Hey Charlotte, great question. Most comics, including Locke & Key, come out in individual issues first. These are 20-30 page traditional comic book first. It will come out monthly (or close to it) and after it has finished it will then be collected all together in a single book known as a trade paperback collection (sometimes called a graphic novel). To use Locke & Key as an example, the first story arc Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft was released as a 6 individual comics first then these were all collected together a few months after its conclusion in one book.

If you’re looking to purchase Locke and Key, I highly recommend the collected editions. They are easier to come by, there’s more bang for your buck, and an overall cheaper option (the individual issues are long out of print and jumped in price thanks to the Netflix series).

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask any other questions you’ve got. I’m happy to answer them.

Hi Nicole, it so awesome to hear that you want to read the comics after seeing the Netflix series. The Netflix series roughly adapts Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft so you could jump in with Volume 2. But it is worth noting that the Netflix series made a few changes to the story, which means that jumping into Volume 2 would be confusing as the show won’t line up with the comic 100%. I recommend reading Volume 1 first.

Hey Mark, I’m glad you’ve found the guide helpful. The spin-offs read better if you’ve read the main story first.

Thanks

Hi Christina, the Netflix series is made to be a bit more PG than the graphic novels. Some of the violence and horror elements are probably not appropriate for a 11 or 14 year old. I am happy to recommend some similar graphic novels that would be more appropriate to their age group if you would like.