| Locke & Key | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofLocke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft #1 (February 2008), art byGabriel Rodriguez | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | IDW Publishing |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a set oflimited series. |
| Genre | DarkContemporary fantasy |
| Publication date | Welcome to Lovecraft February–July 2008 Head Games January–June 2009 Crown of Shadows November 2009 – April 2010 Keys to the Kingdom August 2010 – March 2011 Clockworks June 2011 – April 2012 Omega November 2012 – June 2013 Alpha September–December 2013 |
| Number of issues | 37 (original run) 8 (The Golden Age) |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Joe Hill |
| Artist(s) | Gabriel Rodríguez |
| Letterer(s) | Robbie Robbins |
| Colorist(s) | Jay Fotos |
| Editor(s) | Chris Ryall |
| Reprints | |
| Collected editions | |
| Welcome to Lovecraft | ISBN 9781600102370 |
| Head Games | ISBN 9781600104831 |
| Crown of Shadows | ISBN 9781600106958 |
| Keys to the Kingdom | ISBN 9781600108860 |
| Clockworks | ISBN 9781613772270 |
| Alpha & Omega | ISBN 9781613778531 |
Locke & Key is an Americancomic book series written byJoe Hill, illustrated byGabriel Rodríguez, and published byIDW Publishing.
This plot is presented in chronological order.
In 1775[1] during theAmerican Revolution, a group of Rebels, hiding in asea cave inMassachusetts Bay beneath what will one day be Keyhouse in the town of Lovecraft, discover a portal to another dimension, theplains of Leng. It is filled withdemons who can mesmerize anyone who sees them and possess them through touch; two men are possessed over two days, and they kill several rebels. However, when the demons attempt to enter the real world without possessing someone, they are transformed into "whispering" iron, which young smith Benjamin Locke forges into a variety of magical keys. The first key he makes is the Omega Key (which has anOmega character on thehead) that seals the entrance to the dimension. The magic of the Keyhouse gradually evolves over the years, including a spell that causes occupants to forget about the keys and the magic of the house when they pass their 18th birthday. In 1988, a group of teenagers, having used the keys extensively in their high school years to their great delight, decide to open the black door with the Omega Key, hoping to trick a demon into entering the real world in order to provide more metal with which to make more keys. Rendell Locke's younger brother Duncan follows the group into the cave, but he is mesmerized by demons in the open door, and attempts to walk through it. He is stopped by Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio, who accidentally puts his hand through the doorway and is possessed by ademonic being. He plots to kill his friends and enslave the others; Dodge kills several and causes another to lose her memory. He also extracts a part of his spirit to be hidden in a jar in the home of Ellen "Ellie" Whedon, one of the surviving friends, as acontingency plan. Dodge is finally killed by Rendell before he can force more people to be possessed. Rendell discovers a small piece of "whispering" iron from the sea cave and disguises it as a fishing lure.
Around 2010, the fragment of Dodge's spirit partially possesses Ellie, who thenconjures the rest of Dodge's spirit in the physical world at the magical well at Keyhouse, but Dodge is trapped within the well house. In 2011, Dodge's spirit reaches out to a young, abused prodigy, Sam Lesser, and convinces him to force Rendell to give him the Anywhere Key (which will allow Dodge to escape the wellhouse) and the Omega Key. When Rendell refuses, Sam murders him, but Sam is then incapacitated by Tyler, Rendell's oldest son, and captured by the police. The Locke family, children Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and mother Nina, move across the country to Keyhouse, reuniting with Duncan, and begin discovering the house's secrets. Sam escapes prison with Dodge's help and follows the Lockes to Massachusetts. Sam attacks the family again at Keyhouse, but Dodge also tricks Bode into bringing him the Anywhere Key in case Sam fails again. Dodge escapes from the wellhouse with Bode's help, kills Sam, and returns to Lovecraft in the same body as he had thirty years before.
Dodge intimidates his way into living in Ellie's home, who is now a teacher at the same high school she originally attended with Dodge, and where Tyler and Kinsey are enrolled; Dodge also re-enters the school under the guise of a new student and Ellie's cousin. Over the next year, Dodge secretly tries to recover the various keys – particularly the Omega Key – from the children, collecting many, though hindered by Tyler and Kinsey. Dodge is eventually discovered but manages to switch bodies and possesses Bode before they can kill him. Now free to explore the house as Bode, Dodge finally finds the Omega Key and plans his takeover during the after-prom party in the sea cave. Demons possess several students, and many others are killed. Dodge is ultimately undone by Tyler, having re-discovered the "whispering" iron from his father; he forges an "Alpha Key" with Duncan's help, which canexorcise a demon from the possessed soul, though it is fatal to the physical host. Dodge spirit in Bode's body is forced back into the well, killing the spirit again, though Bode's empty body is cremated before Bode's soul has a chance to return into it.
In the epilogue, Tyler conjures Dodge's spirit again and uses the Alpha Key to finally exorcise Dodge from Lucas' soul, allowing Lucas' unpossessed soul to finallyrest in death. Tyler uses the well's magic to speak with his father one last time. Finally, Tyler restores Bode's spirit to his physical form using the Animal Key.
The narrative ofLocke & Key has a three-act structure, with each act covering two story arcs. Act One's firststory arc,Welcome to Lovecraft, was a six-issuelimited series published byIDW Publishing. The first issue ofWelcome to Lovecraft was released on February 20, 2008, and sold out in a single day, requiring a second printing to be done immediately.[2] The second arc of Act One,Head Games, commenced with the release of the first issue on January 22, 2009.[3] The actualHead Games story was printed in four issues, with a standalone prologue ("Intermission" or "The Joe Ridgeway Story") and a standalone conclusion ("Army of One").[4]
The first storyline ofLocke & Key Act Two,Crown of Shadows, began in late 2009.[5] The second storyline,Keys to the Kingdom, began in August 2010.
The first storyline of Act Three was announced asTime & Tide,[6] but was retitledClockworks.[7] The second, and concluding, storyline is entitledAlpha & Omega.
Originally, the plan was to release the first five-story arcs in a monthly format with the sixth arc published as anoriginal graphic novel. The plan changed, and the concluding story arc appeared in monthly installments.[8][9][10]
In the universe ofLocke & Key, there are many keys created from whispering iron that have different magical properties. Some of them are extensively featured in the series, while others are featured very briefly. The known keys are:
These keys have not made an appearance in the official comics but appear in merchandise, promotional tie-ins, and/or non-canon materials. They may have also appeared in concept art. Regardless, their purpose or abilities are unknown.
These are locks that are seen in the art that could hint at the existence of potential Keys. Names are not official.
These keys were designed as merchandise and are based on several famous novels and fairy tales. They were created as a limited series by Skelton Crew.[14] Skelton Crew is solely responsible for making all purchasable replicas of Locke & Key keys. These specific keys do not appear in the comics or the Netflix Series.
| Issue | Release | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | February 20, 2008 | After the murder of their father, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode Locke relocate with their mother to the family estate of Keyhouse, located in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. Sam Lesser, one of the teens who murdered Mr. Locke, is in a juvenile detention center and, by gazing in water, communicates with a supernatural force that promises to free him. Bode Locke, the youngest of the family, uncovers The Ghost Door, which separates his spirit from his body. |
| #2 | March 26, 2008 | Bode continues to experiment with The Ghost Door and, in his incorporeal form, spies on his brother, sister, and mother. During his journeys, Bode discovers a well that houses a creature who appears as a girl, the supernatural force previously communicating with Sam Lesser. |
| #3 | April 30, 2008 | Sam Lesser uses the tools the girl gave him to escape from the detention center. |
| #4 | May 28, 2008 | Sam Lesser travels across America, making his way towards Keyhouse. His cross-country journey is mirrored by a series of flashbacks into his memories. |
| #5 | June 25, 2008 | The Locke family is taken hostage by Sam Lesser, who is seeking the Anywhere Key for his Master, the girl in the well. |
| #6 | July 30, 2008 | Bode uncovers the Anywhere Key and trades it with the girl in the well for a promise that she'll stop Sam Lesser. Freed from her prison, she keeps her promise by throwing Sam through the Ghost Door with no chance to return. |
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | January 28, 2009 | Intermission[4] | Professor Joe Ridgeway recognizes Zack Wells as Lucas Caravaggio, a teenager who disappeared over twenty years before, along with several other students, and who has long been presumed dead. Joe soon sets out to dig up the truth on Wells, but Zack proves ruthless in his desire for secrecy. |
| #2 | February 25, 2009 | Chapter One | A shocking death throws Kinsey and Tyler Locke into choppy emotional waters. They turn to Zack Wells for support, not knowing him to be the murderer. Meanwhile, six-year-old Bode Locke tries to puzzle out the secret of the head key, and Uncle Duncan is jarred into the past by a disturbingly familiar face. |
| #3 | March 4, 2009 | Chapter Two | Kinsey, Tyler, and Bode discover the head key allows them to open up people's minds and play with their memories. |
| #4 | April 8, 2009 | Chapter Three | Duncan Locke finds himself faced with a dizzying, impossible revelation; Tyler makes the ill-considered decision to share with others the unlikely powers of the head key; and Kinsey opts to remove troubling emotions from her mind. |
| #5 | May 20, 2009 | Chapter Four | Dodge uses the head key on Duncan Locke, sparing his life but inadvertently leading to the injury of Locke's live-in boyfriend. |
| #6 | July 1, 2009 | Army of One[4] | We learn how Dodge maintains control of Ellie even without the use of a head key in a flashback sequence. |
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | November 11, 2009 | The Haunting of Keyhouse[15] | Sam Lesser may be dead and gone, but Dodge still has uses for him, and in the first chill days of October, will make contact with him again. The dead know things the living may not, and Sam'srestless spirit has had time to discover the thing Dodge wants to know most of all... where to find the key to the black door. |
| #2 | December 16, 2009 | In the Cave | Far below Keyhouse lies the Drowning Cave, a place where shadows obscure ancient secrets, and the stones are stained with ancient blood. Kinsey Locke descends into the cavern, looking for answers to her family's troubled past, only to discover that it's easier to get in than it is to get out... |
| #3 | February 17, 2010 | Last Light[16] | Dodge takes possession of the crown of shadows, and darkness falls upon Keyhouse... with a vengeance. |
| #4 | March 17, 2010 | Shadow Play[17] | Kinsey and Bode find themselves in a desperate, seemingly unwinnable battle against a rising army of living shadows, while Tyler faces down Dodge in a terrifying duel of wits and wills. |
| #5 | April 28, 2010 | Light of Day[18] | The owners of the Giant Key and the Shadow Key go head to head. |
| #6 | July 14, 2010 | Beyond Repair[19] | In a terrible night of grief and rage, Nina Locke discovers a new key, one which opens a cabinet capable of mending smashed objects; but some things, she will learn, are beyond repair... |
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | August 11, 2010 | Sparrow[20] | As the new arc begins, Bode Locke discovers a key that unlocks the world of tooth, fang, claw, and feather, in a story that leaves hundreds dead! Hundreds of birds, that is. |
| #2 | October 20, 2010[21] | White[22] | On a bitter winter day, Kinsey Locke encounters a madwoman who just might be able to unlock the darkest secrets of Keyhouse. But forcing the truth out of her won't be easy, and besides... Dodge has no intention of ever giving Erin Voss a chance to tell what she knows. |
| #3 | November 24, 2010 | February | Dodge and the Locke children do battle via their keys over 29 days. The cover image shows a February 2012 calendar page (the final 2 in 2012 is obscured by a bloody hand print, but only 2012 fits, being a leap year February beginning on a Wednesday). |
| #4 | January 26, 2011[23] | Casualties | When Squadron Strange accept a mission from a ghost, they find themselves on their most perilous raid ever... straight into the heart of a haunted mansion. Sgt. Rufus Whedon and Corporal Bode Locke have a terrifying lesson to learn: if you're dealing with a dead man, you'd better think fast and fight hard, if you don't want to wind up one yourself. |
| #5 | March 2, 2011[24] | Detectives, Part 1 | Tyler Locke begins, finally, to consider what he knows about the terrifying but mysterious enemy that has harrowed the Locke family for months—only to find that all the evidence points to a single suspect: Zack Wells. |
| #6 | April 27, 2011 | Detectives, Part 2 | 'Keys to the Kingdom' comes to a close as Dodge and Tyler Locke confront one another at last. Tyler came armed with the truth; Dodge prefers sharper instruments and shows his willingness to use them. |
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | July 20, 2011[1] | The Locksmith's Son | Colonel Adam Crais's minutemen are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place; in the first days of the Revolutionary War, they find themselves hiding beneath 120 feet of New England stone, with a full regiment of redcoats waiting for them in the daylight... and a door into hell in the cavern below. The black door is open, and it's up to a 16-year-old smith named Ben Locke to find a way to close it. The biggest mysteries of theLocke & Key series are resolved as Clockworks opens, not with a bang, but with the thunderous crash of English cannons. |
| #2 | August 31, 2011[25] | SMASH! | Terror runs wild, and the Locke family comes to grief in the smash-ingest story of the series yet! |
| #3 | December 14, 2011[26] | The Tamers of the Tempest | The Omega Key to The Black Door has been found by Dodge, still in Bode's body. |
| #4 | February 1, 2012[27] | The Whispering Iron | The tamers of The Tempest—Rendell Locke, Dodge Caravaggio, and their friends—descend into the Drowning Cave to open the Black Door, hoping to get their hands on some of the fabled whispering iron, the material from which all of the keys are forged. And everything goes according to plan! Not. |
| #5 | March 14, 2012[28] | Grown-Ups | Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio returns from the Drowning Cave, infected by a parasite of the soul; the good and loving friend has been left behind, and replaced by something free of all human feeling. Searching for a way to control him, the Keepers of the Keys make a dreadful choice... and set off a chain of events that will end in an unimaginable slaughter. |
| #6 | May 16, 2012[29] | Curtain | As a storm thunders up the coast to Lovecraft, Massachusetts, the Keepers of the Keys face Dodge a final time, under three hundred feet of stone, in the darkness before the Black Door. Here, water will mix with blood, and The Drowning Cave will become a colossal grave, in the final issue of the CLOCKWORKS storyline. |
The final arc is titledLocke & Key: Alpha & Omega; it collectsOmega #1–5 andAlpha #1–2.[30]
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omega #1 | November 14, 2012 | Our Regrets | The beginning of the end starts here. Dodge has the Omega key, and nothing can stop him from using it... |
| Omega #2 | December 19, 2012 | The Soldier | A ghost haunts the long halls of Keyhouse—the spirit of Bode Locke, cast out of his body by the Demon named Dodge—and only one person can hear his voice: Bode's old playmate, Rufus Whedon.[31] |
| Omega #3 | February 20, 2013 | Last Dance | As Kinsey Locke and the other students head to a dance at Lovecraft Academy, the demonic Dodge gathers shadowy forces of his own and enacts his evil endgame. The “Last Dance” begins here.[32] |
| Omega #4 | April 3, 2013 | Human Sacrifices | The bottomless pit of the Drowning Cave threatens to become a mass grave, as Dodge springs a fatal trap on the senior class of Lovecraft Academy. Hope is as fragile as a candle-flame wavering in the night... and as easy to extinguish. |
| Omega #5 | June 5, 2013 | The Fall | In the Drowning Cave, the black door is open at last, and for the kids trapped down there, the choice is simple: resist and die, or pass through the door and be lost forever. In the hole beneath Keyhouse, the stones run with blood, the living shadows run riot, and time runs out... asLocke & Key enters its final chapters. |
| Alpha #1[33] | September 11, 2013[34] | Alpha | In the penultimate issue ofLocke & Key, the damned and the saved alike will make their final stand in the Drowning Cave, in a clash of blood and fire. The shadows have never been darker, and the end has never been closer. Turn the key and open the last door; it's time to say goodbye.[35] |
| Alpha #2 | December 18, 2013[36] | The Last Door | "The End." A door claps softly shut. A key scrapes in a last rusted lock. It ends here: the story of the Locke children and their desperate, tragic battle with the monster set on destroying them... the past.[37] |
At the 2019San Diego Comic-Con, Joe Hill confirmed that a newLocke & Key series calledWorld War Key was in the works.[38] This storyline as Hill puts it is "about the idea that the past is never gone... and I think a lot of ghost stories are about ways the past keep bleeding through to the present. We'll visit theRevolutionary War,Civil War, andWorld War II to show how those past events have had lingering effects on our heroes today."[38] As of 2019, the series is expected to run thirty-seven issues across six books (not includingThe Golden Age).[39]World War Key is designed to be both a prequel and a sequel to the original run ofLocke & Key.[40]
A series of short stories set in the past.[41] In his newsletter, Joe Hill referred to the book as "World War Key 0: The Golden Age".[42]
Locke & Key: …In Pale Battalions Go… will be a three-issue story that leads intoWorld War Key, set at the beginning of the 20th century and will feature characters from "Small World" and "Open the Moon".[43] It will also lead into theLocke & Key/Sandman Universe crossover comic.[42] On February 21, 2020, IDW announced via their Twitter[44] thatLocke & Key would be crossing over withDC Comics'sSandman Universe. The story,Hell & Gone, will center around DC's Key to Hell fromThe Sandman: Season of Mists.Hell & Gone will wrap upThe Golden Age arc.[45]
According to Joe Hill,...In Pale Battalions Go... was originally supposed to be just two issues, but he quickly realized that it wasn't enough to tell the full story, so it was increased to three.[46]
| Issue | Release | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to the Known Keys | November 23, 2011 | This special standalone issue features an expanded "Guide to the Known Keys", an all-new "Guide to Failed Keys", and a story of summer night magic titled "Open the Moon", set in Keyhouse's unlikely past. |
| Small World | December 21, 2016 | An impossible birthday gift for two little girls unexpectedly throws open a door to a monster on eight legs. Joe Hill has said that the title is a shout out to the horror novel of the same name by his motherTabitha King.[47] |
| ...In Pale Battalions Go... #1[48] | August 26, 2020[49] | "The impossible, reality-bending keys of Keyhouse have always been weapons of war. In the spring of 1915, Chamberlin Locke's oldest son, John, is desperate to be a part of the greatest war of all… and never mind that he's too young to enlist. He means to use the power of the keys to turn the tide, and will tell any lie, and try any manipulation, to have his way. Prepare to open a door onto one of the grimmest battlefields of the 20th century, whose darkness might even strike fear into an army of supernatural shadows."[49] |
| ...In Pale Battalions Go... #2 | October 7, 2020[50] | "The impossible, reality-bending keys of Keyhouse have always been weapons of war. In the spring of 1915, Chamberlin Locke's oldest son, John, is desperate to be a part of the greatest war of all… and never mind that he's too young to enlist. He means to use the power of the keys to turn the tide, and will tell any lie, and try any manipulation, to have his way. Prepare to open a door onto one of the grimmest battlefields of the 20th century, whose darkness might even strike fear into an army of supernatural shadows."[51] |
| ...In Pale Battalions Go... #3 | December 16, 2020[52] | "Jonathan Locke uses the power of the Anywhere Key to flee the slaughter in Ypres and return to Keyhouse. But now the door is open between Flanders Fields and Lovecraft, Massachusetts… and the sinister Oberleutnant Eric Murnau has led a small band through to claim the magical keys for Germany!"[53] |
| Hell & Gone #0[53] | December 9, 2020[53] | This issue recollects "Guide to the Known Keys" and "Open the Moon" with an excerpt fromSandman #1.[54] |
| Hell & Gone #1 | April 14, 2021[55] | "If you think you can unlock the gates of Hell and just invite yourself in, you must be Dreaming! The epic crossover between two of the most beloved fantasy universes in comics begins here. John "Jack" Locke is ten years dead, but that hasn't stopped him from posting the occasional letter home... from Hell. Now Mary Locke will do anything to save her brother's soul, including cut a deal with Roderick Burgess-the most evil man in England-to search for answers in the House of Mystery and risk the walking nightmare known as the Corinthian to find help in a disintegrating Kingdom of Dreams!"[56] |
| Hell & Gone #2[57] | September 28, 2021[58] | "To win back her brother’s soul from Hell, Mary Locke has done the unthinkable—she’s seized control of the imprisoned Dream Lord’s artifacts of power and crossed over into his place of power, the Dreaming! Unfortunately, she’s managed to find herself in the middle of a war for the future of the kingdom, led by none other than the monstrous Corinthian. And even if Mary survives her encounter, the road to Hell ends in locked gates guarded by Etrigan the Demon and the all-powerful Lucifer himself! Of course, the Locke family has always had a knack for making keys…"[59] |
| Face the Music[60][61] | April 26, 2022 | TBD |
Joe Hill has stated that the chronological order of the Golden Age chapters is as follows:[62][63]
The first arc ofWorld War Key. Joe Hill stated in an interview thatRevolution "takes place during theRevolutionary War and it's about how the magical keys won the Revolutionary War."[64]
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | TBD[65] | TBD | TBD |
The second arc of World War Key, according to Joe Hill. He described the plot: "leaps forward to the modern-day, [where] we visit some favorite characters from the Locke & Key series, and we see how they're doing. And we all see the events of the Revolutionary War staining through into the present."[64]
| Issue | Release | Chapter Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Many fans believed that "GRINDHOUSE" and "DOG DAYS" were a part of the Golden Age arc until Joe Hill stated via Twitter that they are at the moment their own standalone stories that are not a part of any arc.[66]
| Issue | Release | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| IDW: 10 Year Anniversary Comic Book | January 1, 2009[67] | "In the Can" A rareLocke & Key short that was published for the first time inIDW: 10 Year Anniversary Comic Book.[68] While searching for keys near Keyhouse, Bode feels nature's call and stumbles upon a mysterious outhouse with the IDW Key. |
| Locke & Key: Grindhouse | August 29, 2012 | Set in the glare of a Depression-era summer, in which three Canuck gangsters carry out a heist and hide out at the Keyhouse. The issue includes an expanded "Guide to Keyhouse" describing the mansion. |
| Locke & Key: Nailed It | July 19, 2019[69] | "Nailed It" A 2019San Diego Comic-Con exclusive featuring behind-the-scenes material.[70] "Some doors, once closed, can never be opened again. While others shouldn’t be reopened ever again…"[71] This short story involves Tyler regenerating Keyhouse using the Keyhouse Key after it was destroyed. |
| Locke & Key: Dog Days | November 6, 2019 | "Dog Days" Two boys of the Locke family use the Animal Key to turn their pet dog into a human boy. This story originally appeared in a 48-page special, which also recollected "Nailed It", along with behind-the-scenes material.[72] |
| Volume | Release | Title | Summary | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 8, 2008 | Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft | CollectsWelcome to Lovecraft #1–6 | 9781600102370 (Hardcover) 9781600103841 (Paperback) |
| 2 | September 30, 2009 | Locke & Key: Head Games | CollectsHead Games #1–6 | 9781600104831 (Hardcover) 9781600107610 (Paperback) |
| 3 | July 29, 2010 | Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows | CollectsCrown of Shadows #1–6 | 9781600106958 (Hardcover) 9781600109539 (Paperback) |
| 4 | July 19, 2011 | Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom | CollectsKeys to the Kingdom #1–6 | 9781600108860 (Hardcover) 9781613772072 (Paperback) |
| 5 | July 24, 2012 | Locke & Key: Clockworks | CollectsClockworks #1–6 | 9781613772270 (Hardcover) 9781613776995 (Paperback) |
| 6 | February 4, 2014 | Locke & Key: Alpha & Omega | CollectsAlpha #1–2 andOmega #1–5 | 9781613778531 (Hardcover) 9781631401442 (Paperback) |
| — | January 4, 2017 | Locke & Key: Small World[73] | CollectsThe Golden Age stand-alone issueSmall World. | 9781631408465 (Hardcover) |
| — | August 15, 2017 | Locke & Key: Heaven and Earth[68] | CollectsThe Golden Age stand-alone short stories "Open the Moon",Grindhouse, and "In the Can", (a rareLocke and Key short that was published inIDW: 10 Year Anniversary Comic Book in 2009) | 9781684051816 (Hardcover) |
| 7 | April 26, 2022[74] | Locke & Key: The Golden Age | CollectsSmall World, "Open the Moon",…In Pale Battalions Go… #1–3, "Face the Music", andHell & Gone #1–2 | 9781684057856 (Hardcover) |
On November 11, 2014, the first six volumes were collected as a slipcase set of paperbacks.
Locke & Key was also collected in three hardcover books with all-new cover art and design by Gabriel Rodriguez.
All six arcs (Welcome to Lovecraft, Head Games, Crown of Shadows, Keys to the Kingdom, Clockworks, and Alpha & Omega) of the main story are published in one compendium edition, featuring new front and back cover art byGabriel Rodriguez. The compendium had an original release date of October 2020,[75] but it was delayed and eventually published July 20, 2021.[76]
On November 11, 2007,Subterranean Press announced a pre-order for a hand-numbered, signed, limited edition of the six-issue run ofWelcome To Lovecraft. This edition consisted of 250 numbered copies and 26 lettered copies, both of which sold out within 24 hours of being announced.[77][78] This edition was a hardcover release in a specially designed and illustrated slipcase, and featured exclusive dust jacket art byVincent Chong and reprinted all 250 pages ofJoe Hill's script in addition to the actual comic work.[79]
This was followed by the publication ofHead Games, which was also limited to 250 hand-numbered and signed copies as well as 26 lettered copies.[80]The third volume,Crown of Shadows, is available for preorder, and like the previous editions is signed and numbered with the same limitations and also comes with an illustrated slipcase.[81]Cloth-bound trade editions limited to 1000 copies (unsigned, unnumbered, and without the slipcase) were also released. Trade editions for the first two volumes are sold out.
Comic Book/Graphic Novel
| Year | Award | Category | Notes | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Eisner Award | Best Limited Series | Nominated | [38] | |
| Best Writer | Joe Hill | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | British Fantasy Award | Best Comic or Graphic Novel | Nominated | [82] | |
| 2011 | Eisner Award | Best Writer | Joe Hill | Won | [83] |
| Best Single Issue | Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #1: "Sparrow" | Nominated | [84] | ||
| Best Continuing Series | Nominated | ||||
| Best Penciller | Gabriel Rodriguez | Nominated | |||
| Scream Awards | Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel | Nominated | [85] | ||
| Best Comic Book Writer | Joe Hill ("The Cape" also credited) | Nominated | [86] | ||
| 2012 | British Fantasy Award | Best Graphic Novel | Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom | Won | [82] |
| Bram Stoker Award | Best Graphic Novel | Nominated | |||
| Hugo Award | Best Graphic Story | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Hugo Award | Best Graphic Story | Locke & Key: Clockworks | Nominated | |
| 2015 | Bram Stoker Award | Best Graphic Novel | Locke & Key: Alpha and Omega | Nominated | |
| Mythopoeic Fantasy Award | Best Adult Literature | Nominated | [87][88] | ||
| 2016 | Ghastly Award | Best One-Shot Comic | Locke & Key: Golden Age #1: "Small World" | Won | [89] |
| Audie Award | Excellence in Marketing | Locke & Key Audio Book. Narrated byHaley Joel Osment,Tatiana Maslany, Kate Mulgrew, and a full cast (Audible Studios). | Won | [90] | |
| 2022 | Eisner Award | Best Graphic Album - Reprint | Locke & Key Keyhouse Compendium Edition Volume | Pending | [91] |
Netflix Adaptation
Awards and Nominations received by the Netflix series
A film trilogy was officially announced at the 2014 Comic-Con.Alex Kurtzman,Roberto Orci,Bobby Cohen and Ted Adams would produce the film withUniversal Pictures and Kurtzman and Orci's production companyK/O Paper Products.[92]
In October 2015, Joe Hill confirmed that the films are no longer happening, though a TV series was still possible.[93] In May 2016, Joe Hill announced he would write a TV pilot, serve as executive producer and pitch the show to various networks and streaming companies.[94]
Dimension Films acquired the film and television rights forWelcome to Lovecraft fromIDW Publishing with the intent of developing the property as a feature withJohn Davis producing.[95] In February 2010, it was announced that Dimension had lost the adaptation rights to DreamWorks[96] withAlex Kurtzman andRoberto Orci signed on to develop and produce the project.[97] In August 2010,Steven Spielberg also joined as a producer, and the production became a TV series rather than a movie adaptation, withJosh Friedman writing episodes for the show and acting as show-runner.[98]
The TV series adaptation then landed at20th Century Fox Television. The network greenlit apilot, produced byDreamWorks TV andK/O Paper Products through the latter's deal with 20th Century Fox TV.[99]
Miranda Otto played Nina Locke,Sarah Bolger was Kinsey Locke[100][101] andNick Stahl co-starred as Duncan Locke.[102]Skylar Gaertner played 6-year old Bode, and Harrison Thomas played a teenager possessed by an evil spirit.[103] Actor and singerJesse McCartney appeared as Ty Locke, the series' male lead[104] andKsenia Solo was cast as Dodge.[105]
Mark Romanek directed the pilot episode,[106] which was filmed at the mansion inHartwood Acres and inEllwood City, Pennsylvania, in February 2011. The pilot was also shot throughoutPittsburgh that same month.[107] In May 2011, Fox announced that the project would not be picked up as a series.[108] The studio attempted to sell the project to other networks but eventually ceased efforts due to rising costs. The pilot was screened at the 2011San Diego Comic-Con, where it was well received.[109]
On April 20, 2017,Hulu ordered a pilot based on the comic withCarlton Cuse,Scott Derrickson, and Lindsey Springer as producers.[110] In July 2017, Derrickson was replaced byAndy Muschietti as the pilot's director.[111] In August 2017,Frances O'Connor was cast as Nina in the show.[112] In a March 2018 interview, Samantha Mathis revealed that Hulu had passed on the show, and it was now being shopped around to other networks.[113]
On May 30, 2018, after Hulu had passed onLocke & Key, it was announced thatNetflix was nearing a series order for a re-developed version of the show with Cuse and Hill involved once again, and Muschietti as executive producer. The show found a new director for the pilot and an entirely new cast except forJackson Robert Scott as Bode Locke, who was cast in the Hulu pilot as well.[114]
Season one of the show, with 10 episodes, debuted on Netflix on February 7, 2020.Season two of the show, with 10 episodes, debuted on Netflix on October 22, 2021.The third and final season of the show, with 8 episodes, debuted on Netflix on August 10, 2022.
All six books ofLocke & Key were adapted as a 13-houraudio drama released on 5 October 2015. Produced by theAudioComics Company forAudible Studios and directed by William Dufris, the work features voice actors includingTatiana Maslany,Haley Joel Osment,Kate Mulgrew, andBrennan Lee Mulligan, with appearances by series creators Rodríguez and Hill, as well as Hill's fatherStephen King, in addition to almost 50 voice-over actors[115] and an original score by Peter Van Riet. The work received critical praise and in 2016 was nominated for four Audie Awards from the Audiobook Publishers Association of America, including "Best Original Work" and "Excellence in Production."
In 2012, Cryptozoic Entertainment released a card game based on the series.[116]
Sorta, not quite. HEAD GAMES is actually four-issues long, with a standalone prologue ("Intermission" or "The Joe Ridgeway Story") and a standalone conclusion ("Army of One").
I wasn't asked, but I'll say at this point the plan is for four more six-issue LOCKE & KEY stories, the next being CROWN OF SHADOWS in the fall/winter of this year.
In a weird way,Welcome to Lovecraft was really the prologue. It was the two-hour pilot, and now the TV series is beginning for real. There's gonna be 24 issues. We're gonna go for two years, and then there's gonna be a break, and then there'll be a final graphic novel to wrap things up. If you look at it broadly, it has a bit of a three-act structure, so the first 12 issues are one act… something happens at the end of issue #12, which begins to change things. The next 12 issues are Act 2, and then that final graphic novel will be Act 3
[…]but starting this winter, you'll have 24 L&K issues MONTHLY, two years of uninterrupted series, and then a little pause before the grand finale graphic novel!
I had thought at one point we might go monthly, but now I think it might be wiser to do it in six-issue bites. […] Also, a plan to end the series with a standalone graphic novel has been scrapped. I'd rather go with individual issues: for me, crafting the story in discreet 22-page portions is the great pleasure of the thing, and I don't want to abandon what's working.
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