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Newly published tarot and oracle decks arrive on Amazon, Etsy, crowd-funding platforms, and in bookstores every month. Today there are literally thousands of decks to choose from, including out-of-print decks as well as published ones. Reviewing a deck is a subjective judgement intended to help readers determine if they want to own the deck. The critical review of a deck for AskAstrology involves looking at the quality and size of the cards, visual accessibility of the art, quality of the companion book or booklet, and potential usefulness in professional practice. This month I have chosen to review the Magic of Marvel Oracle written by Casey Gilly and illustrated by Sol Devia.
From the back of the box:
Experience the magic of Marvel like never before in this enchanting and delightfully unique take on the traditional oracle deck. This set features beloved characters from the Hulk to Iron Man, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and more in gorgeous original illustrations based on classic oracle iconography.
Casey Gilly is the mother of a young goblin, a horror fan, and a comic book writer. The first two prepared her for the third. Her work includes Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, My Little Pony: Generations, and Star Wars Adventures, as well as many tarot decks with Insight Editions. She resides in Portland, Oregon, where she divides her time between writing creepy books, hanging out with her cats, and growing tropical plants.
Printed on thin card stock, these cards have a matte finish with rounded corners and are easy to riffle shuffle, even if you have small hands. The cards flex easily because the card stock is on the thinner side; pleasantly, they do not stick together when they first come out of the box. Because the card stock is on the thinner side, they will likely need to be replaced in a few years if heavily used.
The artwork for this deck is one of its best features, the colors are strong, but the artist used more muted tones instead of the splashy, vibrant colors you would find in the comic books. However, the visual accessibility of the deck is very limited because there are only images of the characters, which do not, in and of themselves, communicate clear meanings. Therefore, each card has a phrase at the bottom of the card associated with the character that explains the meaning of the card, making the deck much more functional for the reader and querent.
Meaning:
The Wolverine card signifies finding solace in solitude, embracing the strength and resilience that comes from self-reliance. When alone, you discover inner strength and resourcefulness, realizing that your own company is enough to navigate life’s challenges with courage and conviction.
Meaning:
Embrace vulnerability and open your heart to love, trusting in the power of connection and mutual support. Allow yourself to be authentic in relationships, sharing your feelings openly and receiving love with grace and acceptance.
Meaning:
Embrace your inner strength and confidence when you draw the Storm card. It urges you to tap into your power and take bold action. Trust your intuition and assert yourself fearlessly, knowing that you have the ability to overcome any obstacle that comes your way.
The Magic of Marvel Oracle by Casey Gilly comes with a nice guidebook that has four sections: Introduction, Unleashing Your Deck, The Cards, and Prepare for a Reading. The images of the cards in the booklet are in color. Each card has its own page, with a short paragraph explaining the meaning of the card.
The Introduction and Unleashing Your Deck sections are brief, just a single page with two short paragraphs of explanation. In the Introduction the author states, “Using the guidebook and cards, we will learn to perform readings, do daily pulls for inspiration, and even incorporate these cards into other tarot decks!”
The final section, Prepare for the Reading, has four subsections: Selecting a Spread, Reading for Yourself, Reading for Someone Else, and Sample Spreads. The Sample Spreads include: The Oracle Spread (a 3 card reading), Shapeshifter (a 4 card reading), The Web (a 5 card reading), and Ready/Aim/Fire (another 3 card reading).
The deck is particularly good for beginners, and one of the better decks put out by Insight Editions. While this company clearly has official publishing rights for some key popular culture properties, they do not always produce great decks in terms of actual usefulness for readings. See my review of their DC Comics Tarot deck.
I give this deck 4.5 out of 5 stars. The meanings in the booklet are concise and well-written, and extremely insightful when connecting a card with a character. The artwork is very suitable for the theme of the deck, and by far a great feature. The card stock is thin, so the deck will not last if heavily used. There is a printing error on the Hela card. Its phase, “Seize the day,” is the same as Captain Marvel. In the booklet, however, the more accurate phrase is, “All things must come to an end.” For this reason, the deck does not get a 5-star rating.
If you like the Magic of Marvel Oracle by Casey Gilly and wish to purchase a copy, you can do so online or in a major bookstore.
