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Penumbra Issue 5

Gordon Bean and William Goodwin

(Based on 1 review)

"The writing style is literate, the photographic illustrations are excellent, the production values are high, and the magazine is first-rate from beginning to end."
-Michael Close, August 2002 Marketplace, MAGIC


Reviews

David Acer

Official Reviewer

Jan 06, 2004

Completely oblivious to the pain and loss we will experience as a community when they decide they no longer want to continue this venture, Gordon Bean and Bill Goodwin have produced an exceptional new periodical (selfish bastards). This issue, Number 5 (January/February 2003) is chock full of book-quality magic tricks (that may not mean as much as it once did, but consider it a compliment nonetheless).

A Double Shot is Jim Patton's approach to David Britland's Angel Aces, and allows you to cause two selected cards to fly out from the deck in opposite directions as the pack is dribbled to the table. A number of variations are described -- I particularly like the version in which the deck is covered with a handkerchief as it is dribbled and two spectators are invited to place their hands beneath the hanky, enabling them to actually feel the cards appear.

J.K. Hartman's Color Scheming requires a full deck set-up, and is the kind of trick that, as you're following along with cards in hand during the lengthy explanation, you're thinking, "This better be worth it." Then you get to the payoff and actually fool yourself.

Ricky Smith's The Cherry Control is among the best, most natural card controls ever invented. Scott Steelfyre's Centrifugal Nightmare is the first new idea for The Professor's Nightmare in years (maybe decades). Patrick Shlagel's Business Trip is a pretty interlude with a finger ring. And finally, Bruce Cervon weighs in with his approach to Patton's A Double Shot, an Ace production called The California Angels.

This is a terrific issue of a terrific magazine. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.


David Acer

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