By Tillie Walden with Darren Shill, Sara Botero & Francesca Romano (Liminal 11)
ISBN: 978-1-91263-417-0 (boxed with felt carry case)
Win’s Christmas Recommendation: Fabulous Fantasy for All Your Tomorrows… 10/10
I don’t really believe in anything except the relentless and unstoppable decline of taste and good manners, but I think I know a beautiful thing when I see it. This is one of those…
Whether or not the ancient life-prognostication tool commonly dubbed Tarot Cards work for you, the sublimely visual aid has certainly beguiled many major artists – comics or other, lesser fields – into crafting their own versions. Novelty cash-ins have included Justice League, Sandman, Disney Villains and even Simpsons-themed sets.
Now my current absolute favourite comics creator has devised her own delightful traditional hand-painted arcana which comes as a spectacular gift box (138 x 59 x 90 mm and designed Francesca Romano) including 78 full-colour cards, in a beautiful hardback instructional tome all contained in a soft carrying case. I even got some promotional stickers, but that’s probably because I’m really special…
In case you were wondering, that exceptional creator is Tillie Walden: a prolific Texas-born cartoonist who seamlessly blends fantasy fiction with autobiographical intimacy, engendering a feeling of absolute wonder, combined with a fresh incisive view and measured, compelling delivery in terms of both story and character to everything she does. Her artwork is an invitingly sheer delight.
Before globally turning heads with such unforgettable tales as On a Sunbeam, A City Inside, Spinning, I Love This Part, and Are You Listening? she began her rise with Ignatz Award-winning debut graphic novel The End of Summer – a compelling and poignant, family drama fantasy, chillingly reminiscent of Nordic literary classicists such as Henrik Ibsen, Astrid Lindgren or Tove Jansson, thematically toned like Brian Aldiss’ Helliconia novels whilst visually recalling Dave Sim’s Cerebus books High Society and Church & State. That too – as well as every other book I’ve cited here – should be at the top of your Christmas gift list.
Get them, read them, tell a friend. Trust me, one day soon you’ll be seeing all of these as stage plays and movies… if we ever have those again…
So pick up the Tarot set too and maybe see what the future holds.
Images and text © 2020 Tillie Walden. All rights reserved.