Pip is still on the trail of the thief plaguing The Maynard, but life and love are good distractions. Your Major Spoilers review of Welcome To The Maynard #2, awaits!

WELCOME TO THE MAYNARD #2

Writer: James Robinson
Artist: J. Bone
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Daniel Chabon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 8th, 2025

Previously in Welcome To The Maynard: Pip is the newest bellhop at the magical hotel known as The Maynard, a magical hotel that also happens to have a thief running amok. After a run-in with the thief and an ensuing chase, Pip has found herself plummeting off the roof.

SECRETS AND LOVE

Welcome To The Maynard #2 opens up right where the previous issue ends, with Pip falling to her death. At the last moment, though, a portal opens up, and she is whisked away to the hotel manager’s office, who is in a meeting with the hotel detective Sam Flynn. It’s then revealed that Pip is actually working undercover with Sam to try and catch the thief and that the two have a long history together. After the meeting Pip returns to her bellhop duties and meets an old wizard named Zenith, right before two famous wizards, The Cape Twins, arrive in spectacular fashion. Pip meets up with Sam afterward to ask him some questions, but he refuses to answer some of them. Afterward, Pip is with her girlfriend, who tells Pip that she knows that she’s lying about her job. The next day, Pip stumbles upon Zenith, who is trying to perform a dangerous spell that could be disastrous.

WELL CRAFTED, BUT TOO MUCH

Welcome To The Maynard #2 keeps up with the quick and frenetic pace of the first issue while also slipping in quite a bit of backstory. While some of this happens via big lore dumps disguised as work chit-chat, most of it is integrated expertly into the important events of the issue. In particular, the subplot with Zenith is handled perfectly, giving the reader a full-fledged story of love and tragedy in a matter of 4 pages. Some things in this issue do come off as fluff, though, like Pip’s struggles with her girlfriend and the conversation with the bartender about it. It’s a nice piece of worldbuilding but doesn’t do much to really advance any character’s story. Also, the whole section with the Cape Twins and the hotel manager comes off as an elaborate and intrusive way to open the door to tell the hotel manager’s backstory. Still, while not everything in this issue works perfectly, it does all come together to create a sense that The Maynard is a lived-in space with a lot of moving pieces and captures that feeling that service workers will be familiar with, of briefly being a part of a lot of people’s lives, before having to move on to another.

GORGEOUS AND RETRO

While the first issue was plenty colorful and vibrant, Welcome To The Maynard #2 kicks it up a notch and stuffs every available space with something whimsical and fantastic. There are a few spots where it feels cluttered, but these are few and far between, with the majority of the issue coming off as simply joyous to look at. The characters themselves get a much bigger focus in this issue, and they look like they could’ve been pulled straight from a mid-century Franco-Belgian comic, like Pip and Sam Flynn could easily rub shoulders with Tin Tin, and it wouldn’t look out of place.

BOTTOM LINE: A RISING STAR

Welcome To The Maynard #2 isn’t a perfect comic. There’s a lot going on here, and not all of it feels necessary or beneficial to the story at large. But with that being said, it’s a complete joy to read and look at. Its a mix of Harry Potter and Old Hollywood, with a touch of modern sensibility, is a great recipe, and this issue makes a strong case for this series to make it onto pull lists everywhere. 4 out of 5 stars.

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