Sarah Allen Reed’s Tabula Rosetta is a tour-de-force in experimental and surrealistic storytelling that’s anything but easy to fit into any certain genre or predetermined category. Complex, weaving storylines that find themselves taking paths almost as unpredictable as the series of events surrounding its creation–copies of the original print run of the series have, among other things, been set ablaze en masse by the author herself, hidden throughout the United States, and pulled from production in their entirety only to re-emerge with entirely different content; characters and locations in the series have often warped their way into the real world through an ARG-like blending of fiction and fact–this series sets the mold for a new generation of underground comix. Melding together a diverse range of influences–including the stylistic tendencies and storytelling prowess of early wordless novelists and early underground comix, the works and mindsets of the Pre-Raphaelite, Art Deco, and Art Noveau schools of artistic thought, and her own passion for esotericism, theology, and the occult–in a dark, moody, and sludgy drag through the darkest parts of the collective unconscious, Sarah’s surrealistic and impressionistic art style perfectly illuminates her punishingly dark tales and twisted (and often incredibly personal) narratives. Tabula Rosetta is a moonlit pool packed full of symbolism, mystery and intrigue that will leave you both gasping for air and wanting to be plunged back under the waters. This trade paperback contains issues four through six, accompanied with the Codex–a section containing explanations of the symbolism used, context for the autobiographical pieces, and pages from the author’s own sketchbooks.