Hotel Dare, an original graphic novel from BOOM!, bellhops us into a multidimensional journey.
Olive and her adopted siblings are off to the Hotel to stay with Grandma. But Grandma is not your typical Spanish speaking lady, and the Hotel is definitely NOT your typical Home Away from home.
Hotel Dare all about family; the nuclear family, our family connections, and the idea that our ‘family’ can have a different structure than the traditional Mom, Dad, and the kids.
Our ‘family’ can be made of those who care about us, who care for our hearts.
Yes, it’s about family, granted. But also about exploring new realms, facing and mastering new challenges. Surviving tough situations and helping others do the same.
Hotel Dare is written by Terry Blas, with Claudia Aguirre on visuals. I really like Aguirre’s art. It has a powerful feel, a fluidity of line and expression. The situations are well choreographed; I never became confused about what is going on. The characters are easy to distinguish from each other, and this is no faint praise. The colouring is vivid, and thoughtfully applied. Lots of attention has gone into thinking about light sources and how different environments appear.
The story is solid enough if a bit convoluted. We are along for quite a long ride in the land of make-believe. It’s an ‘all-ages’ story that takes its time to get somewhere, which is perfectly fine. Sometimes, however, I find that Blas will find it necessary for a character to explain something in detail. It’s a back story perhaps, or the reason why a certain thing must be done. At that point, the narrative and fun just kind of slow right down to a crawl. Time for a long explanation. But is it really necessary to explain the logic, or can we just enjoy the fantasy?
BOOM, Hotel Dare, $9.99 for 148 pages of content. Rated: Everyone
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