The Tarot of Marvels
Yesterday Marvel Comics (home of Spider-Man and the X-Men) released “The Marvel Tarot”, a single-issue look at the magical archetypes and laws of their superhero universe.
Magik as Justice, Brother Voodoo as The Hanged Man, and Nina Price as Death.
“Sorcerer and outsider Ian McNee has been plagued by disturbing dreams and unsettling omens. Something is not right with the world and he needs to know what it is. To gain insights into his growing unease he turns to his most prized mystical possession, The First Tarot! Created in the distant past, The First Tarot is mystically attuned to reflect and track the archetypes of the Marvel Universe. Can this ‘Tarot of Marvels’ show Ian what is wrong? Or is something wrong with it as well? Peek inside the fascinating and disorganized files of a Magician on a Mission as he examines the current concepts behind Marvel’s Myth and Magic and adds a few of his own. How do the Elder Gods connect to the Four Elements? Who are The Get of Set? And a Who’s Who of Marvel characters presented in the context of the Tarot’s Major Arcana.”
The issue was written and designed by David Sexton, creator of the “Winged Spirit Tarot”, and the “Tarot of Oz”. Sexton has been charged with reviving Marvel’s stable of supernatural and occult-based characters, and is currently writing a four-issue miniseries that explores Marvel’s magical characters. This “revival” strikes me very much like the beginnings of the Vertigo imprint over at DC, in which most of the supernatural/occult books (Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, Sandman) were moved into their own “adult” imprint free from the constraints of tying into a larger superhero universe. Even if that doesn’t happen, it should be interesting to see what develops nonetheless.
Even if you aren’t a fan of comics, this issue is a must for fans of tarot ephemera, and stands well by itself as a talented piece of occult-influenced art and design.
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