Welcome to an all new edition of Parlay Points, the complementary comic book blog to the ODPH podcast! On this edition, one of my favorite indie books has returned!!!! Pocus Hocus #3 by Allen Dunford, Will Radford, Brian Balando, Jasen Smith, & Dave Lentz for Bad Bug Media continues the wild and outrageous adventures of everyone’s favorite soul selling magician Pocus Hocus! The previous issues have been quality reads mixing in humor and horror. Issue #3 just wrapped up on Kickstater & the book is about ready to hit readers’s hands. Let’s not waste any more time and jump into the latest issue, shall we?

Pocus Hocus #3
Creative: Allen Dunford, Will Radford, Brian Balando, Jasen Smith, & Dave Lentz
Photo Credit: Bad Bug Media

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

Pocus and Emily, his magic assistant are dealing with the mess Pocus made. The mess you ask? Well, when Pocus sold his soul for becoming the world’s greatest magician, he didn’t realize he was forever tied to the demon. Now that his benefactor is caught up in some trouble, Pocus decided to remedy this situation by….making it worse as only he can! The only voice of reason is Emily who insists they have to try making things right. And how do they do this? By going to Hell looking for the demon himself!

While there, Pocus and Emily attract a LOT of unwanted attention. None of which is trying to make a warm welcome for the pair. The first “friend” they meet sets the tempo for the rest of the issue. From there, the pair goes into another wild adventure that, without spoiling too much, will leave readers very amped up for the next issue. If you’ve been with this book since day 1, you’ll really enjoy this issue. If you’re just joining now, prepare to go back and track down the previous 2 issues. It’s THAT fun of a read!

What other book can have a character yell “SWEET BABY SATAN” & you immediately start laughing at the panel? Dunford & Radford create a very unique version of Hell within these pages. There’s a bit more humor in that setting than yo normally see, but that’s where the writers really shine with this issue. The well timed humor serves as a great counter balance to what’s happening. When meeting some of Hell’s residents, readers get some very funny moments mixed into the horrible setting. It’s really gives this book something that jumps out from a lot of books.

Balando delivers on another solid outing here. One big change from past issues with the art is the use of Color for the majority of the story. It gives a great visual for the change of setting for the readers. Another great touch was with Emily’s aura. Being in her own energy while in Hell gave some leverage to that moment in the story. It’s a small touch but does convey a bigger message to the overall picture. The rest of Hell’s residents all have a special look to them and this isn’t easy to pull off. The art team here made that look very easy.

Overall, Pocus Hocus gives readers it’s best issue yet. The writing is sharp & funny while given a great counter balance with the art. Making a stop thru Hell never looked more interesting. If you’re still not sold (for some reason) on this book, chec out the ODPHpod episode where Allen dropped in to talk about this issue. Make sure you check out their Kickstarter along with checking Bad Bug media to get your hands on copies of this book! Don’t miss out!

Let me know on Twitter what you thought of Pocus Hocus #3! As always, thanks for reading!

POCUS HOCUS #3 (BAD BUG MEDIA)

Ken M