It’s no secret that Stranger Things has taken off since its first season premiered back in 2016 — and where there’s success, there are derivative works. Over the years, Netflix has teamed with companies like Dark Horse to release spinoff novels and comics, and each addition to the Stranger Things universe has delved a bit deeper into the town of Hawkins, Indiana and its residents.
In Jody Houser’s latest Stranger Things comic, she explores what went on in Dr. Brenner’s lab prior to Eleven’s escape and the scientist’s undoing on the show. Six follows Francine, a young girl with abilities much like Eleven’s and her siblings’ as she undergoes testing and experiments performed by Brenner and his team.
In this way, Six opens up a whole realm of storylines that the Netflix series skims over. While we do get a brief glimpse of Brenner’s other “children” during Eleven’s trip to Chicago during the second season, they’re never mentioned or shown again. We know Eleven’s sister Kali and other kids with supernatural abilities are out there, but Eleven has remained the primary focus of the show so far. (Perhaps we’ll see some new psychic children show up in season 4, though…)
In Six, however, Francine (also known as Test Subject Six) takes the spotlight, introducing readers to other kids in Brenner’s lab along the way. The story also introduces us to Three, whose backstory has enough depth to cover its own series, and it mentions about 95 other subjects — meaning there’s plenty more to explore.
“I was hoping to add one new character (Six) to the world, but the fact we got to introduce multiple kids from the program was really wonderful, and beyond what I thought we’d be able to do,” the author told SyFy Wire.
And with the addition of more kids, Houser’s comic also makes way for future series to emerge — a likely outcome given the Dark Horse and Netflix deal. There aren’t currently any other series in the works, but Houser confirmed that she’s “excited by the possibilities” created with Six.
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Six will hit shelves on November 6, and it’s probably a good way to fill the Stranger Things void until more details about season 4 come to light. After all, it’s likely we’ll be waiting a while for new episodes, even once season 4 is officially greenlit. At least with Houser’s comics, fans can keep some of Hawkins around while they wait.
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