Publisher: Zenescope
Writer: Joe Brusha
Artist: Renato Rei
Colourist: Grosieta
Release Date: OUT NOW!
Price: $3.99
Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1 has an unfair advantage just because it has the word ‘Tarot’ in the title. Colour me nostalgic and indulge me if you will as I tell you why ‘Tarot’ has such positive vibes, for me at least. (If this was TV, this is where the screen would go all wibbly to denote a flashback or several. If you are reading this and the screen does go all wibbly, I suggest you stop reading and call an ambulance right away).
Still with me? Good. I shall begin. Way, way back in the Jurassic era that, for want of better word I shall call my childhood, there was a TV show called ‘Ace of Wands’ whose central character was a telepathic magician called Tarot. It only ran for three seasons, the first two of which have since been wiped, and was all big hair, flowered shirts and bell-bottom flairs and I loved it, right down to the pet owl called Ozymandias. Wibbly one a few years and the Beatle-inspired youth that I became was in a band called, you guessed it, Tarot. Yes, we made an album, no, it didn’t sell and all the excesses of the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll that came barrelling down the musical highway seemed to take a sharp left turn before it reached us, leaving us stranded in a metaphorical lay-by somewhere north of Crewe. With hopes of musical fame and fortune forever and cruelly dashed I turned to my one true love: writing. One of the first characters I created was a comic book character called – wait for it – Tarot. He was a sort of British Dr Strange who was governed by the mystical forces of the Tarot cards which foretold what fate must befall no matter what, so sometimes he was a good guy and sometimes a bad guy. Did it sell? Have you ever heard of it? No? Then don’t ask daft questions.
As wibbly time draws to a close you can probably understand why I have such an abiding affection for anything Tarot orientated. Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1 is no exception. Written by the excellent Joe Brusha and drawn by the superbly talented Renato Rei, Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1deals with the Mysterious Order of Tarot whose Emperor wants to rule the Realms of Power. The only thing standing in their way is a wild card named Talisman. The Emperor has dispatched The Four to bring Talisman to heel so that he can fulfil his destiny and become the King of Pentacles in their new world order.
Luckily for Talisman he has these neat tattoos which means he can bring to life any item he has painted onto his skin. Try as I might, I can’t see any images of Scarlett Johansson on Talisman’s brawny biceps but if he’s got it, that would really be a neat trick to while away the cold winter nights.
As it is, in Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1 he has to make do with swords and an assist from Nataliya, The Forsaken One, to make a last minute break for short-lived freedom. Spanning several mystic lands, incorporating elements of sword and sorcery as well as high concept super heroics Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1 is high octane, thrill a minute, multi-layered comic book heaven. Take a leap of faith and immerse yourself in a series that is well on the way to being a classic.
The Tarot will never steer you wrong in Grimm Fairy Tales: Tarot #1.
Reviewer: Gary Orchard
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker