Locke and Key Welcome to Lovecraft Review
You’re probably about to come into yuletide gift cards, so why not spend them on one of my favorite comic series ever: Locke and Key?
A cheerful book this is not, and a cheerful person I am not, but scares, magic, and heart-pounding tension are also fun year round, author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez are impossibly good at delivering all those things and then some. So here’s the pitch, in brief:
Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode Locke have moved from California to the old family estate, “Key House,” in Lovecraft, Massachusetts following the death of their father under very grisly circumstances. The family is still in pieces and wracked by the trauma of their loss when the first book of this series, Welcome to Lovecraft, begins. And then Bode starts finding keys…
The keys in Key House are magic: keys let people turn into ghosts, or travel anywhere in the world, learn what other people are thinking. And someone trapped in the old well house wants those keys. On top of all that, California’s not done with the Locke family yet, and they’re not safe on the other side of the country.
That’s just set up. The book just works on every level. The art is consistently gorgeous art: characters are expressive, color pops, and the art has these panels that echo and build on one another that give quiet moments a lot of nuance and depth. The story is full of characters your heart goes out to; the kids and mom are recovering from a life-changing tragedy, but still manage to be funny and brave and lovable. And all that aside, the book has genuine thrills. Slow dread simmers until it boils, and safety is not guaranteed on this one. When it comes to horror involving kids, it doesn’t get better than the Locke and Key series, of which this book is only the first sixth.
There’s also a Netflix adaptation that looks pretty slick, but (to me) didn’t capture the heart of the series. Read the comics. You owe it to yourself.
This series is not for the faint of heart, but it’s wonderful and strange and truly unforgettable. For older teens and grown-ups, it’s an amazing ride. 5 keys out 5.