Locke & Key Volume 4: Keys to the Kingdom

Locke & Key Volume 4: Keys to the Kingdom
Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, 2011

Premise: Sequel to Crown of Shadows. Life continues to get stranger for the Locke family as Tyler, Kinsey and Bode keep trying to solve the puzzles of Keyhouse, and trying to stay alive as Dodge steps up his pursuit of the Omega Key.

Locke and Key continues to be awesome and disturbing by turns as the action ramps up even more. I’m torn on this volume between being happy the pace is picking up and sad that there are so many new adventures and new keys that we’re only getting to see in passing, or in a montage. The power of the keys is starting to influence our heroes in more insidious ways, though, which is interesting.

The plot threads are starting to pull further together here, all the minor characters getting lined up for the next act. Each issue in this collection is very different from the last, and each is special.

The ending was shocking and amazing and horrifying. So, yeah, par for this series. I’m ordering Book five through the library now, and Book six (the end of the series) is coming out soon. I think I’ve said it before, but whether or not you generally read comics, if you like supernatural horror, you should give Locke and Key a try.

4 Stars - A Very Good Book