Retro-futurism, cyberpunk and neo-noir aesthetics are my favourite. Videogames, movies, comics and other forms of art immediately catch my undivided attention if they can catch my eye. You can imagine, then, how excited I am to present today the Neon Moon Tarot, described as a “retro-futuristic cyberpunk tarot deck” by its author, James Brothwell. But wait, there’s more! James also happens to be behind another of my absolute favourite decks, the Sinking Wasteland Tarot (first edition reviewed here). So, basically: I adore this deck.
Here’s some information from the Kickstarter: this deck uses “the archetypes and themes of a RWS tarot deck”, and from it we can expect “a gritty urban hi-tech setting with a limited neon palette and heavy black inks”. And it delivers. The artwork finds its ground between the urban and the otherworldly, bathing in neon pink, blue and purple against a sea of black. The colour play is amazing: it manages to bring to life characters, scenes and stories within a very reduced palette. If we were only to consider the artistic quality of the deck, we could already say that it is a masterpiece.
But! There is more to tarot than beautiful images. And if there is something I love about Jame’s artwork, it is how seamlessly the symbols and messages are introduced in the chosen backgrounds (a feature that also shines in the Sinking Wasteland tarot). Death is pictured as a bounty hunter with a rose on the forehead, and if you see the detail picture I included the posters are not random. See how the bishop is one of the targets! The Moon doesn’t forget its lobster: it is included as the symbol on a take-away food baggie. The headphones in the Empress feature stars. I could go on forever, but you get what I mean - and since the most wonderful way of learning is discovery, you can check all of the cards here and find more symbols yourself.
The suit names and the court cards feature name changes. They are the following: Swords > Arms, Wands > Wires, Cups > Vials, Pentacles > Zent, Page > Apprentice, Knight > Agent, Queen > Supervisor, King > Executive. Though they have been changed to better reflect their cyberpunk world, I believe that the approach to the court cards is more than that, becoming an excellent tool on itself to better understand some concepts and interpretations that may be difficult for some. The deck comes with a 24 page booklet which features an introduction and interpretations (including keywords), and you can read its extended version (with a spread and card pictures) here. Everything comes in a nice, sturdy two-part box which matches the back designs.
I knew I was going to love the Neon Moon Tarot deck even before it got to me, not only because it looks awesome, but also because James’ work with symbols and storyweaving is remarkable. Its powerful, deep-rooted energy works magnificently for the moments when you need to focus on action. On top of that, it can be used as a game! So make sure you check the Neon Moon site, get a reading, and delve deep into this intriguing cyberpunk world that gets more incredible the more you know about it.
