iHero Tarot
Jun 29th, 2010 by frank
iHero Entertainment and U.S. Games Systems, Inc. are proud to introduce the world’s first complete 78-card superhero tarot deck!
Credit where it’s due
The Fradella Adventure Tarot is the brainchild of iHero creator Frank Fradella and Katrina Hutchins. The deck was drawn by JP Dupras and digitally colored by Frank Fradella.
Why a superhero deck?
Given the iconic imagery of the tarot, and the archetypical role that superheroes play in today’s society, it’s almost surprising someone didn’t think of it sooner! Superheroes are the modern mythology, after all.
The Suits
While most people aren’t aware of it, the tarot deck is actually the precursor to today’s deck of playing cards. They both have four suits, numbered Ace through Ten, followed by the Court cards. In a tarot deck, however, the Court cards are Page, Knight, Queen and King.
The suits of Spades, Hearts, Clubs and Diamonds equate in the tarot to Swords, Cups, Wands and Pentacles. In the Fradella Adventure Tarot, they evolve once more into Blades, Masks, Staves and Discs.
iHero characters and their relevance
Even if you’ve never read a single iHero story, you’ll find it simple to read this deck. The imagery is similar to the standard Rider-Waite deck, but the characters and their depictions on the cards further enhance the classic imagery.