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“Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons: The Rise of Hellfire” Review

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

Season 1:

The Vanishing of Will Byers

The Weirdo on Maple Street

Holly Jolly

The Body

The Flea and the Acrobat

The Monster

The Bathtub

The Upside Down

Season 2:

MADMAX

Trick or Treat, Freak

The Pollywog

Will the Wise

Dig Dug

The Spy

The Lost Sister

The Mind Flayer

The Gate

Season 3:

Suzie, Do You Copy?

The Mall Rats

The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

The Sauna Test

Stranger Things Play:

Stranger Things The First Shadow

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins

Stranger Things x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover

Stranger Things The Voyage

Stranger Things "Deliver Me From Evil"

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things The Dustin Experiment

Synopsis: The year is 1985. As Eddie prepares to welcome Mike, Dustin, and Lucas into the Hellfire Club, he is forced to reckon with his past regarding the stigmas others have placed on him, as well as how he joined Hellfire Club to begin with, all while drawing inspiration from previous D&D Campaigns to craft his best story yet.

Observations:

It took me a little longer to review this comic. For one thing, I’ve been doing the Stranger Things Episode Reviews (which have taken a lot of effort), meaning it’s been a matter of finding the time to look at all the Issues. On top of that, there are references to other tie-ins like Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons and Flight of Icarus that required a refresher to be able to fully appreciate them.

This is the second tie-in serving as a direct sequel to another previously released comic. The first was Into the Fire, which was a continuation of Stranger Things Six (both of which are non-canon due to the direction season 4 went). The second is currently being released in four Issues all the way through October 2025: Tales From Hawkins 2. I’m not counting The Voyage since that’s a prequel to Stranger Things Kamchatka, and there’s a possibility both comics may end up being non-canon as well, depending on how season 5 plays out.

In any case, The Rise of Hellfire and Tales from Hawkins 2 are the only ones I can understand being written as sequels. Tales from Hawkins 2 has the potential to surpass its predecessor, and offer better stories that flesh-out Hawkins as a town while focusing on side characters that didn’t get enough screen time on the show. Whether it’ll be successful in that endeavor remains to be seen. As for The Rise of Hellfire, there have been plenty of fans clamoring for more Eddie material, and this comic delivers. It’s also a worthy follow up to Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons. While the premise of the characters using D&D as a means of telling their own stories and asserting some control over their lives keeps in spirit to the original comic, the sequel has a darker tone to it with the exploration of themes like ostracization and social pressure, both in regards to Eddie (past and present) and Mike’s Party as they contemplate their future in high school.

Part 1: Eddie’s Origins

One of the nice things about this comic is how it ties into the prequel novel Flight of Icarus while still managing to include new information about Eddie’s character. For instance, Eddie’s childhood friend, Veronica “Ronnie” Ecker, who grew up next to Eddie in the same trailer park, is present both here and in Flight of Icarus.

I didn’t talk as much about Ronnie in my Flight of Icarus review because I didn’t find a lot to analyze about her at the time (not counting the fact she hasn’t appeared on the show), so I’ll amend that here: She came from the same socioeconomic situation as Eddie, and even had parents who were absent from her life. The difference was her dad was dead while her mom suffered mental health issues rendering her unable to take care of Ronnie, which resulted in Ronnie being raised by her grandmother. On top of that, Ronnie didn’t have the negative reputation that came with the Munson name (which Eddie unfortunately did), and despite being a member of both Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin (she played drums before Gareth took over), she had a future ahead of her at NYU. One of the central conflicts in that novel was centered around Principal Higgins threatening to derail Ronnie’s chances of getting into NYU unless Eddie disbanded the Hellfire Club and permanently dropped out of school.

It only worked temporarily, until Eddie found something to blackmail Higgins with by threatening to tell the PTA (Parent Teacher’s Association) that Mr. Higgins was popping Benzedrines during school hours. There was also a falling out Eddie had with Ronnie over him dropping out of school (with Eddie never revealing the true reason for why he did it) and planning to move to L.A. to start a Rock ‘N’ Roll career (you can probably already guess how that turned out, given where Eddie is when we first meet him on the show), but they do manage to patch things up by the time Ronnie is set to graduate. The end of the novel (which takes place in 1984) infers she left for NYU while Eddie continued to be held back in high school, which is why she’s absent from season 4.

In any case, Ronnie is one of the few people who stuck by Eddie despite his unearned negative reputation (though they never developed a romantic relationship because she wasn’t interested in Eddie like that), and even came to Eddie and the Hellfire Club’s defense when bullies like Tommy and Jason targeted them in the hallways at school. She was a cool character, and even shared Eddie’s passion for playing music and analyzing Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. This comic adds more to her character by revealing she’s the one who first got Eddie involved in D&D back in 1978.

Considering how passionate Eddie is about D&D when the audience first meets him in season 4, I found it to be a unique twist how reluctant he was to have anything to do with the game when he first heard about it. It’s a big contrast to when Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will first encountered D&D at that bookstore in Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons, and how quickly they latched on to it. If it wasn’t for Ronnie dragging Eddie along with her to their first game, he probably wouldn’t have retained much interest in D&D to have a lasting impact.

The comic isn’t subtle in depicting how miserable Eddie was prior to D&D, with him being shunned and hating school. Ronnie taking Eddie to their first D&D session wasn’t just about her being interested in the game, but also about giving Eddie something fun he could look forward to that would make his life a bit bearable. This is in character from how she acted in Flight of Icarus, where she tried to look after Eddie whenever she could (despite that not always working), and it adds a nice layer to their friendship.

In this case, D&D was a hit for both of them. Ronnie had a great experience, and Eddie not only became immersed in D&D lore, but also picked up multiple lessons in dramatic flair, crafting an engaging story, and being a creative Dungeon Master from his previous mentor: Kenny.

Despite only appearing for this comic, Kenny was memorable. Not only did he teach Eddie everything he needed to know about D&D, but also stood up for Eddie when he came under scrutiny because of his negative reputation. Kenny was the original founder of The Hellfire Club, and he’s the one who passed it along to Eddie a year later once he graduated so the club’s legacy could continue.

We also get more focus on several other Hellfire Club members who either appeared in season 4 or Flight of Icarus, and how they came to join. While Gareth is briefly seen in the comic, he doesn’t make an appearance in the 1978 flashbacks since he joined as a freshman in 1984 (though he is shown in the 1985 story segment). However, we do get a little more info on Doug and Jeff (the other two guys featured in the photo below) when they first became part of the club around 1978-1979:

Doug (the guy in the leather jacket) initially put on a front of claiming D&D was a stupid game before revealing his interest in it, and even asking Eddie if he could come to a session. This is consistent with Flight of Icarus where Eddie talks about how Doug has sneered at “joining nerd club” before eventually caving because he was sick of missing out on all the in-jokes between Eddie and other D&D members.

As for Jeff (the other black high schooler in the photo besides Lucas), he was originally brought in by Kenny around 1979 due to Jeff’s older brothers having been former D&D players as well. This occurred during a particularly difficult campaign where Eddie’s Party was stuck trying to kill a manticore to recover a mace (long story), and Jeff was present when they finally slaughtered it and won. Eddie was impressed by Jeff’s willingness to help them, and even extended an invitation for Jeff to join Corroded Coffin afterwards:

Another character who’s featured in both the comic and Flight of Icarus is a kid named Stan. He’s someone who covertly joins Hellfire Club because of his parent’s beliefs that D&D is tied to Satanism, and Eddie provides a cover story for Stan where he’s doing “after school math tutoring” so he can attend D&D sessions (which ironically helps improve Stan’s grade in Algebra).

Sadly, his time in D&D comes to an end during Flight of Icarus when his mom finds out what he’s really doing, and pulls Stan out of school indefinitely.

Like I said, this comic ties in well with Flight of Icarus in trying to keep Eddie’s story (and by extension the Hellfire Club) consistent. There are a few continuity errors regarding dates, but we’ll cover that later.

Part 2: Mike, Lucas, and Dustin

This comic is split between two parallel storylines. The first deals with Eddie joining Hellfire Club back in 1978, and how he worked his way up to becoming the Dungeon Master. The second deals with Mike and his friends in 1985 toying with the idea of joining Hellfire Club in the first place, given Eddie’s reputation and their hangups about Will and El moving to Lenora.

I have mixed feelings about the latter arc, given how tie-ins like Lucas on the Line and The Dustin Experiment depicted what went down in high school for these three, and how contentious their friendship was over Lucas joining the basketball team (to say nothing about how Jason and his teammates were repeatedly AWFUL to Mike and Dustin prior to season 4). This comic depicts Lucas becoming a member of Hellfire Club around the same time Dustin and Mike did (i.e. early in the year when they first considered the option), but in both Lucas on the Line and The Dustin Experiment, Lucas prioritized basketball first and didn’t truly take part in the Hellfire Club campaigns until way later (sometime around December 1985 and January 1986). Lucas also had a major falling out with Dustin and Mike over his decision to sign up for basketball, to the point they didn’t speak to him for several weeks, and it took Robin and Steve organizing an intervention for them to air out their grievances. This wasn’t just a case of Mike and Dustin acting surprised over Lucas’s decision when he first announced it, but still being on good terms with Lucas (like this comic depicts):

I’m not going to say this is an outright contradiction since there’s enough wiggle room to claim the events taking place here could be interpreted to correspond to events depicted in those tie-ins (as well as the differences in objective vs subjective perspectives from these characters), but I will say that parts of this comic are hazy and questionable given how they relate to the time period between seasons 3 and 4.

Regardless, their initial reservations over joining Hellfire Club are understandable from an emotional perspective. Both the show and Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons placed a major emphasis on how Will and El were the heart of the Party, and their absence has changed the dynamic to the point that resuming D&D feels awkward.

Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons put a major emphasis not just on D&D being a fun game for the boys, but also as a means of having some form of inner power amid their traumas and tribulations. It’s why Mike designed a whole story arc in his campaign following Will’s rescue from the Upside Down where Will could kill the Thessalhydra: Mike knew Will needed a chance to feel like a hero again after everything he’d been through. It’s also why he later gave Will control as Dungeon Master (though there was also the added factor of Mike wanting to impress El at the time while playing as his D&D character). The Party’s final campaign came on the day Will and El moved to Lenora, with it serving as a grand finale to their previous adventures and them together as a group, all while emotionally wrapping up that chapter in their lives.

So for them to be reluctant in starting up a new adventure where circumstances are different is not only easy to comprehend, it’s relatable: It’s easy to romanticize past adventures, and put this expectation that nothing will ever top it. Why bother continuing?

Because if D&D is an analogy for life (one that the comics and the show are NOT subtle about), then the reality is life goes on. There is no “Happily Ever After.” There’s simply the choice of whether to continue the story, and try to make your next adventure better, or just rehash old memories and live in the past without moving forward. Eddie pretty much spells that out:

There is something sad about Eddie conveying this message considering his ultimate fate in season 4. Flight of Icarus highlighted this with his tale of trying to break away from Hawkins and make it big in L.A., only for that to go horribly wrong with Eddie stuck repeating high school instead. People might say that Eddie didn’t make anything of himself, and just kept rehashing a game that offered little to no value with real life skills, but I strongly beg to differ. D&D was a means of giving kids like Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Jeff, Doug, and Gareth something meaningful in their lives while they dealt with the hell that was school and bullying. This includes Eddie, which is why Ronnie took him along to their first D&D session: She saw how miserable school made Eddie, and this allowed him to approach the world through a different perspective to be able to deal with reality. Eddie took that lesson and handed it down to the other outcasts who joined Hellfire. He also inspired their creativity, and showed how they could be better versions of themselves through the game. It wasn’t just escaping into a fantasy world so they didn’t have to cope with the real world; it was about giving them a new way of thinking and developing life skills that would allow them to deal with their problems. But most importantly, he imparted this lesson to them: Live life on your own terms, and NOT based on how other people believe you should. It’s a lesson Eddie’s uncle, Wayne, point-blank told him in Flight of Icarus after Eddie’s L.A. dream came crashing down:

There is something to be said though about others trying to “fit you in some box” (as Wayne puts it)…………which brings me to the next topic.

Part 3: Stigmatization

It was inevitable this comic would explore this theme, just like season 4 and Flight of Icarus did. The audience was already aware of how bad Eddie’s reputation was to begin with. Partly because of his criminal loser father, partly because of his socioeconomic status, partly because of his association with D&D and the whole Satanic Panic, and partly because of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And given the way season 4 ended, as well as the BTS photos they’ve released for season 5, it’s implied things are going to get worse for Eddie. He was the town scapegoat in life, and he continues to be so in death.

What’s distinctive this time around is, instead of exploring the stigmatization through Eddie’s perspective (and his frustrations over it), the comic involves Mike, Lucas, and Dustin (and even Kenny in the 1978-1979 flashbacks) experiencing other people talking negatively about Eddie, with all of them reading between the lines to realize that not only is Eddie’s negative reputation unjustified, but the way certain individuals trash-talk him says more about them than it does about Eddie.

Take for instance this snooty girl who randomly appears to try and dissuade Mike, Lucas, and Dustin from being associated with Eddie:

You know those people in real life who claim they’re just giving “much needed advice” when the reality is they’re being condescending and take delight in feeling morally superior over others? That’s who this random girl reminds me of. I know plenty of Tumblr users who act this way, but she also channels my Senior English Teacher from High School with that kind of attitude (and she was a real piece of work too). This is someone who couldn't care less for Mike, Lucas, or Dustin, or their well-being (she certainly isn’t offering them her friendship) and is just regurgitating rumors without any critical thought behind it. For her, it's all about how Eddie looks to everyone else, which highlights just how superficial and conceited she is.

For those who want to know what she’s talking about, this was an event depicted in Flight of Icarus. Long story short, Eddie’s father, Al Munson, enlisted Eddie in stealing weed from a drug kingpin that he was double-crossing (and even lied about the circumstances regarding his true motivations to Eddie), and it resulted in the kingpin’s thugs tracking them down to get back the stolen weed. One thing led to another, including a cop (Officer Moore) that had a personal beef with Eddie showing up to the house when he got a call about shots being fired. The thugs ended up shooting Moore while burning down Eddie’s house. Eddie was the one who tried to save Moore’s life while Al ditched both of them to save his own skin. While Eddie was arrested when the cops came, he wasn’t charged (with Moore even putting in a good word for Eddie) and he eventually got released. There’s also how Hopper was able to read the situation for what it was, and help Eddie by trying to quell the rumors about what happened. It wasn’t a good situation, but the girl claiming Eddie shot a cop is false. Not that she gives a shit since she’s already decided who Eddie is as a person, and doesn’t want to be told differently.

This isn’t just limited to the popular kids at school either. Issue #3 of this comic reveals there was formerly a D&D player named Vince who also held this attitude towards Eddie, and didn’t bother to hide his contempt either.

Putting aside how snotty and rude Vince is, I will say that I appreciate how the comic points out that assholes can branch out to any social group. Rebel Robin explored that with Dash’s character (i.e. a so-called “nerd” who was really a serial cheater who wanted to invert the social pyramid because he felt entitled to the privileges the popular crowd had), and Vince is no exception. He is someone who decided he knows who Eddie is based on his father’s reputation, and he doesn’t want to be told differently. Even when Eddie tries to bond with him in the game, Vince rejects any attempts and continues to look down his nose at Eddie.

Unsurprisingly, it results in Kenny cutting ties with Vince because he gets sick of his behavior.

I would have done the same thing as Kenny in that situation. People like Vince and that random girl are unpleasant to be around. They are calcified in their beliefs, coasting on a misplaced sense of moral superiority and smugness, and get upset at anyone who challenges them. Like I said, I know plenty of Tumblr users who behave like this, all while feeling entitled to be nasty, and it has led me to avoid them like the plague.

Finally, I should briefly mention the unnamed teacher who tries to shame Mike, Dustin, and Lucas for their interest in D&D (because of the Satanic Panic), and how quickly Eddie drives him away in his trademark classy manner:

Eddie Munson is living my dream of telling off all those sanctimonious pearl-clutching religious moral guardians who project their issues onto kids, and have zero business being anywhere in the education system. Fight on, my man! ✊

Part 4: Season 5 Predictions, Miscellaneous, and Final Thoughts

I know there’s been talk about the idea of Eddie possibly being alive or resurrected in season 5. As much as I would love for him not to be dead, I’m not holding my breath in that regard.

Despite that, however, I see two different directions the show may take in regards to Eddie’s death. The first will likely center on Dustin inheriting the legacy of the Hellfire Club (similar to how Eddie inherited it from Kenny) and trying to live up to that while also working to clear Eddie’s name and get justice for him (like how Nancy’s arc in season 2 was about Justice for Barbara). This is a potential storyline I’d be interested in because the idea of Eddie continuing to be demonized for something he wasn’t responsible for while Jason gets memorialized despite the harm his actions caused is something that makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve talked before in previous reviews about how there’ll likely be a reckoning with the town of Hawkins (and those who’ve remained behind under military quarantine), and that reckoning won’t just be with the Upside Down either. It’ll have to be on a personal level with the way Hawkins has treated outcasts like Eddie and enforced a poisonous social structure that has put others at a disadvantage for decades and enabled truly horrible people to get away with vile behavior. It’ll also be a reckoning that shatters the status quo, and forces people to confront ugly prejudices and biases they have within themselves that they take for granted. We already saw the beginnings of this in season 4 with Jason’s witch hunt against the Hellfire Club, and how quickly most of the townsfolk embraced scapegoating Eddie and the other members out of fear and bigotry. Season 5 will likely take this further, with the question of how much damage they'll cause, and whether they'll have some kind of epiphany and change for the better, or descend further into evil.

This brings me to the second direction I think the show might go: Jason’s legacy of hatred and ostracization continuing past his death, where his basketball team (and the other residents of Hawkins who agreed with his ideology) taking up arms against both the Party and the remaining members of the Hellfire Club. I made predictions about this based on the season 5 BTS photos they released last year, and I’m still sticking with that theory. I hope Doug, Jeff, and Gareth come back for season 5 with their roles expanded, and maybe even work with the Party in stopping Vecna’s threat while also evading the mob that may be after them. It would be one way to flesh-out their characters more, and contribute to Dustin’s attempts to hold Hellfire together per Eddie’s wishes.

However, this is all speculation since season 5 isn’t out yet, so it remains to be seen if they explore the show from this angle. Since I’m a fan of the Hellfire Club and Corroded Coffin, I hope they do.

There is one minor nitpick I have with The Rise of Hellfire, and it mostly has to do with dates and what previous tie-ins have established:

While I don’t object to Eddie joining Hellfire Club around 1978 (meaning he would have been 12-13 years old in Middle School, which is around the same age and grade as Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will from seasons 1-2), it does contradict the claim in Flight of Icarus about how Eddie and Ronnie first joined in 9th grade. There’s also how Doug became a member of the club about a month or so after Eddie and Ronnie did, which is depicted in this comic as happening in 1978 in contrast to the novel when he joined once Eddie and Ronnie were in high school. Furthermore, Jeff was stated to have been a member since 8th grade (he was a sophomore in Flight of Icarus, and the novel mentioned he’d been part of the club for two years), but the comic depicts him joining in 1979, which means he would have been in either 5th or 6th grade around that time (and the comic does NOT depict Jeff as that young). I don’t think this is a case of Jody Houser and Eric Campbell (the writers for this comic) not having read Flight of Icarus beforehand (there are way too many call-backs to that novel which indicates they did) so much as retconning the ages and time frame for when Eddie and the other members of the Hellfire Club first got into D&D. It doesn’t detract from the story, but it is notable if you follow the tie-ins closely.

Last, but not least, I wanted to briefly discuss this moment between Lucas and Eddie.

This scene isn’t in the other tie-ins like Lucas on the Line or The Dustin Experiment, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I was disappointed we didn’t get nearly enough Lucas and Eddie interactions on the show like we did with Mike, Dustin, and Steve (and even his brief conversation with Will in Flight of Icarus), so it’s nice seeing both Lucas and Eddie amicable with one another here. Not only does it highlight how Eddie is friendly with Lucas and keeps the offer for Lucas to be a part of Hellfire Club regardless of his interest in basketball, but he even gives Lucas well-meaning advice about how Lucas can help Max with what she’s dealing with. While Eddie doesn’t know the full circumstances behind Max’s situation, he does understand what it looks like when someone is hurting and lashing out at people they love, given he was in a similar situation with Ronnie the previous year. It’s why he isn’t passing judgment on Max. Or Lucas.

In fact, contrary to what Eddie’s speech in the season 4 premiere might suggest, his issues have never been with basketball per se, or even people like Lucas who are interested in the sport. It had more to do with “forced conformity” and being told by the masses what you should or shouldn’t like while getting ostracized for interests that are considered outside the norm. On top of that, Eddie’s scathing attitude towards the basketball team had a lot to do with how many of them were bullies (i.e. Tommy H, Jason, Lee Garroway, etc) who specifically targeted outcasts and people they didn’t like. Doesn’t help that authority figures like Principal Higgins were more than willing to look the other way and enable the bullying because the basketball team made the school look good with their winning streak, and because teens like Tommy and Lee had connections with their parents that allowed them to pull strings so they didn’t have to face consequences for their actions. Why should Eddie be okay with people like that? Lucas was never a bully, so Eddie treated him with decency despite Lucas being a part of the basketball team. It’s that simple.

To conclude this review, I wanted to acknowledge how the artwork for The Rise of Hellfire is just as amazing as previous comics. There were many creative drawings for the D&D campaigns, and even moments that made me smile:

The “Wheels of Steel” panel has me laughing. There’s something beautiful in seeing people who get passionate over what they love.

Overall, this is a great comic, and a worthy successor to the previous entry Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons. I recommend checking out all 4 Issues on Kindle, or even buying a physical copy of the comic (which is set to come out September 30th, 2025).

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