250's for America's 250 · Day 21: Cerebus #250

Publishing: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 · Aardvark-Vanaheim · Cover date: January 2000

Cover by Dave Sim and Gerhard

See full issue details on the Grand Comics Database →

As the countdown enters July, we hit a genuine landmark in publishing history — and the first of three straight indie milestones.

The issue

Part of the "Going Home" storyline (issues #232–265). In this stretch, Cerebus has reunited with Jaka and agreed to travel north with her to Sand Hills Creek, where he grew up, to build a life together. Their journey includes a riverboat passage and Dave Sim's extended literary satire, featuring characters like "F. Stop Kennedy" (a riff on F. Scott Fitzgerald) and Hamilton Earnestway (a parody of Ernest Hemingway). The real story, though, is the number itself: Cerebus was the first creator-owned independent comic to reach issue #250, on its way to a planned 300-issue run.

Who's in it

• Cerebus — the gruff aardvark antihero, midway through a rare stretch of genuine domestic happiness with Jaka.
• Jaka — Cerebus's long-running love interest, now travelling north with him toward a hoped-for quiet life.
• The literary-parody cast — including riffs on F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, part of Dave Sim's ongoing satirical asides.

Behind the book (creators)

• Writer / artist (figures): Dave Sim
• Backgrounds: Gerhard
• Publisher: Aardvark-Vanaheim (self-published — Sim is effectively the editor too)

Meet the creators

Dave Sim self-published Cerebus for its entire 300-issue run from 1977 to 2004, making him one of the earliest and most successful pioneers of creator-owned, independently published comics in North America. He also helped popularize the "phone book" collected-edition format — thick trade paperbacks gathering dozens of issues at once — which influenced how independent comics have been packaged and sold ever since.

Gerhard joined Sim as the series' background artist starting in the late 1980s, and his meticulously detailed, architecturally precise renderings of Cerebus's world became one of the most distinctive artistic partnerships in independent comics. Their collaboration is frequently cited as a benchmark for how a dedicated background artist can transform a book's atmosphere.

What it's worth

A non-key issue of a self-published black-and-white series. Raw NM copies typically run $5–$15. Graded copies are uncommon — few are slabbed — so a CGC 9.8 might bring $40–$80 if one surfaces (estimate; data is sparse). The significance here is historical, not monetary: it's a milestone of the self-publishing movement.

Where to read it (collected edition)

Collected in the "phonebook" trade Cerebus Volume 13: Going Home (collects #232–250), available in original and Remastered editions.

Part of "250's for America's 250" — counting 24 milestone #250 comics down to the U.S. 250th on July 4, 2026.