is a clever, ironic, suspensful and above all hilariously sataric one. As Cerebus get caught up in his burgernoning politcal career, Sim finds time poke fun at democracy, feminism, religon, comic conventions and the X-men while keeping the story moving along at a brisk, satisfying pace. High Society is probably the funniest Cerebus story though not the best-written overall. It remains, however, much,much better than 99% of the other comics out there. Once Cerebus gets ahold of some power, he finds he likes it very, very much, and this will be a major factor in stories to come. If you're planning to read Cerebus all the way through (and you should) you should probably start with the first volume, "Cerebus" but if you need convincing, High Society will definatly hook you,and you can always go back and read the first volume to fill in the blanks. Either way, this is a brilliant read, both on it's own and as a component the larger saga, and not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: The torch burns brighter
Review: After reading the first I was hooked and this second volume game me the only thing missing from the first, a solid plot. With Cerebus trying to move up into high society and gain the role of prime minister his character becomes even more diverse and you love the little ardvark more and more. Best comic series I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: And the Journey Continues
Review: As Cerebus realizes his cash flow problem can be solved by becoming prime minister he begins a political journey hindered and helped by all around him...the humour comes so fast and furious be sure you take your time reading.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a comic book, this is Orson Welles
Review: High Society fully deserves the praise given to it by the other reviewers. The dramatic tension that builds in the closing section of the story equals anything I have read in straight literature or seen in plays or films. The scene of Cerebus' discovery that he possesed to one thing that could have assured his administration is extraordinary, followed immediately by the cut to the narrator scrawling the last word of text onto his cell wall it is breathtaking. Citizen Kane with better jokes.
Rating:
Summary: Another great work by Dave Sim
Review: High Society is not just a comic book about a warrior aardvark, but it pokes fun at society and government. In 2004, Dave's 300 issue run of Cerebus will end, so get this book now and start reading, becase it WILL take you a while
Rating:
Summary: A mind-blowing piece of literature.
Review: High Society is the second book of the magnum opus Cerebus series. You should probably start here, however, because this is where it starts getting good. The first Cerebus book contains bad art and an episodic approach to Cerebus the Aardvark's life. It's only valuable if you're likely to get confused (hey, I was) by the intricate details, numerous characters, plot strands, and mysteries in High Society. To say that the Cerebus Saga is complicated is an understatement. It is a fully realized world, with religions, city-states, widely-known figures, ancient prophecys, shadowy conspiracys, and other amazing stuff. The plot of the Cerebus series is to tell the life and times of a warrior aardvark. The plot of High Society is that Cerebus comes to the city-state of Iest looking for a room. Suddenly, he is granted a room at the Regency Hotel, and finds that he is now the Ranking Diplomatic Represantative of the city-state of Palnu to Iest. From there the story takes off like a rocket, as Cerebus meets old friends, discovers the intrigues and diffucultys of politics, runs for Prime Minister, and many other things that would take up a review themselves. The character development is incredible. All the characters' motives are explored, so you almost get to know these characters. There is thought-provoking commentary on (of course) high society and politics. It shows you how political figures can be deadlocked and manipulated into making wrong choices. The art, also, is incredible. The characters' faces and movements are rendered to perfection, making you feel their emotions. Sometimes the book moves away from art almost entirely to well written and intriguing text. And what if I told this book was laugh-out-loud funny as well? There is some wonderful character-driven humour as well as regular (but funny) jokes. It superbly parodys mainstream comics through a bizarre superhero character called the Roach. In short, if you don't read this book, you're missing out on something big.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but his name is puzzling.
Review: How does Cerebus pronounce his name? Is it pronounced Sarah-bus or Sa-ree-bus? Someone please inform me. Oh, and the book rocks.
Rating:
Summary: Aardvark facade hide intelligent, mature storyline
Review: I could have bought this book for the cover alone. The shot of the Regency hotel, rendered with about a zillion lines by background artist Gerhard, still gives me this sense of awe when I stare at it. Fortunately this story offers so much more than pretty pictures. Hidden within the framework of a fantasy setting is a scathing portrayal of government, all acted out by a cast only Dave Sim could create, from the unique Cerebus to the impossible Lord Julius. This is Dave Sim in high form and though the art is not his best (it appears that most of the story takes place in the dark, since there are few backgrounds), his writing is a deft as always. The serious parts are serious and the amusing parts are absolutely hilarious and the ending wraps it all up neatly while still paving the way for "Church and State". This book set the tone for the series and pointed the way for the ambitious tales that were to come later
Rating: 
Summary: THE true beginning to the Cerebus story.
Review: I first encountered Cerebus at a fabulous bookstore in Norway(free plug--all fantasy/comics/science fiction/etc., all in english, called "Avalon", if you're ever in Norway, look it up, giant statue from "Aliens" in the doorway--hard to miss)two years ago. I was struck by the fact that he looked like Alf. Hey, but our relationship developed. A week later, I got the earliest volume they had,"Church&State I".
Since then I have gotten all ten volumes so far of the storyline(and "Cerebus 0")and am looking forward to getting "Guys".
Of course, "High Society" is only the 2nd volume of the Cerebus story--"Cerebus" is the first. I do not feel however that it is worthy of any great recognition or even of paramount importance to the storyline. Sure, we meet a few characters for the first time who become important later(Weisshaupt, Jaka, the Cockroach, Elrod, Lord Julius)but the whole thing's only worthy of about a 5--short, separate episodes a la Conan the Barbarian with what look like an 6-year-old's drawings of the title character(sorry, Mr. Sim!). Entertaining but not much more, certainly not the complex and high quality literature that the series becomes WITH THE 2ND VOLUME, "HIGH SOCIETY".
Suddenly, there is a set storyline: Cerebus comes to Iest, he has some of his first interaction with Suenteus Po, he becomes involved with Astoria, a manipulative and mysterious woman of great political genius who becomes his guide in the world of high society, all the while with ulterior motives. While retaining all it's humor, Cerebus has now become a serious story which comes to have something to say, about people, politics, religion, men and women, art, creativity, and life.
All of this starts with "High Society", which is at the same time a good story, whether you have a brain or not. The only reason I can't rate this any higher than an 8 is the fact that it gets even better and deeper in the later volumes, not to mention that there is a dramatic improvement in the art with the arrival of Gehard and his magnificent backgrounds, giving Sim more time to polish off his characters' looks and pay attention to the storyline.
It never fails to amaze me, the worshipful attitude people have toward Neil Gaiman's accomplishments with "Sandman" as THE groundbreaking work in comics, while Cerebus goes comparitively unnoticed. A great fan of both, since for some inexplicable reason most of you reading this are likely to be more familiar with Gaiman I'll have to hit you there. If you have that kind of great taste in comics, you have to check out some Cerebus. It's as good, funnier, and though the title character is an ardvark, it's frequently more human. Plus, it's positively fascinating to watch it develope from a fairly mundane Conan spoof into a rich, meaningful, and touching portrait of life.
Rating:
Summary: Dave Sim's Aardvark anthology is worth the 25 bucks.
Review: I have just discovered Cerebus. Well, I knew about it, I had heard of it, but I never really thought to look into it. I saw the graphic novel collections at my local comic book store, and felt compelled to pick up High Society, mainly because of Dave Sim's breathtaking drawings. Now that I have read this one, I know for a fact that comics don't need gut-spattering violence and garishly-clad muscle-men to be entertaining. I'm buying Church and State volumes 1 and 2 tomorrow.
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