Locke & Key 6: Alpha & Omega

Locke & Key 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, 191 pages.

Oh man, it gets crazy in the final book in this series!! I can't say too much cause I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but lives are lost and lives are saved, and chaos reigns!!
This was an awesome series!

Locke & Key 5: Clockworks

Locke & Key 5: Clockworks by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, 159 pages

This volume of the Locke & Key series gives you a complete back story on the Locke family. Tyler and Kinsey use the clock key to time travel, first going way back to an execution in the Locke family. Then they find out what happened with the children's father when he was in high school and how he and his friends were using the keys. You also learn what happened to create the creature that is Zack. Some people die, lots of weird stuff happens. Can't wait to read the final volume and see how it all plays out.

Locke & Key 4: Keys to the Kingdom

Locke & Key 4: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, 146 pages

Things are getting really crazy in Lovecraft and the s*** is about to hit the fan. Several new keys appear in this installment and many injuries are sustained. The truth about Zack is revealed and now it's just a matter of destroying him. Easier said than done. This part of the series included a good amount about Coach Whedon's son, who is supposed to be mentally retarded but is also very smart, observant and intuitive. Also thrown in is a little bit about racism and prejudice. Friendships are created and destroyed. Blood is everywhere. Can't wait to start number 5.

Locke & Key 3: Crown of Shadows  by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, 152 pages

The third volume of this graphic series was probably my favorite thus far, having been scared of the dark as a child. The idea of creepy shadows coming to life and trying to harm you brought back childhood memories. This issue also depicted further evidence of Kinsey's lack of fear and her new friendship with the school misfits, Jamal and Scot. This volume also had some fantastic artwork with the ghost/soul scene involving Sam and Zack.

Locke & Key 1: Welcome to Lovecraft // Locke & Key 2: Head Games

Locke & Key 1: Welcome to Lovecraft // Locke & Key 2: Head Games by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez, 167 pages & 159 pages

I'm not really much of a graphic novel person, even though I was a big comic book reader when I was a kid, since my dad had a huge collection himself. However, several other bloggers here have read this series and I do have a fondness for Joe Hill, and horror in general, so I thought I would check them out. Some of my favorite comics as a kid WERE Tales from the Crypt, so...
The name of this series is a play on words, as the family's name is Locke and they live in a place called Keyhouse, located in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. They've moved there to get away from their previous home, where the father of the family was murdered. Their new home, however, comes with its own quirks. A strange well with a living echo within, keys that open strange supernatural doors, or even better, one's own mind. The story bounces around a little, between the family now, in Lovecraft, and the family before the death of the father, to give you some background. The first two books have been hard to put down and the second was more bizarre than the first. Looking forward to the next 4.
The artwork of Gabriel Rodriguez goes well with Joe Hill's writing. I just realized that Mr. Rodriguez did the artwork contained within Hill's book NOS4A2 and I had already been fond of that. I especially like the way he does the characters' eyes. He captures real emotion in those eyes.
P.S. These are most definitely adult graphic novels.