Locke & Key: Master Edition, Volume Two

Locke & Key #3-4

by Joe Hill (Writer), Gabriel Rodríguez (Illustrator)

Named a "modern masterpiece" by The A.V. Club, the crticially-acclaimed series Locke & Key takes on new life in a reformatted hardcover collection. The Locke & Key Master Edition, Vol. 2 features the third and fourth L&K arcs, "Crown of Shadows" and "Keys to the Kingdom," with all-new cover art and design by co-creator Gabriel Rodriguez.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

328 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2016

About the author

Joe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.

He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in his prize-winning collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

He won the Eisner Award for Best Writer for his long running comic book series, Locke & Key, co-created with illustrator and art wizard Gabriel Rodriguez.

He lives in New Hampshire with a corgi named McMurtry after a certain beloved writer of cowboy tales. His next book, Strange Weather, a collection of novellas, storms into bookstores in October of 2017.

Reviews

[Maksym Karpovets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чесно кажучи, я просто в захваті від цього коміксу. Насамперед, я у захваті від того, як добре Джо Гілл (син Стівена Кінґа, якщо хто не знає) використовує увесь потенціал коміксу для транслювання видимих і невидимих змістів, створюючи справжню магію на кожній сторінці. Це не просто блискуча, гіпнотична й справді страшна історія про безкомпромісність і підступність зла, але й захоплива візуальна пригода від кадру до кадру. Звісно, цьому потрібно завдячувати Ґабріелю Родріґесу, який скурпульозно вимальовує кожну деталь, позаяк деталі тут мають неабияке значення, окутуючи мережем таємниць і загадок увесь процес читання.

Тільки завдяки коміксу можна так уміло маніпулювати часом, ламаючи простір завдяки винахідливим панелям. Так, один із ключів (а це комікс про ключі, що дають різні уміння і таланти) допомагає переміщатись у будь-яке місце, аби тільки людина мала уявлення інших дверей по той бік власних. Цей ключ належить Закові/Темній Леді/Демону, тому для всемогутності його/її задумів потрібно показати різні ракурси й фокуси. Мені важко пригадати інший комікс, де б так майстерно показували різні кути камери. У цьому томі мене найбільш вразила арка "Корона тіней" (одна із моїх улюблених поки і взагалі одна із найкращих в жанрі містики й темного фентезі), оскільки саме в ній варто було прикласти усю майстерність, щоб передати як особливості одного із ключів, так і заломлення простору внаслідок цього. Це справді страшна й водночас захоплива арка, що нагадує усі наші дитячі страхи: чи то перебирання холодними кімнатами до туалету вночі, чи то шелест гілок за вікном пізньої осінньої ночі, чи то дивний шкребіт десь за старими шафами. Усі ці страхи Гілл майстерно препарує подібно до свого батька, конвертуючи їх у формат коміксу як найбільш придатного медіуму для реалізації задуму.

У цьому томі також помітив для себе іншу важливу річ, а саме поєднання жахливого й комічного. Звісно, для цього жанру це не є чимось дивним, але тепер виглядає цілком логічним дещо анімаційний малюнок Родріґеса, який ще більше загострює сцени жорстокості чи саспенсу. На сторінках є також геніальна арка про те, як Зак/Темна Леді намагається усіма способами вибити правду про Омега Ключ, основний і найбільш бажаний із усіх, переслідуючи наших героїв. Так от, малюнок перетворюється на щось подібне до стилю Скотті Янґа із його фірмовими карикатирнуми й мімішними фігурами. Самі ж події переповнені насиллям, але дитячість малюнку й водночас дитячість сприйняття світу найменшого героя створюють неймовірний емоційний ефект зіткнення протилежних сил і субстанцій.

Таких ретельних аналізів тут можна проводити безкінечно. Комікс Джо Гілла — це розумна, красива й справді загадкова історія, яку читати дуже цікаво. У якісь моменти очі просто починають наливатись слізьми, руки починають тремтіти, а в горлі починає стояти комок відчаю, бо Гілл такий же безкомпромісний до читачів як і його злі персонажі. Він не стільки знущається із нас, а швидше створює справді правдоподібну, до болі знайому оповідь, де може статись все, що завгодно, зокрема й життя.

[Johann (jobis89) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You were a cup with nothing in it until I came along to fill you up."

This second master edition is comprised of arcs 3 and 4, Crown of Shadows and Keys to the Kingdom. Following directly after the events covered in the first master edition, more keys are discovered within Keyhouse as the search for the elusive Omega Key is turned up a notch...

These volumes just keep getting better and better!! Admittedly, I felt like the beginning of Crown of Shadows lagged a little bit, but then it picked up towards the end and carried that pace right through Keys to the Kingdom. I'm itching to start the final master edition right away and finish the series, but I also want to savour it.... so I'll wait a bit....

As per usual, the characters are incredible - the Locke children in particular. I love Tyler and Bode, and although Kinsey can be kinda irritating at times, she's pretty believable as a teen and also well-developed. I have such a hatred for Zack, which I guess is the point? We're meant to hate him? But even his appearance gets under my skin, he's just so annoying to look at! I wanna punch his face with that angular jaw and lip ring (nothing against lip rings, his just bugs the hell outta me). I also feel like I'm waiting for the mother's role to progress - I can understand her trauma at the hands of the attackers and subsequent alcoholism...but maybe it's getting a bit tiresome and I just want her to do something else! I feel like something kickass is coming and I'm getting impatient!

The artwork continues to astound me, but sometimes it's difficult to fully appreciate it as I'm keen to flick through those pages and find out what's happening next!! I really really love this series, it's just so much fun to read - for anyone who has never read graphic novels before and isn't sure where to start, I implore you to give Locke & Key a whirl! You won't regret it. Another 5 star read for me this month - I'm on a roll!

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect a comic book series to tackle grief, loss, depression, and family dynamics so head-on but it's refreshing, and makes this book stand out among other similar stories. The creativity on display here and the world building is stand-out as well. But my main issue with this series is in it's uneven pacing and lack of momentum. I'm not saying I need every scene to be action-packed, but I do believe that when an life-changing event such as growing into a giant to fight a shadow monster happens to your main character, that character's priority should be on figuring out what the hell just happened. And it's distracting when that isn't the case and it seems all but forgotten about as the story moves on to something else. I get the sense that this story is being figured out as it goes along, evidenced in the countless keys that pop up for every situation, or in weird story points like the awkward racial commentary in one issue. The ending is a stunner though and it pretty much locked me in to see what's next!

[Rojda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars 🤔 since I wasn't a big fan of the first one I'm not too disappointed by this 😅

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't quite as into this volume as I was the last one but it's still very good, especially toward the end. I'm already on to volume 3!

[Aylin Kuhls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auch dieser Band sprudelt über vor verrückten Ideen und brutalen Kämpfen und düsteren Machenschaften. Der Zeichenstil bleibt abwechslungsreich und es gibt ein paar experimentelle Szenen, die künstlerisch hervorgestochen sind.
Leider schwächelt die Charakterentwicklung ziemlich und die Handlung wirkt etwas festgefahren.

[Amanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually my second time reading the entire Locke and Key graphic novel series. That alone should tell you how good it is. I very rarely reread anything, I reread all three huge volumes of this one in a single weekend.

I would consider Locke and Key to be one of my all time favorite books. On the surface it is a supernatural horror tale written by the acclaimed Joe Hill. But it goes so much deeper than that.

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[Blindzider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent volume, although this one seems to step aside slightly from the main story. It has a little fun by introducing some new keys and deepen the development of the kids, but only gives a few hints to the secrets behind the house and keys. This volume felt a little more lighthearted than the previous as well.

The whole mystery behind everything is driving me to continue, but I do enjoy the characterization of the kids. The dialogue for them just seems very real and natural.

A couple times between issues that the story seemed to jump a little, and there are times when you wonder where someone is during the issue. Still an engrossing mystery with a touch of horror/supernatural. Here's hoping the conclusion is satisfying...

[Whitney Jamimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/2022
I got to the issue that I didn’t care for last time and this time around I totally got it. It’s off brand because it’s from Bode’s POV entirely, it’s an immersion into Bode. This time around I loved it. I don’t get this fully invested and feel this much angst when it comes to comics but the character development is just absolute top tier and completely engulfs me into the story.

09/2019
Two more awesome volumes down. This book did have the slightest lull in it. Volume 3 Issue 3 was off brand in a not so good way for me so that’s why I’m not giving it all 5 stars. The end of Volume 4 was off the hook! I was like yes! Oh crap no! I mean never mind yes yes! Ohhhhh Noooooo! It was a rollercoaster for sure in the best way. I am loving how immersed I have been in this series. It is not always the case that a graphic novel is so easy to follow let alone get completely lost in the story. Hill and Rodriguez have done a stunning job with this story so far. I am eagerly waiting to find out how the Locke and Whedon kids will deal with the crazy that is to come.

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
Not as good as volume one (of the master editions), and not simply for Joe Hill's heavy handedness when it comes to certain social themes that had zero need to be in the book. The story slowed down considerably, dialed back on the 'horror' and got bogged down with the 'teen drama' aspects of the story. Sure, the characters lives and the world around Lovecraft were as much a part of the story as the central premise, but Hill delved too greedily and too deep. As soon as the story remembers what it is and refocuses to the core narrative and dials up the horror once more, it all gets back on track and is rather glorious once more. I could also criticize the book for leaning too heavily into the absurd on occasion. With some of the keys and their effects being a little 'too comic booky' for what could have been a more grounded and realistic read. There will be those who completely disagree and don't mind it going from fairly realistic to overly fantastical, but alas, I'm not one of them.
Criticism aside, this is still an inherently readable and accomplished work, albeit one that has slightly lost its way from the near masterpiece of its opening issues. The final issue was an amazing culmination, and one of intertwining threads, demonstrating Joe Hill absolutely has the chops when he wants to.
By the time it's done, had you cut half a dozen issues from it, including the filler and the superfluous modern themes, it would be a much, MUCH better read and an out and out classic. Still, it's rather good. 3.75/5

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just as enthralling and dark as the first volume if not more so and I really enjoyed both the fantastical and the horror elements here. My only problem is that this book proves to me the importance of sensitivity readers, because how do you make an attempt at racial commentary, well-intentioned though it may be, and use Blackface as the medium of that discussion? It was really off-putting and frankly disappointing because I really love this series but can't really recommend it strongly to everyone anymore.

[Patty Zuiderwijk]

story 5/5
characters 4,5/5
writing 4,5/5
audio/paper Paper.
reread? Yes.
Recommend it? Absolutely.


Verhaal: 5/5
Karakters: 4,5/5
Schrijfstijl: 4,5/5
Papier/audio? Papier.
Herlezen: Ja.
Aanrader? Absoluut.

[Philips_comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts: some issues within this edition are a little bit ropey. One particular issue the art changes back and forth within it and I don't see the artistic reason why. I can't say I enjoyed that. The story is so fast paced they just pass over many incidents without explanation. I can, after discussing it with @offmyshelves, understand why they took that approach. However this was my first read and my initial thoughts are what they are. I didn't enjoy this as I was reading it.

I did love the shadow key/giant key issue. That was pretty epic as was the final issue. (Keys to the kingdom: detectives I & II) The proverbial has certainly hit the fan and I cannot wait to dive into book 3. That's next.

[Maëlys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une deuxième intégrale en-dessous car certains passages, notamment sur les clé, sont à peine effleurés.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story continues to twist and turn. I don't usually read things in the horror genre (or watch horror movies) but this book is well done.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the last issue of this book had me sweating for a moment.

This master edition is actually the trade volumes “Crown of Shadows” and “Keys to the Kingdom”, which are Vols #3 and #4 in the series. A lot happens and Im going to try to explain how cool this read was. I really like the characters and the fact that you actually get to see them learn and grow. They have been through a lot and it doesn’t look like it’s going to lighten up soon! The story is super interesting, packed with drama and mystery and although it’s about kids, I wouldn’t say it’s for kids. But most importantly, I really liked how they used the comic as a medium! The issue with bode as a bird is probably one of my new favorites because of how they used the pages to showcase it. With the way they planned the layouts, I’m glad I read it in the fancy oversized omnibus. You get a better view of the art. This edition wasn’t even heavy or awkward to handle. It also isn’t too expensive. I really want to end the series with the last book in this set.
The last issue in this book was so stressful and well thought out, I’m tempted to start the next right now!

[Philip James Ahlschlager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this story keeps getting better! Really hope we get to see more about the keys themselves and how they were made.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Not going to round up this time because there was one problem I had. There was a bit where Joe Hill attempts to, I guess, shine light on racism. I really don’t know why this was here. It didn’t add to the story at all, it was poorly done and unnecessary.

With that out of the way, the rest of this was great! The first half we see Sam return and get into it with Zach and almost take his body. Then we follow Kinsey around with her new friends and all the misadventures they get into. The kids mom, Nina, is dealing with alcoholism due to the loss of her husband and it is getting bad. Makes you feel for her. More keys are discovered and Gabriel Rodriguez kills with the art illustrating these battles with Zach and all these new keys.

The second have starts of with a nice back and forth with different art which makes for some great story telling in these panels. We get some more interactions with Kinsey and her friends Jamal and Scot who are pretty cool. Some drama with Tyler and his girl, a nice convo with Sam and Rufus and the detective figuring this thing out. All leads to a shocking ending. Can’t wait to finish the last volume this weekend.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as exciting as the first book (mostly because we know and expect keys) but still a very exciting read. Characters develop, the story moves along and there is even a montage!

The artwork as always was great. Quality of the print and binding are superb. The extras for Volume 2 are similar to that of Volume 1.... a few notes about keys, some extra covers. That's about it. If you enjoyed Volume 1 there's no reason not to get Volume 2.

[Marius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wenn eine Tür sich schließt...

Inhalt: Tyler, Kinsey und Bode entdecken immer mehr Geheimnisse des alten Herrenhauses, während Zack unentwegt neue Angriffe aus der Finsternis heraus plant. Unterdessen hat Nina mit ihren eigenen Dämonen zu kämpfen und Sam sagt seinem ehemaligen "Helfer" den Kampf an.

Bewertung: Auch im zweiten Teil von "Locke & Key" geht es heiß her. Joe Hill schenkt uns immer mehr frische Ideen und Mysterien, die mich gefesselt und gebannt zurückgelassen haben. Der Band ist wieder sehr umfangreich, doch irgendwie kann man nicht aufhören zu lesen. Man will wissen, was für Rätsel die Locke Manor noch aufwirft. Die Konzepte hinter den magischen Gegenständen werden zusehends interessanter. Das Kommandieren der Schatten, Größenveränderung oder Reparatur zerstörter Gegenstände - all dies und noch mehr wartet auf den Leser. Die Charaktere entwickeln sich in diesem Teil nur bedingt weiter. Bode tritt deutlich in den Hintergrund. Tyler ist nach wie vor eine starke Figur, erlebt allerdings kaum Entwicklung. Besonders hervor stach im zweiten Band Kinsey, die ihr neues angstvergessenes Ich auskostet und dabei Hintergründe zum Antagonisten Zack aufdeckt. Apropos Zack...der ist im zweiten Teil nochmal fieser als im ersten und geht aufs Ganze. Etwas mehr zu seinen Beweggründen erfährt man hier auch. Neben dieser externen Bedrohung, gibt es auch einen innerfamiliären Brennpunkt: Mutter Nina und ihre zunehmende Abhängigkeit vom Alkohol. Während Tyler dies mehr oder weniger hinnimmt, hält sich Kinsey nicht zurück. Konflikte brechen an die Oberfläche, die die Bande zwischen den Figuren bedrohen. Mal schauen, wie sich dies im nächsten Teil fortentwickelt. Insgesamt fand ich den zweiten Band allerdings etwas langatmiger und weniger spannend als den ersten. Nicht viel weniger, aber für mich spürbar. Auch der Zeichenstil setzt sich konstant fort, wobei auch meine Kritik bestehen bleibt: Schön anzusehen ohne Frage, aber nur bedingt gruselig.

Fazit: Viele frische Ideen gepaart mit hübschen Bildern. Langatmiger als der erste Band. Gesamt: 4/5

[Jamaikilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

🕯📖 MIS LIBROS 📖🕯
LOCKE & KEY (Joe Hill y Gabriel Rodríguez)
Nota: 9,7
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Desde que vi la serie me obsesioné con esta historia, entonces @josete4ever me dijo que existían los cómics y que estaban "guapismos"... Ay Josete, qué razón tenías!!! 1000 gracias 🥰😊
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✏️✒️ Sinopsis:
La familia Locke, Tyler, Kinsey y Bode, junto con su madre, deciden trasladarse a Lovecfat, tras sobrevivir a una terrible y cruel tragedia, viendo como muere su padre. Lo que no saben, es que el verdadero peligro se haya en la vieja residencia familiar "la Casa de las Llaves". Esta, es una misteriosa mansión en la que se encuentran ocultas una serie de llaves con asombrosas propiedades y poderes más allá de lo concebible por la mente humana y qué con su poder sacan lo peor de cada uno, corrompiendo así las almas de quien las poseen. ¿Qué habrá detrás del poder oculto de las llaves? ¿Quién es amigo y quien enemigo, en esta historia?
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😈😇OPINIÓN 😇😈
Me han gustado una barbaridad 🤩🤩, así que recomiendo mucho por su toque fantástico dramático y terrorífico. Es excelente como se mezcla la niñez y la magia, la maldad con los juegos y como la mente nos lleva a la más extrema de las locuras .Las ilustraciones son brutales mezclando la fantasía con sangre, mucha sangre.
No tiene el 10, porque al final creo que nos dejan con bastantes incógnitas por resolver.
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😎A modo de curiosidad😎
- El autor, Joe Hill, es hijo del archiconocido #StephenKing y si bien el autor ha huído en todo momento de que lo relacionen con él, en el cómic hay muchos guiños a sus historias.

- En #Netflix tenemos la serie, de momento con 2 temporadas, a falta de una tercera, que será también la última.

- En 2011 el cómic ganó el premio Eisner al Mejor Escritor y en 2009 y 2012 al Mejor Cómic en la British Fantasy.
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#lockeandkey #joehill #gabrielrodriguez #novelagrafica #comic #bookstagramespaña #amorpoloslibros
#lecturas #bookstagramm #literatura  #leoyrecomiendo #leoycomparto #amorpoloslibros  #instabooks  #libros #queleer #mislecturas #bookstagram #paninicomics

[Siobhan Hawthorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chronique sur mon blog.

La tension est toujours omniprésente dans ce volume, et on est tentées de penser à la lecture que rien ne semble pouvoir arrêter Dodge. Là où les enfants découvrent et tâtonnent avec les clés de Keyhouse, Dodge les maîtrise toutes, a un plan bien précis en tête et semble avoir envisagé toutes les échappatoires possibles et comment les contrer.

Si on en apprend un tout petit peu plus sur les origines de Zack / Dodge, l’histoire complète de la bande d’ami⋅es du père Locke et de cette nuit fatidique dans les caves inondées de Lovecraft, reste un mystère.

De nouveaux personnages entrent en scène et deviennent proches de Kinsey, et ça redonne un peu d’espoir de voir qu’elle rencontre et passe du temps avec d’autres personnes que Dodge. Même si le temps qu’elle passe avec iels n’est pas forcément moins dangereux ! Kinsey commence d’ailleurs à se rendre compte de l’erreur qu’elle a faite en se débarrassant de sa peur et de sa tristesse, surtout quand ses ami⋅es ou ses frères ne sont pas là pour l’empêcher de foncer tête baissée.

Si la mère était un personnage plutôt absent des deux premiers tomes, elle est un peu plus présente ici et l’histoire aborde en surface pourquoi elle s’enfonce dans l’alcool et ne parle pas de ce qui est arrivé le jour du meurtre de son mari. On en découvre plus également sur Rufus, le fils autiste de Ellie qui vit sous le même toit que Dodge et qui, lui, n’est pas dupe.

J’apprécie particulièrement les auteurs et autrices qui utilisent la fantasy pour critiquer notre société et j’étais ravie que ce soit en partie le cas ici, quand Kinsey et Bode utilisent une clé leur permettant de changer de couleur de peau et qu’iels sont confrontés immédiatement au racisme (ordinaire ou pas) des personnes qu’iels croisent. Pour les personnes qui craignent que cela soit trop « lourd » ou appuyé, j’ai le sentiment que c’était très bien géré : les enfants sont surpris et tristes de la situation qui se déroule sur quelques pages, avant que l’histoire passe à autre chose.

La deuxième partie de l’intégrale comprend de nombreuses ellipses tandis que sur des semaines les enfants découvrent de nouvelles clés et se font attaquer par Zack. Ces nouvelles clés et attaques sont présentées en quelques cases ou planches seulement, ce qui peut être frustrant puisqu’on aurait pu s’attendre à assister aux aventures complètes des Locke. Mais finalement, cela permet à l’intrigue d’avancer, sans devenir trop répétitive. Au contraire, la fin de cette intégrale promet encore plus de dangers pour la famille Locke, et une résolution proche, pour le meilleur ou pour le pire.

Comme pour le premier volume, les illustrations de Gabriel Rodriguez sont époustouflantes de justesse, que ce soit dans les détails (qu’ils soient pleins de fantasy ou très gores) et surtout dans les expressions des personnages : rien ne semble avoir été laissé au hasard dans le dessin de leurs visages ou de leur langage corporel. Le travail sur les palettes de couleurs contribue également à l’ambiance instaurée dans Locke & Key. En revanche, au début du quatrième tome (la deuxième moitié de l’intégrale donc), il y a un jeu avec un style de dessin tout à fait différent pour donner le point de vue de Bode et si je reconnais que l’exercice est intéressant, il m’a moyennement convaincue à la lecture et je m’en suis trouvée plus confuse qu’autre chose. Même la recherche au niveau de la construction des planches, avec des cases superposées sur une case pleine page, m’a frustrée plus qu’autre chose parce que je n’arrivais pas à visualiser la scène comme je l’aurai voulu. Mais cela ne dure qu’un chapitre et ne m’a pas empêché d’avoir un vrai coup de cœur pour ce deuxième volume !

[Fahad Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

With volumes 3 and 4 of Locke & Key, Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez continue to weave comic book magic.

What I noticed is that these two volumes don't do a lot to progress the main story of the series. In fact, it spends so much time on slice of life and family drama within the Lockes, you might forget what this story is really supposed to be about. That is, of course, until you get to the end of volume 4, and the story really kicks into high gear.

In a more average comic, this approach would come off as boring. As it turns out, Locke & Key isn't an average series at all. The focus on the Locke family is great because their individual stories honestly are more interesting than the mystery with Zack Wells and all that. You get individual issues in this set focusing on Tyler, Kinsey, Bode and Mama Locke, and Hill is still exploring how their grief and trauma interacts with their experiences with the keys.

Rodriguez is still crushing it with the art, which gets even more experimental this time around. Highlights in these two volumes are the chapters that focus on Bode, and the one chapter that shows us how Rufus sees the world.

I suppose you could uncharitably call these two volumes filler, but they're so engaging and engrossing that they don't feel like filler. Onwards to the final pair!

[Joseph B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Hill continues to write an imaginative and engaging comic series that feels unique within the genre. This second Master Edition collects the second and third arcs of the Locke and Key comic series. Crown and Shadows starts off slower, but the build-up is well executed with a satisfying finale and epilogue. The Locke children continue to be the core focus, with our villain Zack also being in the spotlight. Hill continues to develop all the characters nicely, and you really begin to hate Zack (in a good way). There's also some backstory given which I won't spoil, but was welcome.

Keys to the Kingdom unsurprisingly gives us more keys to play around with, each with their own unique magic to them. This adds more dynamics to the story, and we see the Locke children develop a knack for using them while also learning more about themselves and the insane world they find themselves thrown into. There's also a gamechanging twist while I really enjoyed, and has me excited to finish this series.

Gabriel Rodriguez's artwork is of course fantastic, he changes his style as needed for stories and it is a delight all the way though. Overall Hill continues to blend genre's in this fantasy horror series and delivers a read well worth continuing.

[Sohan Surag · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a horror fan and if you haven't read Locke & Key you're missing out on some major good stuff. Written by Joe Hill aka Stephen King's son and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key is one of the best horror comics ever made. A well thought out plot, superbly written leads, an astoundingly smart plot device and a despicable antagonist makes Locke & Key a must read. Its more adventure and fantasy than all out horror. Although I had read Joe Hill's HORNS, I was never a fan until I read these gems. Gabriels art is consistent throughout and is just gorgeous to look at. The way he illustrates 'evil' is so nefariously beautiful. I mentioned 'well thought out plot' coz what usually happens in the genre is that the stories starts out great and ends in a ho-hum kinda way as if the authors ran out of ideas and just wants to wrap things up and move onto their next project. Locke & Key, on the other hand never felt so. The pacing was great, the starting and the ending were spectacular and so was everything in between.

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Малюнок все ще дуже мультяшний, але, повторююсь: це цілком пасує серії. Сюжет у 3-4 арках значно набирає оборотів, а нелінійна оповідь та графічні переходи між сценами (наприклад, випуск із календарем) рясніють дуже навіть добрими нараторськими рішеннями.
Чортівня стає для персонажів побутовою, і саме ця побутовість із усіма реакціями, взаємодіями, робить їхні характери дуже об'ємними. Антагоніст(ка) стає дедалі анти людяною, тоді як мотиви та драми самих героїв є максимально живими та людськими. Класичне протиставлення, що у такому янґ-адлті дуже навіть працює.
Звісно, тут немає особливої інтриги (от лише не плюйтеся в мене зараз), у коміксі дивує не сюжетне, а іраціональне, цілком фентезійне, що лишається взагалі без пояснень принципів дії. Але саме протиставлення, навіть із усіма умовностями, того надприроднього та підліткових свідомостей є гарним, бо простим і яскравим.
Інакше кажучи: так, чортівня трапляється. Ні, особисто для мене вона не є основним плюсом серії, бо значно ліпшим,визначним відчувається невимушене ставлення до цієї чортівні головних героїв.

[DeadTrees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 of the Master Edition was also a good read. Pacing didn't feel as good as Volume 1, but I still enjoyed it. Looking forward to the last.

Here's my copypasta book quality review from Volume One:

Book Quality
----------
4/5
Overall: I'm glad I ponied up for the Master Edition, it's the best graphic novel collection on my shelf.

Cover: Nice and classy. The art looks nice and there are nice details like subtle debossing. The endpapers are maps of the probably-too-on-the-nose town of Lovecraft.

Paper: Heavyweight bright white paper makes the colors pop. No complaints whatsoever.

Other: So I recently received my copies of Volume 2 & 3. Now that they are snug next to each other on my shelf, I was surprised to find that none of them match. No two have quite the same colors, and the alignment of the print off by fraction of a millimeter. If you were a guest in my home perusing my bookcase you likely wouldn't notice it, so it's not a huge deal, but I am the kind of person who notices these things.

[Brooke Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Those guys are pushovers. They’re like most monsters... only scary in the dark. You turn on the lights and they melt away.”

While the Locke family attempts to continue with everyday life despite their heartbreaking circumstances, they continue to investigate the house in which they live and the many mysterious keys it contains.

I could definitely tell this volume was a “second” of three as the storyline didn’t contain any big reveals or major occurrences until the very end. I felt a lot of the story was a build up for what is to come in the final volume. But that doesn’t mean I liked it any less than the first book! It just had a little bit of a different feel.

One of my favorite things in this volume was the finding of all the different keys and the Locke children discovering what they did. It was nice to see them try their best to be happy and move on from their dark past, yet Zack was always there, a secret enemy in their midst.

I found myself struggling as I did with the first volume, trying to remind myself to slow down; not to flip through the pages and read too fast to enjoy the stunning artwork. Can’t wait to read the third volume!

[Rameen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always afraid of series starting to go downhill the more you read on, but this only got more and more interesting! I find myself itching to read the next issue and really have to stop myself from binge reading the whole thing in one sitting because I don’t want it to be over that quickly haha. I really liked how some issues took a different art style to showcase the perspective of certain characters. The one thing that bothers me though is the lack of development on Rendell and his friends’ story and how that ties into everything whereas in the show you get to see their whole history. If I didn’t watch the show, I’d be annoyed not knowing anything about why the keys are so important to the villain. But other than that, the series is still really fun and I can’t wait to finish it!

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for me to rate this, but I'm sticking with 3.5 stars.

The book is very depressing, I really didn't need to see the heavy drinking bits. Then, the antagonist (still) is ultra powerful, in a way that even if the characters figure him out, he can just use all of the special powers to just slip out of any danger.

What I do like, is that all of the three kids develop naturally and all of them grow up in a believable fashion. Also, there's some cool episodes in here (mostly where the antagonist is absent). This is a book where I enjoy the subplots more than the main story, which is odd.

I'm sure the kids will beat the antagonist in the third book, but I have my doubts it will be believable, given the arsenal of supernatural powers he has available to him. We'll see.