Tarot is the magickal name chosen by Rowan, a witch of the Black Rose coven. In addition to her innate abilities, which centre on prophetic dreams and visions that take the form of tarot imagery, Tarot is the current Swordmaiden, chosen by the Goddess to maintain harmony between the mortal world, and the fairy realm where magickal beings of all kinds reside. All too often fear and superstition has led humans to try to destroy magickal beings, while this history of violence has left bitter feelings in many denizens of the fairy realm - armed with the Sword of the Black Rose, and the powers granted to her as Swordmaiden, Tarot's task is to protect both mortals and magickal beings from each other's worst instincts, while trying to spread a message of tolerance and peace in the hope that, one day, both realms will be able to co-exist in harmony without the need for a Swordmaiden to patrol the boundaries between them. Tarot is courageous and wise for her relatively young age, but she is far from all-powerful, and even as Swordmaiden it's not uncommon for her to encounter foes who present a deadly danger to her. Fortunately she has allies, in the form of her family and friends. Her mother is a powerful high priestess of the Black Rose coven, deeply compassionate and wise, but a formidable opponent when her loved ones are threatened. Tarot's sister Raven was once an outcast from the coven - after the tragic death of their father, in an incident stemming from mortal distrust of the then-young witches, she named herself Raven Hex, and dedicated herself to the acquisition of power in the belief that witches and mortals could only co-exist if mortals were subjugated, unable to harm the magickal beings Raven considers superior to them. Though Raven's plans eventually brought her and Tarot into conflict with each other, they have since reached a tentative peace, and though Raven still regards humans with deep distrust, and is sceptical that Tarot's mission can ever be achieved, she doesn't hesitate to come to her sister's aid when needed. Another sometime ally of Tarot's is her former lover Boo Cat, a vivacious werecat who has occasionally been caught up in magickal struggles. Her main ally, though, is Jon Webb, also known as 'Skeleton Man', a graveyard caretaker with the ability to communicate with the dead, and even empower them to affect the world of the living for a short time. Before meeting Tarot he kept largely to his cemetary, standing guard over the souls resting in it and keeping them safe from grave-robbers and despoilers, but when a magickal battle brought him and Tarot together the two fell in love, and now fight side by side. Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose is a bimonthly comic published by Broadsword Publishing, written and illustrated by Jim Balent, helped by his wife Holly G. As well as a fantasy/action story, the two create Tarot as a message about the Wiccan faith, and through her adventures Tarot applies and embodies those beliefs. The title doesn't preach, though - rather, it presents Tarot as an example of the ideas Wicca espouses, using her as a vehicle to explain those beliefs, educate readers - and also put those beliefs to the test, to see how they cope and adapt to the circumstances they encounter as Tarot moves through the mortal world, dealing with intolerance and ignorance, and occasionally finding acceptance in the unlikeliest places. Balent is well-known for beautiful, voluptuous heroines, and Tarot is no exception - indeed, she is frequently naked in the pages of Tarot, and the book takes the view that nudity and sexuality are healthy and natural, and doesn't shy away from exploring either (though the visual depictions of sex always stop short of what would be considered 'pornography'). As writer and artist, Balent uses symbolism as well as words to tell his stories, and while the presence of gorgeous naked women tends to make casual readers dismiss the title, each issue is in fact highly-crafted, with layers of meaning to the text and imagery. And in a comics market in which gory violence is commonplace, but the unclothed female form is somehow regarded as too shocking to be shown (although it's still exploited in any number of skin-tight costumes), it's rather refreshing to find a book that takes the opposite view, presenting sex and sexuality as natural and nothing to take offence at, but which regards violence as a last resort, to be avoided if at all possible.