by Randy Lander

TABLOIA #575-576 Salt Peter Press Writer/Artist: Chris Wisnia Additional Inks: Dick Ayers Cover Artist: Damon Thompson Editor: Rob Oder Price: $3.95 US (#575)/$5.95 US (#576) I've previously reviewed the first three issues of Tabloia (#572-574), and honestly, there's not a lot new I can say. This is a good book for those who enjoy old school pre-superhero Lee and Kirby, as well as those who enjoy the off-kilter humor of The Goon. Tabloia is basically a mixture of indy zine, tabloid newspaper and '50s monster comic. As with any anthology, there are stronger and weaker stories, but the overall quality level is high enough to be worth a look. These two issues finish up "The Lump," my favorite of the Tabloia stories, a twisted crime/horror tale about scientific experimentation, rough cops, seedy P.I.s and, of course, necrophiliac grave robbers. Second only to "The Lump" in terms of my appreciation was "Dr. Debunko," a consistently amusing strip despite the fact that it's essentially variations on the same gag every time. It may be repetitive, but it's a funny gag, and the deadpan reactions of Dr. Debunko to the most stupid of supernatural rationalizations are always worth a chuckle, at least. I also finally found a soft spot in my heart for the repetitive "Dick Hammer, Conservative Republican Private Investigator" when I realized that the secret is in the repetition of the gag, and indeed the punchline on the last Dick Hammer feature sums up that these sordid, violent run-ins are the entirety of Dick's life. Unfortunately, the repetition of "Doris Danger" continued to grate on me, and while I certainly appreciate the homage to giant monsters with inks by veteran inker Dick Ayers, those were the stories that I skimmed in each issue rather than reading them. Tabloia is an indy anthology worth seeking out if you're looking for something a little bit weird, a little bit nostalgic and more than a little bit snarky and funny. I'd almost recommend it for the over-the-top spoof letter columns alone. Email Randy Lander comments about this review.