Title: Sticky
Artist: Morgan Strebler
Producers: Morgan Strebler
Link: http://www.morganstrebler.com/sticky.html
Retail Price: $14.95 USD.
Learning Difficulty: Moderate
Notes: An out for this effect requires the purchase of Wayne Houchin’s “Stigmata”.
1. PDF Download detailing Sticky
2. Bonus material on PK Touches
There have been a few products that have come onto the market that deal with spectators drawing something that gets transferred to the magician’s hand. Exile from Theory11 comes to mind, as does another knock off version whose name escapes me at the moment. The problem with these effects is they always rely on chemicals that you secretly have to steal away in order to make the magic happen. The beautiful thing about Morgan’s new effect is now you can perform this truly amazing trick without the need of trying to keep in stock a certain brand of chemical that can be hard to find at your local store.
The PDF is fully thought out, and leaves you with very little question as to how the effect is meant to be performed. Which is nice considering how frustrating it is to download instructions for an effect, only to have no clue what it is the author is talking about. What Morgan teaches you to do is have a spectator draw a picture upon a piece of paper. You wave your hand over the paper and the picture transfers to the palm of your hand. This can be done anytime, anywhere, and as outlined in my notes above, utilizes a very powerful psychological force.
Since this effect does utilize a psychological force I feel that I should make mention now that this effect will not be for everyone. If you are the type of performer who hates to script, and run your entire show completely impromptu, then this effect is not for you. The success of this effect is completely dependent on your ability to deliver the script provided verbatim.
The only thing about this effect that I didn’t like deals with one of the outs Morgan recommends should the psychological force fails. Morgan recommends that you use Wayne Houchin’s “Stigmata”, which is an amazing effect, don’t get me wrong! I just personally hate it when you buy an effect only to learn that you need to purchase additional materials in order to make it work. Usually I exclude materials like sharpies, rubber bands, etc from this because you can find them just about anywhere for cheap, but another DVD for a kid on a budget can be a bit of a sucker punch to the wallet.
I’ve had the pleasure of performing this for people that I personally know this past week, and I am amazed at the success rate with the hits that I’ve received. So long as I follow the script, and don’t get too creative with the presentation it almost works like a charm. I’ve only had one situation in quite possibly sixty performances or so, in which I’ve had to use the Stigmata out. Those aren’t bad odds, and the spectators reactions are pure amazement!
The Bonus material is a wonderful application of PK Touches which is Morgan’s variation to the classic Banachek plot. Morgan doesn’t get into too much detail with the touches, and I have a feeling he could probably fill a DVD on his material so don’t get your hopes up for a full act here. However if you already are familiar with PK touches, or if you’re looking for just a little “extra” then it may merit your attention. Morgan leaves you just enough to wet the appetite, but it lacks any sustenance to build a working bit on with just the information he gives you alone. I’d really consider this more of a teaser than a bonus, but that’s just me.
Overall I liked the product. It’s a nice little packet effect that can be performed anywhere with very little set up. I think that Sticky just very well make its way into my personal working impromptu rotation. It’s practical, and it packs quite a punch!
When I give my product scores below I am measuring them on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 Being absolute the worst score possible, and 10 being the absolute best, making a score of five average. The four points that I grade upon is Product Quality, Teaching Quality, Readability, and Overall Quality.
Product Quality: 6
I think the product is fairly priced, and it achieves what it’s setting out to do, without any unnecessary hype. The only thing that I don’t like is how much the effect depends on another unrelated product as an out. It isn’t like it’s suggested it flat out needs it, and Morgan doesn’t teach it in the PDF.
Teaching Quality: 8
Morgan is strait to the point with what you need to know to perform Sticky. If you spend fifteen minutes with the PDF, learn the script, then you have a powerful miracle in your hands.
Readability: 8
The PDF is a quick read. Well written, and to the point.
Overall Quality: 7
I really did enjoy this product, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in something powerful that is nearly impromptu.
