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REVIEW: Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen #2
Book Title: Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen #2
Book Description: In the first issue of Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen we learned that Will never got over Bob’s death. In fairness, he was mentally linked to the Mind Flayer at that time. He had the Demodog’s perspective for Bob’s death.
In talking with Mr. Clarke, Will learned that Bob and his teacher were friends during their adolescent years. He also learned that Bob was the one that originally founded the Hawkins AV Club. WIll and Mr. Clarke discovered a map when they were going through some papers that Bob had left behind.
When Will showed it to his friends they weren’t too excited about it. There was a blizzard heading towards Hawkins and they didn’t want to be caught in it. They suggested a spirited round of Dungeons and Dragons (D & D) coupled with a sleepover at Mike’s. Will agreed and got permission from his mom to stay the night. Then he promptly headed into Mirkwood to see where the map would take him.
Issue #2 begins at Mike’s place. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin have everything set up for a D & D campaign. They just need Will the Wise to get there so they can begin. When Will is two hours late it occurs to Dustin that Will lied to everyone about D & D and is somewhere in Hawkins trying to follow the clues in the map.
The trio finds Will’s bike at the edge of Mirkwood. They follow his footprints in the snow until they catch up with him near a bridge on the old cattle trail. He’s digging like a madman. His friends think it’s a lost cause until they hear the sound of a shovel hitting metal.
Will has found the next clue in his quest! He and the rest of the boys have a big problem though. The blizzard has knocked out the power and phones in Hawkins, visibility has dropped to almost zero, and there’s supposed to be another 14 inches of snow coming overnight!
Book Author: Greg Pak
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Orgnization: Dark Horse Comics
Publisher Logo:
Illustrator: Diego Galindo
- Story(4)
- Interior Art(3.25)
- Cover Art(3.25)
- Dialogue(3.5)
- Mechanics(3.75)
- Editing(3.5)
Summary
When Stranger Things: Dungeons and Dragons came out I believed that the creative team for that title had captured lightning in a bottle. A Stranger Things story that was that good WITHOUT including Eleven or any of the other individuals from Hawkins Lab… There’s no way that could be done again where it actually works. Yet, here Mr. Pak is with another hit coming out.
The story is rock solid. Mr. Pak has the benefit of having a collection of established characters to work with. That helps. He also has unreasonable expectations that come from fans with regards to how those established characters are written in their continuing adventures.
Hell hath no fury like a pissed off fan base. For anyone that disagrees with me on this I have three words for you: Jar Jar Binks. Star Wars: Phantom Menace came out in 1999. After 22 years fans still haven’t forgiven George Lucas and company for that misstep.
I’m enjoying the artwork in this series. I liked how the artwork on the cover creates intrigue while remaining true to the story. We don’t get as much of that as I would like. The depictions of Will, Lucas, and the rest of the gang on the interior pages are spot on. I liked seeing Mr. Clarke in foul weather gear.
As a geek on a budget I’m saying this is a must read for any Stranger Things fan. The reader gets that feeling of exhilaration as Will finds the clue. We can sense how dire the situation is rapidly becoming with the weather. It’s not quite Eleven vs the Demogorgon; but it’s up there.
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