We all knew that things were going to go south in the Stranger Things prequel From Dark Horse Comics, STRANGER THINGS: SIX. After all, Eleven is the touted success of the series. But the manner in which this set of experiments is crashing and burning is somewhat surprising.
***SPOILER WARNING***
For those that haven’t been following along, Stranger Things: Six is a prequel to the hit Netflix series. It follows one of the other experiments run by our twisted doctor. You can probably guess which test subject, her name is in the title.
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Unlike Eleven, Six actually had a home and a life before her time in the lab. That has made her somewhat more resistant to the not-so-good doctor’s methods. While other subjects of his are literally throwing everything they have at making him happy, Six is steadily sinking into depression thanks to her situation.
If this issue proved anything, it’s that the human mind is amazingly resilient. Six feels betrayed by the world and everyone around her, and yet she cares so much about her fellow test subjects. She wants out, and the events in this issue just proved to her why they all need to get out.
Stranger Things: SIX #3 did an excellent job of showing us the familiar while also seeding new elements along the way. There were hints of the future to come, but the horror of what was happening in the now was never lost.
Jody Houser, the author for the series, has made us care about Six. And the other subjects around her, to different extents. This has increased the fear for them and their situations – because even though we don’t know the details of how their experiment ended, we know it can’t be good.
This issue, in particular, managed to nail the horror known to the Netflix series. Before now, that feeling was bubbling underneath the surface – but it lacked the impact necessary. Now that’s been handed to us without hesitation.
Admittedly this series wouldn’t have nearly the same level of impact to new fans. You have to really have followed at least the first season of the Netflix series in order to have any background or driving passion for the story being told. That isn’t a bad thing, of course. Plenty of series adapt well to comic form, knowing full well that only the loyal fans will follow it.
That being said, this series is perfect for fans looking to learn a little bit more about the other subjects that came before Eleven. The drama and dangers will be different from the series (remember, things didn’t get dangerous in the supernatural sense until Eleven came around), but they’ve made it work.
Stranger Things: SIX has a full set of artists working on the project, and it shows. Edgar Salazar is the artist, while Keith Champagne handled the inking. And then Marissa Louise colored all of the panels. Last, there’s Nate Piekos, who did the lettering.
Together they made this world come alive. The art style carries many of the tones familiar to fans of the Netflix series. But it also has its own flair. The art style is slightly more streamlined and clean, but that works well with the subject matter.
Stranger Things: SIX has been an interesting read so far. Like some of the other attempts to bring Stranger Things to other formats, it occasionally falls flat. But ultimately the attempt has been a successful one, telling us the story of the people who walked this path before Eleven.
