1st Appearance | Origin Story | Main Publication History | Secondary Publication History | Key Storylines | Media Source Material | Key Issues | Compilations
by snowbi-wan, updated Feb 2020
LOCKE AND KEY is a series of comic book mini-series and one-shots from writer Joe Hill (aka Joseph Hillström King, the son of famous author Stephen King) and artist Gabriel Rodriguez published at IDW beginning in 2008 through 2013 with a few sporadic one-shots in that period and since. Structured in three acts (two mini-series per act), the narrative is not presented in chronological order, but tells the tale of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them... And home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all. After the gruesome murder of their father, the Locke kids, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode move with their mother Nina across the country to Keyhouse and begin discovering its secrets. Special keys play a major role in the story. These keys are made of whispering iron, which is a substance that demons collapse into when they try to enter our world. In 2009, LOCKE AND KEY [2008] was nominated for two Eisners: Best Limited Series and Best Writer. The comic was nominated for three more Eisners in 2011, and it won one that year for Best Writer. Options for a film trilogy as well as television series began as early as 2010, but the show never entered any serious production until Netflix produced a television series for release in 2019. A card game was produced in 2012, and an audio drama was produced in 2015.
1st Appearance
The first appearance of a character in comic book form is often the most valuable issue featuring that character. It's a nice place to get started in Locke and Key, if it's within your budget.
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- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #1 (1st appearance of Locke and Key)
Main Publication History
Series beginnings are always great places to get started in comic books. Here is the Main Publication History for Locke and Key comic books.
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- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #1-6 (1st mini-series)
- LOCKE AND KEY: HEAD GAMES [2009] #1-6 (2nd mini-series)
- LOCKE AND KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT SPECIAL EDITION [2009] #1 (reprints LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #1 w/script and a bonus, original 11-page story)
- LOCKE AND KEY: CROWN OF SHADOWS [2009] #1-6 (3rd mini-series)
- LOCKE AND KEY: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM [2010] #1-6 (4th mini-series)
- LOCKE AND KEY: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT LEGACY EDITION [2010] #1 (reprints LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #1 plus an 8-page recap of the series so far)
- LOCKE AND KEY: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION [2011] (reprints portions of LOCKE AND KEY: CROWN OF SHADOWS [2009] #3-5)
- LOCKE AND KEY: CLOCKWORKS [2011] #1-6 (5th mini-series)
- LOCKE AND KEY: GUIDE TO THE KNOWN KEYS [2011] (guide to the keys plus an original 16-page story)
- LOCKE AND KEY: GRINDHOUSE [2012] #1 (original 16-page story plus The Guide to Keyhouse)
- LOCKE AND KEY: OMEGA [2012] #1-5 (6th mini-series, first half)
- LOCKE AND KEY: ALPHA [2013] #1-2 (6th mini-series, second half)
- LOCKE AND KEY: SMALL WORLD [2016] #1 (new, stand-alone story)
- LOCKE AND KEY: DOG DAYS [2019] (new, stand-alone story; behind-the-scenes look at Netflix television series; preview of new Joe Hill series)
Key Issues
A key issue can be an acceptable place to get started with Locke And Key, but they are more of a collector's checklist, as they can carry high price tags. The issues listed in this section are predominantly non-variants (i.e. main covers). The initial 6-issue mini-series is highly sought.
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- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #1 (1st appearance of Locke and Key)
- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #2
- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #3
- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #4
- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #5
- LOCKE AND KEY [2008] #6
Compilations
In modern comic publishing, it's common (and expected) for individual comic book issues to be collected into compilations of trade paperbacks and/or hardcovers, as well as other special compilations. Unlike the individual source issues, the collected editions typically stay in print for long periods and are less 'collectible.' If individual issues are out of reach or are not of interest to you or if you just need reading copies, the following collected editions of Locke And Key comic books are the most recent in-print editions and are the perfect alternative to get started right away with Locke And Key. The following compilations are presented in a chronologically-based suggested reading order with softcover editions before any hardcover editions (unless the only in-print editions are hardcover--these are integrated into the softcover list).
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| Cover | Release Month | Series / Number / Storyline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quick View | Aug 2009 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 01: WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT CURRENT PRINTING |  | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Oct 2010 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 02: HEAD GAMES CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2011 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 03: CROWN OF SHADOWS CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | May 2012 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 04: KEYS TO THE KINGDOM CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Jul 2013 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 05: CLOCKWORKS CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon | |
 Quick View | Oct 2014 | LOCKE AND KEY [2008-TPB] VOL 06: ALPHA AND OMEGA CURRENT PRINTING | | Go to Amazon |
Media Source Material
Netflix produced a television series based on the LOCKE AND KEY comic book source material for an intended release in 2019.