Advance Review — ‘Stranger Things: Tales From Hawkins’ #4 Tells An Atypical Story
by Tom Smithyman
Stranger Things is not known for treating its secondary characters very well. (Justice for Barb, anyone?)
So when Dark Horse announced it was planning a limited comic book series around some of its minor personalities, the smart money was on a high death toll.
That, though, isn’t the case in this final issue of the limited run. Instead, it’s small tale about two frenemies, Merrill Wright and Eugene McCorkle. All but the most ardent fans of the streaming series will be forgiven if they don’t remember the pair of competing pumpkin farmers. They were last seen in the second season, accusing each other of poisoning the other’s pumpkin patch.
In this exploration of their relationship, writer Jody Houser gives them backstories in which the rivals were on-again, off-again friends. Their kids even dated each other. But competition got the better of each, and there was plenty of finger pointing over the years.
It’s not a bad story, but it is a curious choice for a comic book, particularly a one-shot. It’s more about a yearslong relationship with no real beginning or ending. While the two get caught and are nearly killed by a Demogorgon or transported to the Upside Down, they are largely unaware of the real danger they face. It’s ultimately a story of redemption, but not all that exciting. It’s fine for a slice of human life and drama, but ultimately it doesn’t make for a great comic book.
Nil Vendrell’s illustrations are fine, but this is a Stranger Things story. There are only so many scared humans and burnt pumpkins we can take. Bring on Vecna and the mind flayer! That may not be fair to Vendrell – and he does a good job of depicting the largely ticked off Merrill and Eugene – but it’s also probably not why he signed onto this comic.
With dual strikes from writers and actors, Stranger Things final season seems nearly as far away as Hawkins, Indiana in 1984. If nothing else, this comic book series helped to scratch an itch while we’re waiting for the rest of the story.
Stranger Things: Tales From Hawkins #4 will be available for purchase on September 20, 2023.
Overview
While this limited series hasn’t been bad – if nothing else, if gives us more Stranger Things tales while we wait for the final season – this concluding chapter is an odd choice for a comic book. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s not a great story to tell in a comic.
