As Mel Brooks fans everywhere continue to rejoice over the announcement of a Space Balls sequel, another Brooks title has reemerged in an entirely new format. Based on the novel written by William Goldman in 1973, the film adaptation of The Princess Bride remains a ubiquitous, timeless classic and pop culture rite of passage. Now, the 1987 film adaption is receiving an adaptation of its own with the release of Insight Edition’s The Princess Bride Tarot Deck and Guidebook. Written by narrative storyteller Erin Kwong and featuring 78 pieces of original artwork by acclaimed Italian illustrator Glenda Sburline, The Princess Bride Tarot Deck and Guidebook breathes new life into this beloved tale.
Affecting the familiar prose of the novel, as read by the late great Peter Falk in the film adaption, Erin Kwong creates the tone for the guide in a way that manages to capture the spirit of both The Princess Bride and the RWS tarot. Combined with Glenda Sburline’s experience as a visual storyteller, the deck truly feels like a natural extension of the book and film. For Glenda, whose career began in 1997 with the publication of her first children’s picture book, The Great Test of the Little Blue Fish, and whose 2025 submission to the 11th annual Hiii International Illustration Competition won the Best of the Best Award, that continuity is achieved with the utmost intention.
Indeed, across all 78 cards of The Princess Bride Tarot, the pages of its guide and the box it all comes in, her mastery of the form is on full display. According to Glenda, this is the result of a long and constantly evolving journey that relies on an image’s ability to convey and stimulate an audience’s deeper emotions and reflections. “When creating and developing characters, drawing on paper remains the fundamental approach,” she adds, detailing her process, “but, often, I also like to create a three-dimensional version of the main character in clay or felt, especially when working on a children’s book. This allows me to familiarize myself with the character and see it from various perspectives.” For the tarot cards, she says, “The main challenge was making the likenesses of the film’s protagonists believable, while still traying to maintain and original style and representation.”
Moreover, when adapting an intellectual property to the tarot format, the level of creative freedom can vary greatly. In the case of The Princess Bride, Glenda says, “The basic incipit for each card was already established in the art log and was based on many of the film’s scenes, especially the minor arcana.” She adds, “I had greater freedom in designing the major arcana, but I still followed a predetermined guideline regarding the subject matter.” Even so, the major arcana presented an interesting challenge due to the low resolution of the film, Glenda recalls, and the fact that the cards needed to resemble its actors. Despite the predetermined guidelines, she notes, many of the cards still offered ample opportunity to interpret and develop her own vision, while remaining faithful to the indicated parameters.
With no prior experience illustrating tarot cards, her usual process had to be adapted to accommodate a smaller format. “The challenge was finding a style suitable for small-scale reproduction, while still maintaining consistency with my work.” In her usual process, Glenda uses traditional methods, various painting mediums and then makes adjustment digitally. “For the tarot cards,” she says, “and considering the large number of images to be created within a limited amount of time, I had to develop an execution strategy that would allow me to work quickly. Therefore, I worked by creating line-art images of the main elements, applying color fills with hand-drawn watercolor backgrounds, which allowed me to maintain a certain overall visual coherence.”
She adds, “I also created many secondary elements using traditional techniques, which were then added digitally to the final image. This allowed me to work on the individual elements in a separate, larger format file, and then insert them into the final image.” Overall, the result is a beautifully illustrated set of cards of which any fan would struggle to pick a favorite. Like any creator, however, Glenda has managed to pick a few, not so much for their imagery as for the vision she worked to create therein. “In some images, I was able to develop a more metaphorical representation; one that was more in tune with my visual language,” she recalls. “In this sense, my favorite is definitely the Six of Coins. Here, Buttercup’s blue robe, locked in the castle and betrothed, welcomes the pirate ship of her beloved Westley as it sails the seas. The floral decoration behind her takes shape, enveloping her body to hold her.”
Of course, at the mention of Buttercup, one cannot help but to also think of Westley. To that end, Glenda says, “I enjoyed drawing some of Westley’s poses, taken from certain angles, such as the Hanged Man or the Ace of Coins. One of my favorites is definitely the Five of Cups for its colors and overall dynamism.” She adds, “In each of the 78 cards, I tried to offer a personal interpretation that was in line with my artistic vision. I believe this emerged most clearly in The Lovers card.”
Overall, Glenda hopes fans of The Princess Bride will notice the care and thought that went into the creation of each card. “While I tried to keep it faithful to the film, I hope they’ll appreciate my commitment to offering them a personal, lively and metaphorical reinterpretation, capable of bridging the traditional imagery of film with a new visual dimension.” She notes that though the process was demanding, it was incredibly rewarding. “It gave me the opportunity to work with a leading publisher and be supported by a top-notch team and art director,” Glenda explains. “It deepened my understanding of the Tarot, its origins and its fascinating world of symbolism and meaning. Finally,” she says, “it was a journey back to the 1980s and a rewind to my adolescence, which I rediscovered in the fun, lighthearted atmosphere captured in The Princess Bride.“
Check out other works by Glenda Sburline, including her latest children’s book, Where Are You Going, Butterfly, or follow her on Instagram @Glenda_Sbureline and Facebook for updates on her next project.