Artists: Armando M. Zanker & Joe Jefferson

Price: $ 7.99 US

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Comments: Ray Kalpino, the Amazing Don Key is a loser through and through. This magician is a failure in life. Ray's uncle leaves him a top hat he was a magician as well as a successful one. The hat is much more than just a hat. Its real magic.

The Magicverse is mind boggling. Its cool and weird and ever so strange beyond comprehension. The characters herein do seem familiar yet different in ways.

The art is cute and artoonie. Its colorful and does bring across the feeling of magic in the air.

The imagination from Jason M. Burns knows no bounds. Who else could think up attack rubber chickens that are monster-sized. This is one crazy Magicverse.

Ray has a legacy to live up to. Can he look within himself and do it? Does he have what it takes? With motivation maybe.

Kalpino the Magnificent will face Ray Kalpino in a magic duel. It's father vs son to the death.

Where magic is concerned anything is possible, anything at all.

Original Review at: http://forums.jazmaonline.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1061

Hat Trick (Published by Outlaw Entertainment; Review by Lan):

How I haven't heard about this book until a week ago is beyond me. I consider myself a magic history buff and something like this was right up my alley. It follows the adventure of Ray, who is not exactly the world's greatest magician, and is transported to a magical world through his dead uncle's old top hat. Along the way he meets new friends, namely a magician named Carla that is missing her legs (imagine a girl sawed in half trick gone TERRIBLY wrong) and a six foot rabbit named Poof. Turns out Ray's uncle wasn't dead but became a dictator of the Magicverse (as well as not being his uncle at all). It's a delightful ride that's quick and easy to read.

Armando Zanker's art is easy on the eyes and the story is kid-friendly. I couldn't recommend this book enough for a young reader, or people who aren't afraid to have magical fun.

By Jason M. Burns and Armando Zanker Outlaw Entertainment 112 Pages, FC, $7.99 http://beta.outlaw-entertainment.com/HatTrick

Here's another graphic novel from newcomer Outlaw Entertainment. This one is an all-ages comic story about a young magician who finds himself unexpected yanked from the world of sleight-of-hand and clever illusion; and plunged head-first into a much more dangerous world where magic is real.

An evil magician, thought dead on Earth, has taken over the Magicverse and now seeks to strip the young magician's innate magical abilities.

It's a straightforward premise, but writer Burns adds enough originality to keep things interesting. The set-up moves along at a reasonable pace and things really start cooking as the story progresses and tension builds.

Zanker's artwork has a nice cartoony style that's well suited to the story. Just the right balance of realism and humor. The rendering of the evil magician in particular is excellent.

If you enjoy light-hearted adventure stories with plenty of fantasy elements, you'll have a great time reading Hat Trick. It's a 112-page, full color graphic novel, with perfect binding and is beautifully printed and produced. Cover layout by Douglas C. Smith, artwork by Scott Schomburg. Interior layout by Kei White. Lettering by Nick Deschenes & Kei White. It's available for $7.99 from Outlaw Entertainment and other comic outlets.

See the original review at: http://comicrelated.com/news/3090/hat-trick-1