Comic Review: Locke & Key Vol. 4 Keys to the Kingdom

Just when I thought Joe Hill's Locke & Key series couldn't get any better, it did.

In the fourth volume, Keys to the Kingdom, everything gets ratcheted up to a whole new level of greatness.  There is so much going on in this volume that it almost seems like there's two trades worth of comics here even though it contains the usual six issues worth of material.

For one thing, Keys to the Kingdom reveals a bunch of new magical keys.  By a bunch, I mean that the total known keys probably doubled here.  There's some really cool ones too, my favorites, and the one used in the coolest ways being the music box key, and the skin key.

In many ways, this fourth volume feels like business as usual in the world of Locke and Key, as it covers much of the same ground as past volumes, just in slightly different ways.  The Locke kids deal with stresses around the home, stresses at school, stresses with their personal lives, and stresses regarding the strange house they live in.  The nice thing about this volume is that the Locke kids finally get savvy to a few things that, as the reader I have been privy to, while they have remained largely clueless.

This literary technique, where the reader knows way more than the protagonists, has built up a lot of drama and tension in the series, and it is a lot of fun to know more than the protagonists, yet simultaneously tormenting as I have had to watch them bumble around trying to figure shit out.  Hill has done a great job of teasing out this drama to the point that I nearly reached the breaking point and started yelling at those damn kids to smarten up.  Yes, that would have been somewhat satisfying, though pointless, and it would have made me feel like a grumpy old man too.  But goddammit, if only those Locke kids could only get their shit together!  It doesn't help that they have an adversary that is always at least one, if not a couple dozen steps ahead of them. The two people who are the most on top of things are the last two characters you'd expect, Bode, the Locke kid in Kindergarten, and Rufus, Bode's playmate who has an undefined developmental delay.  Too bad they need Kinsey and Tyler, the two teenaged Locke kids to help out, yet Kinsey and Tyler seem to be constantly distracted by their typically stressful and mixed up teenage lives.

All the while Zack Wells, Kinsey's BF and Tyler's epic bro, is the sole source of all their problems.  Zack is one of my favorite, slash, most loathed villains of all time.  He is one incredibly cruel bastard, a talent he has displayed to epic proportions in previous volumes. Yet, in this fourth volume he goes far beyond cruel, deep, deep into the realm of pure evil.  It is hard to watch.

Hill certainly has things set up for the final two volumes, as Keys to the Kingdom certainly put a lot of awesome pieces into place.  There was a brutal plot twist right at the end here, and it's one of those twists that as a reader you are happy to see because it makes the story so much more interesting, and makes you instantly crave the next installment...But on the other hand, makes you feel sick because the plot twist just totally fucks over the person or persons you care for in the story.

What this all boils down to is that Hill is a master of messing with his reader's emotions, and he's not afraid to raise the stakes of his story.  I've been very impressed with the man's prose work so far, but I think I'm most impressed with his work on Locke & Key.  This is not only one of the best comic series I've ever read, but it is flat out an amazing piece of writing.  This is an amazing blend of horror and fantasy, and both elements are done with expert level skills.

It's very easy for me to go on about Hill's writing, but this story wouldn't be what it is without Gabriel Rodriguez's artwork.  Rogriguez is more than just a passable artist.  He's an artist who can not only show the story, but he does it in a very interesting way. Rodriguez shakes things up by using interesting page structures, unique panel layouts, and a variety of "camera angles" to show the story as it unfolds.  This is all well and good, but I felt like he really cut loose on this volume as he displayed a couple different art styles as well...my favorite being his Bill Watterson tribute art at the beginning of the volume.  Overall, Locke & Key is one of the few comics out there where the quality of both the writing and the art are far above the usual standard.

With four out of what will eventually be six volumes under my belt, I think I can firmly say that Locke & Key is one of the best comics available right now.  For fantasy readers who don't usually read comics, this is the ultimate gateway for you.  It is penned by a modern master, and features art that is easily digested, and incredibly good.  On top of all that, it features story elements that though familiar, are creative, unique, and terrifying.  Locke & Key is great stuff, and Keys to the Kingdom solidifies the fact that this is an awesome comic.

Grade: A-

Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key Vol. 3 Crown of Shadows

Since I read the first volume in the Locke & Key series, Welcome to Lovecraft last September, I have been head over heels for this fantastic comic.  Each of the previous two volumes were special enough to rate a tie for second place on my 2011 Graphic Novels of the Year list.  Locke & Key is a comic series that's still in progress, so I've been trying to spread out my reading of the series so that I don't over-indulge, then wind up having to wait impatiently for the new collected editions to come out.  I guess I've done alright with the whole rationing bit since I've managed to hold out since last November.

This time around the Locke children must face not only Dodge, the malevolent spirit that plagues their home, an army of shadows under Dodge's command, but also their mother who is unraveling right before their eyes.

After the previous two volumes which were pretty much mind blowing comics of epic proportions, I'd have to say Crown of Shadows is a slight step back, but still, quite fantastic.  More so than the previous two volumes, I would have to say that Gabriel Rodriguez' art really shines through as the star in this one.  He's called upon to draw some really fantastical, unreal and even tragic things in this volume, from semi-substantial ghosts, to shadows that can take on any form, to the mental breakdown of a grown woman.  That's a lot of variety, but Rodriguez not only pulls it off, but he manages to make it look astounding as well.

I've become really attached to Rodriguez' style and I can't imagine this series with anyone else at the art helm.  Rodriguez is really good at adding little bits of detail to his panels.  These details serve to make the world really come to life, but on top of that, there are often little clues and plot details hidden in plain sight.  Hill and Rodriguez will often use this hidden-treasures technique to clue the reader into things that some of the characters may not be privy to just yet, or to hint at things that will be important in the future.  It is a cool little technique that I haven't seen used too often in other comics, and it can offer some rewarding moments to the reader when they discover cool hidden gems...though it does make me wonder how many of the buggers I've missed!

Once again, Joe Hill is at the top of his writing game.  The guy continues to impress me each and every time I read one of his works.  With the Locke & Key series, Hill is working magic with the ol' hidden cards technique.  Hill has been masterfully revealing crucial plot elements and story events (and magical keys) at just the right moments so far, and from what I can tell, there are many more great reveals to be had in the future. The man might just be playing with a dozen or so aces up his sleeves, but that's fine by me because I'm enthralled, and I want to see what's in store for this poor beleaguered family.  This might sound like the ravings of a fan-boy, but Hill's writing, scripting, and plot development in the Locke & Key series is some of the very best I've ever seen in comics.

So while I'm still wiping up drool and going through withdrawal from this last Locke & Key reading experience, I strongly urge those who haven't yet started in on this series to do so immediately.  This is one of the most rewarding, powerful, and downright entertaining reads out there comics or otherwise, and should not be missed.  We'll see how long I can hold out until volume four.

Grade: A

Comic Review: Locke & Key vol.2 Head Games

After the events which saw their father murdered, the family moved across country, and their family attacked in their new home by their father's escaped killer, the Locke kids have finally begun to piece their shattered lives back together.

Tyler and Kinsey are starting to settle in at their new school and have even made a new friend; A boy named Zack, who, like the Lockes, is a new student and the nephew of one of the faculty at Lovecraft Academy. Meanwhile, Bode, the youngest, is filling his time exploring their massive new home and the surrounding acres.

Their new home, Keyhouse, is aptly named due to the fact that hidden in and around the massive house are special keys, each of which give the wielder a unique power or ability.  When Bode finds the Head Key, a key that unlocks your mind giving the wielder the ability to learn or unlearn any skill,  he once again attracts the attention of Doge, an evil and vile creature who seems bent on the Locke family's destruction.

After reading the opening volume to this comic series, I was quite impressed to say the least.  Given the fact that the writing is handled by Joe Hill, a guy who is rapidly moving up the "Battle Hymns' Favorite Author" rankings, I had a good feeling that the second volume, Head Games, would deliver as well.

It did.

Though Locke & Key shines for many reasons, one of the brighter qualities of the series are its characters.  Maybe I have a soft spot for the whole "kids in danger" plot element, but I find that the Locke children are really fun to root for, and I find myself fretting over their safety more than is healthy.  What makes them great though is that they actually "act" their age.  They are prone to mistakes, ill advised decisions, and all the emotions that come with the territory. While they may sound cliched, the effect of past events in their life color who they are today, and causes them to rise above your typical pop culture ideals of what "kids" are like.  When you add in their Uncle who is trying to juggle his own life, and help his sister-in-law, niece, and nephews rebuild their own, and the mother who is in a constant state of wine soaked shock and detachment you get a wonderful cast of characters to root for.

The Locke family wouldn't be nearly as much fun to root for if they weren't being constantly put in danger by a frightening antagonist.  Dodge, the malevolent spirit that plagues Keyhouse, is one scary, duplicitous, vile, and extremely cruel bastard of an antagonist.  There is little I can say about Dodge that wouldn't cause some spoilers to leak out, but I will say that Dodge is a character that will keep you up late at night, and plague your dreams while you sleep.  That fact that Dodge is always about twenty steps ahead of the Locke kids is a frightening prospect.

I may be parroting my review for Welcome to Lovecraft, but the magical keys are a wonderful and ingenious plot element.  They are a fairly simple concept really, but truth be told, who needs complex, hard to explain magic systems?  Not me. The mystery that surrounds the keys is another of the great qualities of the Locke & Key series.  Though only five keys have been discovered and used thus far in the books, many others, and their abilities have been hinted at.  I think I've also noticed a couple other keys hidden in certain panels, and I can only assume they'll come into play at some point in the future.  How or when, I don't know but I can't wait to find out.

I'll spare you the effort of reading a paragraph about the writing and art, and simply say: Once again, top notch writing and great artwork graces the pages of Head Games. I can't find much to complain about on either front, and find both aspects of the comic to be quite awesome.  Locke & Key: Head Games  seems to be a case of both creators functioning at the top of their games.  A rare and welcome treat.

It's no secret that I loved Welcome to Lovecraft, and while I can't say that Head Games is better, I also can't say it's worse either.  The high level of storytelling and art that was present in the first volume is present once again, only this time, the plot thickens, the characters get a bit more developed, and as a result, I find myself further sucked into the world, and can't wait to read more.  I'll probably resist the urge to read the third volume until after the new year, but if you're reading this and haven't given this series a shot, don't delay.  Locke & Key is some of the very best comics on the shelves.

Grade: A+

Review: Locke and Key v1 Welcome to Lovecraft

I've read some pretty wonderful things this year, both in and outside of comics, but nothing has quite caught my attention like Joe Hill's Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft.

Incredibly, I found myself completely sucked in from the very first page; where two young men toting a pistol and an axe show up at the door of the Locke family vacation home.  Just as things are getting tense at the house, the story cuts away and Tyler, Kinsey and Bode, the three Locke children, and principle characters of the story, are introduced.  After some sharp and incredibly quick character development, the story cuts to a funeral as Tyler, the oldest son, grieves.  By this point I was just about coming out of my seat wondering just what exactly went down at the house. Though it isn't said outright, I had the feeling that the father was killed, possibly other family members as well.

Hill isn't exactly forthcoming with the answers either.  He instead keeps the tension high, while flitting back and forth between the attack at the house and the remaining family moving to Massachusetts to live with the father's younger brother at the ancestral manse, which happens to be located in a place called Lovecraft.

It isn't long before Bode, the youngest Locke child, who appears to be about 6 years old, discovers a magical key that unlocks a door and turns him into a ghost.  Further exploration of the house and the grounds around it uncover a mysterious lady in a well, along with some hints of various other keys that possess other interesting powers.

There are many elements that have me drooling over this graphic novel, but the first that comes to mind is that of the mysterious and magical keys.  Though the magical keys play a small but crucial role in this volume they did a lot in terms of sucking me in and building a sense of wonder and interest with the story.  Though Hill only reveals about four keys, I really want to know how many other keys there are, what they do, and how they'll play a role in the series.

The other major standout quality of Locke and Key is the wonderful cast of characters.  I guess I would say that this is a family epic.  Each member of the Locke family shares the duties as a lead character, and each one is incredibly well developed and fleshed out.  Not only does Hill give the reader a strong sense of what each character was like prior to the attack, but also how they've changed since then, and how they are continuing to change.  I was impressed with how Hill managed to portray the teenaged Lockes Tyler, and Kinsey as realistic teenagers, while Bode, the youngest, is also a developmentally accurate six year-old.

I found myself instantly attached to these characters, and Hill responds by putting them, individually, and as a family, through the ol' ringer, which was torturous, yet exciting at the same time.  I usually only fret so hard for GRRM characters, but no one really feels safe in Locke and Key either.  I got this sense because Sam, the teenage boy mainly responsible for the attack on the Locke family is one extremely creepy and resourceful bad guy.  Add that to the strange fantastical forces at play in the family house, and there was almost more tension than I could bear.

Further upping the Awesomeness Meter on Welcome to Lovecraft is the art by Gabriel Rodriguez.  Simply put, the guy does it all well; He can draw people, and environments and make 'em look really great. All that is wonderful, but this is a horror/fantasy comic, so there are some greater demands on the art...the horror scenes need to be equally tense and terrifying, and the fantastical elements need to create that sense of wonder.  Rodriguez manages to nail down those qualities with equal aplomb and deliver art that I found myself enjoying a great deal.  Rodriguez's greatest achievement in this volume is how he makes Sam's eyes seem completely dead and devoid of emotion.  It is a very chilling detail that I greatly appreciated.

I'm starting to wonder if Joe Hill has some sort of arcane power that makes me completely love everything he writes, because I sorta LOVE everything he writes.  As soon as I finished reading Welcome to Lovecraft I went out and bought the other three available volumes...and they will be getting read very shortly.  This was, in many ways, a completely fucking awesome comic.  It delivered an incredibly gripping story with a fascinating plot, wonderful characters, and dealt out some awesome fantasy and horror elements.  I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this one.  Since I'm starting to run out of superlatives, I'll wrap things up by adding that even if you aren't a comic reader, this is a must read for fans of the fantasy and horror genres. It is too good to be missed.

Grade: A+