Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Hocus Pocus, thought bubble

Final Hocus Pocus by Rik Worth and Jordan Collver Apparates At TBubs

Published Fri, 11 Nov 2022 13:58:11 -0600

Hocus Pocus #5 is the final issue of the Eisner Award-nominated series and is selling its final copies at Thought Bubble tomorrow from Rik Worth and Jordan Collver. Levitation is the fifth and final instalment of their Hocus Pocus series exploring the history of science, stage magic and all things paranormal.

The duo created the series with Professor Richard Wiseman, parapsychologist and technical advisor to the likes of Derren Brown, and brought in small press hero Owen Watts for colouring duty. The series has had one hell of a year, picking up a Best Limited Series nomination at the Eisner Awards – up against the likes of The Many Deaths of Leila Starr, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and eventual winner The Good Asian. They also picked up a nomination in the same category at the Tripwire Awards with Worth up for Best Newcomer.

So far, the series has looked at mind reading, séances, ghosts, and predicting the future, with this final issue looking at the secrets of levitation over the centuries. Typical to a series with interactive elements including reading minds, creating apparitions in the corner or your eye and having the reader shine a literal light into the darkness of the séance room, this issue promises the secret to making your friends float.

With the series drawing to a close, now is your last chance to pick up a series with rave reviews from the likes of Broken Frontier and PipeDream Comics. Kieron Gillen describes it as a "Witty, compulsive and formally tricksy history of Parapsychology" while upcoming superstar Mark Russell Olson said the series is "argues that a piece of work fully using the medium of Comics is unlike any other medium. An adaptation would be a paler thing." Reece Shearesmith, from League Of Gentlemen and Inside No.9 makes a comic book cameo in the series, as he says "I adore it." Which for someone with his hangdog expression, is a lot!

Thought Bubble is the UK's largest comic art festival; a week-long celebration of comics, illustration, animation, and more that culminates in this weekend's comic convention. Focused on those who create comic books, specifically the artists, and the writers, it is especially supportive of small press. The festival was founded in 2007 by Yorkshire artist, Lisa Wood, also known as Tula Lotay, and was organised as part of the Leeds International Film Festival to raise the profile of comics in the area. The first Thought Bubble was held on Saturday, 10 November 2007 in the basement of Leeds Town Hall and was attended by a couple of hundred people, but has grown a little since then. The convention originally ran throughout Leeds but, in 2019, due to issues with Leeds City Council and the need for more space, the convention moved to nearby Harrogate. And earlier this year, Lisa Wood stepped down from the role of director to be taken by Travelling Man's Nabil Homsi. This week's events are already underway and the convention begins on Saturday the 12th of November until Sunday the 13th of November. Bleeding Cool will be reporting from the show all weekend long. Do feel free to say hi!