Review: Dustin Discovers A Sinister Plot In ‘Stranger Things- Science Camp’ #3
by Brendan M. Allen
‘While Dustin continues to prove his mettle as a Dungeons and Dragons DM to prove a point to new-found camp bullies, the counselors of Camp Know Where have been disappearing one by one. When Suzie and Dustin discover the older teenagers running the camp are the targets of a sinister plot, they decide to solve the mystery on their own.’
In Stranger Things: Science Camp #3, Dustin is still trying to work out the D&D game he promised the other campers. This is proving insanely difficult. I feel his pain. My son recently expressed interest in the game and I have been trying to sort it out for him. It’s complicated. Especially since our man Dustin doesn’t have any of the supplies he needs, least of all dice.
Meanwhile, more counselors disappear, and the kids are just now, three chapters into a four piece mini, catching wind of this.
It’s hard not to really like Dustin through all of this. Jody Houser has taken a guy who we can all agree is a generally good dude and placed him in a scenario where he really could have gone either way, standing up for the smaller kids, or joining up with the cool kids. Surprising absolutely no one, he’s the good guy. Like, a REALLY good guy.
At this point in the story, though, the mystery almost seems secondary to Dustin’s love life and personal growth. I don’t don’t get that bit. These chapters have been flying by, but there’s hardly any traction on the masked camp murderer.
Edgar Salazar, Keith Champagne, and Marissa Louise do a fantastic job of bringing the likenesses, time period, and flavor of the show to these pages. Most of it plays really well. The cabins, the uniforms, the hair… All spot on. I do have a couple issues with the masked killer’s scenes, but like I said, that angle hasn’t really popped yet, so maybe there’s something I’m not seeing.
There’s only one chapter left, and so many questions are left unanswered. The D&D game that Dustin is supposed to be DM’ing hasn’t even begun, there’s no real clues about who the counselor hunter may be, and we really haven’t learned much about these kids at all, beyond the fact that they’re all really good at math, two are bullies, and one will end up coming to Hawkins to kill Hopper and Billy. Damn you, Suzie.
Stranger Things: Science Camp #3, Dark Horse Comics, 25 November 2020. Written by Jody Houser, pencils by Edgar Salazar, inks by Keith Champagne, color by Marissa Louise, letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot.
Summary
While Dustin continues to prove his mettle as a Dungeons and Dragons DM to prove a point to new-found camp bullies, the counselors of Camp Know Where have been disappearing one by one.