Welcome to the Maynard #2, written by James Robinson with art by J. Bone and Ian Herring, continues the adventures of Pippin (Pip) Dale as she works as a bellhop for the ultra-sophisticated Maynard Hotel, which also happens to be a destination for all manner of magical beings to party and relax on their travels. The book feels like a riff on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, only instead of two precocious boys as leads, we get Pip, a young spunky woman with insatiable curiosity.
Artist J. Bone’s design of Pip is impeccable, with her pixie haircut and an infinite variety of cute expressions that make her look like Tinkerbell was plucked out of Peter Pan and stuffed into a bellhop outfit. Her character has an iconic look; as soon as you see her on the book’s cover, you’re compelled to read the issue because you want to know more about her and this enchanting world she lives in.
She’s a delightful character, a half-magic person interacting with powerful magic-users at every turn. She’s a bit clumsy and forever overwhelmed by the army of ghosts, wizards, monsters, vampires, etc. that pour into the hotel from multiple dimensions.
The first issue was hilarious as we saw Pip struggling to tether a hot air balloon that a sorcerous couple arrived in then a few panels later having to wrestle a pet octopus back into its container. This issue has some equally fun moments. It makes the book as consistently humorous and unpredictable as the best sitcoms. In addition to The Suite Life there are also moments where the book feels like Night Court, sharing that series’ predilection for wackiness and bizarre interactions.
Dark Horse
J. Bone didn’t stop creating visually interesting characters with Pip. Every supporting character in the miniseries has a wonderful visual style, including Assistant Manager Leonol Cramer, whose impossibly long nose makes him seem an extra kind of snooty, and doorman Trafford, who has a handlebar mustache and a heart as huge as his hulking frame. J. Bone also loads the issue with sight gags. When Pip’s at the Maynard Hotel, there’s usually something happening in the background. You may need to read the issue twice to catch all the gags.
The book’s not all laughs, though, as a thief is hitting the hotel and robbing priceless magical artifacts from the guests. Hotel Detective Sam Flynn is on the case, a misanthrope who’s more mysterious than the burglar. Pip’s determined to catch the thief too, so determined that she risks her job and her life to capture them.
Where the first issue spent the bulk of its time establishing Pip and the Maynard, this issue advances the main plot and we get a bit more insight into the thief and her motivations. There are also some sub-plots with Pip keeping her half-magic heritage and her job secret from her girlfriend, who’s growing more suspicious of her as the days pass. Also, Pip and Sam Flynn’s relationship is explored further.
I’m loving this miniseries so far and its microcosm of the Maynard Hotel. The best books always present a world that you’d like to visit and if it were possible, I’d book a couple weeks at the Maynard and party hard with some poltergeists.
You must be logged in to post a comment.