Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom #4

Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom

by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodríguez (Artist)

When Squadron Strange accept a mission from a ghost, they find themselves on their most perilous raid ever... straight into the heart of a haunted mansion! Sgt. Rufus Whedon and Corporal Bode Locke have a terrifying lesson to learn: if you're dealing with a dead man, you better think fast and fight hard, if you don't want to wind up one yourself!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror

24 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2011

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

[Tawfek · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems that Rufus is the only one who can see and talk to a ghost.
Its insane that dodge is getting away with so much with no consequences whatsoever.
Kinsey still loves dodge and so far it seems she will be the bane of her group.

[Andrew Sorrentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squadron Strange

Everyone is trying to recruit more allies to their sides. Zack makes a promise to Bode. This promise seems playful, but Zack has said before that he always keeps his promises.

[Vikas · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this issue we follow Rufus and his Squadron Strange, surprise Rufus can see and talk to dead people, so he has a long talk with Sam, and Sam tells him about Dodge but when Rufus tries to tell Lockes the truth Dodge arrives and stops that. Kinsey is proving to be an idiot and the person to get them all killed. She is still in love with Dodge and he wants to know about the Omega key.

I have always loved comics, and I hope to always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on the international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

spelling:
p3: "...The thing we're fightin' ain't taking prisioners......"

p7: "...My old pal Smith and his buddy, Mr. Weston!..."

p8: "...I didn't socalize much with the enlisted men."

I'm very excited on what would Rufus' role would be.

The classic faux cover is so cool.

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 4 out of 5]

Γλυκύτητα και σκληράδα. Όπως η πραγματική ζωή. Αν και αρχίζω να αναρωτιέμαι αν ο Χιλλ έχει τα προβλήματα του πατέρα του, σε σχέση με τα "χαρισματικά" παιδιά που τα αγαπούν οι υπερφυσικές δυνάμεις.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

THAT'S more like it. This volume has been seriously lacking and I'm so glad it's picking back up.

[Laurene Allibert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this issue, we follow the steps of Rufus that everybody thinks is retarded but clearly we are all wrong. Rufus is one of the best soldier to fight the evil.

[cauldronofevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Casualties” starts with a splash page that resembles both old war comics and old horror comics.

Kinsey is watching Rufus. Rufus and Bode are playing with action figures.

While playing Rufus sees Sam Lesser’s ghost and can hear and talk to him as well.

Lesser plays the dead soldier for Rufus, telling him this house is a battlefield. Lesser takes Rufus to the basement and they talk about their families.

Lesser tells Rufus about the Keys and that Zack is using a key to watch them right now, but that’s he can’t see Lesser. Lesser tries to convince Rufus to kill Zack. Rufus says he can’t do that - Geneva convention.

Lesser tells Rufus that Zack is looking for a key that is in the flooded reservoir below the house. That if Zack finds it he will summon demons unless someone stops him.

Lesser tells him that he can be stopped by getting him in the well house. Lesser tells him to enlist the Locke kids help.

Rufus starts to tell Bode about Zack, but then Zack comes over to take Rufus home.

Duncan is in the hospital with a recovering Brian Rogan. Brian remembers more than they thought he would. All the way back to Locke & Key Head games Issue #5.

Excellent stuff with the art doing triple duty with the old comics formats, the house cutaway view and the ghost of Sam actually being on the Locke’s side! Goosebumps!

5 stars

[♥ I’d Rather Be Reading ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I read this issue in the graphic novel volume, Locke & Key, Vol. 4: Keys to the Kingdom. See my review for it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review of the entire series.

The story follows the Locke siblings; the curious young Bode, his rebellious sister Kinsey and his mature brother Tyler. After their father is tragically murdered in a mysterious home invasion, they move to their ancestral home in Lovecraft (a very suitable name for the hellish place they're moving into) with their alcoholic mother. The Locke house holds many strange secrets, keys that unlock forbidden powers and ancient evils never meant to be released. It turns out that the murder of the Locke family's father may not have been a coincidence. There are higher forces at play, manipulating the living from the shadows and orchestrating the downfall of the entire world.

This was a great surprise. I've been reading manga my entire life, but I confess that I never got into American comics and graphic novels (until now that is.) This series managed to win me over and open up an entire new medium of fiction to me. I was impressed by how realistic and human the characters are, there are so many unique people that are developed with utmost respect and is an example of diversity done extremely well. It really does rival the best of Stephen King and other big horror writers of the same ilk. It's got body swapping, spirit battles, mind-bending powers, ghosts and demons, heavy metal culture, blood and guts, tears and trauma, it's a thrilling ride all the way through.

Every volume packed a handful of punches. Volume 4 was the weakest of the series but even that one had a strong finish that eventually led to an even stronger ending. Suffering and grief is portrayed with rich emotion. The character development is moving. The villain is merciless and is actively involved with the plot at all times. All the side characters play a big role in the climactic finale and they all get the satisfying resolutions they deserve. Great series, might check out Neil Gaiman's Sandman after this one.