I'm gonna come right out and say it:
Locke and Key is a phenomenal comic book.
If you're not on board yet, get your backside in gear and grab all four already-published collections this instant. They're all outstanding both the story and the visuals. Every page is a revelation showing that Gabriel Rodriguez's artwork is becoming more outstanding with every passing page (the first issue of the fourth volume was stunning in its tribute to Bill Waterson style interspersed with brutal violence that is typical of the tales), and Joe Hill's intricate story is progressing toward its conclusion (twelve more issues to go, two more collections) with an increasing pace that left me gobsmacked at the wrap up of the fourth volume.
The storyline sees the three Locke children forced to return to their father's East Coast, island childhood home of Lovecraft after he is killed in California. Once back in Lovecraft, the children begin to uncover the titular keys, hidden around the house and grounds and each granting different powers to the keybearer when they open a specific door in the house. The keys allow broken items to be repaired, bearers to become giants or ghosts, to teleport to any door in the world, to change their gender or race, to command shadows or anyone within earshot, to become animals, or - in one of the most visually stunning sequences - to literally open the head of anyone and add or subtract memories, here represented by sometimes cartoonish avatars.
The father's killing and much of the rest of the series is driven by an character who is as evil, charismatic, devious, and interesting as any new villain that I've read in a very long time, a spirit / devil / demon / teenager / deathless
something (his/her gender changes throughout the series) but who is so fascinating that a reader is almost challenged to take their eyes off of Luke / Dodge / Zach (seen up top in the black pea coat). His/her every deed shows new depths of the devious character's willingness to cross any line in order to control the keys, willingness to pay any price - particularly at the end of the most recent collected volume - to own all the keys and the powers that their combination would allow.
The series is truly spectacular, thrilling, chilling, and terrifying. This isn't a kid's comic book even though much of the artwork looks like it should be. The main characters go through some pretty harrowing journeys, and the level of violence is increasing with the increasing pace of the tale. Even though these are children - the oldest of the Locke children is a senior in high school, the youngest still in grade school, these are not the adventures of the Bobbsey Twins. Make no bones about it, this is a horror comic, red in tooth and brilliantly drawn claw.
I'm hooked like I haven't been hooked in a while, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next volume. I hope you'll come to Lovecraft with me.
Do yourself a favor, flip through the
first issue of the fourth volume for free online. It's phenomenal.
PS - Three things I couldn't find where to mention other than here...Joe Hill (the author) is Stephen King's son. Clearly the talent doesn't fall far from the frickin' terrifying basement...You can also buy replicas of the keys. I want the head key....The series was made into a television pilot that wasn't picked up but was apparently brilliant.
I'll admit that I rarely tune into that Sunday (or Saturday) morning community programming unless I hear in advance that the topic will be something of interest to me. A week or two ago, however, Cincinnati Edition on WVXU interviewed a former PHS science teacher, Ryan Mooney-Bullock, who has gone on to greener pastures as the Program Manager for the Green Learning Station at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati.
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