IDW Publishing
Joe Hill, writer
Gabriel Rodriguez, artist
This book has been around for a while, but it wasn't even on my radar when it debuted in 2008. I'd later heard some good things about the title without ever learning much about the plot beyond the fact that it was a horror series. That I'd already kind of suspected from the subtitle of the first story arc.
I enjoy horror movies — not gore-fests, mind you, but really good scary, suspenseful pieces — but I've read a few horror comics that just didn't seem to work. That generalized rule only made it better when I happened to find a comic horror series that I felt genuinely DID work. Sorrow from Image Comics, Skinwalker from Oni Press and Rachel Rising from Abstract Studios would be some examples of some good, scary comics stories I've tried and really enjoyed. But they continue to be the exception, not the rule, from my own experience.
Enter a friend of my wife's from her college days, Todd. She thought he and I shared some broad interests in sci-fi, television and comics, and introduced me to him through his blog several years ago. One of the comics that he talked up quite a bit was Locke & Key, which I learned from him was a series of limited series — six of them to date with a seventh in the works. Based on how much Todd liked the series and talked it up, I finally added it to my list of things to try at some point. For several more years, however, there was always something I wanted more or could get a little cheaper when placing orders or going shopping.
That is, until I decided to start getting serious about getting some of my books, especially things I was trying out to see how much interest I'd really have, from the library instead of the store.
Well, I recently asked our local librarian — a very nice lady named Charlotte — to request the first Locke & Key trade via interlibrary loan, and she came through with the hardcover version of the book. Man, am I glad I finally tried this series! I have to say, this first volume is so good, I was tempted to just buy an entire set of trades to read the rest. I like it that much. Well, that is until I did some quick web-surfing and found that bargain hunting this series would take a while. There are plenty of the books for sale, but most of them carry a pretty hefty price tag, even for used copies. So, I've decided to stick with the library for now, but if future volumes continue to be this good, I may be tempted to start looking to buy again.
The story starts out on the west coast where the Locke family lives. There's the father, Rendell Locke, a high school guidance counselor; his wife, Nina; and their three children, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode. Tyler and Kinsey are high-schoolers; Bode is in elementary school. But after Mr. Locke is killed during a home invasion, the family packs up and moves to the Locke family home, currently occupied by the kids' Uncle Duncan, in Lovecraft, Maine.
That family home is a sprawling structure with a rather large number of rooms and doors, many of them with their own keys — hence the second half of the series' title. Hints are dropped along the way that the house may have a supernatural aspect. Rendell and Duncan have long told the children about their own childhood in Lovecraft and the fantastical adventures they shared there, doorways that led to far-away places and mystical lands. The two adult brothers tell the stories as remembered play, but the stories have the air of more truth just beneath the surface.
Bode is the first of the next generation of Locke children to uncover some of the property's secrets. First, he finds a locked well house with a rather unusual echo. Shortly afterward, while exploring the house itself, Bode makes another discovery: "I found a secret door and when you go thru you turn into a gowst. It's fun to be a ded persin," he writes for a school project.
Before long, other family members discover strange things about their new home. But before they can learn much, they must contend with another danger: the young man who killed Rendell Locke has escaped from prison and is making his way across the country, tracking the family's movements east.
Joe Hill has crafted a very engaging narrative with characters a reader can connect with easily. This feels like a satisfying chunk of story while still being Hill's opening salvo only. There is still much more to learn from the Locke house, and I fear, much more for this family to endure.
And Gabriel Rodriguez's artwork is clear and easy to follow. Despite some of the graphic violence in the story itself, Rodriguez does not illustrate too much gore. He doesn't shy away from showing the violence at times, but I never had an issue with feeling like the depictions were overly graphic.
In case you couldn't tell already, I say give this book a try if you haven't already!
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Side note: It wasn't planned this way, but Locke & Key makes for a nice Halloween week post. But just in case the spookiness in this title isn't enough to put you in the Halloween mood, then check out this Monster Pin Up Girls kickstarter project I came across last week. There's still time to back the project, so give it a look.
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