Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTarot: Witch of the Black Rose #1 is the founding document of one of American independent comics' most tenacious self-published ongoing series, introducing warrior witch Tarot (Rowan), her dark sister Raven Hex, and cemetery guardian Jon Webb (the Skeleton Man) in a single issue — a complete cast launch rare for an independent debut. The title carved out a distinct cultural niche by treating Wicca and neopagan practice as a genuine belief system worthy of serious engagement, backing each issue's fantasy-action narrative with real interviews with practicing witches and reader-submitted spells, a format with no meaningful precedent in mainstream pamphlet comics. As the flagship title of BroadSword Comics — a company run entirely by its two creators — the series became a proof-of-concept for the viability of direct-to-fan, creator-owned publishing sustained by a single artist-writer over decades, defying industry predictions that it would fold within three issues.
In "Witch War Chapter One," Jim Balent launches a dark, atmospheric tale with Tarot, a witch caught in a growing conflict with her malevolent sister, Raven Hex, who seeks to reshape the world through occult power. When Raven Hex’s agents dig up a grave in Salem Woods Cemetery, they awaken a mysterious guardian—Jon Webb in a skeletal costume—whose presence hints at deeper secrets beneath the surface. Tarot arrives to protect the site and track her sister’s next move, setting the stage for a supernatural clash rooted in legacy and vengeance. The story unfolds with haunting visuals by Balent and Golightly, whose moody colors and sharp lettering enhance the eerie tone of this witch-haunted world.
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Jim Balent spent roughly seven years as the primary penciler on DC Comics' Catwoman ongoing series (1993–2000), giving him both a high industry profile and a clear sense of the kind of fantasy-action storytelling he wanted to pursue on his own terms. In 1999 he departed mainstream publishing — passing on an offer to take over the Robin title — and co-founded BroadSword Comics with his partner Holly Golightly, who brought coloring, lettering, and her own comics experience (she had worked on Archie properties including Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie & the Pussycats) to the venture. Balent has stated in interviews that he deliberately declined offers from established publishers for Tarot because he feared the project would be 'watered down,' choosing instead to maintain uncompromised creative control from the outset. Issue #1, cover-dated March 2000 and opening with the story arc 'Witch War: Chapter One,' was also notable for its back-matter formula — debuting a multi-part interview with Laurie Cabot, the self-described Official Witch of Salem — establishing the educational editorial identity the series would sustain for its entire run.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Tarot (Rowan), the Swordmaiden of the Black Rose coven and the series' central protagonist, whose magical name derives from her psychic bond with tarot cards.
- First appearance of Raven Hex, Tarot's older, darker sister and series-long morally ambiguous antagonist, whose blue-white skin marks her allegiance to dark magic.
- First appearance of Jon Webb, aka the Skeleton Man — a cemetery caretaker with the ability to communicate with the dead — who becomes Tarot's primary male love interest.
- Written, penciled, and inked entirely by Jim Balent, with colors and lettering by Holly Golightly; every subsequent issue of the series has maintained this same two-person creative team.
- Published by BroadSword Comics, the independent company Balent and Golightly founded together, making the series both the imprint's first and only flagship ongoing title.
- Issue #1 opens the 'Witch War' story arc and inaugurates the series' back-matter format, including part one of an interview with Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem.
- Holly Golightly served as the visual model for the character of Tarot herself, and later appeared in the series in-story as a character called the 'Holly Witch.'
- The series ran continuously from this issue through at least #145 (as of 2025), was later collected in a 10th Anniversary hardcover edition (2010) and a 20th Anniversary trade paperback (2020), both reprinting issues #1–5, and was also published in German by Panini Deutschland beginning in 2004.
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Reprinted in ME Mystik & Entertainment präsentiert: Tarot #1 (2004), Tarot - Witch of the Black Rose #1 (2006)
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