Stacey Graham, Paul Kepple & Ralph Geroni
Quirk Productions, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59474-569-0
It is officially spooky season, and what better deck to share than the thematic Zombie Tarot. This deck comes in a super kitschy 1940's style, with a mashup of zombies and wartime era illustrations making it both campy and charming, with a healthy dose of cheesy gore.
The 1940s theme is clearly brilliantly executed, and the whole deck features images in a wartime era pallette. The deck border and book are coloured in a way that immediately brings to mind the kind of old papers you might see in a wartime museum. The deck is clearly well thought out, so I wasn't sure where the 40's thing came from. A quick google told me that the Paul Kepple illustrated another deck called the Housewives Tarot, in a similar style. This is an awesomely spooky nod to that deck, with a horror twist.
What more, the deck has its own dramatic backstory, and I won't go too much into it, but picture an atomic disaster involving a toxic sludge, resulting in a zombie apocalypse. The story is brilliantly executed, and feels like the perfect opening for a tabletop game or even a comedy zombie movie.
The cards draw on the universe of this story, and incorporate imagery from that world, meaning each card is loaded with detail. From advertising images, technology, 40's characters and their lives, weapons, lots of scyscrapers, chemistry, and a healthy dose of all things grotesque... I could go on but I'd be here all day! It is definitely a deck that makes you want to look through each card, and each holds a charming and comedic story.
I came across this deck while celebrating Mabon at Thornborough, and had to snap it up to review. I've never seen it before, so really had no clue what to expect. The box was big. In fact, the box shape and design reminds me of a games box, which may be a deliberate nod to tabletop style zombie games. I loved the ammo belt print and thought it was very thematic.
A little downside here, the box is super stiff to open. Once I got it open, I was surprised to see that weird velvet plastic mould that cards sit in. I've never seen that in a tarot or Oracle deck before. It isn't strictly a negative, but again feels very game like, and was a turn off for me.
Onto the practicalities. The cards are nice and heavy, and a decent shuffle. They were sadly poorly cut and scratched, and had a dusty residue on them from the cutting process.
Other than the cutting issue, they are a decent quality. The printing is high quality, and really it has to be! The cards are jam packed with detail, showing a mishmash of eclectic themes in a unique style that somehow ties together beautifully.
The minor cards each have edging detail, with each of the suits having a colour coded symbol in one corner, and the card number in the other. The pentacles have been changed to Hazards. These still denote material wealth and prosperity, but the symbol ties in better with the backstory.
The fun, game like feel follows through the book, with the guidance being quite wholly immersed in the zombie universe. The book is printed to look antique, but has a modern and game like feel. For example "Should you stay in your fallout shelter until the last of your supplies are depleted? Flee to one of the government sponsored camps? Proceed directly to Guns R Us? Consult the Zombie Tarot to determine the best course of action."
There is a hyper playful narrative, and the information is pretty decent! The book is super beginner friendly and the information in it is mostly accurate, and detailed! There is a guide to the basic meanings of the suits and numbers of the cards. These marry up well with most other sources (for example swords as intellect, logic, courage and conflict... twos representing relationships, balance or decisions).
There is a guide to conducting a reading, and this gives some really decent spreads. They have clearly been written by an experienced tarot reader! They have fun and thematic names such as "the Broken Heart" which helps see a broken relationship's prospects. "The Gravestone" is similar to a traditional horseshoe spread and can be used to answer specific questions. "The Eyeball" is the monthly spread, and then there is the "Severed Head" for a general spread. The information found from each spread is thorough, empowering, and gives perspective. I genuinely love these spreads and will use them myself. And I'm a spread snob!
Each individual card has a page with a paragraph of definition and are again, wonderfully interpreted, but written in that fun and thematic storyline.
This last picture shows my favourite card in the deck. The High Priestess. This card is just sublime, and has a mystical quality that sets it apart from the rest of the deck.
In summary, will I pick the deck up and read it? Probably not. It's a gaudy and charming deck, and definitely has a lot of talking points and is super fun. I found myself wishing it were a card game to play with friends rather than a tarot. That said, it is a perfect deck for aesthetic purposes, especially over Halloween! It's well a well informed kit, which is fun, super campy and grotesque. I know a few people who would really enjoy this deck just for the fun factor, so it may make a good stocking filler for your favourite goth, sci fi or horror enthusiast.
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