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by Lance Lucero, Adam Volle & Fransisco Resendiz
With a title like that and a the tagline: “Renegade psychic. Professional hairstylist” how could I not be intrigued? I love psychics, horror/comedies, and quirkiness, so my first thought was sign me up. But does Bob: Non Union Psychic live up to the quirky title? Read on my pretties to find out.
The story centers around Bob Holbreck, a professional hairstylist who uses his ability to see auras to give people the perfect haircut. His great-grandfather, Henry Holbreck, a renowned adventurer wants him to use his powers for more than that. He wants Bob to join the psychic union and use his powers to be an adventurer. Meanwhile, an ambitious and arrogant professor steals the Hux medallion from the body of the ex-girlfriend of Grandpa Holbreck and slips into its evil thrall.
Plot wise, it’s pretty solid. Bob is a likable and very human protagonist. He’s just a quirky guy who enjoys cutting hair, but is being pushed by his grandfather into a role he isn’t sure he’s meant for. Bob is not fearless, but not not a coward either. Nor is he looked down upon for crying and wetting his pants in terror when a demon attacks. I know it’s meant to be a little humorous, but it’s also humanizing. Because when you watch someone be horribly dismembered by a giant monster, what else are you going to do? 
Despite pushing Bob to be something he doesn’t want to be and being a grumpy old curmudgeon, Henry Holbreck still comes off as likable. It’s clear that Bob is mostly starting the business to appease him, but he doesn’t come across as henpecked. Henry is genuinely proud of Bob and is very vocal about it. They’re close to each other, and it’s clear that Henry only wants what he thinks is best for his great-grandson. It comes across less like an old adventurer trying to live vicariously through his great-grandson and more like a parent pushing a kid to take AP classes because they believe their child is a genius. His pushiness is somewhat endearing and usually played for laughs, but it’s obvious their differences in goals will come to a head.
The artwork perfectly suited for the book: quirky, humorous, and stylistic. The cartoony nature adds an extra charm to the book. It looks like innocent fun until the heads start rolling. The color palette is also quite nice. The backgrounds tend to be washed out, but the characters still pop. Most of the world building comes from visual cues: spirits walking among mortal, tentacles, angels and things that go bump in the night. It’s not commented upon, making the unseen just a fact of life. This visual world building makes the book aesthetically interesting without distracting from the story.
So, all in all, if you’re mood for something unique with a lot of promise, check it out. It may not be full of belly laughs, but that works to its advantage. It’s fun, tongue and cheek, and has some nice artwork, a great read for lovers of quirky like me.
This was provided to Nothing But Comics for free without any payment to the site or publisher or agreement on the review’s content.
