REVIEW: Stranger Things: Winter Special One Shot

The one thing a comic should never make a reader do is an eye roll. Unfortunately, Stranger Things Winter Special allows nostalgia to entirely engulf characterization and any semblance of a true threat. The story involves our Hawkins crew teaching Eleven about Christmas Specials between seasons two and three.

Dustin meanwhile senses a threat outside. It is incredibly odd to see Lucas, Steve and Mike simply dismiss his worries given all they’ve been through already. Eleven arrives with Hopper and they all head into the Byers’ home where Will has gathered Christmas specials on VHS.

El is given a Walkie Talkie as a gift and Dustin’s fears are further dismissed over dinner. The gang then describes various Christmas specials to Eleven as she imagines each of them in the context of Stranger Things. This gives artist Abel to really stretch styles from The Grinch, to It’s a Wonderful Life to Charlie Brown. Unfortunately the styles have a much stronger connection to Stranger Things than the actual visual style of any of those specials. More so it’s unclear what the thematic point is of the story-telling. Besides simply revisiting old favorites in new forms there does not seem to be any direction to the issue.

The art depicting the ‘real world’ is rough giving the entire issue an unpolished feel. But the worst element may be that the massive threat Dustin has been sensing turns out to be a rabbit. El announces that the stories taught her ‘people make the holiday’ which seems even more odd since at that moment everyone is just staring at a rabbit. Holiday specials should be fun, but as with those referenced in this tale, they also must draw us in with a larger plot, characterization and a message that emerges from the story itself. All of this seems to be missing here. 

Writing: 1 of 5 stars
Art: 2 of 5 stars
Colors: 3 of 5 stars 

Overall: 2 of 5 stars 

Writing: Chris Roberson
Art: Abel
Colors: DJ Chavis
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics