Stranger Things debuted on Netflix back in 2016 and quickly captivated the attention of the TV-watching world, as its narrative blended elements of sci-fi, humor, and horror, made all the more engaging with its 1980s setting. Immediately after fans binge-watched the first season, they began demanding new episodes of the series, in addition to adventures exploring the world of Hawkins, Indiana and the journeys that our characters embarked on. While a second season of the series debuted in October 2017, various other mediums have delivered fans exciting stories inspired by the narrative, the latest being the upcoming comic book series Stranger Things: SIX, written by Jody Houser.
Stranger Things: SIX follows Francine, a teenage girl with precognition. She's struggled through a lifetime of exploitation: first by her parents, then by Dr. Brenner of Hawkins Laboratory. Dr. Brenner wants to harness her powers as well as those of the other gifted children that they hold captive at the lab. Wracked by increasingly disturbing visions, she sees an opportunity to change her life. But at what cost?
ComicBook.com scored some preview images of the book, which you can see below the interview. We also chatted with Houser about what's so exciting about the world of Stranger Things, and what fans can expect in the series.
ComicBook.com: What has been your personal connection to Stranger Things, and what excited you about the project?
Jody Houser: I was a fan of the show before I worked on the book. I actually shaved my head to be Eleven for Halloween back in 2016! Being among the first people to tackle the property in another medium was a real honor, and getting to play in the world was a lot of fun.
How much creative liberty were you given within the narrative vs. the canonical elements that you had to adhere to?
In the first series, we obviously kept the narrative closely tied to the events of Season One, although there was a lot of room to play with what Will went through in the Upside Down. Since Stranger Things: SIX is a prequel series, we have a lot more room to play with new characters and storylines.
When trying to capture the magic of what the series offers fans, were you driven by a specific tone of the series or more motivated by the narrative elements?
Definitely both, since the tone is very much influenced by who the characters and how they respond to the world around them. Without the kids and their friendships, this would be a VERY dark story!
What has you excited about the book and what it offers fans? Is it the new directions of the mythology you're exploring or is it spending more time in the established world?
I'm excited to for fans to meet Francine (Six) and the other new characters introduced in the new miniseries.
If you could develop an entire series based on a well-known character from the series, who would it be?
It would be a lot of fun to explore how Dr. Brenner got to where he is.
