LOCKE & KEY

written by Joe Hill

art by Gabriel Rodriguez

published by IDW Publishing

ISBN-10: 1600102379

ISBN-13: 978-1600102370

reviewed by Adam Armstrong

7.27.09

The best way to follow greatness is with more greatness.

The Locke family is a typical three child family. On vacation, one of Mr. Locke’s students, Sam Lesser, finds them and shoots Mr. Locke in the head killing him. The family relocates across country to the island of Lovecraft, Massachusetts and to the family home of Keyhouse. But Sam Lesser has escaped prison and follows the family. He wants the same thing the ghost in the well wants. And he plans on killing off the family one at a time until he gets it.

This is just great all around. Hill does such a fantastic job of creating characters that you really care about. The way the family struggles with death and moving on is so realistic it is strange having it come from a comic book. With the art, Rodriguez doesn’t render in the realistic but the art isn’t exactly cartoonish either. However this can be said: the art is a perfect fit for the story.

This first collection and story arch definitely whet our appetite for more.

Pick it up: 5 out of 5