Stranger Things is a line of comics based on the Netflix original series Stranger Things published by Dark Horse Comics. The line of comics mostly consists of miniseries, with each miniseries having four issues. Beyond the various miniseries, Dark Horse has also published various ‘one-shots’ and graphic novels. The first miniseries, The Other Side, depicts Will Byers’ fight for survival after being taken into the Upside Down by the Demogorgon. The initial miniseries was originally known as just “Stranger Things” but was later given the “Other Side” subtitle.
When Will Byers finds himself in the Upside Down, an impossible dark parody of his own world, he is understandably frightened. But that’s nothing compared to the fear that takes hold when he realizes what’s in that world with him!
Stuck in the mysterious Upside Down, Will Byers is cold, scared and starving. He uses his last bullet to temporarily drive away from the Demogorgon. Drawing on lessons learned from D&D, Will hunts for food and supplies to prepare for whatever lies ahead. After discovering he can affect the lights in his family home, brief excitement turns to terror when he realizes he isn’t the only one that wants to break through to the other side.
Running from the Demogorgon in a twisted mirror of his own world, Will Byers still struggles to communicate with the other side. In a desperate race to stay one step ahead of the dangerous creature, Will must use all his wits to stay safe. But can he keep his friends and family safe, when he’s stuck in the Upside Down with no way out?
Exhausted and at the end of his rope, Will Byers seeks shelter in a dark mirror of the fort he created in happier times, Castle Byers. Will must fight to keep his sanity just as surely as he mush fight to keep out of the Demogorgon’s clutches in this suspenseful conclusion.
The hit Netflix series from the Duffer Brothers is now a spine-tingling comic that recounts Will Byers’ harrowing survival in the treacherous Upside Down!
When Will Byers finds himself in the Upside Down, an impossible dark parody of his own world, he’s understandably frightened. But that’s nothing compared with the fear that takes hold when he realizes what’s in that world with him!
Following the critical success of Netflix’s original series Stranger Things, on June 18, 2018, the President of Dark Horse Mike Richardson announced a multi-year partnership between Dark Horse and Netflix to publish a series of comics based on the TV series “to bring the world of Stranger Things to comics,” which will give the fans “an opportunity to explore the mysterious world of Hawkins, Indiana.”[1]
Jody Houser, the writer of the series stated it was her love for the show that encouraged her to take on the project. “The hardest part was not breathing a word about it for six months!” she told. Penciller Stefano Martino revealed that he was excited working with Houser and also to take on this project giving the right respect to the fan base.
The team had to work closely with Netflix to figure out on what areas of the world they could expand on. Due to Stranger Things being an ongoing show, they had to tread carefully.[2] Eventually they decided to explore Will’s story. Regarding the decision, Houser explained that “Will was less a character” in the first season and “more of a treasure that the adventuring party was trying to find,” and the team wanted to explore the Upside Down from his perspective.
The use of D&D was a core part of the boys’ friendship and their understanding of the monsters they faced in the show and she wanted to continue that in the comics as a means to “bring Will’s friends into the book via his memories of playing”.[2] Besides, she was excited to use her gaming experiences to highlight other characters, particularly Mike. “Mike’s seen as that leader and making sure that his players are feeling comfortable and doing at least a shadow of what they’re supposed to do,” she told.[3]
Taking Houser’s suggestion, colorist Lauren Affe designed the book in the style of ’80s comics while adding brighter tones to give a retro feel.[3]
Since the miniseries focused on Will’s time in the Upside Down, Martino got the opportunity to explore some of the nuances of the show’s visual landscape. He focused his art on “the more natural and emotional storytelling” so that readers could feel “the fear of Will in his face and his entire body”.[2]
Each individual issue contains a back cover illustration created by Fruiz which, when aligned together according to issue number, forms an overall interconnected image.
The extent of the Duffer Brothers’ influence over the comics and expanded media is unclear, though they sometimes set hard limits on what other writers can explore.[4][5] One notable example involves the child test subjects at Hawkins Lab. Prior to the reveal of the first test subject’s reveal in Stranger Things 4, the Duffers told the Dark Horse writers to “stay away from One”.
