Review: Bob – Non-Union Psychic #2

It is hard to know where to begin with Bob:  Non-Union Psychic.  It combines so many familiar and, in my case, favorite things into one well polished and entertaining product that I hardly know where to start.  That said, let me begin here; Bob is an underdog story about a normal guy with some rather formidable powers and a plethora of family baggage.  In this second issue of Bob, his initial story arc comes to a close and I hope that the writing team at Warehouse 9 will come back to him in the future.

In a previous issue, Bob, whose primary ambition is to be a hairstylist, was forced into service as a non-union psychic.  As one would expect, the union which controls such things took a dim look on his activities even though he was able to resolve the problem that pressed him into service in the first place (albeit with some assistance from various actors to include the specter of his grandfather).  That psychic union is an eclectic collection of individuals with powers more akin to magic than what is commonly attributed to psychics in the real world.   The best comic book, and by happenstance historical, example I can come up with is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who have made a few appearances in Hellboy comics.  This group is meeting to discuss a variety of issues, one of which is the unlicensed actions of Bob and what should be done about them.  What becomes apparent early on is that there is a faction within the order that is determined to destroy Bob.  At this point in the story their motivations, as well as method, for revenge are unknown.  However, this plot will be the driving force for the rest of the book.  Without giving too much away, Bob is lured into a trap.  He springs that trap while acting with the best of intentions and is forced to flee from the primal force of nature he unwittingly releases.  Meanwhile, the members of the union who have been conspiring against Bob are racing back to union to denounce him and demand his sanction and disgrace.  As the story continues, it becomes apparent that this whole series of events has been orchestrated as a revenge plot for actions taken by Bob’s grandfather in the distant past.  In one rather comical series of panels, Bob and his companions beat the conspirators to the union headquarters in a car/monster chase.  Without giving too much away, the revenge scheme is eventually revealed and Bob is redeemed.  Unfortunately for him, his hair-styling business has taken a major hit and the issue ends with Bob’s future uncertain.

As I stated in my introduction, Bob:  Non-Union Psychic combines a number of elements into a very entertaining whole.  The art style, by artist Francisco Resindez, is very reminiscent of the art in Penny Dreadful.  That art is professional and polished while being expertly colored, lending a dynamic quality to the action throughout the issue.  That action runs the gamut of comical to horrifying in a book that expertly straddles that line.  The concept of a hairstylist wielding psychic powers and a magic pair of scissors seems absurd.  However, that absurdity is balanced by the genuine danger Bob usually finds himself in and the genuine concern Bob has for those he is trying to help.  Lucero and Volle have done a wonderful job writing this book and balancing the light and dark sides of the tale they are trying to tell.  Additionally, the dialogue in the book is expertly written.  There a variety of panels that, while visually appealing  (thank you Resindez), are chock full of extensive dialogue that is authentic and serves the purpose of character development or exposition.  In short, I would say that Bob:  Non-Union Psychic #2 is an incredibly well written and well drawn book.  The heartwarming appeal of the character, the supernatural components of the story, and the mystery of the plot against Bob all combine to form a compelling tale that I enjoyed immensely.  I can’t recommend this issue enough and I hope you pick it up and give it a read.

Writing – 5 of 5 Stars
Art – 4.5 of 5 Stars

[yasr_overall_rating size=”medium”]

Writers – Lance Lucero, Adam Volle
Artist – Francisco Resindez
Letters – Kurt Hathaway

Author Profile

Nemesis

Nemesis is a poet, writer and author of the upcoming novel The Long Game. He is a writer of science fiction and supernatural thrillers. Besides novels and short stories he writes for UK based ASAP Comics developing new stories for Level 8 and OPSEC. Nem is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and tries to bring those experiences into his writing.

He lives and works out of his home in Riverside, California with his wife and three children. When not writing he enjoys reviewing comic books and graphic novels for ComicCrusaders.com and living the Southern California life with his family.

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