My Process
This graphic was inspired by Stranger Things season 4. The idea behind this was that during study hall, Mike was supposed to be doing his math homework on a scratch sheet of paper but ended up doodling instead. That’s why in the top left corner there are 2 math problems that eventually turn into Mike’s inner thoughts. The cracks from Vecna’s clock slowly take over which reflects that the gate to the Upside is getting more and more fragile.
Then Mike starts drafting a letter to El, scratching out the word “Love” because he is struggling with his feelings. Next to El is playing dice from Dungeons and Dragons because Mike and El are playing “games.” Moving onto the bottom right corner, are Max’s headphones, the cord spells “Vecna” connecting to her mixtape. This reflects the importance of the song “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush. Above the mixtape are monster hands to represent the Mind Flayer/Darkness/Doubt. Mike starts tearing off the corner of his paper so he can pass a note to Dustin asking him to copy his homework. You might notice ink splatters and that’s because Mike chews on his pens when rationalizing his thoughts inevitably getting ink all over his paper. He knows the HellFire logo by heart and doodles it out of habit. The flashlight at the top is a symbol of how the teens use their flashlights to communicate in the upsidedown. The flashlight represents hope and curiosity.
