Magicana 2006 Comes to an End

[David Acer]

With the December issue now out, and my first full year of service to Magicana at an end, I wanted to thank all the generous innovators who were kind enough to contribute.

GUNNAR BARDSEN STEVE BEAM GORDON BEAN DAVID BEN TOM BURGOON MATTHEW DOWDEN ALEX ELMSLEY BOB FARMER AARON FISHER STEVE FORTE CAMILLE GASTINE BILL GOODWIN J.K. HARTMAN JOHN HOSTLER RICHARD HUCKO ROB JAMES NATHAN KRANZO PATRIK KUFFS HARRY LORAYNE ERIC LECLERC MAX MAVEN REED McCLINTOCK DUC NHIEN BRIAN NORDSTROM JACK PARKER THOM PETERSON JON RACHERBAUMER HIRO SAKAI JAY SANKEY JEAN-JACQUES SANVERT AL SCHNEIDER ALLAN SLAIGHT JIM STEINMEYER JIM SWAIN DR. GIORGIO TARCHINI JONATHAN TOWNSEND ARTHUR TRACE GREGG WEBB MICHAEL WEBBER BOB WHITE TYLER WILSON TOM WOLF

I would also like to inform you that, in an effort to increase subscribership, I will spend the first week of January hanging inside a gyroscope five stories over Times Square and attempt to escape in time to bring 100 kids to a shopping spree at Tannens.

[Tom Stone]

Originally posted by David Acer:
With the December issue now out, and my first full year of service to Magicana at an end

So you mean that now, with your apprentice period being over, we migth actually start to see some GOOD stuff in your column? About time! ;-)

[Richard Kaufman]

Hardee, har, har.

[David Acer]

Originally posted by Tom Stone:
So you mean that now, with your apprentice period being over, we migth actually start to see some GOOD stuff in your column?;-) [/QB]

Not really. But I do plan on swearing more.

[Guest]

Without a doubt, my favorite this year was Jack Parkers one man Magicana. A real standout, with more interesting material than many whole books I've purchased.

[David Acer]

Chris, I couldnt agree more, and while were on the subject, allow me to point out 7 of my own favorites from this years Magicana that some readers may have overlooked due to a lack of time, or illustrations, or simply as a statement against clear-cutting. Ive chosen 7 because I couldnt narrow it down to 5, and a 10 killed my father.

• 1) BOLDFINGER (Duc Nhien/Peter Kane)February, 2006: Duc was unaware that Peter Kane had published essentially the same finger-separation effect in a small booklet six years before Duc gave his version to Richard Kaufman for publication (sometime around 1998). Despite the paternity issue, it remains one of the most startling (and riveting) close-up geek tricks around, and I wouldnt be surprised to see it on a Criss Angel special one day.
  
  2) OSMOSIS (Al Schneider)March, 2006: Richard e-mailed me at the last second to tell me he was making room in the next (March) issue for a great coin trick from Al Schneider. Its more than greatits groundbreaking, and were lucky Al wanted to publish it.
  
  3) CARDBOARD METAMORPHOSIS (Rob James)May, 2006: Although it turned out to be far from the first published effect wherein a card transposition is framed by a substitution-trunk presentation (see http://geniimagazine.com/forum/cgi-bin/ ... 077#000000 for more on this), Robs handling is both original and inspired.
  
  4) THE JACK PARKER ISSUEJune, 2006: With 9 astonishing card items and nearly 70 illustrations, this Magicana alone was easily worth the price of a years subscription. It has everything a cardman could wantkiller versions of old plots (e.g., Traveling Without Moving), mind-blowing new plots (e.g, Rabbits ), revolutionary approaches to time-honored sleights (e.g., No Fuss), and so much more.
  
  5) PROGRESSIVE WILD COIN (Nathan Kranzo)October, 2006: I saw Nate perform this before he tipped the work and I was completely fooled. The changes flow logically and beautifully from one to the next, and by the end, the audience is left clueless.
  
  6) BURGOONS BALLOONS (Tom Burgoon)November, 2006: A minimum of 5 hilarious minutes with nothing more than a Change Bag and some balloons. From a workers stand-point, quite possibly the gem of the year.
  
  7) THE RING (Brian Nordstrom)December, 2006: If youre not averse to using your own (examinable) finger-ring for a ring-and-string routine, rather than borrowing one from a spectator, this is the quickest, cleanest, most magical version Ive seen. The ring is threaded onto the string, then unlinks, relinks, and finally vanishes from the middle of the string, only to reappear on the finger where it began.

No doubt everyone will have their own personal favorites from the past year, and my list has probably been skewed by the fact that I saw each of these picks being performed by its creator, but what the hellif you dont like it, make your own goddamn list.

(I told you Id be swearing more)

[Michael Close]

Ive chosen 7 because I couldnt narrow it down to 5, and a 10 killed my father.

Bo Derek killed your father??!!

[Tom Stone]

Originally posted by Michael Close:

Ive chosen 7 because I couldnt narrow it down to 5, and a 10 killed my father.

Bo Derek killed your father??!!

WHAT!? Is Sasquatch dead!?

[Guest]

Originally posted by David Acer:
No doubt everyone will have their own personal favorites from the past year, and my list has probably been skewed by the fact that I saw each of these picks being performed by its creator, but what the hellif you dont like it, make your own goddamn list.

David, being the modest person that he is, has excluded his own contribution, CELLULAR PRODUCTION, from his list of favourites.

It's an excellent effect.

[David Acer]

Thanks John. Marc DeSouza added CELLULAR PRODUCTION to his walkaround act in December and e-mailed me some clever work on the handling. With his permission I'll post and/or publish it at some point.

[Nathan Kranzo]

5) PROGRESSIVE WILD COIN (Nathan Kranzo)October, 2006: I saw Nate perform this before he tipped the work and I was completely fooled. The changes flow logically and beautifully from one to the next, and by the end, the audience is left clueless.

- David Acer

Well I finally got around to putting this up on my site as a very inexpensive download. I have updated the handling as well to give you two different options when performing it. Enjoy!!!

http://kranzomagic.myshopify.com/collec ... -wild-coin

Later,

Kranzo

[George Olson]

Boy that looks a lot like something Reed McClintock does...

I bought it and -- damn -- now I have to go practice again...

GO

[Nathan Kranzo]

Hi George,

Well unfortunately that wouldn't surprise me. : )

Thanks so much for your support George.

All the best,

Kranzo