The Beetle Backs, presented by The Gentleman Wake and designed by Widakk Design, is the culmination of a two-year long effort to create a deck of cards perfect for Collectors, Players and Magic Enthusiasts everywhere. Classic and beautiful, evoking turn-of-the-20th-century style and elegance and the finest modern handling and playing card printing techniques, The Beetle Backs also tells the Kafkaesque tale of an embattled entomologist deep in study of his chosen field; the Dynastinae subfamily of scarab beetles.

This project is live on Kickstarter right now! The Beetle Backs cards have 6 unique editions: Crimson Standard Edition, Cobalt Standard Edition, Prestige Edition, Dynastinae Edition, Prism Edition and Legacy Edition

For Players, Collectors, and Magic Enthusiasts, The Beetle Backs is a masterwork collection of Decks and Accessories; a perfect union of classically inspired illustration and modern design, masterfully realized with the absolute highest quality materials and attention to detail. Featuring cards with exquisite handling and linen finish, adorned with pantone inks and, in a some cases, cold foil. The decks are packaged within premium tuck boxes emblazoned with as many as three foil layers and deep embossing.

The Story of Theodore G. Williford:
Theodore G. Williford awoke one morning, not feeling much like himself. His head throbbed with every beat of his heart and he could feel his brow, cold and wet. The bed groaned under his weight as he swung his legs out of bed. Maybe he had gained some weight after all. It was light out, he could make out that much from the window. He reached for his spectacles but clumsily pushed behind the nightstand. He was so tired and so very thirsty. He stumbled towards the bathroom, barreling through the room without much balance, loud footsteps clamoring on the hard wood floor. He grasped the sink to avoid crashing into the checkered tile floor, only then his vision finally adjusting. In the mirror, what he saw, seemed unreal. He’d been working too hard. Skipping meals to classify more species. Sketching anatomical drawings when he should have been sleeping. Clearly this must be why his once human features, handsome and refined, had transformed. His skin looked dark and shiny, eyes like a well of the blackest ink. His thick hair was gone, a serrated horn instead protruding from his forehead. He stood frozen, mesmerized by a grotesque visage he immediately recognized; Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Dynastinae …The Rhinoceros Beetle.