Locke & Key #1 – Review

By Joe Hill (written), Gabriel Rodriguez (art) & Jay Fotos (colors)

I bought two of Joe Hill’s books, but I never read them (a novel and a short stories compilation). They’re supposed to be good and the critics were praising his work before the revelation of who Hill’s father (Stephen King!) came to be. What’s also interesting is this book has already been optioned as a movie. So, is it any good?

Locke & Key’s story is told through flashbacks. Two teen psychos attack and murder a father of three siblings. Eventually, the older brother gets his revenge as well as his mother. After the funeral they move to a mansion called Keyhouse, in Lovecraft, Massachusetts (you can probably see where this is going with a town by that name). The youngster roaming inside the mansion finds a key, and opens a door. When he crosses through only his spirit does leaving his shell of a body behind. Scared, he goes back through the door, wakes up back in his body, and slams the door shut.

I’m really intrigued by all the doors that dwell in this mansion and the different effects they’ll impose on the people that cross them. For a first issue, it’s an excellent read, and a sharp supernatural thriller. The comic costs $3.99 as many IDW comics do, but I can’t complain too much on the price this time. You get 32 pages of story, a glossy “key” on the cover (okay, it’s a little gimmicky), and one heck of a debut issue. (Grade: B+)

-Daniel Yanez