The Arcus Arcanum! Amazing Comic Book Art! How Do You Like It?

[missy]

Today I received from the postman the amazing Arcus Arcanum tarot (in English! Yes!)

What an amazing tarot! I feel those who would best relate to this tarot would be those who grew up in the 60s reading comic books from that era. LOVE it! I was a kid holed up in my room (not always, but definitely when I got a new comic!) with a stack of cherished comic books and a vivid imagination. I read into all of those small images and created entire worlds in my mind. Some were sci-fi tales, others horror, all were amazing! (Those were my favorite genres of comic books.)

IF one literally does have a background of reading 60s comics, especially if you were born and raised in the 50s or 60s, you will totally GET this tarot.

If one is younger and was not around during that timeframe, I can't say for sure if you will appreciate the artwork at the same level. Comics were all hand-drawn, and hand-colored. You had to use your imagination when staring at the images.

Some say these figures look "alike" or that they look like they have "mean" expressions on their faces. I would have to totally disagree. They are in line with comic books from that period. One should be a fan of comic book art to appreciate this tarot.

And the pips! The Minors! How clever! They have arranged the suit elements, be they Cups, Wands, Pentacles, Swords, as though they were on an unillustrated pips card, then added in figures and scenes surrounding the strict placement of the suit elements. The result is very unique. I find most very readable as well. A few are not RWS-based, or at least I had to consult the LWB, which is a useful addition to this deck as it was written with this deck in mind.

While some may argue the pips are essentially unillustrated, I would beg to differ. They DO take getting used to. The Two of Swords does show a stalemate, an impasse. Both the man and woman have their hands on the two swords, even though the swords themselves are not crossed as they are in a traditional RWS card. There is water behind them, which indicates blocked emotions. The archway in many cards has its own symbolism which one can read about in the LWB.

I am so glad I discovered this one while it is still (barely) able to be found. It is printed by AG Muller so the card stock is crisp, slightly slick, with a silky matte finish.

Querents may not pick this one, but I will read with it.

My only wish is that the cards, -- while they *are* standard size -- were a bit oversized, so that one could more easily see the lush artwork. The Wheel is one of the nicest Wheels I have ever seen, but that is more easily seen online in large scans than on these regular-sized cards. Death is also wonderful. The Fool is comically about to trip over a black cat. The Tower is fantastic.

Who else has this tarot and loves it? I read through an old thread on this one, but really, it deserves its own, updated thread. To see all images from the Arcus Arcanum, go here.

 

[Eowyn]

Thanks for posting this.

I loved the major arcana, but not so sure about the minors.... and that Death card ROCKS!!! I'm so saving the image for further rejoicing

 

[rwcarter]

I think I have at least 3 different printings of the deck plus the German(?) Majors-only deck. The art reminds me of the Prince Valiant comic strip.

I haven't done a reading with it yet, but I guess I'll have to remember to offer it as a choice for the next Exchange I do.

Rodney

 

[zan_chan]

Missy, thanks for starting this thread. I haven't taken my Arcus Arcanum out of its box in ages, so it was fun to have a good excuse to go back and take a look. Now I'm remembering why I got it in the first place-- the RPG gamer in me just loves the artwork. Throw in some orcs and elves and you've got the Tarot of World of Warcraft!

Do we know much about the edition history? Is an English version rare? Mine is in English. Bought it for $5 here in Tokyo. The box says, "AGM AGMULLER. CH-8212 Neuhaussen. Made in Switzerland."

Is that the same as yours?

(Love that Death!)

 

[missy]

Missy, thanks for starting this thread. I haven't taken my Arcus Arcanum out of its box in ages, so it was fun to have a good excuse to go back and take a look. Now I'm remembering why I got it in the first place-- the RPG gamer in me just loves the artwork. Throw in some orcs and elves and you've got the Tarot of World of Warcraft!

I LOVED LOTR but never did get into World of Warcraft. My associations with the Arcus Arcanum are from my childhood, back when comic books were huge among kids, much the way video games are today. That was back when there were only three TV channels, after all, and no internet, so we found plenty of other ways to stretch our imaginations, including comics!

Do we know much about the edition history? Is an English version rare? Mine is in English. Bought it for $5 here in Tokyo. The box says, "AGM AGMULLER. CH-8212 Neuhaussen. Made in Switzerland."

Is that the same as yours?

(Love that Death!)

zan, I love that Death card, too!

My box sounds different from yours.

I don't know anything about the edition history, but here is what I have:

The front of the box is primarily yellow.

Three sides of the box say "ARCUS ARCANUM TAROT."

The fourth side of the box (the bottom part of the tuckbox) reads:

AGM
URANIA
Art. 12.389
Printed in Belgium

On the back cover of the LWB is printed:
AGM
AGMULLER
Bahnhofstr. 21
CH-8212 Neuhausen am Rheinfall

 

[zan_chan]

Ooh, interesting! It seems that we have different editions. On my box, all the text is in white, and the back of the box has a paragraph written about the deck and the artist. The writing is very robotic and read like a German car commercial, so I get the feeling that it was translated very directly from the German original.

Rodney said he has a few different versions, so maybe he'll be able to set us straight later on...<prod..>

 

[missy]

Ooh, interesting! It seems that we have different editions. On my box, all the text is in white, and the back of the box has a paragraph written about the deck and the artist. The writing is very robotic and read like a German car commercial, so I get the feeling that it was translated very directly from the German original.

Rodney said he has a few different versions, so maybe he'll be able to set us straight later on...<prod..>

On the back of my box, all the text is in white as well, with possibly the same "robotic" translation as yours.

Mine reads (all white on mostly a black-and-blue background, with a white border around the back of the box):

ARCUS ARCANUM
TAROT

Traditional symbolism of Tarot
in a new artistic interpretation.

Hansrudi Wäscher painted the 78 cards
under the guidance of Günter Hager.

All pictorial elements on every card
amalgamate into a homogeneous unit:
relevant elements are easily
identified, incorporated details enable
a precise interpretation.

AGM
URANIA

www.tarotworld.com

ISBN 978-3-905221-39-8

MY LWB has The World on it.

There are two extra cards: One with The World without any text, just the art.
The second card is a blurb about the creators. At the very bottom of the card, it reads,

"Presently Mr. Hager is working on a book that explains in detail the ARCUS ARCANUM TAROT."

 

[strings of life]

Great thread! I love this deck and wanted it as soon as I saw it. It's lively, colorful and looks like it's straight out of the 1950s or 60s. Some people find it "masculine", but I think it's a great comic-book inspired deck. It's might fun to read with out-of-the-box.

I also think that the card stock is great, along with the perfect rounded corners. I would love to trim it .

missy, I'll check my version and will let you know which one it is (I think that mine is also printed in Belgium).

 

[missy]

Great thread! I love this deck and wanted it as soon as I saw it.

Me, too! I don't know how I missed it! But there are so very many decks; it is easy to miss those we like, only to discover them almost too late, as I did.

It's lively, colorful and looks like it's straight out of the 1950s or 60s.

That was definitely my attraction to the deck. It flashed me back to my childhood and my love of comics.

Some cards are a bit "same-y," but that is certainly in keeping with the comics from that period. I remember, back when I used to read comics, having to look for a bit of someone's sleeve in a drawing, or what they were wearing, and comparing it to another character to make sure whether that was a new character or the same one from a previous page. There wasn't a lot of distinction sometimes in outfits. Many would be wearing the same color of clothing, yet have slightly different details in their garments. I see that in these cards, as well.

I am also interested in sharing the cultural experiences surrounding this deck and the appreciation for this deck. Am I the only one here who as a child loved comic books and read them at night with a flashlight after I was supposed to be asleep?

Some people find it "masculine", but I think it's a great comic-book inspired deck.

Agreed. I personally don't find it masculine, but then again I'm a woman who loves anime, science fiction, horror, MST3K, and a lot of guy, nerdy stuff. I just do. Whereas the latest Rom Com will have me running away as fast as I can! I will watch the occasional one, but am much more interested in Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, and that sort of thing.

It's might fun to read with out-of-the-box.

Initially when I saw the online scans, I was skeptical regarding whether I would be able to read with it.

Now that I've received it, I find most cards readable. But I haven't yet tried a reading with it. Is anyone willing to do a reading with me in the Reading Exchange forum, where both reading partners use the Arcus Arcanum and read for each other? That could be interesting! But it would probably have to be next week for me.

I also think that the card stock is great, along with the perfect rounded corners. I would love to trim it .

I am not a trimmer, so cannot speak to this point. But I do agree, I like the cardstock!

missy, I'll check my version and will let you know which one it is (I think that mine is also printed in Belgium).

Sure, aurarcana, that is fine; thank you! Although I am not so concerned with the versions; I listed all of that mostly in case anyone else is.

I'm more interested in talking about the deck itself: people's reactions to it and the artwork.

And in whether anyone else has the same cultural references to the deck. I can't be the only one who hid under my covers reading comics late at night.

Did anyone else love those old Sci-Fi and horror comics of the 50s and 60s? They were awesome.

 

[cardlady22]

My childhood years were the 70s; teens were the 80s. But, I do like this style. I have a trimmed deck on its way to me now. Comics have a special place in my memories because my uncle & his son would take all of us cousins to the larger store(s) when they came in for vacations. And like previously mentioned, Prince Valiant was mine . . . when my grandparents finished, of course!