Six of One, Half a Dozen or Another with Netflix’s Stranger Things

Available: May 29, 2019

Plenty of side stories exist to expand the Stranger Things universe and Dark Horse Comics is at the forefront of the action! Last year, we had The Other Side which saw Will successfully evade the Demogorgon in The Upside Down (now available to purchase on Amazon) in a collected edition), and this year is a four-issue series focussing on Six (also the title of this latest release). She is one of at least a dozen human test subjects interred at Hawkins Laboratory.

Francine’s backstory reveals how she has come to not trust anyone. She’s always had psi abilities and unfortunately, she cannot read other people’s mind… yet. If she is able, she would not have gotten into the predicament she’s in. She can blame Ricky, a young man she took a liking to. The drama is just as good as the series, and Jody Houser‘s narrative offers plenty of perspective of a young girl infatuated with this boy and also trying to understand life as a teen. She pulls you in and I’m not talking about the darkness that Six keeps on seeing seeping through to this reality!

Her ability to look into the future has people wanting to exploit it. Remote viewing may well be the military’s goal. The sooner they can be trained, if not brainwashed to serve their country, the better the good ol USA can deal with the Cold War. The first issue hints towards this secret MacGuffin and stories still to come may have readers connecting the dots to a greater arc. It’s not about the force looming over the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Just what that is and The Upside Down is never far, and it may well infiltrate the Lab.

As Six learns how to deal with her captive life, to see something else coming is giving her nightmares.

The art by the team of Edgar Salazar, Keith Champagne, and Triona Farrell is excellent. I’m reminded of the colour tones from the vampire film, Let Me In. I’m sure some inspiration exists between the two.

With more stories planned, I’m torn between wanting to buy the compilation releases or as the issues come out. As most readers know, initial releases come with all variant covers. There are five covers to collect in total, and all of them are beautiful to look at. My favourite is Patrick Satterfield‘s, since it invokes the style of The Prisoner with the “prison bars.”

Either way, this expansion of the franchise is a must for readers desiring material before season three arrives July 4th.

Author: Ed Sum

I'm a freelance videographer and entertainment journalist (Absolute Underground Magazine, Two Hungry Blokes, and Otaku no Culture) with a wide range of interests. From archaeology to popular culture to paranormal studies, there's no stone unturned. Digging for the past and embracing "The Future" is my mantra. View all posts by Ed Sum