http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2008-1... ( )

Interesting story line with really creepy artwork. It was quick and fun. ( )

"Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft" is a collection of the first 6 comics of the "Locke & Key" series from author Joe Hill and illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez. The Locke children -- Tyler, Kinsey and Bode -- and their mother Nina move into the old family home known as Keyhouse after witnessing their father's murder by one of his students. While exploring the family house, young Bode finds a black key with a skull and, after a quick search, a doorknob with a matching skull. He unlocks the door and steps through, only to find himself changed into a ghost. After wandering around Keyhouse and spying on his family, Bode returns to his body and begins exploring the rest of the house. He discovers an old well, and the voice in the well, whome he calls Echo, wants his help to find the Anywhere Key which turns any door into a portal to anywhere.

Joe Hill's creepy story of a mysterious house, magical doors, and a mysterious, evil spirit on its own was enough to send chills up and down my spine. But Gabriel Rodriguez's intricate, and sometimes bloody, illustrations enhanced the tale, making me inspect each pane carefully for some clue, some little detail because I didn't want to miss anything. Also, both their efforts allowed me to get to know the characters: I felt the sadness and anger the both Ty and Kinsey felt, the wonder and surprise that Bode experienced exploring the house and stepping through that first door.

Thankfully, the story doesn't end with "Welcome to Lovecraft". In fact, I've already read the first two comics of the second series, "Head Games", and am definitely intrigued as to what they keys and the doors of Keyhouse are hiding. For fans of horror, this is a great comic book series to capture your imagination. ( )

The introduction to the new series, Locke & Key, Welcome to Lovecraft sets up a nice storyline and some very interesting story concepts for future installments. The basic premise follows the Locke family, who has moved to the west coast trying to start a new life after the family has been attacked and the father, Renny Locke, is killed by some local high school students. The home that they move to in Lovecraft, Massachusetts, is called Keyhouse. Keyhouse is a mansion with numerous doors and keys, and depending on which key you use, these doors open onto different realities or can change a person (in one case, into a ghost or in another, using the key will change your sex if you walk through a door). The house has apparently been in the family for decades, and Renny Locke's brother is the current resident of the house.

There is a ghost who lives in the well house who is unable to escape from the well house without the aid of the Anywhere Key, a key able to open any of the doors in Keyhouse to anywhere else the user wants to go. The well house ghost uses numerous means to escape, manipulating both the psychopathic high school student who murdered Renny Locke, and the youngest Locke child, Bode, to try to locate the Anywhere Key. Whether or not this ghost is benevolent is uncertain by the end of the story.

Joe Hill's writing is just creepy enough to give the story a real edge while at the same time not making it seem too far-fetched. Gabriel Rodriguez's art really captures the essence of the story.

I'm really intrigued by how future volumes will play out, and I guess that's the important part; that the story has kept my attention enough to want to read more. ( )

http://tyranist.blogspot.com/2008/12/... ( )