Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft Hardcover – Illustrated, October 7, 2008

Part of the shock value is that Gabriel Rodriguez's distinctive art has such an innocence and cleanness to it that, when the horror elements are introduced, the impact is all the more stunning. And then there's writer Joe Hill who is in the midst of stepping into his celebrated father's shoes and learning just how comfortable the fit. I suppose it's easy and convenient enough for any old horror writer to insert zombies and vampires and splatter in bucketfuls of gore and then go see what sticks. But Joe Hill, much like his dad, has sussed out that true terror emerges from ordinary things, that the effect is all the more telling if the suspense is built up in layers. Joe Hill puts his characters (and, by proxy, you) into situations which seem improbable but could actually happen in real (and I don't mean the supernatural stuff), and knowing this, it compromises your comfort level. He injects a slasher theme early on, brought about by taut flashbacks interweaving with the present arc.The Locke family has just moved into the town of Lovecraft, Massachusetts and into a sprawling mansion mysteriously called Keyhouse, and quite rapidly Joe Hill immerses you into these characters' lives. Disturbing details gradually unfold of a bloody home invasion many months ago, which so traumatized the Lockes and cost them a murdered father. Now they're looking for a fresh start.The well-realized core characters are the three children, all trying to cope with their loss and their new surroundings. Tyler Locke is surly and guilt-ridden and the oldest. He believes himself responsible for his father's death, and he's pretty much withdrawn into himself. Kinsey, the middle sibling, is also dealing with her pain. She just wants to fit into her new town and is very conscious of all the people giving her curious looks. Bode is the youngest at six years and a very curious child, and the story tends to focus on him the most. Bode is the first to get a clue of the strangeness of their new home. The thing is, in seeking peace and quiet and a chance to heal and regain equilibrium, the Lockes should never have relocated to the Keyhouse. The Keyhouse messes you up.I read somewhere that Hill plans to write several story arcs about LOCKE & KEY and all in limited series format, and I hope he gets the chance to finish all of those. But to sound off on the one overarcing plot device: Keyhouse is magical and very sinister and dangerous. We eventually figure out that the Locke household is a repository of many keys with odd properties. In the first issue we glimpse a key with a tiny skull engraved on it, and a particular door which when opened with this key renders the wielder temporarily dead - and that person's ghost free to wander around. And since Bode is the one who stumbles onto this one key and door, and since he uses this bit of enchantment to flit about insubstantially to look in on his family, we don't really feel threatened. But there is one place the kids aren't allowed into, and that's the wellhouse. Bode, of course, has to check it out and soon begins to hear a voice wafting out of the well. And, of course, the thing that owns the voice wants out. That's almost always never a good thing.Meanwhile, behind juvie bars, teenage psychopath Sam Lesser peers into the toilet bowl and converses with... something. And not too long from now, Sam Lesser - who had murdered the father of the Locke children months ago - will escape his prison cell and begin to make his cross-country trek to Lovecraft.Joe Hill's  Heart-Shaped Box  is a terrific demonstration of how an author's storytelling can make you feel unsettled. He achieves the same effect in this comic book format. I seriously had no idea where this story was going, only that I was wallowing in the weirdness and that creeping suspense. Joe Hill throws in different beats, but nothing is forced. It smells, initially, like a serial killer splatterfest, but then takes on a supernatural angle and a dark fantasy angle. And thru it all, it remains character-driven. And just when you think the dust has settled, Joe Hill introduces one last bit of creepy which feeds directly into the next story arc.I highly recommend this mini-series to anyone who likes to be startled and for those jaded readers who believe that comic books have nothing new to offer. This handsome hardcover also comes with an attached red ribbon bookmark, an intro by writer Robert Crais, and a ten-paged art gallery by Gabriel Rodriguez. Note that LOCKE & KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT is suggested for a more mature audience as there are moments of graphic gruesomeness and one scene of a disturbing sexual nature. And once you tear thru this one, there's  Locke & Key: Head Games , the next arc which picks up shortly after the events in WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT. I've already read up to four issues of that one, and it is JoeHillifically awesome.

We bought this as a Christmas gift for our daughter because she loves Joe Hill’s work. I’ve watched the series on Netflix and it’s awesome. So we’ve all enjoyed the book.

I will review all three volumes as a group here, as I would guess most people who may consider this series would go to Volume One first. I will avoid Spoilers.The hardcovers and beautiful, with glossy graphics on a matt background. Volume 3 had a ribbon. (some people say their 1 and 2 did as well). Upon opening the first volume, I paused to examine the beautiful illustrations inside the covers and on the pages leading into the story. The author dedicates the book to his mother. I had never heard of Joe Hill before, but I did know of only one person named Tabitha King, so guessed who he was, 'Hill' or no 'Hill'. No matter, I can understand why he started out with a nom de plume.BTW, some character names interest me in this book. The coach (vol 2) is Elsie Whedon. One of Rendell's old schoolmates (vol 2) was Lucas Caravaggio, and the admissions director (vol 3) is Calliope Ridgeway. Some of these may have meaning to the story, maybe some just to the author. For instance, I could see how Calliope could be seen as a muse to her drama teacher husband.Hill excells in many areas. His characters are real, well rounded, and sympathetic. The story line is suspenseful, and as certain mysteries get cleared up, new information creates new questions for the reader (and the characters) to ponder. This series is just plain creepy - in a good way. He also drops in ...idk...language hints? to the text, relating to the key/theme at hand. Word jokes, puns. The Joe Ridgeway story, which opens vol. 2, bounces back and forth in time. The opening and the ending `bookend' the story nicely, and Hill manages to put a spin on the end which lightens some of the sadness therein.Gabriel Rodriguez contributes wonderful artwork. I admit that I can have a hard time enjoying even a well written series if I hate the artwork (some arcs of Sandman come to mind). This series has the best of both worlds! The lines are clean, the facial expressions clear, and the colors are appealing yet somber in tone, as suits the series. Violence is not portrayed in too graphic a manner. Some is not shown at all. Rodriguez also uses a technique for which I do not know the name, where he repeats a setting several times with just necessary changes. Look at the preview pages for Vol. 3, Crown of Shadows, to see this technique. I feel as though this grounds parts of the story better than if he kept changing perspective. It is also almost cinematic. Hill also injects a good does of humor into the story (which is necessary, I think, to keep it from becoming oppressive), which Rodriguez translates nicely. I really liked the bit in vol. 3 where Bode tells his mother how to cook the alfredo sauce. The `nameless technique' works nicely there.Volume 1 is taken up with the Locke family tragedy and their subsequent move to the family home in Lovecraft. Volumes 2 and 3 move briskly along, introducing many new and interesting characters and situations, which keeps the story fresh. After reading Vol. 1, I took out Heart Shaped Box, Hill's first novel, from the library and read it in two nights. (I could not wait for an Amazon delivery!) Hill's work is gripping and intense and I plan to read more of it!Highly recommended series!

I dont normally write reviews of products since most everything bought through Amazon works out alright.But in this case, i though it important to leave a message to anyone thinking to buy this graphic novel via Amazon that this specific comic series falls apart literally after the very first read!I had bought this first time around, and after reading the first few pages, the binding was falling apart after flipping each page just once...ive bought a few other comic series through Amazon, never had this issue before, so i requested a return and for them to send a replacement copy...but the replacement copy also has the same issue, all pages falling out of the binding after a single read. Ive attached photos to show what a nightmare this is and just warn anyone buying that this might happen to your version...dont know whether this is an issue with storage at the Amazon Depot since i managed to find a copy at my local bookstore, zero issues with binding!!! Anyway, best of luck, hope this helps

I had been looking forward to reading this graphic novel for a long time. My first graphic novel was The Kite Runner, and since I read that I've been craving more. But I had to wait until I found a job, because graphic novels can be bloody expensive, and that is certainly true for the Locke & Key series. So, I bought this ASAP, and I absolutely devoured it!I am a huge fan of horror and blood and gore, and as soon as I started reading this I knew that it would be the book for me. There's a murder in the first couple of pages, and Welcome to Lovecraft only gets darker from there.At the beginning of the book, Papa Locke is murdered and his family go to live at the Keyhouse, a mansion owned by the family. And from then on, a load of crazy [...] happens. Bode, the youngest child, discovers a key to a door that, if you walk through it, turns you into a ghost. He also discovers a ghostly Echo in the wellhouse in the grounds, who seems to be locked in there. Bode's curiosity mirrored my own as he discovered a small handful of the Keyhouse's mysteries.While all this exploring is going on, the Locke family is also still dealing with Papa Locke's murder. Mama Locke is currently spiralling into a deep depression, and the children are at a loss of what to do with themselves, without any parental influence in their lives. They lost two parents that day instead of just one.As if that wasn't enough, Sam, one of Papa Locke's killers, escapes from prison with some paranormal help. And he comes for the Locke family. I really liked how Joe Hill didn't forget about Sam. Often, I find that the villains get little backstory, and so people aren't interested in them and just want the heroes of the stories to save the day. I, however, am really interested in evil characters and their stories and psychology. I love discovering what's going on in their heads! And Joe Hill developed Sam's character really well. We got flashbacks with him in, we saw how he was tied to the Locke family, and we saw what led him down this road. Sam is a very broken character, and one that I can't help but sympathise with, despite the fact that he is insane.I have another favourite character in this book, but I don't want to go into detail on that due to potential spoilers. I'm always wary of those! Just know that someone turns up towards the end of the book who I am totally captivated by, and I can't wait to find out more about them. Whether they're a hero or a villain, you'll have to read the book to find out. I think Tatum will know the answer to that without reading, though.This book is really creepy, and not even just because of the paranormal stuff that was going on. I was thoroughly creeped out by some of the things that the characters did, and it really drove the message home that humans can be the most evil things out there. Forget about the ghosts and the demons!The art was fabulous. The characters aren't painted as conventionally beautiful people. They look like your regular person, someone that could easily live next door to you. I loved the detail that Rodríguez goes into with the landscapes and backgrounds. I particularly enjoyed looking at the drawings that took up the entire page. The attention to detail is fantastic, and Rodríguez is seriously talented. In addition, at the back of the book there is a series of more artistic work from him, that connect to the story but look less realistic than the actual art within the story itself.I have made the decision to buy this series gradually, since each individual book ranges from £9 to £15. That's a lot to spend, but I think it's worth it as long as I don't go too crazy. Like I said, Locke & Key turned out to be right up my alley, and I cannot wait to discover more about the Keyhouse, the Locke family, certain other characters, the Omega key, various other keys... I never thought I would be so interested in keys!

I was skeptical about this, with Joe being ol' Steve's son and all. But about 20% in I knew the guy was the real deal. This is genuinely great. The characters and the arc of the story is perfectly told. I admire the restraint. The following story benefits from the strong foundations set, and I appreciate the constant, deliberate, perhaps some might say slow, drip of surprises and tension. The concept of the house and the keys is fantastic and highs massive scope. I look forward to reading more. And all that is aside from the amazing artwork. I really like this style and as a comic book newb, I'd say this is the best I've seen yet—at least with regards to my personal taste.

I confess I'd been avoiding Joe Hill's work, purely based on the fact that he's Stephen King's son. Unfair perhaps, but I figured there are so many books out there I want to read that it was daft wasting time on an author whose reputation is so closely linked to one of the greats.Damn, do I wish I'd picked this up sooner!Both the story and the artwork are incredible. I don't think I've been this excited about a graphic novel since I first discovered Gaiman's Sandman, and that's saying something. Of course, a lot of the praise goes to Rodriquez for the fantastic artwork - there are plenty of panels with no text that tell the story in a hundred subtle ways.I don't really want to go too much into the story itself - I think it's best to discover it for yourself. We'll just say that the main characters move to "Key house" after a somewhat traumatic event. The house is well named, and with the discovery of each new key comes a little bit more of the story.I've already picked up volumes 2-5 and gone through them incredibly quickly. Looking forward to the final volume in Feb now!Oh, and in case you're wondering about how they display on the kindle app. I've been reading them on a 10.1 Samsung Galaxy Note and they look great. The only comment would be that the double page spreads sometimes require you to flip back and forth between a couple of pages, but there aren't too many of them so it's not really an issue.

This is a graphic novel with many nods and homages to many great horror, mystery and sci fi endeavours. What I love about it is that it has faith in its audience, with a first volume comprising of several well developed chapters setting up various plotlines, characters, and already throwing up and delivering a few nice twists and fascinating questions, you know that this is going to be a series where you can expect to be in on a long haul for some of the more deep rooted mysteries, but at the same time it will be an enjoyable ride. The elements and nature of mysteries in this tale are perhaps most inspired by the miniseries "The Lost Room" focusing in the first volume on mystical keys/items that appear to have supernatural effects and/or, open doors to realms beyond or different to our own... The recent series "Lost" also appears to be somewhat influential by way of the nemesis we encounter in the climax of the first volume due to echoes, the way in which it is contained, and the unusual power and influence it appears to have, as are certain Japanese horror movies for its location and appearance. The title is obviously going to draw Lovecraft fans in and they will not be disappointed as the township, Keyhouse, and many elements of mystery and dread permeating the tale such as madness, death, magic, hints at demonic forces, etc all echo themes from his short stories and novellas. This is easily one of the best graphic novels I have read in a long time and pacing and artwork wise I would rate it up there with Civil War, Fear Itself, and Nemesis; as for the story it is rare to find something this deeply developed in a graphic novel. If you are a fan of the old series "American Gothic" or more recently "American Horror Story", and as I previously mentioned "Lost" and "The Lost Room" you should be very pleased with this to say the least.