Joseph Vargo

Video Game

The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana

Game Creator, Artwork & Puzzle Design, Story, Narratation, Music & Sound FX by Joseph Vargo
Digital Rendering & Graphic Design by Christine Filipak
Programming by Daniel Kennedy, TheHideoutGames.com
Monolith Graphics 2018
UPC: 888295833585
Platform: Windows/Mac

A dark adventure game set inside the haunted mansion of a mysterious magician who vanished several years ago. On a dark and stormy Halloween night, you find yourself standing before the gothic gates of Arcana Manor. A strange force compels you to find a way in, but as soon as you set foot inside the mansion, the door slams shut behind you, sealing you inside the eerie manor house. A ghostly vision appears before you, presenting you with a challenge: Resolve a maze of riddles and perplexing puzzles, or be doomed to spend eternity locked inside the inescapable mansion. Do you dare accept the deadly challenge to discover the secrets that lie within The Cabinets of Doctor Arcana? Once you begin, there's no turning back.

Books & Tarot Cards

Born of the Night: The Gothic Fantasy Artwork of Joseph Vargo

Illustrated by Joseph Vargo
Forward by Joseph Iorillo
Monolith Graphics 2005
ISBN 0967575664
184 pages. 140 color illustrations.

Enter the world of this modern master of the macabre. This collection features over 100 distinctive works of fantasy and imagination, published together for the first time. With introduction and summaries by Joseph Iorillo and additional commentaries by the artist, this volume offers comprehensive insights into Vargo's gothic domain.

Tales From The Dark Tower

Short stories by Joseph Vargo and others
Illustrated by Joseph Vargo
Edited by Joseph Vargo and Christine Filipak
Monolith Graphics 2000, 2003
ISBN 0967575613 (Hardcover)
ISBN 0967575605 (Paperback)
280 pages.

Vampires who dwell deep within forbidden crypts, lost souls who wander mist-shrouded cemeteries, and gargoyles of living stone. Herein lie the dark legends scribed long ago.
      These tragic tales of myth and forbidden lore chronicle a sinister legacy, as it unfolded in the forgotten past, and the curse that yet lurks within the shadow of the Dark Tower. This lavishly illustrated anthology features 13 sinister and darkly alluring tales based upon the gothic artwork of Joseph Vargo. Each story in this unique anthology is woven together to create a compelling saga of vampire lore.

Beyond The Dark Tower

Short stories by Joseph Vargo and Joseph Iorillo
Illustrated by Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2011
ISBN 9780982489925
232 pages.

This sequel to the acclaimed anthology Tales From The Dark Tower continues the Gothic saga of the vampire Lord Brom and his battle against the forces that lurk in the citadel of shadows known as The Dark Tower.
      No one is certain how long The Dark Tower has stood. It is believed to be a place of great evil, haunted by dark angels and spirits of the restless dead. Legends say the Tower was once the ancient fortress of the Dark Queen, Mara, and her infernal legions. Other tales tell of a warrior knight—once a man, but now an immortal creature of darkness—who stands vigil over the fallen queen's tomb.

Return To The Dark Tower

Short stories by Joseph Vargo and Joseph Iorillo
Illustrated by Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2015
ISBN 9780982489932
260 pages.

Vampires, ghosts and creatures of the night await in this finale to Joseph Vargo's gothic saga.
      In the ancient catacombs beneath the Dark Tower, a slumbering evil has been awakened. Fearsome creatures born of shadow rise from the infernal depths to serve the Dark Queen as the legion of the Black Dawn. As a sacred prophecy comes to light, the fate of mankind rests upon a lone guardian who stands at the threshold between the realms of the living and the dead, an immortal knight sworn to defend the world he once knew and all he yet loves.

The Legend of Darklore Manor and Other Tales of Terror

by Joseph Vargo, Joseph Iorillo, and Timothy Bennett
Illustrated by Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2008
ISBN 0978885767
216 pages.

Welcome to Darklore Manor, where spirits of the dead do not rest easy, nor do they find release from their eternal suffering... This anthology contains thirteen tales of terror, covering a vast array of horror themes involving living gargoyles, creepy dolls, dark urban legends, secret societies, and murderous madmen. The main story is a novella based on Nox Arcana’s nightmarish concept album, Darklore Manor.

The Gothic Tarot

by Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2002
ISBN 0967575621

A deck of 78 illustrated cards featuring a host of gargoyles, vampires, ghosts, and dark angels that give this ancient oracle a unique Gothic flair. Every card features a unique and original illustration depicting Vargo's Gothic interpretation of the traditional Tarot.

The Gothic Tarot Compendium

by Joseph Vargo and Joseph Iorillo
Monolith Graphics 2007
ISBN 0978885724
224 pages. 78 illustrations.

This comprehensive resource offers Vargo's personal insights concerning the mythological and occult symbolism hidden within his artwork, and includes detailed instructions for several traditional and original card layouts that reinforce the gothic theme of the artwork. The book contains illustrations of all 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana, and translations of their symbolic meanings, allowing readers to utilize The Gothic Tarot to its fullest divinatory potential.

Madame Endora's Fortune Cards

by Christine Filipak and Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2002
ISBN 096757563X

This original deck of fortune-telling cards offers insightful advice concerning matters of love, money, health and general prosperity. The lush artwork is based on Old World myth and lore, and blends Egyptian, Celtic and Fantasy themes in an elegant Art Nouveau style.

Madame Endora's Book of Fortunes

by Christine Filipak and Joseph Vargo
Monolith Graphics 2019
ISBN 9780982489956

This guidebook to Madame Endora's Fortune Cards offers insightful advice concerning matters of love, money, health and general prosperity with detailed definitions of the cards and their meanings as well as various divinatory spreads. This book also contains Madame Endora's Wisdom of the Ages, offering illustrated chapters on various means of divination, such as astrology, palmistry, phrenology, dreams and pendulums, in addition to mystical alphabets, rune magic, love spells and charms, candle magic, alchemy, gemstones, I Ching, the Kabbalah, labyrinths and sacred Yantras. The symbolic artwork is based on Old World myth and lore, and blends Egyptian, Celtic and Fantasy themes in an elegant Art Nouveau style.

Dark Realms Magazine

Joseph has written numerous stories and provided cover art for every issue of Dark Realms Magazine. First published in December 2000, the quarterly print publication explores the shadows of art, music and culture, and has been instrumental in promoting the careers of emerging artists, writers and musicians. The entire collection consists of 32 issues, spanning 8 years. Covers are available for viewing in the Gallery.