After a very promising start which opened up the Stranger Things universe to a whole new realm of possibilities with Francine’s (Six) story, finally issue two is with us and I’m hoping that it can build on that positive first outing. With Jody Hauser at the helm you know that the franchise is in safe hands, but does it add anything to the massively popular Netflix show?

We get to know Six a bit better in this second issue, also learn something about the other kids in the program and how their lives may have intertwined at various points. The much feared Doctor Brenner is on hand as further comparisons are drawn between him and her abusive father but he also offers further insight into the tests they are doing and the reasons for them, which feels like a backstage pass to watching the show. The mysterious Doctor also teases the unveiling of his most abhorrent test. Is that also in Six’s future as it was in Eleven’s? Meanwhile the visions of the Upside Down that Six has been having are still haunting her and with the addition of a new test subject the long suffering youngster begins to wonder just how long she has been manipulated both in and outside of the lab.

The potential I talked about in a previous review and joining the dots of the shows back story, is slowly coming to fruition and in this second chapter in a four issue run,  the touch paper has been lit for whatever comes next.  Hauser once again demonstrates that she is a master of getting to the essence of a franchise and making it feel both new and familiar at the same time. If you’re already a fan of the show, hell everybody is, and want to delve further into the mystery at the centre of Hawkins, Indiana, then look no further… Chris Andrews