Stranger Things: Into the Fire

Stranger Things: Graphic Novels #3

by Jody Houser, Ryan Kelly (Illustrator)

Beyond Hawkins Lab, Starcourt Mall, Dungeons and Dragons, Monsters, and Mindflayers, the powerful children that have escaped from Hawkins Lab are out in the world, trying to live normal lives, but it comes at a steep cost.

Nine was left behind in Hawkins Lab, comatose and alone. Now she lives in a fractured reality of her own creation under the watchful eyes of doctors who have no idea about the psychic volcano building insider her that erupt at any moment, obliterating their entire hospital.

Three and Nine's twin sister both escaped Hawkins lab several years ago and have been on the run ever since. They had just settled down into a new life when, all of the sudden, the lab has made the national news. With the veil of normalcy completely shattered, they pack everything they have and hit the road, hoping to find and help any of the other kids they can. When Kali (number Eight) informs them that Nine is still alive it becomes a race against the clock to save a beloved sister, from the doctors that keep her, as well as the delusions that threaten to fracture her psyche beyond repair.

Perfectly penned by writer Jody Houser (Critical Role, Star Wars: Tie Fighter) with kinetic pencils by Ryan Kelly (New York Four, Star Wars) and tight inks by Le Beau Underwood (Catwoman, Immortal Hulk) this third book in the Stranger Things comics line takes the story to brand new territory.

Collects Stranger Things: Into the Fire #1-#4.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

First published July 28, 2020

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was smart to spin off this story about other kids that escaped from Brennan's clutches. This takes place several years after Six. Marcy and Ricky are on the search for other escaped kids. They do meet Eight in one issue as you can see on the cover but she is by no means the focus of this book. Ryan Kelly's art doesn't look as good as it has in the past. His characters look very gaunt.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[zuzu. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DON’T CARE, OKAY??? I DON’T FREAKING CAAAAARE. I mean, sure they lured us in with that Kali-centric cover and an empty promise to expand upon the widely despised and usually ignored lost sister episode, and then, and then, and then... Kali popped up for three pages??? And she barely had any importance, or rather, was nothing more than a cheap plot device. Seriously... AGAIN??? (like... I'm not even a Kali stan or anything but come oooon). Whatever, I'm wasting my time with these graphic novels (though, the sequels are supposedly about the party members again, soooo).

[samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this wasn't the sequel I was hoping for at all, the story just wasn't what I was looking for. I'm always happy to get anything that takes place in the world of stranger things but that didn't feel like ST. kali was the main focus on the cover but was only in the story for maybe two pages, and if I'm being honest the story just wasn't there, It wasn't interesting at all. ST is dark, creepy, and has funny moments but this was none of those. But I will say I would like to read more from Jody Houser in the ST world, just something that takes place in the main world or in the Lab before everything happens in the tv show like the first book.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stranger Things: Into The Fire collects issues 1-4 of the Dark Horse Comics series written by Jody Houser and art by Ryan Kelley.

Set a number of years after the events of “Stranger Things: Six,” Marcy discovers that her sister, Nine, is still alive. Ryan and Marcy set forward on a mission to save Nine.

This was much better than “Stranger Things: Six” but still wasn’t very intriguing. The events in this book very, VERY loosely tie into Stranger Things Season 2 with an appearance by Eight. All-in-all this was another needless tie-in to the series.

[Erofan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ricky and Marcy escaped from the Hawkins Lab a few years ago and are now trying to live a normal life. However, after they found out the terrible laboratory was closed, they go in search of a Nine - strong pyrokinetic with a shattered psyche.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a direct sequel to Stranger Things: Six, with Hawkins Labs subjects Ricky and Marcy -- formerly numbered Three and Nine Point Five -- in hiding, having escaped from Dr. Brenner's experimentation. They hit the road again to find another fugitive, Eight (Kali Prasad), only to discover that someone they thought was dead is still alive and in need of rescue. Back to Hawkins!

It's a borderline mediocre story, but as Houser fleshed out these characters who do not appear in the show, I found myself getting sucked in and hoping for at least one more go-round with them in the future.

There is also a short back-up story with the core ST cast wherein Nancy Wheeler tries to help her brother Mike cope after the disappearance of Eleven in Season One.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writer Jody Houser continues her story where she left off in Six. The story essentially follows the two escapees in their journey to find Nine, especially with the help of Kali.

While tying into the events of the TV series, this story never feels sufficiently original to withstand scrutiny or merit any attention. Everything simply happens, evolving without any real intrigue ever giving the reader a reason to care.

It’s not bad, as it allows writer Jody Houser’s ideas to seem relevant, but in the end, they simply feel mundane.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay okay here we go! The story is starting to pick up and make sense for a bigger picture. I can get down with this more now. Still not sure how much, if any at all, of this will be considered canon for the franchise... and maybe I just need to get it out of my head that any of that even matters. Because it does not take away from whatever story is being told... so, I will get better with thinking about that as I proceed. But yea... into this whole "other kids in the program" thing and how their lives are being impacted and what problems they are facing. And then they still tie it together with some between-the-seasons stuff of our core Hawkins team, too.

[Mikołaj (Żółwie Książkowe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

OCENA: 3,5 ⭐️

[Bookbypatrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Pokud chcete znát nějaké odpovědi na otázky, které jste měli v průběhu sledování seriálu Stranger Things, tak v tomto komiksu jich pár najdete. 👌🏼
Objevují se tu také známé postavy, ale ve výsledku ve mně titul nezanechal takový dojem.
Každopádně co si budeme, mám chuť si teď znovu pustit všechny díly. 😄🙈

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a direct sequel to Volume 2, Into The Fire sees Ricky and Marcy, almost a decade later, on the hunt for any fellow escapees from the Hawkins Lab. But when it seems that Marcy's sister, presumed dead prior to their escape attempt many years ago, is actually alive, their mission becomes one of reuniting rather than just rescue.

I didn't expect a follow-up to the last volume at all, to be honest, but I'm glad we got one. The time jump gives the main characters a lot more agency, and their mission feels natural given everything they've been through. It's also a fine counterpoint to the mission of Kali and her followers from Season 2 of the show, which intersects with the story here at a natural point without overstaying its welcome.

The darkness and light of the story comes to a nice conclusion at the end, with all of the characters doing something unexpected, be it forgiveness or retribution. It's not an entirely closed off ending, so we could see these characters again, but it does feel like this is the end of their story for now.

Also included is a short story, presumably from a Free Comic Book Day issue or something but the trade doesn't say, in which Nancy and Steve try to help Mike come to terms with how he feels about losing Eleven and regaining Will. It's a nice little story, nothing too world-shaking.

The artwork for the main story is from Ryan Kelly, and it's easily the best of the Stranger Things fare we've had so far. It's still clear and clean, but there's a grit to it that makes this story, especially the fantasy sequences and the darker ending, feel much more real and grounded compared to the earlier, blander art styles.

A worthy and unexpected successor to the previous volume, showing great progression for the characters involved and inhabiting the world of the show without being beholden to it. Exactly how a tie-in comic should work.

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no "Wicked + Divine" but I really did enjoy the art, especially (but not only) of the chapter covers. That said, my wife was right, seeing what we know about the 'special' children from Stranger Things, the pair of protagonist look waaaaay too old here. I know some people in the reviews are angry that they were baited into reading this book with Kali on the cover while she only got a cameo here... but since I never liked her in the series I don't mind. The main pair (and Marcy) are much more interesting and the story, despite not being terrific and despite a lack of a clear ending, works well on its own - which makes me even more confused as to why did they include a completely unrelated snippet as the final chapter.

[Ver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it is a really interesting idea to make a comic about the other possible characters from Stranger Things. I mean children who were in the lab together with eleven. The artwork is nice although the teenagers look 30ish. This is the third part and at the end there is another story connected to the main stream, probably continuation from the previous parts in a different timeline. A bit confusing. Need to get to the previous parts ;)

[Anastasiia Polieshko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Спонсор мого читання - кав'ярня Coffee Nerds на КПІ❤️
Комікс прикольний, під велику чашку лате зайшов на ура. Історія цікава, трішки розширює світ Stranger Things, але невеличкою ниточкою згадок про основний сюжет також радує.
Єдиним мінусом для мене стали ілюстрації, якісь трохи слабенькі, а от арт на останніх сторінках просто супер.

[TIFFY ⭐️🥂 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like learning more about this world from the show and the other kids with powers that are like Eleven

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that ending was…unexpected. It’s interesting to see the other subjects, but I still don’t understand how Eleven was the only one there in most of her memories.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger Things: Into the Fire by Jody Houser is a graphic novel sequel to Six as it explores events and characters after that book. Where Six took place before the events of Stranger Things, it has been a few years and this book takes place 3 months after the events of Stranger Things Season 2. The pacing for this story was very good, I was easily able to read this in one setting. I liked how much the characters evolved since the events in Six. This has been my favorite of the graphic novels it was original and yet tied into the series as a whole. Kali (formerly Eight) who has the biggest picture on the cover and from Stranger Things season 2 is only a cameo and helps point are heroes in the right direction, but is not a big part of the book. I do like that we get to see Kali's gang make an appearance as well. The end of this story is great and gets to show you the danger of these powers. This story had the most action out of any of the graphic novels so far. I liked the characters of Three and Nine a lot more in this book than in Six. Stranger Things: Into the Fire collects Stranger Things: Into the Fire #1-#4. Stranger Things: Into the Fire by Jody Houser was published on July 28, 2020, by Dark Horse Books.

Plot Summary: After the events of Six, Three and Nine have escaped the facility while Nine's twin sister Ten was left behind. Ten was long thought dead but Nine now believes she is alive. They reach out to Eight who has since escaped and she knows that Ten is alive and was forced to manipulate her mind, to make her feel like a forest princess. Eight has a name on her list of payback that she gives to Three and Nine to track down. They find an ex-employee of the lab in full regret and knows where Ten was taken, a supervised fully monitored building for troubled teens, that they now have to break her out of.

What I Liked: The ending scene was written very well and the best of the graphic novel series it is brutal and right all at the same time, it shows the danger that three is and can be. I liked the sister bond. I loved Kali and her gang being a small part of this story. I love that Eleven was mentioned and discussed briefly. The flashbacks of what Kali did to Ten were great and very visual. I thought the locked-up princess bit worked well. I liked the relationship between Three and Nine.

What I Disliked: The first issue was disjointed and it took me until the second to like the direction of the story. I did not like the deception in the cover featuring Kali so prominently to only me in this book 5 pages.

Recommendation: This book is my favorite out of the three Stranger Things Graphic novels. The novel is both an original and connects to the existing narrative of the TV show. The end scene was so good. I recommend you check this story out.

Rating: I rated Stranger Things: Into the Fire by Jody Houser 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Book Order: The book order for the three Stranger Things novels that I have read are: 1) The Other Side, 2) Six, and 3) Into the Fire

Ranking: I have ranked the three graphic novels from best to worst: 1) Into the Fire, 2) The Other Side, and 3) Six

[Rolando Marono · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba que este cómic fuera una secuela del "seis" y me agradó bastante que así fuera.
La historia es en realidad bastante simple, eso es lo que más le criticaría al cómic: que podría aspirar a más y no lo hace. La historia no tiene giros realmente sorpresivos y aunque construye a los personajes lo hace bastante poco. El cómic se centra en Tres y 9.5 y la vida que lograron construir después de los sucesos del cómic anterior con su escape del laboratorio y cómo se enteran que la hermana de nueve puede seguir con vida y tratan de ir a rescatarla.
Si bien la trama no es compleja, tiene muchas referencias a la serie que son interesantes pero funcionan más bien como un fan service. Se hace mención a los sucesos de la primera temporada con el escape de Once, también se menciona a la segunda temporada y vemos a Ocho en acción. Este personaje que aparece en la portada del tomo, pensé que aparecería más y que se le daría más tras fondo y más construcción pero no sucede.
La historia se termina sin muchas sorpresas, quizá el giro al final con la decisión de Tres puede ser interesante pero tendría que construirse más.
Es un tomo interesante lamentablemente no es ambicioso de ninguna forma y sólo cumple con lo básico que se esperaría de una serie.

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

ST graphic novels are such a mixed bag.

Into the Fire is a direct sequel to another ST graphic novel, Stranger Things: Six. This is a comic that became decanonized with ST season 4, but it's still worth checking out.

I liked seeing the continued travels of the characters we met in Six, but this book really didn't hold my interest in the same way. The parts about the "princess" and the world she created was good, and there's a nice cameo in here from a season 2 character. But the story itself was oddly placed and - I hate saying this - but I really disliked the artwork in here. Every character's face looks so misshapen. Even if I loved the entire plotline (which I didn't), that was hard to get past.

2.5/5 stars.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a direct sequel to "Stranger Things: Six" which was an unexpected surprise, and seems to take place a few months after the events of Stranger Things: Season 2. We find Ricky "Three" and Marcy still on the run after their harrowing escape from Hawkins Lab, and looking for survivors of the MKUltra Program. Specifically, Marcy's sister Jamie "Nine" last seen in a coma at Hawkins Lab.
I won't spoil the ending here, you'll have to read it yourself to find out if they're successful in their search.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting. I like the ending, though. It was scary but wonderful in some way.

They finally found the other twin and Ricky tried to protect them.

[Ricky's power is to tell people things and have them do them. It literally enchants them. He told a man who he think was bad because he was kind of related to the things that happened to the other twin. Told him, "Here's your gun. You know what to do with it."]

[The first twin, who was with Ricky from the start is like his little sister and he is like a bigger brother to her.]

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is the story of some of the others who escaped the laboratory where Eleven was kept. As Marcie is searching for her sister she meets up with Kali who has a team of others who escaped and they are seeking revenge on those who performed the test in them. Marcie just want to find her sister, which she was told was dead. Is she alive? Quick moving, fast paced story, with a little end chapter about our gang in Hawkins right after will comes back.

[✨Veruca✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. First Stranger Things book that actually connects to another! Following the events of Six, it was interesting to see what Ricky and Marcy were up to once they left Hawkins Lab. I do wish it had so more detail and the whole princess scenario was a bit weird, but I will admit this was an intriguing story.

[Alexandra Kern · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just... don't care about these random people. I know there is only so much that can be said about certain characters while the show is still being produced, but this was just not good. I was so excited to have additional info about Kali and get to know her more, but she's only in it for, like, two pages. Obviously, the cover is very deceiving.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random side story that then has this really weird endcap with a bridge story dealing with actual main characters of the show that has nothing to do with the characters we were just introduced to, and who weren’t terribly compelling.

I love Stranger Things but this wasn’t a winner in my book.

[☆ Iga ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przepiękne zdania tu padają w narracji księżniczki. Rysunki są cudowne! Te kolory są magiczne. Sama historia jest okey, ale znowu mi czegoś zabrakło. Mimo wszystko myślę, że to najlepszy komiks z uniwersum ST do tej pory.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt similarly to The Other Side. A book that focuses on the not so interesting parts of Stranger Things. This is also a sequel to Six, but I didn’t feel it needed a sequel nor did this provide much new content to warrant this sequel.
Aside from the plot, the writing was good and art was decent.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok but that ending!

[Dragonfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

[Parker (Paperback Parker) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5/5 stars!!