Maybelle was an inmate in the women's prison when Toby Townley was sentenced there after being framed for the murder of Officer Donovan. She was a large African-American woman with short dark hair that she wore in twists. She sometimes wore small hoop earrings.
Befriending Toby[]
Upon arriving in prison, Toby was assigned the cell next to Maybelle's, and they worked together in the prison laundry. While some of the other inmates were cruel to Toby, Maybelle was friendly. She played cards with Toby and taught her how to extend her supply of matches.
When another innate planned a riot and breakout, Maybelle went along with the plan. She aided in subduing the guards, but was unable to escape.
After Toby was freed, she does not seem to have had any additional contact with Maybelle.
Notes[]
- Maybelle is one of the more broad ethnic stereotypes to appear in the strip.
- It is unclear what crime Maybelle had been convicted of. She asked Toby if she was in prison for "boppin'" her husband on the head, at which point Maybelle mentioned having been married five times and been in jail an equal number of times. Readers might assume that Maybelle had assaulted or killed each of her husbands. In another strip, Toby is shown scrubbing floors alongside another African-American inmate who says that she helped with a jewel heist in Harlem. Ambiguity in the artwork makes it unclear if this character is supposed to be Maybelle.
- It was not explicitly stated that Maybelle survived the prison fire. An African-American character was shown among the survivors with a bandage over her eyes, but this character cannot be confirmed as Maybelle (see previous note).
- In prison, Maybelle was shown to be close with another inmate with short dark hair. This inmate planned the prison riot and attempted breakout. She was never named, but she closely resembled Zora Arson (who was apparently deceased).