are comics a new medium for tarot?

sort of interesting:

http://www.wildhunt.org/blog.html

Marvel Gets Mystic

Marvel Comics (home of Spider-Man) has announced a limited series to revive its stable of magic-based characters. Leading up this effort will be David Sexton, creator of the "Winged Spirit Tarot", and the "Tarot of Oz". Unsurprisingly, the series will have a tarot-based theme.

"The series is called Mystic Arcana because the characters all have "mystic and arcane" pedigrees, but also because the Minor Arcana of the Tarot will serve as a unifying "element" to the stories. And we are all working hard to, through this series establish the status quo and ground rules for Magic in the Marvel Universe...The four books will connect to the four suits of the Tarot's Minor Arcana, which in turn correspond the four classic Elements; Air, Earth, Water and Fire."

*edited to add the pertinent date of the blog post this references is
2.25.2007

Interesting. I'm wondering if the comic aspect is going to way overshadow the tarot aspect and give the wrong information. Not sure if the guy is using it as a convenient vehicle for his story or not.

Here's a qupte from his interview: "DS: Tarot cards are symbols of important kinds of people (like an Empress or a Magician) and important ideas (like "Everything changes" and "It's always darkest before the dawn.") The person who wants to learn something draws a predetermined number of random cards from the Tarot Deck. Then the Tarot card reader puts the people and ideas (on the cards) into special patterns called folds. The way the cards end up fitting into the pattern or fold tells a story to the card reader about the person who drew the cards. "

Folds? Not spreads? The interview says he was a tarot artist, but doesn't say anything about him being a reader or as having used the cards.

There already is a Tarot that uses comic book characters. Captain America is on one of the Majors.

I can't remember its name though.

As a long-time Marvelite and fan of Illyana (Magik, the character in the fourth book, representing Swords), this is very interesting to me. Except two of those characters are hardly what I think of when it comes to magic in the Marvel Universe; where the heck is Doctor Strange??? Half-baked is my initial reaction to this, though I've been hoping for Illyana to return to comics for years (she's sort of dead, depending on how you look at it).

Cute also that the Scarlet Witch is representing "Cups," heh heh, huh huh, heh.

Oh yeah almost forgot, there was even a character NAMED Tarot; she was a member of the original Hellions in the 80s, and as such was an arch-nemesis of Illyana (mentioned above). She was a mutant with the ability to bring images from her tarot deck to life. Lame, but still. I think she was killed along with the remaining members of the original Hellions some years back.

Kindof it is awkward that both Swords and Pentacles are being represented by characters whose depictions invariably include obligatory swords (although Illyana's is a personal sort of thing). I'll have to see more of this but at the outset it doesn't look well thought out.

There is the Marvel tarot. It is out of print, and I think it has been for a long time - majors only.

VGimlet said:

There is the Marvel tarot. It is out of print, and I think it has been for a long time - majors only.

Click to expand...

Tarot Garden has the Tarocchi Marvel (Lo Scarabeo) listed in their inventory.
I got mine from them.

It's really wonderful, well, it was for me because I'm a Doctor Strange fan and he's the Magician (obviously) and Doc Strange is also the design for the backs.
I have it paired off with a bust and statue of Doctor Strange by Bowen.
The illustrations are identical to the older Marvel style.
the card stock is substantial artistic paper with a very nice textured matte finish. and the cards are fairly large, good dimensions for showing off the artwork.
overall it's extremely well done.

I wish Lo Scarabeo would treat some of their other decks with that degree of respect.

strictly collectors stuff though, really first class but I can't imagine anybody reading with it.

is the "newer" Dr. Strange going to be part of this "Mystic Arcana"?

ohman! this is so awesome i'm a comic book nut!

as not only a comic book reader but a comic book artist, i must say....THAT IS EXCELLENT! i feel happy now ^_^

Pirate

Well... interesting, but DC also has a lot of comics resolving around Tarot, in their Vertigo Label.

Hellblazer has several instances of the Thoth Deck & other unnamed Decks...

The comic "Lucifer" has a Tarot Deck created by an Angel that is alive... and has some other plans The first comics are even called: "A 6 Card Spread"

And of course,
There is the Manga: "tarot Cafe"

So, Marvel is catching up rather slowly actually... too bad, they used to have my fav. comics.

Kahlie