Price$25.00
Media TypeBook, Lecture Notes
CategoryClose Up, Stage
Date AddedMar 10, 2010
Action Packed
Thom Peterson
Vanishing Inc.
(Based on 1 review)
He is a busy cruise ship entertainer, and often works for the Clean Comedians agency. Few pros let us into their world, and even fewer have the creative force that Thom exhibits in this collection.
This brand new set of color, comic-book style lecture notes is only available here, at Vanishing Inc., and we’re glad we can bring it to you. Thom presents an entirely new collection of material, including a deviously clever spoon bending routine that is especially suitable for the stage performer, and an array of other non-card material. Includes:
- Surprise
- Olive You
- Jigger With a Twist
- Spooning
- Revenge of the Spoon
- A Fish Tale
- Quicksnap
- Parting Shot
In addition exceedingly clear explanations, you are treated to a visual feast for the eyes, as Thom’s background is in art and advertising, and these notes are of the highest production values.
28 full-color, glossy pages.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
I design instructional material for a living, so when I come across a uniquely designed conjuring manual it's like getting chocolate on my peanut butter. Having my two favorite interests intersect is just too compelling for me to turn away. So when Vanishing, Inc started carrying Action Packed, I ordered a copy as soon as I could.
Action Packed uses a comic art style of instruction, and looks like a reasonable facsimile of a comic book. Albeit some weird UK comic book on slick A4 paper. The art consists of photographs that have been made to look like they're illustrations, and the instructions are presented in panel format with embellishments that, I believe, were generated using Comic Life Magiq. All in all, an eye-pleasing and interesting design that, while not entirely unique, does make the book fun and enjoyable.
But what about the magic? Well, although there are only 8 effects described, they've all been clearly honed for professional performance. The methods are straight forward, and the effects clear and simple to understand. The sort of tricks that play big, or exude personality, when done properly. They're mostly offbeat items, such as flattening an olive with your bare hand, or causing a drawing of a spoon to bend using the power of your mind. There's also a charming and sure-fire routine that involves a Fortune Telling Fish. And the fish is thoughtfully included for you, along with the materials for the olive trick. Unfortunately the text implies that the olive gimmick is pre-assembled, the instructions for doing it yourself were clearly added as afterthought.
Which brings me to what prevents me from giving this a super high score. There are just a few too many areas where the book seems to have been rushed into print. There's an egregious mistake in the Fortune Telling Fish routine, for which an errata is provided, thankfully. There are space-filling ads for other products throughout the book, which seem to have been included to make the number of pages work out correctly. While there is some crediting, it's mostly name-dropping and too non-specific to help a thoughtful reader follow the trail back to a trick's inspiration, or in one case, the trick that is being improved upon. I also found it odd that the author's name is nowhere to be found, except in one of the ads. Another oversight, I assume.
Between the enjoyable instructional approach, and the solid workman's magic, Action Packed is above average. But it could have better polished in its execution. Value wise, I feel it's expensive for just a handful of routines, but if you're a working pro you'll appreciate that if one of the effects speaks to you, Thom has already put in the work to make it worthwhile.
Action Packed uses a comic art style of instruction, and looks like a reasonable facsimile of a comic book. Albeit some weird UK comic book on slick A4 paper. The art consists of photographs that have been made to look like they're illustrations, and the instructions are presented in panel format with embellishments that, I believe, were generated using Comic Life Magiq. All in all, an eye-pleasing and interesting design that, while not entirely unique, does make the book fun and enjoyable.
But what about the magic? Well, although there are only 8 effects described, they've all been clearly honed for professional performance. The methods are straight forward, and the effects clear and simple to understand. The sort of tricks that play big, or exude personality, when done properly. They're mostly offbeat items, such as flattening an olive with your bare hand, or causing a drawing of a spoon to bend using the power of your mind. There's also a charming and sure-fire routine that involves a Fortune Telling Fish. And the fish is thoughtfully included for you, along with the materials for the olive trick. Unfortunately the text implies that the olive gimmick is pre-assembled, the instructions for doing it yourself were clearly added as afterthought.
Which brings me to what prevents me from giving this a super high score. There are just a few too many areas where the book seems to have been rushed into print. There's an egregious mistake in the Fortune Telling Fish routine, for which an errata is provided, thankfully. There are space-filling ads for other products throughout the book, which seem to have been included to make the number of pages work out correctly. While there is some crediting, it's mostly name-dropping and too non-specific to help a thoughtful reader follow the trail back to a trick's inspiration, or in one case, the trick that is being improved upon. I also found it odd that the author's name is nowhere to be found, except in one of the ads. Another oversight, I assume.
Between the enjoyable instructional approach, and the solid workman's magic, Action Packed is above average. But it could have better polished in its execution. Value wise, I feel it's expensive for just a handful of routines, but if you're a working pro you'll appreciate that if one of the effects speaks to you, Thom has already put in the work to make it worthwhile.