The Pull List – Stranger Things #1
When the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana were desperately trying to find Will Byers in 1983, he was stuck in the alternate universe known as “The Upside Down”. Adjusting to his new surroundings, Will explores his twisted copy of his hometown, finding the means to survive on his own and locating a way back to his own world. The Upside Down world is filled with much decay and destruction, and Will must face it alone if he ever wants to make it back home.
Issue one starts just as Will Byers was attacked from a session of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. On his way back home, a hidden figure stalks Will and managed to corner him into a sheld. Mysteriously, Will is transported to the dark reality of The Upside Down, where all sense of time and existences is skewed. Will tries to understand more about his situation, returning to his family house and finding no one around. At least no one human because hunting for Will is the Demogorgon, a nightmarish creature looking to take Will away. An innocent night of tabletop games has lead Will Byers into a very strange time.
The creative team of Jody Houser, Stefano Martino, Keith Champagne, Lauren Affe, and Nate Piekos create fun side story to the widely successful Netflix original Stranger Things. Jody Houser focuses the series on telling Will’s story during season one, detailing his survival in The Upside Down and exploring more of its surroundings. The series is set for four issues, keeping the plot to closely reflect key moments. Stefano Martino, Keith Champagne, Lauren Affe capture the look and feel of the characters and the spooky environments that made the show a popular hit. From the ruin structures of the Hawkins, the spikey teeth on the Demogorgon, there are plenty of horror elements that fill each panel. Will’s time in The Upside Down world will have greater consequences and opens up potential stories from other characters. This series is definitely worth checking out to get a different perspective on the first season of Stranger Things and understand’s Will’s connection to The Upside Down.