Exclusive Preview: MINOR ARCANA’s First Chapter Comes To A Close

Jeff Lemire’s Minor Arcana, from publisher Boom! Studios, concludes its first of four planned arcs, as protagonist Theresa reels from her introduction to the supernatural, and must deal with the fallout from her “first journey into the Unseen World.” As the mythos of Lemire’s spellbinding new series continues to expand, readers will find themselves enraptured by the details of the story.

Screen Rant is beyond excited to present an exclusive preview for Minor Arcana #3 – written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire – in which the series’ opening “Book of Wands” arc wraps up, setting the stage for the next phase of the plot, in the “Book of Swords.”

The pages shared by Boom! Studios show that the issue will continue to immerse readers in the world of Minor Arcana, while drawing them closer to the series’ main character, as she takes the next steps on her unexpected quest.

Jeff Lemire Closes The First “Book” Of MINOR ARCANA, His Tarot-Inspired Ongoing Series

Minor Arcana #3 – Written & Illustrated By Jeff Lemire; Lettering By Steve Wands; Main Cover By Lemire

Publisher Boom! Studios’ official synopsis for Minor Arcana #3 has this to say about the issue:

In the conclusion to the mystifying first chapter of the new original series from Jeff Lemire, Theresa is worse for wear after her emotional encounter and first journey into The Unseen World.

Intoxicated on spirits, she channels her frustration in the front yard of an old ex, where the embers of a love lost are still painful.

Unexpectedly, it’s where she’ll meet a fellow traveler of the Unseen, but it’s not who she’d expect…

The preview pages for the issue begin Theresa recounting her lost love, ex-girlfriend Melissa; in the present-day action of the story, Theresa drunkenly knocks on Melissa’s door at 4AM, waking her and her husband Brad – and soon, their baby. When Theresa asks her Melissa for help, she’s angrily rebuffed, but it is quickly revealed that Brad is a police officer, and the preview concludes with him offering Theresa a ride back into town.

This seems to suggest that Brad might, in fact, be the unexpected “fellow traveler of the Unseen” that the synopsis promisesMinor Arcana #3 introduces to the story. This would add another exciting, and tense, character dynamic to the series, which has already put in a great deal of effort to lay the groundwork for a complex, richly envisioned fictional world – both in Theresa’s hometown, which she has only just returned to, and in the strange and surprising metaphysical world she is steadily being enveloped in.

Each Page Of Jeff Lemire’s Minor Arcana Is A Visual Feast

Minor Arcana #3 – Variant Cover By Gabriel Hernández Walta; Available November 13 From Boom! Studios

Across its first two issues so far, Minor Arcana has been proceeding patiently in terms of plot; introducing characters, establishing locations and lore, and overall acclimating readers to the world of the narrative, so that author Jeff Lemire can then take the story to totally unexpected places. While the plot of the series might only just be getting revved up, Minor Arcana has nevertheless been bursting with excitement on every page, thanks to Lemire’s incredibly detailed and distinct artistic style, and the resonant characterization that he has so far imbued his protagonist with.

Nothing is glossy about Minor Arcana – Theresa’s hometown of Limberlost is evocative of dying small towns all across America, while the series’ characters are depicted in similarly faded, washed out, “past their prime” fashion. This roughness allows Lemire, as an artist, to make the most of every cracked and faded wall, every bag under his characters’ eyes, or wrinkle in their foreheads. There is a gritty texture to the art of Minor Arcana, as though everything, from places to people, has been weathered and worn down.​​​​​​​

What Hints About The Future Of Minor Arcana Do Its First Three Issues Hold?

Minor Arcana #3 – Tarot Card Variant Cover By Jeff Lemire

Minor Arcana is rooted in the concept of tarot, in more ways than one, and as such, readers have already begun to try to read the fortunes of its main character, Theresa, in the details of each issue, and each page, of the series. With the first twelve issues of the series already planned, it makes sense that hints to the future of the series would be hidden in its initial issues, esoteric clues planted for attuned fans to discover.

As the culmination the book’s first arc, Minor Arcana #3 should be read with care, in order to uncover where Jeff Lemire might take the story next. The series remains one of the most gripping new comic book stories being released at the moment – it is a must-read for fans of stellar art, and supernatural mysteries, and is exactly the kind of book that has the potential to entice non-comic readers to give the medium a chance. In all, Boom! Studios’ Minor Arcana is a wonderful read, and it has only just begun to weave its magic.

Minor Arcana #3 will be available November 13, 2024 from Boom! Studios.