Comic Review: Marvel Tarot (oneshot)

Truly this book is like a gift unto my very soul. The Marvel gods have smiled upon me, and they have created the Marvel Tarot Oneshot out of pure awesomeness.

The book is a tie-in to the wholly under-hyped Mystic Arcana mini, which features the sorcerer Ian McNee's attempt to save all the magic in the universe by collecting the four "cornerstones of creation": The Sword of Bone, the Ebon Rose, the Serpent Crown, and the Dark Mirror. Each of these magical artifacts has a hero of the Marvel U. attached to it, (Magik, Black Knight, Scarlet Witch, and Nico Minoru, in order) and so each issue of the mini is also a small backup story about said hero. When this was announced, I literally jumped for joy, as my love for the Scarlet Witch is boundless, and I also squee for Nico and Dane.

Dr. Strange uses the First Tarot

The Marvel Tarot is supposedly a log written by McNee about the First Tarot, a magic artifact in the Marvel U that is "Linked through enchantments to every living thing on earth, the First Tarot chooses from amongst all those possibilities the single best representative for each card's Archetype." However, now, the deck, like magic, is broken, and this comic is Ian's record of how and possible explanations as to why.

In actuality, it is a collection of such awesome that I can hardly put it down. The second two pages are a "Catalogue of Correspondences" which is a list of "objects, beings, or concepts" and how they relate to each other, based around the four items and heroes mentioned before

Sister Grimm is associated with the mirror, fire, the suit of spades, the tarot suit of wands, etc.

Not only are normal mystic concepts included, but tons of marvel quartets are associated with each other. It's hypnotizing for someone like me, who has multiple books of lists which do just this thing. I'm still stuck staring at it. There are some puzzling choices though, for instance Nico is associated with Chaos while Wanda gets Hate, but for the most part they're really intriguing.

There's also the choices of which Marvel heroes appear on each tarot card. I was pleased to see Cloak and Dagger cast as "The Lovers", as they really embody the whole yin-yang aspect of the card. I'll try to update with a scan of that card later, as well as a "poster"of the Traversable Planes Ian apparently found at a head shop. It glows under black light.

The thing i was most excited about was the Priestess card, which is shared equally by three women; Agatha Harkness, Wanda Maximoff, and Ororo Munroe. Ian is just as puzzled by Storm's appearance as we are: "[Ashake's] present-day descendant [is], Ororo Munroe. Ms. Munroe (or Mrs. T'challa) must have great mystic potential, but she has not tapped it. Has clearly not needed to... Nevertheless the cards are desperately seeking their archetype..."
He also makes some good points on Agatha: "Agatha Harkness was the Priestess for a loooong time. Now I think she is dead. But I thought she was dead and then she wasn't dead, but actually she was. Aunt Agatha is confused. I am confused. The deck appears to be confused about her as well."
And here's what he has to say on the subject of our lovely Witchie: "Agatha was grooming Wanda Maximoff to replace her as the Priestess, but the Scarlet Witch went Red Queen mad and started shouting, "Off with their heads!" Where did it all go wrong? She wore the serpent crown for a time. Was it the old wyrm whispering in her ear that set her off? I am more inclined to think that "The Other" one was the cause. From the beginning he has groomed her to be the end. She is strong. There is still hope for her. The cards think so anyway."
There damn well better be hope for her!