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1[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tarot5274.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:240:Tarot, somewhat overdressed by her own standards.]]
3
4''Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose'' is a bi-monthly comic written and drawn by Jim Balent, coloured and lettered by his partner [[Webcomic/SchoolBites Holly Golightly]], and published by [=BroadSword=] Comics.
5
6It's the story of an impossibly-proportioned ActionGirl [[HotWitch witch]] named Tarot (Rowan by birth), living -- inevitably -- in [[CityOfAdventure Salem, Massachusetts]], who is sworn to uphold the balance between the mortal world and the magical world and all that good stuff, usually while naked. Her on-again, off-again rival is her sister, Raven Hex, who occasionally wants to punish the mortal world for persecuting witch-kind (and causing the death of their father). Tarot's male love interest is Jon Webb, a cemetery caretaker who can [[ISeeDeadPeople communicate with the dead]] and uses the SecretIdentity of "The Skeleton Man." Her female love interest is Boo Cat, a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent were-cat]] GenkiGirl, who's also in love with vampire Licorice Dust.
7
8The series is a mixture of action, tits, magic, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment tits]], neo-pagan propaganda, [[RuleOfThree tits]], {{Author Tract}}s, and [[OverlyLongGag tits]].
9
10----
11!!''Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose'' provides examples of:
12
13* AbortedArc: The shocking tease in issue 80, when Raven recalls a potential future where [[spoiler:she and Tarot will have Jon’s children, which is a traceback from Issue 39, but then Raven also revealed her mom as well would hook up with Jon. That potential future is certainly done away with years later in issue 115, where Crypt Chick kills Tarot and Raven’s mother, where she finally joins her late husband in the afterlife, the Summerland in their religion. A few issues prior Tarot’s mom had a talk with a medium where it was somberly shown how she wanted to meet with her late husband, so Jim may have been already preparing for her death and likely abandoned that part of Raven’s future where Jon got with her mom in the years that followed]].
14* AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:This is revealed as Jon's childhood]] in Issue #103, much to Raven's shock.
15* AnAesop:
16** Generally on having tolerance and a positive body image.
17** Issue #25 is basically one huge {{Anvilicious}} Aesop rant about treating everyone equally.
18* AIIsACrapshoot: The robots created by the TSA (issue #72) swiftly become {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s without any outside aid.
19* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: In issue #24, Boo Cat gets drunk and ends up sexually harassing the staff, causing her and Licorice Dust to get chased away by them.
20* AllAbusersAreMale: Averted: Females are just as likely to sexually assault/enslave Tarot or Jon as men.
21* AllMythsAreTrue: While ghosts, fairies, dragons and the God and Goddess of Neo-Pagan faith do indeed exist, later on the main cast encounter vampires, were-creatures of varying beast-types, giants, mermaids, golems, angels, demons and even members of the [[Myth/NorseMythology Æsir]].
22* AmbiguouslyBi: While Tarot is most definitely playing for both teams, it is never stated what Raven's ''exact'' orientation is. She takes Azure as a lover and she is clearly into Jon to some degree, but she has also shared lovers with her sister Tarot (even kissing her on the lips after she came back to life) and she bathes with enchanted women statues.
23* AmbiguouslyEvil: During her spiritual journey in the Summerlands, Tarot encounters The Devil. Unlike the other Major Arcana, the Devil acts as a sort of obstacle, meant to distract her from her agenda and keep her there. She uses her small imps to set her down where she then tempts her using her carnal desires and temptations to distract her, undoing her clothes and effectively removing her "defenses" given to her by the other Arcana. It can be assumed that because she does nothing to actually stop her from leaving, it is likely that the Devil simply played antagonist as a test, and that she was not actually against her.
24* AttemptedRape: Boo Cat and Tarot are on the receiving end of this ''all the time''.
25* AuthorAppeal: Jim Balent seems to admire Wicca and women with the MostCommonSuperPower, as well bondage and restraints.
26* AuthorFilibuster: There have been entire issues devoted to these.
27* BabiesEverAfter: A possible future has Tarot and Raven each having a child fathered by Jon. [[spoiler:For a while, Tarot was unable to have children, but as of Issue #91, this obstacle is removed.]]
28* BadassNormal: The werewolf hunter from issue #63. Not to mention Jon himself on numerous occasions.
29* BeachEpisode: The "Hawaiian Holiday" two-parter.
30* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: In the Tarot Universe, ''every'' President we've had was an {{Expy}} of ComicBook/IronMan. Turns out it was [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington Washington's]] ''PoweredArmor'' that was wood, not his teeth.
31* BlameTheParamour: While Licorice Dust is Boo Cat's girlfriend, Boo Cat is shown to be very promiscuous and has several lovers on the side. While Boo Cat does love Licorice Dust, she wants their relationship to be open while Licorice Dust wants a more committed relationship. Because of this, Licorice Dust will often take out her frustrations on Boo's on-again/off-again lover Tarot.
32* BullyingADragon: You'd think that people wouldn't bully/persecute witches who have actual actual magic powers. [[TooDumbToLive You'd be wrong]].
33* BurnTheWitch: The townies want to do it, and the fact that it happened in the past drives Raven's hatred.
34* ChangelingTale: In Issue #37, a wood imp captured a human child with the intent of keeping it, leaving a gaggle of roots in a child's likeness in its place.
35* ChosenConceptionPartner: Jon, on a few occasions.
36** In issue #14, a Troll Queen and her female followers have their way with him for a good long while until he impregnates all of them.
37** In issue #39, a possible future reveals that Jon and Tarot are married and have a child, and then she and Raven ask him to father Raven's child as well. As seen on the trope image, it turns out well.
38* ClothingDamage: Tarot will lose some, if not all of her clothes every other issue; it's reached the point where one wonders why she even ''bothers'' to wear anything.
39* ComicBookTime: Averted. Time passes normally between issues and arcs. Because it's a bi-monthly comic, this can sometimes feel a little strange.
40* {{Crossover}}:
41** "Witches and Kittens" has Tarot meet the "3 Little Kittens", from a 3-issue [=BroadSword=]-published miniseries, also by Jim & Holly. The next crossover with the kittens is "Hex and the City".
42** Had one with Holly's comic, ''Webcomic/SchoolBites''.
43* CuteMonsterGirl: A whole lot of cute monster girls.
44* DisproportionateRetribution: Licorice Dust and her friends were rejected for the cheerleader squad, and made fun of behind their backs. After they become vampires, they [[WhatTheHellHero murder them via rat swarm]].
45* DoubleEntendre: Boo Cat loves to torment Jon with these.
46* DoubleStandard: See SceneryCensor, below. One scene in "Holiday Witches" shows all six of the series' main characters -- Tarot, her sister and mother, Boo Cat, Licorice and Jon -- fully nude. Guess who's the only one who ''isn't'' completely exposed for the readers' enjoyment? Hilariously enough, the only time a man is vaguely exposed, it's the Talking Fountain, who is completely made of stone. Also, a giant.
47* EasilyForgiven: Tarot almost immediately forgives the mermaid witch in issues #70-71 for chaining her above the water to be eaten by sharks.
48* EveryoneIsBi: A good chunk of the female cast, including Tarot herself, are bi.
49* EvilCounterpart: Thornwic to Tarot. He's the 'Sword of the God', doesn't hesitate to torture and murder, and wears clothing. He's also a much better fighter then Tarot, managing to strip her naked over the course of their fight.
50* EyeScream: In an early issue Raven uses the spikes on her nipples to put out a man's eyes for commenting on her breasts.
51* {{Fanservice}}:
52** Damn near every SubTrope. Much like the costumes, the term doesn't even ''begin'' to cover the characters in this series.
53** In a more meta example Balent has written/drawn fans and colleagues into the series, most noticeably in issue #47 where he draws a staggering ''44'' fans as witches fighting alongside Tarot.
54* FanDisservice: Balent infuses every issue with FanService, and it's inevitable that he'll draw something repulsive to others.
55** The permanently naked Gingerbread-Woman-Slash-Sex-Doll who butchers and consumes the man who made her...
56** The doll woman reconstructed from cadaver part.
57** The nurses involved in the "haunted vagina" issue.
58* AFateWorseThanDeath
59** Willowry turns into a tree when she uses a spell without saying the Witch Goddess' name.
60** Tarot cuts Azure's head off and [[AndIMustScream seals it in a box]] at the end of the Shadow Witch arc.
61* FlashForward: Starting from Issue 39 the narrative has proposed a potential good future for Tarot, Jon and Raven; that original peek already warned variations to that potential outcome may happen, and indeed before that point in time ever took place new peeks of the future over the years implemented a few differences to that narrative.
62** Issue 39: Tarot has completed her task of unifying the world of mankind and magick, with that she starts a family with Jon, having a daughter with him; with their marriage being a little different in her traditions Tarot has Jon accept her sister Raven as well, bearing a daughter with Jon as well, all of them are a happy family.
63** Issue 80: While seeking refuge from a rainstorm Raven humorously teases Jon of their future together, the fact he will give Raven and Tarot children is reinforced, but this time their gender is not mentioned, and a new party is brought to that future, Raven and Tarot’s own mom somehow would also hook up with Jon, bearing a child with him. [[spoiler:Years later, however, in issue 115, Tarot and Raven’s mom dies, effectively closing that part of the future Raven once saw]].
64** Issue 114: As Raven records her then current turmoil over being courted by a dragon prince who wanted her hand in marriage but Raven rejected his ongoing advances, yet she felt a little conflicted because the prince was genuinely kind, managing to pierce her heart just a little bit due Raven starting to feel the need of building a family her own, and that’s when she thinks of Jon whom she now says will give her a child, now a son, not a daughter.
65* ForcedTransformation: Raven has something of a penchant for changing her enemies into various animals, including frogs and crows.
66* FracturedFairyTale: Issue #54.
67* GhostlyAnimals: Jon the Skeleton Man is perpetually accompanied by his loyal ghost dog Wraith, who resembles a ghostly canine skeleton.
68* GoodShepherd: In issue #37, a mother chastises Tarot for being a "devil worshiper" [[spoiler:right after she saves the mother's daughter from a car]]. A bishop happens on the situation and the mother tries to get him to join her in shaming Tarot. Instead, the bishop tells the mother off, claiming that she needs to work on being a decent person before she can be a good Christian. He then apologizes to Tarot on behalf of the woman and wishes her a good night (much to Tarot's surprise).
69* GreyAndGrayMorality: In Issue #63 Jon comes across a female Werewolf who is acting as bait for a [[KnightTemplar Werewolf Hunter]]. Both sides are out for blood for the killings the other has done. While the hunter saves Jon a couple of times, she's willing to knock him out if he gets in her way. The she-wolf on the other hand, while out to kill the hunter, stops her fellows from killing Jon as he was just there to help her and apologizes for dragging him into a private war.
70* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Raven]].
71* HistoricalDomainSuperperson: In one bizarre issue, it's revealed that UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington had a suit of wooden PoweredArmor and that every President since then has been expected to don the suit to defend the country in times of trouble.
72* IHaveYouNowMyPretty:
73** Done to Tarot ''constantly''.
74** Jon gets on the receiving end a few times with various female monsters, as well.
75* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon:
76** The werewolf hunter has gun katana; the gun part forms roughly half the hilt and guard of her katana, but fires horizontal to the blade.
77** The Presidential battlesuits, including one post-Revolutionary War era one made of ''wood.''
78* ImpossiblyTackyClothes:
79** Kitty Pop of the 3 Little Kittens, featuring pink hair and pink-blue-black polka-dotted outfits.
80** The Satanic School Girls have worn bikinis made out of ''teddy bears''.
81* InvincibleVillain: TheKrampus are a race of holiday spirits that roam the world during December that kidnap, torture and/or kill children they deem "naughty", using magical hypnotic bells to keep the adults from stopping them. Whenever they come to Salem, the heroes try to stop their reign of terror. However, they possess a natural immunity to the witch's magic and a HealingFactor, and are able to use their bells to pacify and humiliate them before leaving. Tarot has faced them three times (once with Raven, once with Jon and once by herself) and has yet to defeat any of them.
82* IronMaiden: In the "Witch Key" arc, Tarot is shoved inside an iron maiden as one of the tortures she's forced to endure. She somehow manages to stay perfectly still for several days.
83* IronicHell: The Hell Dimension presented in Issue #36 is presented as this, with much of the more creative forms of torture meant to cater to what the souls believe they are damned for [[spoiler:considering they are all only there because they ''thought'' they deserved it]]. For example, those who spotted filth in life were had the vomit and feces forcibly spewed into their mouths, and those who felt great desire but where unable to act upon them (either for social edicts or old-fashioned shyness) had their tongues and private areas aflame.
84* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Tarot and Raven Hex. You probably would not even realize that they were sisters given the contrast.
85* LightningLash: Latex Red's Satanic Schoolgirls use electrified taser towels.
86* LooksLikeOrlok: The various humans-turned-vampires in Issue #106 have this general appearance.
87* LoveAtFirstSight: Tarot and Jon almost instantly fall in love with each other in the first issue, and are an official couple by the end of issue #4.
88* MaleGaze: You can see ''everything'' when a woman is naked. With men, their pelvic areas are usually covered by a GagCensor, CensorSteam, CensorShadow, CensorSuds, etc. Because with all of these exposed clits, showing a cock would make the comic ''[[SarcasmMode totally]]'' [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday gay]].
89* MermaidProblem: Averted. It doesn't matter what kind of female you are: Whether it be half-woman/half-spider or mermaid, if it is shown naked it ''will'' have a vulva.
90* MsFanservice: Tarot, and more female characters than can be summed up in this entry.
91* [[MonsterOfTheWeek Monster Of The Arc]]: Almost no enemy makes a reappearance after their introduction and inevitable defeat, essentially making the series follow this format exactly.
92* MostCommonSuperpower: Present in Tarot's family and many of the other females that pop up.
93* NakedFirstImpression: The first time Jon meets Tarot's mother. (''He's'' the one naked, not her).
94* NarratingTheObvious: There are several issues that are practically ''all'' narration, and only serve to describe the action. Special mention goes to issue #47, when Tarot narrates a large battle while fighting someone in a different area.
95* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The Medusa Queen looks an awful lot like Creator/AngelinaJolie, and the four "Hollywood Witches" look exactly like Creator/MeganFox, Tara Reid, Pamela Anderson, and Paris Hilton.
96* NonMammalMammaries: The Dragon Witches in their humanish form. In Tarot, ''everyone'' has tits.
97* OncePerEpisode: There will be a naked woman in nearly every issue.
98* OnlySixFaces:
99** Every woman has the same body and face and mainly only differ in terms of what kind of "body paint" they're wearing. Guys don't even get that much and are largely nondescript. It gets ''really'' obvious in an issue where reader-submitted pictures are drawn in for a Wiccan army battle.
100** Always very obvious with Boo Cat and Licorice Dust who strike identical poses in some frames.
101* OurDragonsAreDifferent: "Dragon witches" have the usual giant-lizard form, but also possess a par-for-the-course stacked babe form in the same colors as their dragon forms.
102* OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: Werecats are a race of magical creatures that can be found in Salem. When not during the full-moon, werecats all look like normal, everyday human beings. During the full moon, werecats develop a slick layer of fur over their skin, cat ears on the top of their head, whiskers, a cat nose and a long cat tail. There seems to exist a werecat culture on its own much like that of witches, as when a werecat comes of age, that werecat is put through a ritual where they are anointed with sacred oils by their clan members and given a cat-bath by them after they make their first transformation. They also seem to be comfortable with nudity, all of the members going skyclad during their congregations and just when they're in their werecat forms in general. They possess super-strength, super-speed, enhanced senses and (like all other shape-shifter species) can be repelled by wolfsbane.
103* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: There are apparently female werewolves who have the head and tail of a wolf, and a human body. The result is rather... [[http://tiny.cc/67vwz disjointed]].
104* PhysicalGod: The Norse Gods from their arc. They easily outstrip every character in the series (the possible exception being the Goddess), and Hel is a RealityWarper to the degree of being able to invoke a [[spoiler:world-wide ResetButton at the end of the arc.]]
105* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: Between Jon and Raven in "No Rest For The Witchy."
106* PornWithoutPlot: Sex and near-naked women were common in the earlier issues, but it could still have a plot independent of them (relatively). Over the course of the series, it's been [[{{Flanderization}} adding more and more explicit nudity and sex]], to the point where removing them would result in entire ''issues'' being cut.
107* PowerNullifier: Many villains have objects/enchantments to nullify Tarot's magic.
108%%* ReligionIsMagic
109* ReroutedFromHeaven: In Jon's story of Issue #39, we are catered to a hypothetical story about what would happen after his death. As he ascends to Heaven (being a catholic hero), a Valkyrie escorting a viking Einherjar crashes into him, accidentally knocking the viking right into his Heaven as the Valkyrie mistakenly escorts Jon to Valhalla.
110* ResetButton: Mashed ''hard'' [[spoiler:at the end of the Norse Gods arc.]]
111* RuleOfCool: In Tarot's world, each President of the United States is expected to wear PoweredArmor and fight evil in the name of the country, making every one since the founding of the country an expy of ComicBook/IronMan (or, in the case of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington and his battlesuit, Wood Man?).
112* RuleOfThree: A rule of magic that is inconsistently applied, and often acts as [[LaserGuidedKarma Magic Guided Karma.]]
113* SceneryCensor:
114** Played straight (more or less) until issue 17, and then they're averted wholeheartedly. The only female character who doesn't get full frontal nudity is recurring character Crypt Chick and celebrity guest Fiona Horne in "The Witch Queen." [[DoubleStandard Still played straight when it comes to Jon's dangly bits]].
115** For some reason, it comes back into play for a few issues around 60-67, but then the series goes back to averting it.
116* SecretDiary: A couple of fairies discover Tarot, Raven, and Boo Cat's diaries in "Diary of a Witch."
117* SelfInflictedHell: In Issue #36, Jon ventures into a hole to a vast Hell Dimension that Crypt Chick was taken too. After finding Crypt Chick and intending on escaping, he calls out to the thousands of souls trapped there and tells them that he will bring them along if they choose. They all call out to him and are suddenly free of their imprisonment, their souls rising into the heavens as the sun rises.
118* SensibleHeroesSkimpyVillains: Stretches this trope to the limit with the heroes.
119* SexMagic: Among many other forms of magic, witches from partake in sex magic. Especially appropriate, given the [[BestKnownForTheFanservice high count of naked women]].
120* StarkNakedSorcery: one of the many covens is the Skyclad Coven, which does all of its magic in the buff.
121* StartOfDarkness: While it was the death of their father during a black magic ritual that put Raven Hex over the edge, it was being bullied in her teens for having H-Cup breasts that caused her to start picking up on the dark path of witchery.
122* {{Stripperiffic}}: On the rare occasions when Tarot and her friends actually wear clothing, it almost always belongs in this category. Most of it could honestly be called "two strings and a wish". The majority of female characters aren't wearing much more than her.
123* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Partially inverted; Tarot will oftentimes be weakened enough or lose her magic in order to provide fanservice for the reader.
124* TailWhip: The Dragon Witches famously use their tails to lash Jon during his stay in the realm beyond the mists in issue #10.
125* TakeThat:
126** Towards ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''.
127--->'''Jon:''' Don't you have a ''Twilight'' movie line to stand in somewhere?\
128'''Licorice Dust:''' SHUT UP! I ''hate'' those movies! ''Fucking'' worst thing that ''ever'' happened to vampires.
129** The robots the TSA creates which [[AIIsACrapshoot are useless, perverted, and murderous]] might be one against the agency.
130* TakenForGranite: Medusa have appeared in the comic; Tarot was turned to stone by one.
131* TarotMotifs: Tarot named herself after it, and they pop up from time to time; they're usually pretty accurate about the predictions.
132** When she is nearly killed by the Headless Horseman, Tarot’s soul winds up in the Summerlands. Choosing to leave back to the real world, Tarot is brought onto a spiritual journey where she meets every member of the Major Arcana personified.
133* TheEndOrIsIt: Averted; despite a few hints dropped (such as the Frankenstein nurse and ginger bread woman), there's virtually no follow-up on any of the potential story lines.
134* TheFairFolk: Pop up from time to time, although the miniature pixies/goblins are more common. They appear to lack (or aren't shown) the traditional weaknesses associated with them. This being Tarot, almost all of them are female and naked.
135* ToHellAndBack: Jon does this in issue #36 in order to save Crypt Chick. As this is Tarot, Hell is full of naked women in various states of torment.
136* TooDumbToLive: Crops up a few times, but Latex Red gets the prize; she called in a missile strike ''on her exact location''.
137* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:The Norse God arc]].
138* WontTakeYesForAnAnswer: When Jon is proposing to Tarot, he's too busy arguing that being her boyfriend has already put him in enough danger that becoming her husband wouldn't change things much, that he's fully willing to go through with the consequences, and so on, to realize that she said "yes" almost immediately.
139* WorldOfBuxom: It might be easier to list the women in this comic that ''don't'' have humongous breasts.
140* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Despite being at the mercy of villains dozens of times, none of them ever think to kill Tarot until it's too late.
141* YourHeadASplode: In an early issue, one of the members of the witches' circle remotely protecting Tarot suffers a [[{{Gorn}} gruesome]] cranial explosion as he [[HeroicSacrifice absorbs a death blow meant for her.]] Another's head splits vertically, almost in half. They're later shown, [[{{Squick}} still alive and making do with their injuries]], at Tarot's May Day party.

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