Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Listen, reviewing this incredibly fantastic run as separate volumes is a dumpster fire. What good exactly is giving volume three 5 stars when it's part of a six volume series? I will say off the top that this is one of my all time favorite long running graphic novel series. Over the span of 35 issues Hill and Rodriguez tell a gripping horror story filled to the brim with a huge host of characters that nonetheless feel fleshed out and wonderfully realized. Rodriguez' artwork never flags, never feels like midway through he's just phoning panels in to meet an issue deadline. The artwork is intricate, interesting and ambitious. Hill avoids over dialoging and other traps traditional authors might fall into making the transition to comics. The two together have crafted a brilliant piece of work that understands the medium it's in.

Which is to say I'm not sure how well this is going to make the transition to TV. I mean in this the first volume we see Rendell Locke violently murdered by two students. The rest of the family barely escape death, the mother is raped and the eldest kills one of the perpetrators. And yet in the aftermath after the family has moved across the country to the family's Keyhouse Estate the youngest Bode seems remarkably well adjusted and still in possession of a wide-eyed innocence and curiosity. The eldest are still quick to trust new friends and are no more mopey than any typical highschool teen. In comics that gets a pass for the sake of the medium and it's need to push the story forward. On TV - that's going to feel weird and may require some handwringing and inserted family drama which slows down the pacing. It's not going to be an easy transition. Speaking of transitions... I guess I'll continue reviewing these across the volumes. Not all are 5 stars, I figure the entire run averages a 4.25 stars overall.