The third season of Stranger Things returns this July 4, 2019, but leading up to its premiere is the release of a comic book prequel series by Dark Horse Comics that asks (and somewhat answers) the question, before there was Eleven, weren’t there ten others? Up to date fans will remember that in season two viewers were introduced to Eight, or Kali, who possessed the ability to create illusions, but in this four issue series fans will meet Six, or Francine, who has the power of precognition or the ability to see the future. Just to clarify, Eleven has the power of telekinesis, the ability to move objects with one’s mind.
SyFy reports that this is not the first time a Stranger Things tie-in comic has been made, and in fact both comics will have been written by the same author, Jody Houser. The first comic was a recap of season one from Will Byers’s perspective of his time in The Upside Down. This new series brings us to Hawkins before the events of season one but most likely within El’s lifetime. It’s set at Dr. Brenner’s laboratory and may give the audience a chance to meet more of the remaining ‘numbers’ we don’t know about. With Six/Francine’s rumored power of precognition, audiences might learn if Six predicted the events of season one and fled the town in a similar manner to Eight/Kali or if viewers have yet to meet her in the show.
The series will be released in a limited edition bundle that includes exclusive artwork from Jenny Frison (Wonder Woman). The Hollywood Reporter notes that these special editions will be signed by Frison as well as hand-numbered to indicate their authenticity, as there will only be 250 total produced.
The individual issues are set to release monthly, with the first one having dropped on May 29, 2019. The series is available as a hard copy as well as digital download.