Throughout the month of July I’ve been asking people to read Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome To Lovecraft so we could discuss it as part of the How to Love Comics Book Club!
For those who haven’t been paying attention or have just joined us this is essentially how it works:
- I set a book at the start of the month.
- We all go out and read it.
- And then come back and discuss it.
We’re now up to the discussion phase of the process. The part where you get to have your say and what you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy in as much detail as you want in the comments below.
Before we get to the actual discussion I’ll lay down some ground rules, mostly for the sake of keeping the discussion friendly.
Book Club Rules
- Keep conversation friendly. You’re allowed to disagree with people but do so in a way that is neither aggressive or belittling the person with different views or opinions.
- No trolling.
- Keep on topic.
- Do not spoil Locke & Key volumes 2+.
- I have the right to delete any comments which break rules 1-4.
- Finally, have fun!
Talking Points
You can discuss Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome To Lovecraft anyway you want, but if you’re looking for a few talking points here are a few to help you get started.
- Themes: Grief, loss, reinvention, loss of innocence.
- Pacing: Was the story well paced?
- Art: What did you like about Gabriel Rodriguez’s art? Does it suit the themes and the story?
- Colouring: Did Jay Fotos’ colour work well with the art? Does it suit the themes and the story?
- As a horror series did you find it scary?
- Locke & Key is becoming a television series, do you think it will translate?
- Will you be reading the other volumes of this series?
Over to you, jump down into the comments and let’s talk about Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome To Lovecraft!
Joe Hill is a great writer and his way to show and describe depression and emotional process is amazing, and Gabriel Rodriguez does a even beter job showing the story whith his amazing drawings, Jay Foto`s coloring is very appripiate to the feeling it is trying to express.
I personally don`t find comic books scary, not because of the writer or artist but more about the format, I feel that comics/graphic novels sort of limit imagination, not to say that the creators don`t have imagination, but I think that everybody has different fears and when you read a book whithout drawings it makes you scared because you know what scares you.
Right now there are 2 Locke and Key seasons, I think it`s incorrect to say that the televesion series is based off of the graphic novels,it`s more of its own story that has taken events and bent so that they are different and then surround theese events with made up things, characters and events.I`m not saying that the television series is bad it`s just that it`s a diferent story, wich is in some occasions sucks.
I bought the first hardcover when it was released, purely on a whim, and it has since become quite possibly my favorite comic I own. The beautiful, stylish and always consistent artwork was a huge selling point, but one you get past that and get into the story itself, it’s amazing how well-thought out it is.
I remember reading it the first time and thinking, I’m guessing this author writes novels full-time, and this is his first take at comics. Not because the comic was bad, but just because it was SO well set up and fleshed out, it stood apart from just about everything else I was reading in comics at the time.
Since then, I’ve eagerly awaited each hardcover release. When it got to the sixth one (the finale), it sat on my shelf for close to a year before I read it because I was so worried it might miss the mark on the ending and tarnish and otherwise phenomenal series. No spoilers, but I’m happy to report, it did not. The conclusion to this series is absolutely amazing, and completely worth the time.
I agree, Joe Hill has a firm grip on storytelling and knows how to flesh out and build the world around the characters. I guess being the son of Stephen King helps a lot too.
And page 28. That captured everything about a mother’s, grief, rage, protective instincts and wow!
You’re so right!
What struck me about Rodriguez’ art and Joe’s writing is that they get teenagers. Not in any hip sort of trendy way, but in the small things. Look at the first time we see Tyler at the top if page 10 (hardcover vol. 1). The different outfits and his thought process were believable. They made me feel the angst and ennui of being a teenager coupled with the self awareness to know you’re full if shit which we read at the bottom of page 10 when he tells Kinsey he’s experiencing boredom and existential angst. This is just one example but it caught my attention as it happens early on in the book.
Great point, Ian. You could pop Tyler and Kinsey into any decade and they would be convincing. They’ve been defined by their emotions instead of superficial elements of interest or appearance.
For one of his first comics, coming in from the novel writing world, Joe Hill has a firm grip on the medium. This series is well paced, and he really knows when to cut from one scene to another. There were times I was left in suspense as he has left a scene on a bit of a cliffhanger – such as when girl came out of the well. (Which in a way was very much like a Japanese horror film.)
Gabriel Rodriguez’s art is fantastic. His characters are expressive and he know how exude emotion from them. I was much more sympathetic for them because of it. Also, the way he draws Keyhouse is just fantastic. There’s so much fine detail it! I always stop to admire it every time it in a panel.
Jay Fotos’ muted colours were a great choice too. They fit the dark and mysterious tone to a tee.
I will definitely be reading more of Locke & Key very soon! I’ll also be keeping you eye out for developments of the TV show too. As to whether it will capture the comic I guess will depend on what network it ends up.
I really enjoyed the first volume of Locke & Key. It could’ve easily been a series just about the keys and the house, but it is so much more. Every character in this arc gets fleshed out, showing how they cope with experiencing a horrific situation. It made me actually care about them. Would you guys agree?