They Are More Than Just Numbers (Stranger Things: Six – A Book Review)

Stranger Things: Six

Author: Jody Houser

Published: 2019

My Rating:

Rated P for preemptive precognition for a preemptive strike to protect and destroy.

Prequel to the hit show from Netflix, the to the Upside Down opened here. Everything changed here within the mysterious workings of Project MKUltra.

Francine, a teen with the ability of precognition is rounded up along with the other gifted kids in Hawkins Laboratory. There, she meets twins, Marcy and Jamie, and an old friend, Ricky. As she comes to realize the true dark nature of Dr. Brenner, the head of the facility, she sees an opportunity for her and all of the other children to escape this horrifying place and change everything that’s to come. But is the cost too great?

Stranger Things is 1 of 4 graphic novel series that I’m doing for my New Year’s Resolution.

I love Stranger Things (and look forward to season 4’s release on August 21 this year). That and my love for the graphic novel makes me so excited that there’s more to the world of ST being unveiled! I do hope that there are mentions in the future on the show of the other kids or that maybe Ricky or one of the others does pop up at some point. It would be a fantastic tie-in.

Impactful and powerful prequel and a must read! Following Francine, she gets visions that show Hawkins with Eleven, her friends and the deadly adventures they will go on in Season 1 and even season 2. Not only that but she’s received visions of what could go wrong. With her selfless act, she changed everything. She basically made sure that everything that happened in season one and on forward changed. She saved everybody and made sure the right future came to be. Granted, it was only shown what we know has occurred already, but this confirms that she’s the one that made sure it came to pass.

Much like the show, this was mysterious and exciting and emotionally driven set during the 70s going 80s, expressing a time of fun and freedom. I’m not the kind of person that demands to see my favorite characters and riot if I don’t. I’m a believer of fate and that there is or may be a reason for going down a side road. That it’ll connect somewhere later. And it definitely did and didn’t disappoint. Getting an even deeper look into the testing of the Hawkins lab and the others there was intense.

Not going to lie though. Getting to see Steve and Nancy at the end did get me excitable. It was like being gifted a deleted scene from season 1.

The artwork was stunning albeit blunt and broad. The detail isn’t intense, but it does rely on more of a neutral tone though the words and actions jump off of the page. The cover is on point with the series and stuns in a chilling light. I really enjoyed it for the fact that it wasn’t over down and had motion too it.

Overall

I really liked this. Engaging, fast-paced, and tragic, but imperative to the narrative that is Stranger Things. This wasn’t just a great read to blaze through like a part in the series, it was important. Stranger Things holds its storyline in high regard and is very articulate in keeping up with the era it was born in. This did a great job of keeping in tune with that as well as really diving into the element of darkness from different angles.

More to come soon…

-K.

Song Today? Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks.