Stranger Things #4: When You’re a Stranger…

As we conclude the first Stranger Things mini-series, it’s hard to not look back at the ways the story was unfortunately hampered by the narrative restraints of telling a story where the outcome is known and the major strokes have already been witnessed. Where the issue excels is in Houser’s bright, sharp prose as she attempts to capture the menacing horror and slow degradation of hope for young Will the Wise as he is trapped in a nightmare realm. Houser manages to make the best of a suspect situation through her thoughtful word selection.

Houser, Marino, Champagne, and Affe combine to create a vivid landscape of the role-playing campaign in this issue, building off previous tie-ins throughout the series that illustrate the parallels between the campaign and the Upside Down. To see this narrative thread visually manifest as Byers becomes Will the Wise was worth the price of admission alone even if the over-arching narrative was unnecessary.