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Black I’s by Mathew Johnson

If you’re reading this then you must get a ‘Black I’.... No! Not that sort of ‘Black I’. I meant the brilliant new sponge style effect from Mathew Johnson! I won’t ‘blur your vision’ with cheesy one liners but rather make you ‘open your ‘I’s’ to the world of sponge. For many years ‘I’ have performed sponge magic and always enjoyed it. However, searching or creating a routine for an older audience without resulting to using rude bodily parts was hard to say the least. Then my ‘I’s’ were drawn to “Black I”, instantly I knew I had to get it. I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this from Mathew (Which was a bonus) but to be honest; I like it so much I’m very tempted to buy another for safe keeping. Like all tricks I review, I road tested the effect to the core on some of the most sceptical friends I have and not only was it an ‘I popping’ trick but one that really made people laugh. Mathew’s presentation of the effect is spot on. Nothing, absolutely nothing about this effect can be put down at all. It works in every single way. The reactions were absolutely stunning. They laughed, gasped and even let out a little bit of wee through the excitement.

The DVD gets you smiling straight from the onset, opening the parcel to see a fantastic cartoon of a beaten up boxer. But one slight surprise... in fact, ‘I couldn’t believe my I’s!’ He has included another effect entirely in the box! With fully made glossy cards and of course the DVD explanation! How generous is that! I opened the box and out popped by sponge I’s. I popped in the DVD and straight away I was laughing. (Listen to the music on the menu page) I clicked the play button and began on my journey. There are two performance videos so you can see firsthand the sorts of reactions this gets. Then Mathew takes you through step by step his handling and script of Black I. Which, I have to say is genius. We then venture on through the DVD which a fantastic information page which allows you to read up on what Pink Eye is. This section is titled “What is Pink Eye?”.... Just thought I would let you know. He also has a credits page with notes on his inspirations etc.

In the DVD, he also includes the cards for his effect “Drinks on me” which much like Black I is very comic and just a brilliantly thought out trick. I would have brought both tricks separately and been happy with each but the fact it’s given free with the DVD is an awesome bonus!

The reason I prefer this version of the sponge routine much more is because it fits most magician’s style. It’s so easily adapted to any performance situation. The built in jokes almost mean you have time to concentrate on the effect in hand. There are so many patter avenues to go down. (Check the thread on www.MagicCafe.co.uk) Not only this, but the moves are a lot easier to perform with Mathew’s handling. (Trust me on that) overall, I believe this to be possibly the best stand alone sponge effect in the world. It’s such an original effect and so well structured, there’s nothing about it that doesn’t work. If our not a fan of sponge magic, this is your chance to get into it with style. So keep your ‘I’ on the prize and grab hold on your copy. You will NOT be disappointed.

It’s available through World Of Magic and most other magic shops.

Jamie Daws

erm...what exactly is the presentation?

You can check out a performance of it here : http://www.thecorporatemagician.com/magicstore.html

Best wishes,

Jamie Daws

I (no pun) thought it was rubbish...
His patter was cheesey and not funny at all.

I will avoid..

Hey FRK,

The patter is in credibly cheesy but that's the point. audiences reall go for it. I've been performing it now for past few days and used it for the first time at a corporate event last night. The reactions are awesom. The jokes can be altered to your own specific stylings with a bit of imaination.

Best wishes,

Jamie D

Your right, I have not performed with it so I can’t state if it gets a good reaction or not.
It just reminds me of awful magicians I often see with 70's patter and frilly shirts.

I can't see anything inovative or new in this trick that would leave me to belive it has turned sponge magic on it head.
how is this any diferent to eight ball or sponge eggs or infact any other sponge ball trick with diferent shaped sponges, sorry but for me it dosn't do anything new or inovative.

Heya Magic Discoman,

The fact the these are made from sponge and use the original sponge moves (with variations) means that the core of the trick is not originial in which case I would agree with you. However, No other routine (and i really have tried most of them) involving other shaped sponges are not as well built or routined as this. this one you really have to perform in gigs to udnerstand the sort of impact this routine has. I have tried a "This and That" routine with sponges, eye ball sponged, 8 ball sponge ect but non are as good as Black I's. I would urg you to get hold of a copy, perform it a couple of times, See the looks on your spectators faces and the reactions to understand the power of this.

Best wishes,

jamie Daws

fair enough, will see what budget allows.

The whole point of using the I's would be to integrate it into the same sort of patter as the video. It just isn't very good and pretty cringworthy to be honest with you. Even with my own spin on it the core of the 'jokes' would have to be almost I-dentical.

Will be giving this a miss.

MasterCyde,

Please feel free to lighten up anytime you wish. This effect IS intended to be cheesy, Jokey, Almost make you sick from the jokes but thats-the-Point! It's a trick that people find funny no matter how cheesy it is. The fact it is cheesy is what gives it it's appeal. Don't take this so seriously. It's meant to be what it is. It's a must try. If you want to see some of the jokey reactions, get a freind and ask them to put their hand out and draw on it an "I". Say to them, I got my Eye on you. You WILL get a laugh, Then draw another but put it so it makes a corss on their hand. Tell them that if they look at it for too long, theyll go cross eyed. Lastly end on saying, I tried to teach them some tricks but the're not very good pupils.

This will give you an insite to the joy it'll bring to your spectators faces. It is timeless.

I love it,

best Wishes,

Jamie

I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with what people are saying here. I don't really like it. I personally love sponge routines, they make up a big portion of what I perform. I don't understand why people feel the sponges aren't for adult audiences. I only ever perform for adults and always find that my sponge bunny and pink and fluffy routines go down brilliantly, there's no rude body parts to be seen.

Black I just doesn't really seem to work for me, the routine is as old as the hills and the moves missing many subtlties that would make them so much more effective.

I'm not convinced, I'd suggest that people are better off getting spongeball tool kit or World Greatest Sponge Magic and building their own presentation from what taught on those.

Just wondering, you're not linked to this product in any way are you?

Hey Lady of Mystery,

No im not linked in any way to Mathew nor the product. I just love it. I guess this gem will have to stay with me. I guess you just have to give it a chance and perform it to understand the real joys of this awesom effect.

Jamie Daws

Hi Guys,

Matt Johnson from Canada here. I am new to magic talk, just joined! I did not know about it until Jamie PM'd me on the Magic Cafe to tell me how much he loved the product.

Let me start by saying that I thank you all for your time to even post your comments here, I appreciate them good or bad.

I have been performing this routine for many years and have always got great reactions. It is supposed to be funny & cheesy at the same time, that's the kind of routine that it is, that's what gets the laughs & let me tell you this routine gets laughs! You don't even have to try )

As with all my products, I do not release them unless I believe in them and unless they are 100% commercial, road tested & instantly reset. Instant reset is very important to me as a working performer and it is the trademark of all my releases to date.

Thanks Jamie for your continued support. It's obvious to me that you like the product and are going to bat for it, that's very kind of you ) Please believe me when I say that Jamie has no part in this product, I did not know Jamie before this product. He is just a happy customer.

I urge you to give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

Cheers,

Matt Johnson

P.S. I will be in the UK with my good friend Christopher Taylor on a lecture tour in October. Hope to see some of you then.

Thanks for your comments Matt

I don't think that people are saying that it's a bad routine, I think the perhaps it's only going to suit a specific type of person. It's not something that I'd be able to present for instance, it doesn't suit me. It'd be the same if I were to realease my Pink Sponge Ball routine, it's works well for me but isn't going to suit everyone.