Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins #1
Sasha Kaplan
Recap
On the surface, Hawkins seems like the kind of town where nothing bad could ever happen, but in the fall of ’83 it is anything but safe. When two friends head out into the woods with their rifles and a six-pack, the would-be hunters and themselves the prey of a nightmarish beast who has claimed the wilderness around town and everything inside it, including them.
Review
Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins takes us back to season one to fill in the gaps of what went on for some of this spooky town’s citizens. Unfortunately, it is a tale devoid of the cast we know and love, choosing to focus on two men who meet up in the woods and decide to go hunting together, which is… a choice? Weird? Random? All of the above?
According to the narration, what happens next is rather predictable and reminds us of perhaps a few things that were not addressed in season one. It adds another layer to the situation in the town and gives us some additional perspective from the average Hawkins citizen-on-the-street (or forest, if you will). It makes Hawkins look bigger even if the town is not directly part of the story.
The art is well done, with each hunter having definitive features. Dale and Henry go off on a hunt and come across a butchered turkey. Who is responsible? Well, it is season one, so that’s your first clue. Probably a monster from the Upside-Down.
What comes next is not surprising, but you feel for these characters even if audiences have just met them. Jody Houser is a gifted enough storyteller to make sure that, even though we’re just meeting our leads, their stories resonate with us as real people in very real danger.
The second issue will likely focus on different characters, as this comic has that anthology vibe. It eventually gets to one character we all know and loves to situate within the realm of the story from the show.
But beyond a little bit of context, there is nothing new added to the world of Hawkins or its supernatural elements, which is an unfortunate miss. There’s so much that could be explored in the dusky corners of Hawkins, just waiting to be uncovered.
Final Thoughts
If you're craving more from the world of Stranger Things, then perhaps this is what you're looking for. But if you're interested in a more continuous story with the characters from the show, perhaps see where issue #2 takes you.
Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins #1 Anthonoly Series
- Writing - 7.5/107.5/10
- Storyline - 5/105/10
- Art - 6/106/10
- Color - 6/106/10
- Cover Art - 6/106/10
