On Saturday, while my partner finished reading the manuscript for final editing, revision, proofing before it goes to my editor on Friday, I had some time on my hands. If I don't busy myself while she's reading my work, I tend to stand over her and say very unhelpful things like, "So? Do you like it? What's happening now?"
I happened to feel like drawing, so I decided to work on the tarot card set I've been slowly making for myself of Marvel superheros. I'm up to #6 of the Major Arcana, the LOVERS. I had originally intended to have this card be the quintessential X-Men lovers: Jean Gray/Phoenix and Scott Summers/Cyclops, but my brain just didn't go there for some reason and I ended up with Susan Richards/Invisible Woman and Prince Namor/Sub-Mariner.
I usually can't stand the Sub-Mariner. He's not a terribly likable character, but his love affair with Richards (Susan, that is, not "stretchy-man,") is rather legendary and... I don't know, "illicit"?
Which is so not what this card is supposed to be about. The Lovers, out side of the two figures being naked, is not a terribly sexy card. It's usually kind of dull. Two figures (one female, one male) are standing naked, open palmed, and being looked over by an angel. It's clearly all about the "higher" aspects of love, not the base down and dirty bits... which is what I drew.
As I said in my alter ego's LJ, this might just be Marvel fan art masquerading as a tarot card, but when I finished it I was really very pleased with the results none-the-less. The pose is original (meaning I didn't copy it from a comic book, which I did with my Iron Man/Emperor card,) and it just makes me happy. As Shawn commented, it's that scene we never really see but always imagine between these two.
I don't know... what do you think?
1 comment:
Actually, how the Lovers turn out, how scantily clad or naked they may be, and what kind of love it depicts, is very dependent on the deck. The Gilded Tarot has a highly suggestive pose between a knight and his conquest, the Marseilles (I think one of the oldest known decks) depicts a group of three clothed people with Cupid about to shoot them from above, the Thoth shows a marriage taking place before two hands that seem to be giving the benediction, and my personal favorite, the Transformation deck, shows the Lovers curved together, seeming to form one figure and two at the same time. I really hate the Vampiric Tarot decks that depict one partner sucking the life out of the other, I think that goes against intent. I think your card is beautiful and totally valid.
-Mel
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