An excellent monthly comics anthology which suggests that Quebec City may have displaced Montreal as the biggest stable of comic talent in the province. It’s a feat in itself to put out a quality independent publication every month without fail; it’s even more impressive to put it out in a different form entirely every month. So far, Tabasko has been: 11 x 17 sheets folded twice; 8 x 14 sheets folded lengthwise and not stapled at the fold but at the edge of the sheets; a large architectural blueprint folded who knows how many times; and so on. And of course, the comics. A huge variety of styles is to be found even just among the regulars: there’s Phlll, whose almost greeting-card-like humor shows much potential; Ass, who seems adept at everything from surreal nonsense strips to conventional narratives in any graphic style; Djief, the conventional (yet quite competent) dramatic-Marvel-like comic artist; and Jeou, the most original with a freaky Paul Klee-looking linework-and-collage style. Already working on their seventh issue in less than a year, I’m fairly certain Tabasko will be with us for awhile. You gotta figure that after years of steady simmering, Canadian comics are bound to soon boil over. (LR)
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