Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #6
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeTarot: Witch of the Black Rose #6 is the first appearance of two characters who would become fixtures of the BroadSword universe — the werecat Boo Cat and the vampiress Licorice Dust — making it the single most consequential first-appearance issue in the series' long run. The issue deepened the world-building of an already unusual book: a fully creator-owned, mature-readers fantasy title built around Wiccan theology at a time when few mainstream-adjacent publishers were exploring that spiritual framework with any sincerity. Its arrival in early 2001, within the series' first year of publication, helped establish that Jim Balent and Holly Golightly's independent venture had the storytelling range and character depth to sustain a long-term readership beyond novelty. Boo Cat in particular proved durable enough to headline her own dedicated cover editions decades later, confirming the creative staying power of her debut.
In "Ghoulish Intentions," Tarot is drawn back into the shadows when her former lover, Boo Cat, pleads for help to save Licorice Dust—her vampire partner, now pinned by a wooden stake. Written and illustrated by Jim Balent, with colors by Holly Golightly, Nicki Riebel, Lauren Sabia, and Hillary Nelson, this 2001 issue blends supernatural tension with personal stakes, all wrapped in a cover by Jim Balent that captures the eerie allure of the Black Rose.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Jim Balent walked away from a high-profile DC Comics tenure — most notably a seven-year run as the primary penciler on Catwoman — to co-found BroadSword Comics in 2000 with his wife, colorist and letterer Holly Golightly. The company was deliberately structured as a two-person creative operation, with Balent handling all writing and art and Golightly all coloring and lettering, giving the team total creative control that no work-for-hire arrangement could offer. Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose launched as BroadSword's flagship title and was published on a bi-monthly schedule, and issue #6 arrived in January 2001 — within the book's first year — at a moment when industry skeptics had predicted the series wouldn't survive past its third issue. The 'Ghoulish Intentions' story introducing Boo Cat and Licorice Dust was part of that early run that proved the doubters wrong.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First appearance of Boo Cat (werecat), one of Tarot's recurring love interests and a major supporting character throughout the series' run.
- First appearance of Licorice Dust, a vampiress established in this issue as Boo Cat's lover.
- Story title is 'Ghoulish Intentions'; the issue also marks a key early appearance of Jon Webb (Skeleton Man), Tarot's other principal love interest, in an ensemble context alongside Boo Cat and Licorice Dust.
- Published January 2001 by BroadSword Comics — written, penciled, and inked entirely by Jim Balent, with coloring and lettering by Holly Golightly.
- Issued in at least two standard cover variants (Cover A and Cover B) plus a Deluxe Litho Edition that included a signed and numbered 6.5" x 10" black-and-white lithograph by Balent, limited to 1,000 copies.
- A signed edition with a BroadSword certificate of authenticity was also made available, consistent with the publisher's direct-to-fan sales model.
- Boo Cat proved a sufficiently popular character that she was featured on dedicated cover variants for issues published more than two decades after her debut here, including a 'Boo Cat Alternate Paths' series of covers for issue #124.
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Reprinted in Tarot - Witch of the Black Rose #3 (2006)
Key issues in Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose
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